PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of spiral CT in the measurement of lung volumes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen healthy volunteers were studied by both spirometer and spiral CT at full inspiration and expiration inorder to correlate their results, including total lung capacity (TLC), vital capacity (VC) and residual volume(RV). 3-D images were reconstructed from spiral CT, and we measured lung volumes at a corresponding CT window range ; their volumes were compared with the pulmonary function test (paired t-test). RESULTS: The window range corresponding to TLC was from -1000HU to -150HU (p=0.279, r=0.986), and for VC from -910HU to -800HU (p=0.366,r=0.954) in full-inspiratory CT. The optimal window range for RV in full-expiratory CT was from -1000HU to -450HU (p=0.757, r=0.777), and TLC-VC in full-inspiratory CT was also calculated (p=0.843, r=0.847). CONCLUSION: Spiral CT at full inspiration can used to lung volumes such as TLC, VC and RV.
Healthy Volunteers ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Lung* ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Tomography, Spiral Computed* ; Total Lung Capacity ; Vital Capacity

BACKGROUND: Etomidate is used as a fast-acting hypnotic with few cardiovascular effects to induce anesthesia in patients with a poor cardiovascular reserve. The bispectral index (BIS) has been suggested to be a measure of the depth of anesthesia and correlates well with the level of consciousness. This study examined the population pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of etomidate using nonlinear mixed effect (NONMEM) modeling and sigmoid Emax modeling. METHODS: Eighteen middle aged adults, with ASA physical status I or II, who were scheduled for elective surgery, were included. 0.2% etomidate was administerd at 150 ml/h until the patients lost consciousness. The patient recovered spontaneously until they regained consciousness, as determined by a verbal response. The BIS was determined and arterial blood samples were collected. The plasma concentrations were measured with high performance liquid chromatograhy (HPLC). NONMEM was used for population pharmacokinetic and sigmoid Emax model for pharmacodynamic analysis. RESULTS: The induction dose for the loss of eyelid reflexes was 0.38 mg/kg. The induction time from drug infusion to the loss of eyelash reflexes was approximately 3.5 minutes. This study took approximately 8.5 minutes from the start of drug infusion to the recovery of consciousness. The pharmacokinetic parameters were t(1/2alpha) = 1.1 min, t(1/2beta) = 1.9 min, t(1/2gamma) = 106.5 min, k(21) = 0.36 L/min, k(31) = 0.009 L/min, V(1) = 6.43 L, V(area) = 426 L, C(l) = 2.77 L/min. The pharmacodynamics were keo = 0.40 L/min, CE(50) = 1.0 microgram/mL, E(0) = 94, E(max) = 94 and gamma = 1.2. The performance error for the etomidate concentration was 0.14+/-0.99 (typical prediction) and -0.03+/-0.40 (individual prediction) and -0.09+/-1.00 and -0.001+/-0.13 for the BIS score. CONCLUSIONS: When compared with other previously published data, our pharmacokinetic parameters demonstrated a shorter half lives, a larger volume of distribution, and an increased clearance with significant interindividual differences. The pharmacodynamics showed a large interindividual variability. The reason for discrepancy might be the relatively short sampling time. However, further study will be warranted to improve the model performance in the future.
Adult ; Anesthesia ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Consciousness ; Etomidate* ; Eyelids ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pharmacokinetics* ; Plasma ; Reflex

