BACKGROUND: Recently the percutaneous transradial approach for coronary angiography, transluminal coronary angioplasty or coronary stention were reported but there was no report in Korea. So we tested the safety and efficacy of the transradial appreach for coronary angiography in Korean. METHODS: Eleven patients(male 9, female 2, mean age 59.3 yeal old)with chest pain underwent percutaneous transradial coronary angiography with 5 french multipurpose catheter. We evaluated clinical efficacy and observed complication of percutaneous transradial coronary angiography by physical examination and DOpple ultrasonography of puncture site of radial artery. RESULTS: Right coronary angiography and left ventriculography were performed successfully in all cases, but left coronary angiogrphy was failed in three cases. In another three cases, the patient complained of arm pain which was aggravated during manipulation of the catheter. After the procedure, it took 10.3 minutes to stop the bleeding at the puncture site, Clinically significant complications were not observed after the procedure. The patients were not restricted to bed at all since the completion of the procedure. CONCLUSION: In our limited dexperience, percutaneous transradial coronary angiography could be performend on the outpatient basis without significant complications.
Angioplasty ; Arm ; Catheters ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography* ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Physical Examination ; Punctures ; Radial Artery ; Ultrasonography

Objective: This study identified the incidence and risk factors for headache attributed to acute pyelonephritis. Methods: The inclusion criteria were patients who were admitted with acute pyelonephritis at our hospital and ≥ 18 years of age. The following exclusion criteria were used: 1) patients who could not express their headache because of mental deterioration, 2) the presence of meningitis or meningoencephalitis, or 3) structural lesions on brain computed tomography or magnetic resonance images that could cause headache. The primary outcome was headache attributed to acute pyelonephritis as a dependent variable. The differences were analyzed using demographic and laboratory profiles as independent variables. Additionally, correlation analysis was performedbetweenseverity of headache using VAS score and demographic and laboratory profiles including age, WBC, and CRP. Results: A total of 479 patients met the inclusion criteria for this study, and 97 patients developed headache attributed to acute pyelonephritis. Patients with headache were younger and more likely to be female, and had a lower incidence of diabetes than those without headache. However, laboratory profiles that reflected the severity of acute pyelonephritis were not predictive factors for headache. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that young age and non-diabetes were independently significant variables for the prediction of headache attributed to acute pyelonephritis. In addition, the VAS score was found to be negative correlated with age, whereas it was not correlated with WBC and CRP. Conclusions: We determined that headache attributed to acute pyelonephritis was relatively common, and it was related to demographic characteristics but not acute pyelonephritis severity.
Pyelonephritis ; Headache

BACKGROUND: Circadian rhythms have been described for acute myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, cerebrovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, and ventricular arrhythmia. Most of studies reported that the frequency of ventricular permature contractions(VPC's) shows a peak in day time. We tried to see that the circadian rhythm of VPC's in hypertension and ischemic heart disease(IHD) patients. And we will also studied the relationship between heart rate and frequencey of VPC's. METHOD: Twenty four hour holter monitoring was performed in hypertensive patients (N=23), ischemic heart disease patients(N=25), and normal control group(N=30). We tested the circadian pattern of VPC's and heart rates and the relationships of the frequency of VPC's and heart rates. RESULT: In hypertension group, a peak incidence of heart rate is between 5 and 8 P.M., in ischemic heart disease group, between 3 and 6 P.M.. In control group, the heart rate shows a peak beteen 1 and 3 P.M.. The frequency of VPC's in hypertension group shows the first peak between 4 and 10 P.M., and the second peak beteen 7 and 10 A.M.. In ischemic heart disease group, they show a peak between 2 and 8 P.M..In control group, there was no circadian variation for the frequency of VPC;s. Both in hypertension and IHD patients group, there was significant correlation between the frequency of VPC's and the heart rates. CONCLUSION: It seemed that VPC' were more frequently occurred in relation to the increase of heart rate in the afternoon, in hypertensive and ischemic heart disease patients.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Circadian Rhythm ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Electrocardiography, Ambulatory ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Incidence ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia* ; Ventricular Premature Complexes*

