No abstract available.
Female ; Obstetric Labor, Premature* ; Pregnancy ; Ritodrine*

No abstract available.
Neuroectodermal Tumor, Melanotic

The limitation so direct or indirect laryngoscopy and laryngogram in detemining the exact site and anatomiclocation of laryngeal carcinoma were well documented by many authors. As compared with laryngoscopy and laryngogram, CT study for laryngeal cancer is more exact and accurate method demonstrating anatomic sites of involvement, invasion into deep soft tissue spaces of endolarynx, destruction of laryngeal cartilages and cervical metastasis. Fourteen laryngeal cancer patients proven by laryngoscopic biopsy were further examined by computed tomography for staging. The authors compared laryngoscopic findings with those of computed tomography, and their clinical, surgical and computed tomographic findings were analysed. The results were as follows; 1. All patients were proved as squamous cell carcinoma. They were 12 males and 2 females aged over 50 yrs. 2. Common clinical symptoms were hoarseness, dysphagia and swallowing difficulty. The pirmary anatomic sites determined by CT were 8 transglottic, 2 glottic, 2 supraglottic and 1 pyriform sinus respectively. They were 2 T1. 7 T2, 1 T3, 3 T4 by TNM systems, respectivly. (One case was difficult to evaluate exactly). 3. Invasion into deep soft tissue spaces of endolarynx, cartilage destruction, and neck metastasis were relatively predominant in transglottic caracinomas. 4.CT was superior in evaluating tumor invasion, especially into deep soft tissue spaces of endolarynx, laryngeal cartilages and metastasis ot soft tissue and lymph nodes of neck. However CT had some limitation in determining primary site of laryngeal cancer.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cartilage ; Deglutition ; Deglutition Disorders ; Female ; Hoarseness ; Humans ; Laryngeal Cartilages ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; Laryngoscopy ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Methods ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pyriform Sinus

Thoracoscopic esophagectomy can be performed in esophageal diseases to reduce the postoperative complications. Recently, We encountered a case of esophageal cancer and successfully treated it by thoracoscopic esophagectomy with gastric pull-up. A 59-year-old male was presented with swallowing difficulty and an esophagogram, esophagoscopy, and chest CT showed an ulcerating tumor on the lower esophagus. The operation was performed in three stages: mobilization of the esophagus by thoracoscopic surgery, construction of a gastric tube through a laparotomy, and cervical anastomosis between the esophagus and the gastric pull-through. Hoarseness developed postoperatively, and the postoperative esophagogram showed leakage at the esophagogastric anastomotic site. The anastomotic leakage was healed following surgical drainage and the patient was discharged in good health. Hoarseness subsided spontaneously two months after surgery.
Anastomotic Leak ; Deglutition ; Drainage ; Esophageal Diseases ; Esophageal Neoplasms* ; Esophagectomy* ; Esophagoscopy ; Esophagus ; Hoarseness ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; Thoracoscopy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ulcer

There were so many causes of chronic coughing including postnasal drip, pneumonia, nasal polyp, asthma, interstinal lung disease etc. Congenital bronchoesophageal fistula was not usually thought as cause of chronic coughing. A 46-year-old female patient suffered from chronic coughing without usual causes. Her chest X-ray viewed normally. She coughed especially after swallowing foods. So we recommended her esophagogram and it revealed broncho-esphageal fistula. She underwent surgical resection of broncho-esophageal fistula. She was well without cough after the surgery. We reported a case of congenital broncho-esphageal fistula that had caused chronic coughing without any evidence of pneumonia, malignancy, tuberculosis, bronchiectasis, inflammation, asthma, nasal polyp, etc. So we should suspect the bronchoesophageal fistula when patients cough chronically with eating, and recommend the esophagogram.
Asthma ; Bronchiectasis ; Cough* ; Deglutition ; Eating ; Female ; Fistula* ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lung Diseases ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Polyps ; Pneumonia ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis

PURPOSE: Acute or chronic prostatic inflammation exists to varying degrees in surgical specimens of prostates, extirpated for the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH). We investigated the relationship between acute urinary retention(AUR) and intraprostatic inflammation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1997 and December 2006, 221 patients underwent transurethral resection of the prostate(TURP) for the treatment of BPH. The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the indication for surgery; an AUR group and a lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) group. The area of acute inflammation, the extent, and the aggressiveness of chronic inflammation were classified into four grades. The grades of inflammation, prostate volume, age, serum prostate-specific antigen(PSA), and prior medical treatment were compared between the two groups. All specimens were reviewed by one pathologist. RESULTS: The AUR group consisted of 106(47.9%) patients, and the LUTS group consisted of 115(52.1%) patients. There were no statistical differences between the two groups with respect to the mean values of the age, prostate size, and severity of chronic inflammation. There was a significant relationship between AUR and the areas of acute inflammation, and the extent of chronic inflammation(p=0.014 and p=0.003, respectively). The aggressiveness of chronic inflammation had no relationship with AUR (p=0.062). The serum PSA level was higher in the AUR group than the LUTS group(11.5 vs. 5.3ng/ml, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The association for AUR with acute and chronic inflammation was stronger than that which existed with prostate size. Thus intraprostatic inflammation is an important risk factor in AUR.
Humans ; Inflammation ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Prostate ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Prostatitis ; Risk Factors ; Urinary Retention

