Twenty-five consecutive patients who had contracture of the elbow were treated by arthroscopy. The techniques were removal of loose bodies, removal of osteohyte, anterior capsular release, abrasional arthroplasty and excision of the radial head. The type of arthroscopic procedure was determined by the cause of limiting motion which was intra-articular(intrinsic). The mean preoperative arc of total motion was 92°(21°-113°). Re-examination of the elbows after anaverage follow-up of 19 months showed tbat the mean arc of total motion was 116°(14°-130°). Twenty-three out of twenty-five patients (92%) who were followed up were satisfied with the results of the procedure and exhibited improved ability in carrying out daily activities. In conclusion, arthroscopy of the elbow is an effective diagnostic procedure and is also effective in treating certain intra-articular problems with minimal morbidity and rapid recovery to function.
Arthroplasty ; Arthroscopy ; Contracture ; Elbow ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Humans ; Joint Capsule Release

No abstract available.
Chungcheongnam-do* ; Gallstones*

Purpose: New therapeutic approaches have emerged to improve gait ability in patients with brain damage, such as action observation learning (AOT), auditory cueing, motor imagery etc. We attempted to investigate the effects of AOT with auditory cueing (AOTAC) on gait function in patients with stroke. Methods: The eighteen stroke patients with a unilateral hemiparesis were randomly divided into three groups; the AOTAC, AOT, and control groups. The AOTAC group (n = 8) received training via observing a video that showed normal gait with sound of footsteps as an auditory cue; the AOT group (n = 6) receive action observation without auditory stimulation; the control group (n = 5) observed the landscape video image. Intervention time of three groups was 30 minutes per day, five times a week, for four weeks. Gait parameters, such as cadence, velocity, stride length, stance phase, and swing phase were collected in all patients before and after each training session. Results: Significant differences were observed among the three groups with respect to the parameters, such as cadence, velocity, stride length, and stance/swing phase. Post-hoc analysis indicated that the AOTAC group had a greater significant change in all of parameters, compared with the AOT and control groups. Conclusion Our findings suggest that AOTAC may be an effective therapeutic approach to improve gait symmetry and function in patients with stroke. We believe that this effect is attributable to the change of cortical excitability on motor related to cortical areas.

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Osteoporosis* ; Uterine Prolapse*

Myocardial bridging (MB) is a common anatomical variant rather than a congenital anomaly, and it is usually considered benign. It is generally confined to the mid-portion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Atherosclerotic plaques are often located in the segment proximal to the bridged segment, although the tunneled segment is typically spared. Conventional coronary angiography is the gold standard for detection, but it is invasive and may not be sensitive enough to detect a thin bridge. The prevalence of MB reported in multidetector CT (MDCT) coronary angiographic series has ranged from 3.5% to 30.5% in patients with chest pain or with suspected or known coronary artery disease. Today, MDCT coronary angiography is an alternative noninvasive imaging tool that allows for easy and accurate evaluation of MB.
Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Humans ; Myocardial Bridging ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; Prevalence

Crystalline retinopathy is a tapetoretinal degeneration characterized by glistening yellow intraretinal crystals in the posterior pole, chorioidal sclerosis, and corneal crystalline dystrophy. We have recently encountered a 36 year-old female patient with bilateral intraretinal crystalline depositions who presented with a complaint of visual disturbance in her right eye for the last six months. Typical fundus findings of crystalline deposition in the posterior pole, tapetoretinal dysfunctions in the electrophysiologic tests and choriocapillaris filling defects in the fluorescein angiogram suggest that this the disorder is a widespread choriocapillaris and tapetoretinal disorder. There are no significant abnormal findings in serologic and radiologic examinations.
Adult ; Crystallins* ; Female ; Fluorescein ; Humans ; Retinitis Pigmentosa ; Sclerosis

Conventional coronary angiography (CCA) has been the gold standard for the detection of significant coronary artery disease (CAD). However, CCA is invasive and 2/3 of all CCA have been performed for the diagnosis of significant stenosis without intervention. Recently, the use of multi-detector CT (MDCT) coronary angiography has been rapidly evolving as a promising non-invasive method for the assessment of patients with CAD. With the advent of 64-slice MDCT scanner, both temporal and spatial resolutions of coronary CT angiography have further improved for the non-invasive detection of coronary stenoses. The diagnostic performance for the assessment of CAD has significantly improved, and the nonassessable proportion of segments significantly decreased with the newer generations of MDCT scanners. Namgung et al. reported that high diagnostic accuracy for 64-slice MDCT in the detection of significant stenosis (> or =50% lumen diameter narrowing) on per segment (96% sensitivity and 97% specificity), per vessel (96% sensitivity and 97% specificity), and per patient analyses (100% sensitivity and 94% specificity). The negative predictive value for classification of segments, vessels, and patients with or without CAD was very high (99-100%). These findings indicate that 64-slice MDCT coronary angiography can be reliable as a gatekeeper of CCA in selected groups of patients.
Angiography ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Stenosis ; Coronary Vessels ; Family Characteristics ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Humans

The imaging technique that can provide detailed information on the left ventricular function, myocardial perfusion and viability at the same time will not only be helpful for the prognostic assessment of patients with ischemic heart disease but also be valuable in choosing appropriate therapeutic strategies. In recent years, multidetector CT (MDCT) has been proposed as a useful non-invasive imaging method of evaluating both coronary artery stenoses and cardiac morphology at the same time. MDCT has proved to be in excellent agreement with echocardiography and magnetic resonance imaging in the assessment of the left ventricular function. In addition, MDCT can provide information on myocardial viability, which can be assessed from the left ventricular wall thickness, myocardial perfusion, and a delayed contrast enhancement pattern. Despite several shortcomings to be the first-line modality for the assessment of ischemic heart disease, MDCT can provide valuable additional dynamic information in patients undergoing MDCT coronary angiography.
Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Stenosis ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Myocardial Ischemia* ; Perfusion* ; Ventricular Function, Left

No abstract available.
Forehead* ; Methylmethacrylate*

Assessment of myocardial ischemia in patients with stable angina is important in deciding whether to treat coronary artery disease and in predicting clinical outcome. The fractional flow reserve is a standard reference for the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia, but this procedure has limitations because of its invasiveness. Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is now an established tool in the anatomic diagnosis of coronary artery disease; however, there are limits to the diagnosis of hemodynamically important stenosis that causes myocardial ischemia. In order to address this problem, studies using quantification of coronary atherosclerotic plaques, myocardial perfusion, and noninvasive calculation of fractional flow reserve based on CCTA have been actively conducted and recognized for their diagnostic value. In this review, several imaging techniques of CCTA used to assess myocardial ischemia are described.