BACKGROUND: Established risk factors for coronary artery disease include smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia. However, these account for less than 50% of the actual incidence of coronary artery disease and the importance of other risk factors is being increasingly realized. It has been known that insulin resistance associated with hyperinsulinemia is a pivotal link to several risk factors of coronary artery disease, including hypertension, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia and obesity. Recently both experimental and clinical studies have produced evidence suggesting that high plasma insulin level may promote the development of atherosclerotic vascular diseasa. Several prospective studies showed independently that high plasma insulin is associated with an increased risk of major coronary artery disease. In our study, plasma glucose, insulin and C-peptide level were determined with oral glucose tolerance test to assess the insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia as a risk factory of coronary artery disease. METHOD: From September 1993 to April 1995, after excluding patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia and obesity, 17 patients with significant coronary artery stenosis and 10 control subjects with normal coronary finding were selected among the 226 patients who undertook coronary angiography. In the 17 cases(M:F=15:2) of coronary artery disease group, the mean age was 54+/-10 years, and in the 10 cases(M:F=8:2) of control group, 51+/-9 years. All were matched for age, gender and body mass index. Blood pressure, lipid and lipoprotein were measured and smoking history was assessed. Glucose, insulin and C-peptide responses to oral glucose tolerance test were also determined. RESULT: 1) There was no significant difference in systolic and diastolic and diastolic blood pressure, total-cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, ApoA and smoking history except ApoB between the subjects with coronary artery disease and normal control subjects. 2) In oral glucose tolerance test, the plasma glucose levels were not significantly different in the two groups. plasma insulin and C-peptide levels at 60 and 120 minutes were higher in the patient group than control, but the results lack statistical significance. The area under the insulin curve and C-peptide curve were larger in patient group than control, but the result lack statistical significance also. CONCLUSION: Although our study dose not prove the hypothesis that insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia is statistically an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease, this study showed the tendency of insulinresistance to be correlated with development of coronary artery disease. As this study has limitations due to small sample size, further study is required to confirm the role of hyperinsulinemia using a larger sample size.
Apolipoproteins A ; Apolipoproteins B ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; C-Peptide ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Stenosis ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Dyslipidemias ; Glucose ; Glucose Intolerance ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hyperinsulinism ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Insulin Resistance* ; Insulin* ; Lipoproteins ; Obesity ; Plasma ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Sample Size ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides

BACKGROUND: Syncope is both one of the most common and one of the most challenging problems seen in medical practice. In spite of intensive medical evaluation, the cause of syncope remains unknown in a significant number of patients. In recent years, head-up tilt test has been of increasing interest as a diagnostic aids in patients with unexplained syncope. This study investigated the clinical utility of this technique in te evaluation of patients with vasovagal syncope. METHODS: Seven patients with unexplained syncope were evaluated with a 60 degree or 80 degree head-up tilt test with or without intravenous infusion of isoproterenol(1-4ug/min) in an attempt to provoke bradycardia, hypotension or both. There were 4 males and 3 females with a mean age of 35+/-8 years. RESULTS: 1) During head-up tilt test, vasovagal responses were provoked in 5 of 7 patients(71.4%) with syncope of unknown origin. During the test, there was no complication associated with the test. 2) During tilt-induced vasovagal reponse, mean systolic blood pressure decreased to 84+/-12mmHg from supine control of 125+/-21mmHg(p<0.01) and mean diastolic blood pressure decreased to 50+/-17mmHG from supine control of 76+/-14mmHg(p<0.01). 3) Five patients with positive results of the tests were followed up for 12months and they had a good outcome free of recurrence. CONCLUSION: Head-up tilt test appeared safely applicable test in patients with suspected vasovagal syncope and good prognosis was expected in the patients.
Blood Pressure ; Bradycardia ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Male ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Syncope ; Syncope, Vasovagal*

