No abstract available.
Arthroplasty* ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee*

No abstract available.
Congenital Abnormalities*

In spite of vigorous efforts to enhance appropriateness of blood usage in surgery, it is recognized that there are still not a few overuse and misuse of blood products in Korean hospitals. To assure appropriate use of blood, continuous monitoring and controlfling blood orders, particularly for surgical operations, should be implemented. The indicator of 'ratio of crossmatching to transfusion' (C/T ratio) has been focalized on in this regard. The authors investigated C/T ratio for eight hospitals, evenly distributed in their geographical location as well as size. Only elective surgeries operated from March 1 to May 31, 1995 were included for analysis. Standardized survey format was distributed, and retrospective reviews of medical records were performed by volunteer surveyors from each hospital after two sessions of pre- survey education. The results were as follows. Average C/T ratio, for all hospitals and all surgeries, was 1.76. Differences in C/T ratio by sex, months, clinical departments, blood components were not significant. However, the ratio showed increasing tendency with ages. The C/T ratio on the average was not higher, compared with the recommended guideline. However, due to study' s limitations ini standardization of survey method and verification of data, we could not conclude that current status of appropriateness of blood use is satisfactory. In addition, to pervasively use the C/T ratio as a quality indicator for blood use management, supplementary measures, such as standardization of data, should be adopted.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Education ; Medical Records ; Quality Indicators, Health Care* ; Retrospective Studies ; Volunteers

No abstract available.
Rabbits*

No abstract available.
External Fixators*

Thirty-one distal femoral and nine proximal tibial primary bone tumor patients who had prosthetic replacements were reviewed retrospectively. Average follow-up was thirty-eight months(range: 12- 109 months). There were thirty-two(osteosarcoma: 29, chondrosarcoma: 3) stage IIB lesions and eight 1B lesions(giant cell tumor). Twenty-nine patients were surviving at final follow-up. Overall prosthetic survival was 81%, 27% at 2 and 5 year respectively. Eleven prostheses were revised. The causes of revisions were infection(7), metal failure(2), fracture of host bone(1), and loosening(1). Eight revisions were successful, one was fair, and two patients needed an amputation. Prognostic factors which were analyzed for survival of prostheses were age, sex, location of primary lesion, percent of bone resected, and stage. Only the location of primary lesion showed statistical significance and diabolic pattern of survival curve was noted between two groups in resection length(<40% versus >40%). Average functional score was 26. The tibial side had worse prosthetic survival and a major threat to this procedure was due to infection.
Amputation ; Chondrosarcoma ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee Joint* ; Knee* ; Prostheses and Implants ; Prosthesis Failure ; Retrospective Studies ; Sarcoma

Recently the adenomaatous polyposis coli(APC) gene, a tumor suppressor gene, was identified and the cDNA was cloned from chromosome 5q21. Allelic deletion or point mutation of tumor suppressor genes(TSGs) has been considered as an important mechanism in development of human tumor. Point mutations affecting APC gene are seen in the hereditary syndrome, adenomatous polyposis and spordic colon cancer. However, the mutation of APC gene and other TSGs have not been described in gastric cancer. In order to identify the mutation of exon 11 of APC gene for gastric cancer, we amplified DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded tissues by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and digested the PCR products with restriction enzyme Rsa I. We examined the DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded 44 gastric cancer tissues with lymph nodes. Eighteen(41%) among 44 were informative for the study exon 11 of the APC gene, and we found loss of heterozygosity(LOH) for APC in 6/18(33.3%). These data suggest that the point mutation or the base change of APC gene commonly occurs in gastric cancer. We conclude that the mutation of APC gene is strongly connected with development of human gastric cancer.
Humans ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Stomach Neoplasms

A 32-year-old housewife who resides in Taegu was admitted in Yeungman University Hospital due to right upper quadrant abdminal pain of 2 mounths'duration. An abdomical CT and ultrasonography revealed a relatively well demarcated low density mass in the right lobe of liver. Right hepatic lobectomy was performed on the clinical impression of hepatoma. On the light microscopic study, the lobulated liver mass showed extensive central necrosis and fibrosis, with large numbers of pseudotubercles therein. The pseudotubercles have distorted helminthic eggs frequently. The submitted common bile duct lymph node also showed a few pseudotubercles. The eggs recovered from the tissue homogenate measured 140~152 micrometer by 75~85 micrometer in size and were unembryonated and light yellow to brown. The eggs were determined as those of Fasciola species. We reported the present case as 11th one of human fascioliasis in korea.
Humans

PURPOSE: Although survival of osteosarcoma patient has markedly improved, cases of non-responders to chemotherapy and late-relapsers are still perplexing. Our strategy was to analyze the impact of chemotherapy and surgery on the survival for each stage, and to evaluate long-term survival and find prognostic factors within the same stage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 1985 to Feb. 1999, 461 osteosarcomas were enlisted at our department and among them 348 cases were evaluable. There were 1 IB, 4 IIA, 302 IIB, and 41 IIIB. Two hundred and fifty-five (IIA/IIB:4/251) out of 348 cases followed our protocol of chemotherapy and surgery. Two hundred and ten cases had neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 45 had adjuvant only. RESULTS: Eleven year event free survival of the neoadjuvant group was 56.7%. On univariate analysis for 210 neoadjuvant cases, age (<13yrs), type of surgery (amputation), type of chemotherapy (methotrexate, adriamycin, cisplatin), pathologic response (>90%), local recurrence, pathologic fracture, location and size were statistically significant. But multivariate one revealed age, type of surgery, local recurrence and pathologic response as useful factors. There were 12 local recurrences (5.7%) and 100 metastasis among 255 stage II and their average onset from treatment was 17.8 month. Survival after metastasis was 5.6% at 55 months and the aggressively treated group made gains in survival (P<0.0001). Survival of 41 stage III was 0% at 64 months and this group also had an advantage in survival through intensive chemotherapy and surgery for primary and metastatic lesions (p=0.04). CONCLUSION: Long-term survival of the treated 255 stage II group was 55% at 14 years. For stage II: age, local recurrence and pathologic response were meaningful prognostic factors. Aggressive surgery and chemotherapy were necessary to improve the survival of stage III and stage II with late metastasis group.
Disease-Free Survival ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Humans ; Korea* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Osteosarcoma* ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate*

PURPOSE: Soft tissue sarcomas have a wide variety of manifestation and its course is still unpredictable in many cases. This study altlempts to analyze the meaningful prognostic factors and to find optimal treatment strategies for each clinical stage. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 1985 to Mar. 1997, 432 soft tissue sarcomas were enlisted and 319 cases were eligible for this retrospective study. Staging followed AJCC classification and there were 34 stage I, 69 stage II, 151 stage III and 64 cases of stage IV. For stage I and II, operation was a major tool. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy were added for each situation. Intensive chemotherapy and surgery were done for stage III and IV. Metastasectomy was added in feasible cases. RESULTS: Actual survival rate for the 319 cases was 50% at 152 months. Disease free survival for stage I, II, III was 84%, 41%, and 38%, respectively. The stage itself had a statistical significance (P<0.00001). In univariate analysis, surgical margin in stage II and local recurrence in stage III had statistical significance. Multivariate study revealed the local recurrence as the only meaningful factor in stage I, II, III. An aggressive treatment for stage IV and I, II, III with late metastasis group had significant gain on survival. CONCLUSIONS: The stage itself predicts the course of soft tissue sarcomas. Evaluation of sound surgical margin to prevent the local recurrence is necessary.
Classification ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Metastasectomy ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sarcoma* ; Survival Rate