BACKGROUND: Etomidate is used as a fast-acting hypnotic with few cardiovascular effects to induce anesthesia in patients with a poor cardiovascular reserve. The bispectral index (BIS) has been suggested to be a measure of the depth of anesthesia and correlates well with the level of consciousness. This study examined the population pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of etomidate using nonlinear mixed effect (NONMEM) modeling and sigmoid Emax modeling. METHODS: Eighteen middle aged adults, with ASA physical status I or II, who were scheduled for elective surgery, were included. 0.2% etomidate was administerd at 150 ml/h until the patients lost consciousness. The patient recovered spontaneously until they regained consciousness, as determined by a verbal response. The BIS was determined and arterial blood samples were collected. The plasma concentrations were measured with high performance liquid chromatograhy (HPLC). NONMEM was used for population pharmacokinetic and sigmoid Emax model for pharmacodynamic analysis. RESULTS: The induction dose for the loss of eyelid reflexes was 0.38 mg/kg. The induction time from drug infusion to the loss of eyelash reflexes was approximately 3.5 minutes. This study took approximately 8.5 minutes from the start of drug infusion to the recovery of consciousness. The pharmacokinetic parameters were t(1/2alpha) = 1.1 min, t(1/2beta) = 1.9 min, t(1/2gamma) = 106.5 min, k(21) = 0.36 L/min, k(31) = 0.009 L/min, V(1) = 6.43 L, V(area) = 426 L, C(l) = 2.77 L/min. The pharmacodynamics were keo = 0.40 L/min, CE(50) = 1.0 microgram/mL, E(0) = 94, E(max) = 94 and gamma = 1.2. The performance error for the etomidate concentration was 0.14+/-0.99 (typical prediction) and -0.03+/-0.40 (individual prediction) and -0.09+/-1.00 and -0.001+/-0.13 for the BIS score. CONCLUSIONS: When compared with other previously published data, our pharmacokinetic parameters demonstrated a shorter half lives, a larger volume of distribution, and an increased clearance with significant interindividual differences. The pharmacodynamics showed a large interindividual variability. The reason for discrepancy might be the relatively short sampling time. However, further study will be warranted to improve the model performance in the future.
Adult ; Anesthesia ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Consciousness ; Etomidate* ; Eyelids ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pharmacokinetics* ; Plasma ; Reflex

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease with various manifestations, while its autoantibodies and immune reactions involve multiple organs. Neuropsychiatric involvement in SLE is known to be common, however, peripheral neuropathy is relatively rare. Guillain-Barre syndrome is clinically defined as an acute demyelinating peripheral neuropathy causing weakness and numbness in the legs and arms. We describe a case of Guillain-Barre syndrome with antiphospholipid syndrome and lupus nephritis. The patient was admitted with fever and diarrhea. He developed progressive weakness of the upper and lower extremities and dysarthria with characteristic nerve conduction patterns compatible with Guillain-Barre syndrome. He also had proteinuria and gangrene of the hand and toe with antiphospholipid antibody. He received intravenous immunoglobulin and plasmapheresis for progressive neuropathy, intravenous high dose steroid to control activity of SLE, and anticoagulation for antiphospholipid syndrome. Neuropsychiatric manifestation of SLE is related to lupus activity closely, so it is important to control lupus activity.
Antibodies, Antiphospholipid ; Antiphospholipid Syndrome ; Arm ; Autoantibodies ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Diarrhea ; Dysarthria ; Fever ; Gangrene ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome ; Hand ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Immunoglobulins ; Leg ; Lower Extremity ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lupus Nephritis ; Neural Conduction ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Plasmapheresis ; Proteinuria ; Toes

Intramural pregnancy on a cesarean section scar is one of the rarest forms of ectopic pregnancy that may cause serious complications such as uterine rupture and massive bleeding. The common treatment in the past was laparotomy, but today early diagnosis is available thanks to the development of image diagnostic technology and, as a consequence, cases of less invasive conservative management are reported. Using vaginal ultrasonography and MRI, we made an early diagnosis on a case of intramural pregnancy on the scar of a previous cesarean section. We injected methotrexate locally into the gestational sac, and the intramural pregnancy was completely cured. Thus, here we report this case with a brief review of relevant literature.
Cesarean Section ; Cicatrix* ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Gestational Sac ; Hemorrhage ; Laparotomy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Methotrexate* ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnancy, Ectopic ; Ultrasonography ; Uterine Rupture