Facial hyperhidrosis has a symptom of excessive sweating on the face with or without underlying disease. It can be surgically treated by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). We encountered three cases of facial hyperhidrosis which we treated by VATS, which was performed by resection of the lower third of stellate ganglion and T2-T3 sympathetic ganglia with chains. Postoperative symptom was improved in all cases. There were no postoperative complications such as Horner's syndrome or postsympathectomy neuralgia.
Ganglia, Sympathetic ; Horner Syndrome ; Hyperhidrosis* ; Neuralgia ; Postoperative Complications ; Stellate Ganglion ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Sympathectomy* ; Sympathetic Nervous System ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted

PURPOSE: The prognostic value of p53 remains controversial in transitional cell carcinomas of the bladder. Survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis, is expressed in many human cancers. Recent studies have reported increased expression of survivin in superficial transitional cell carcinomas of the bladder. We investigated the expression of survivin and p53 and the clinical implications of this expression in superficial transitional cell carcinomas of the bladder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining of paraffin sections using a monoclonal antibody for survivin and p53 was performed in 82 cases of superficial transitional cell carcinomas of the bladder. Correlations between the expression of survivin and p53 and clinicopathological features, such as age, multiplicity of tumor, size, recurrence, and progression, were examined. RESULTS: Among 82 cases, positive survivin expression (greater than 20%) was observed in 59 cases. Positive p53 expression (greater than 20%) was observed in 46 cases. There were no significant differences in age, gender, multiplicity, tumor size, tumor grade, pT stage, recurrence, or progression-free survival between p53-positive and p53-negative groups (p>0.05). Also, there were no significant differences in age, gender, multiplicity, tumor size, tumor grade, or pT stage between survivin-positive and survivin-negative groups (p>0.05). However, recurrent-free and progression-free survivals were significantly lower in the survivin-positive group than in the survivin-negative group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of survivin can be recommended as a useful marker for predicting disease recurrence and progression. Survivin may be superior to p53 as a prognostic factor in superficial transitional cell carcinoma of bladder.
Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; Disease-Free Survival ; Genes, p53 ; Humans ; Paraffin ; Recurrence ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Verapamil, a calcium channel blocker, is known to protect the myocardium against ischemia and reperfusion injury. The hypertrophied myocardium is at greater risk for ischemic damage compared to the normal heart during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). We evaluated the myocardial protective effect of verapamil cardioplegia on the hypertrophied left ventricle during CPB. METHODS: Seventeen patients with end-diastolic anterior wall thickness (DAWT) greater than 11 mm in an M-mode echocardiogram were consented to participate in this study. Patients were randomized to receive either standard hyperkalemic blood cardioplegic solution (n = 8) or the same solution with verapamil (n = 9). End systolic anterior wall thickeness (SAWT) and DAWT were measured by an M-mode echocardiogram and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was calculated with a 2-dimension echocardiogram before and after CPB. Simultaneously, hemodynamic variables were measured. RESULTS: There was no significant difference of DAWT and LVEF between both groups before and after CPB. DAWT was increased after CPB but this increase was attenuated by verapamil in patients with LVH. LVEF was decreased in both groups after CPB and the decrease in the verapamil group was not statistically significant but in the control group. Cardiac index and stroke volume index didn't show any significant differences between the two groups after CPB, either. CONCLUSIONS: DAWT increased which means myocardial edema was significant in patients with LVH; however, a verapamil cardioplegic solution decreased the amount of increase in DAWT. However, theverapamil cardioplegic solution didn't improve the hypertophied ventricular systolic function after CPB.
Calcium Channels ; Cardioplegic Solutions ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass* ; Edema ; Heart ; Heart Arrest, Induced* ; Heart Ventricles* ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Myocardium ; Reperfusion Injury ; Stroke Volume ; Verapamil*

STUDY DESIGN: Case report OBJECTIVES: We report a case of relatively rare multiple bilateral perineural cysts. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Tarlov cysts, also known as perineural cysts are most often found in the sacral region, but there are a few cases reported in the thoracic region. In particular, there are very few cases of multiple bilateral thoracic perineural cysts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A woman aged 65 years with perineural cysts in the bilateral T10-T11 and T11-12 neural foramens, underwent a T10-11-12 decompressive laminectomy and resection of the cyst. RESULTS: Satisfactory results were obtained for the patient after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: For more detailed and definitive treatment of thoracic perineural cysts, additional cases are required.
Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Sacrococcygeal Region ; Tarlov Cysts