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrophy is a major cardiovascular risk factor for sudden death, acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure. The left ventricle is generally thought to adapt to sustained arterial hypertension with increased total peripheral resistance by developing concentric hypertrophy. In recent years, the echocardiogrphy has been developed as a noninvasive method for evaluation of left ventricular geometry and left ventricular mass. However, left ventricular adaptation to hypertension has been shown to be more complex than expected. In fact, many patients with mild to moderate hypertension exhibit normal left ventricular mass and wall thickness, other hypertensive patients have eccentric ventricular hypertrophy that is not related to systolic dysfunction, but rather to increased cardiac output and preload and in some hypertensive patients absolute and relative wall thickness is increased with normal ventricular mass(concentric remodeling). There are differences in the hemodynamics, systolic function and diastolic function in each group. METHODS: From september 1992 to August 1994, in 144 patients with untreated essential hypertension and 50 age and gender matched normal adults studied by two-dimensional, M-mode and Doppler echocardiography. In the present study we used echocardiographically derived left ventricular mass and relative wall thickness to assess the patterns of ventricular geometric adaptation to systemic hypertension and their relations to systemic hemodynamics, left ventricular load and contractile performance. RESULTS: Hypertensive group was 144 cases(M:F=68:76), the mean age 56+/-13years. Normotensive group was 50 cases(M:F=22:28), the mean age 52+/-9years. Among hypertensive patients, left ventricular mass index and relative wall thickness were normal in 42 cases(29%), 24 cases(17%) had increased relative wall thickness with normal ventricular mass(concentric remodelin),48 cases(33%) had both increased relative wall thickness and ventricular mass(concentric hypertrophy), 30 cases(21%) had increased left ventricular mass with normal relative wall thickness(eccentric hypertrophy). Concentric hypertrophy and normal left ventricle group are more common in untreated hypertensive patients in Korea. Systemic hemodynamics showed tendency to paralleled ventricular geomety. In groups with concentric remodeling and hypertrophy, perpheral resistance was increased. Cardiac index was midly increased in eccentric hypertrophy. Diastolic dysfunction was prominent tn concentric hypertrophy. CONCLUSION: Each patterns of left ventricular geometry had different systemic hemodynamics, ventricular pressure overload and ventricular volume overload. Therefore, appropriate selection of antihypertensive agent for the patients with each patterns of hypertrophy reduce the left ventricular hypertrophy and may improve the prognosis.
Adult ; Cardiac Output ; Death, Sudden ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Heart Failure ; Heart Ventricles ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Hypertrophy ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular* ; Korea ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Vascular Resistance ; Ventricular Pressure

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrophy is an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease, hypertension or other cardiovasular diseases, and normal health person due to cardiac arrhythmia or coronary microcirculatory insufficiency. According to development of echocardiography, left ventricular mass and the patterns of left ventricular hypertrophy can be measured. Therefore, we tried to classify the left ventricular hypertrophy in coronary artery disease and to differentiate cardiac function and severity of coronary artery disease in these groups. METHOD: From September 1993 to August 1995, in 44 cases(23 males, 21 females) without hypertension with normal coronary angiography and 84 cases(62 males, 22 females) without hypertension with coronary artery disease on coronary angiography were compared by two-dimensional, M-mode, and Doppler echocardiography. RESULTS: In normal control group, mean age was 51+/-11years, and in coronary artery disease group, mean age was 58+/-10years. Atherosclerotic risk factors showed no significant differences in each groups. LVH patterns in normal control group were 31 cases(70%) of normal left ventricle, 6 cases(14%) concentric remodelling, 2 cases(5%) concentric hypertrophy, and 5 cases(11%) eccentric hypertrophy. In coronary artery disease group, 30 cases(36%) were normal left ventricle, 17 cases(20%) concentric remodelling, 14 cases(17%) concentric hypertrophy, and 23 cases(27%) eccentric hypertrophy. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, concentric and eccentric hypertrophy were more common in coronary artery disease group than normal control group. And comparing to one vessel disease grroup, multi-vessel disease group had more common concentric and eccentric hypertrophy. This result were considered that left ventricular concentric hypertrophy may induce coronary heart disease because more oxygen demand required and fixed coronary circulation, and essentric hypertrophy was due to post-infarct left ventricular remodelling and wall thinning.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Circulation ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Vessels* ; Echocardiography* ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertrophy ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular* ; Male ; Oxygen ; Risk Factors

No abstract available.
Ectodermal Dysplasia*

A 61-year-old woman, who had been treated by acupuncture on the glabellar region due to frontal headache ten days ago, had a rapidly growing tumor on that region. Histopathologically, the tumor was shown to be a central crater filled with eosinophilic keratin & a marginal but-tress formed by invagination of the epidermis. According to clinical & histopatholpgical findings, we can easily diagnose our case as solitary keratoacanthoma. As shown in our case, we think that acupuncture should be counted as one of the causative factors in the development of solitary keratoacanthoma.
Acupuncture* ; Eosinophils ; Epidermis ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Keratoacanthoma* ; Middle Aged

A 61-year-old woman, who had been treated by acupuncture on the glabellar region due to frontal headache ten days ago, had a rapidly growing tumor on that region. Histopathologically, the tumor was shown to be a central crater filled with eosinophilic keratin & a marginal but-tress formed by invagination of the epidermis. According to clinical & histopatholpgical findings, we can easily diagnose our case as solitary keratoacanthoma. As shown in our case, we think that acupuncture should be counted as one of the causative factors in the development of solitary keratoacanthoma.
Acupuncture* ; Eosinophils ; Epidermis ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Keratoacanthoma* ; Middle Aged