Nontuberculous mycobacterial infection is rarely accompanied by pleural involvement. We report a very rare case of Mycobacterium intracellulare pulmonary disease accompanied with pleural effusion. A 76-year-old man was admitted to our hospital because of dyspnea. A chest radiograph and CT showed bilateral bronchiectasis and bronchopneumonia accompanied with right pleural effusion. The fluid was lymphocyte-dominant exudative effusion, and microbiological examinations of the effusion, including staining and culturing, proved negative. However, one month after admission, subsequent cultures of bronchial washing fluid revealed the presence of M. intracellulare. The patient's effusion was gradually resolved with antibiotic treatment, including clarithromycin.
Aged ; Bronchiectasis ; Bronchopneumonia ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; Mycobacterium ; Mycobacterium avium Complex ; Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare Infection ; Pleural Effusion ; Thorax

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to establish a simple formula to predict renal length in children using a Technesium-99m dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) scan data, and to compare it with the formula derived from ultrasonography, which is widely accepted. METHODS: Children who underwent a DMSA scan and ultrasonography were reviewed retrospectively, and those who had anatomical urinary tract abnormalities or urinary tract infections were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 230 children (84 males and 146 females; age, 1 month to 16 years; mean age, 16.8 +/- 27.4 months). Mean renal length measured by DMSA scan was longer than that by ultrasonography (6.38 +/- 1.16 vs. 6.02 +/- 1.14 cm; P < 0.001). Renal length was correlated with age, weight, height, and body surface area on the DMSA scan and ultrasonography, and showed the strongest positive correlation with height. The following formulae were established to predict renal length: mean renal length (cm) = 5.433 x height (m) + 2.330 (R2, 0.833) using the DMSA scan data, and mean renal length (cm) = 5.367 x height (m) + 2.027 (R2, 0.853) using ultrasonography data. CONCLUSION: We propose a simple height-based formula to predict renal length in children using a DMSA scan data, and validate it by comparing with ultrasonography formula.
Body Surface Area ; Child* ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney ; Male ; Organ Size ; Retrospective Studies ; Succimer* ; Ultrasonography ; Urinary Tract ; Urinary Tract Infections

A 46-year-old woman was found to have a huge liver mass that was detected by abdominal ultrasonography. Abdominal CT and MRI showed a 10 cm-sized, encapsulated mass occupying the anterior segment of the right hepatic lobe. Extended right hemihepatectomy was performed and pathological examination revealed fibroblast-like spindle cells within dense deposits of collagen. On immunohistochemical staining, these spindle tumor cells showed an intense CD34 immunoreactivity. The patient is alive without evidence of tumor recurrence 7 months after the resection. Solitary fibrous tumor is a very rare neoplasm found in the liver parenchyma, and it has been reported in less than 30 patients in the English literature. We present here the first such case in Korea.
Antigens, CD34/analysis/immunology ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Solitary Fibrous Tumors/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tumor Markers, Biological/analysis/immunology

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Fistula* ; Humans

PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term immediate effects of balloon dilatation of the tuberculous bronchial stenosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-three women with tuberculous bronchial stenosis (19, left main bronchus ; 4, right main bronchus) underwent balloon dilatation (13 bronchoscopically guided ; 10 fluoroscopically guided). Immediate (n=23) and long-term follow-up (mean, 17.2 months; range, 1 month-6years 3 months; n=20) assessments focused on changes in the results of the pulmonary function test (PFT). An increase in FVC or FEVI of more than 10% after the procedure was considered effective. in all patients, any complications were evaluated. RESULTS: Balloon dilatation was effective at immediate follow-up in 69.5% of patients(16/23) and in 75.0%(15/20) atlong-term follow-up. Bronchoscopically and fluoroscopically-guided balloon dilatation proved effective in 61/5%(8/13) and 80.0% of patients (8/10) on immediate follow-up respectively, but in 90.0%(9/10) and 60/0%(6/10)on long term folow-up respectively. Balloon dilatation was effective in the active(n=10) and inactive(n=13) stage of tuberculous bronchitis in 80.0%(8/10) and 61.5% of cases(8/13) on immediate follow-up respectively, but in 66.6%(6/9) and 81.8%(9/11) on long term follow-up study, respectively. CONCLUSION: On immediate follow-up, balloon dilatation of tubular bronchial stenosis was more effective in the active than in the inactive stage, buton long-term foolow-up was less effective; long-term improvement in the inactive stage was, however, well-maintained.
Bronchi ; Bronchitis ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Dilatation* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary