Gas gangrene is a potentially lethal dissease, but fortunately uncommon. Profound toxicity and rapid progression are characteristic of this disease. Therefore the success of the treatment in this disease is largely depended on early diagnosis and treatment. The treatment includes debridement and decompression, amputation if ncessary, adequate entibiotic therapy, administration of antitoxin, hyperbarit oxygen therapy and general supportive therapy. The authors have reviewed 9 cases of gas gangrence, which were identified by bacteriologically out of 14 cases of suspicious gas gangrene. All cases were treated in our department from 1981 to 1985. The results are summarized as follows: 1. The culture studies of clostridium were specified in 5 cases of Cl. perfringens, 2 cases of Cl. septicum, 1 case of Cl. bifermentans and 1 case of Cl. sporogenes. 2. All 9 patients underwent debridement, antibiotic therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and general supportive therapy. We had not used gas gangrene anti-toxin, beceuse of the value of antitoxin is uncertain and subjects the patient of the danger of hypersensitivity reactions. 3. In 7 patients involving only the extremities, amputations were inveitable on 3 patients due to irreversible gangrenous changes on the involved extremities. And one of them died due to septic shock. 4. In 2 patients involving the trunk, one of them died due to renal failure.
Amputation ; Clinical Study ; Clostridium ; Debridement ; Decompression ; Early Diagnosis ; Extremities ; Gas Gangrene ; Humans ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation ; Hypersensitivity ; Oxygen ; Renal Insufficiency ; Shock, Septic

No abstract available.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome* ; Humans

This paper presents the results of a survey for the causes of sensori-neural hearing impairment in Korea. The subjects were 1,676 children of total 2,928 enrolled in 16 Deaf Schools; two schools in each area of Seoul, busan, Kyoungbook, Kyoungna, Kyounggi and Chunbug, and each one in Chungnam, Chungbug, Chunnam and Jaeju. The data were collected by questionnaire with 28 items distributed to their parents. The filling in the check lists were performed by their class teacher, interviewer, for 18 months from September, 1975 to February, 1976. The questionable or missed problems were reaffirmed. The results obtained were as follows. Most of the reasons, 78.5% were acquired characters that could be developed during pregnant period, the time of delivery and the time of after birth. The pure hereditary reasons except the cases complexed with one or two were only 11.3%. Those who could not be defined with any reasons were 10.2%. Among the acquired causes, 5.8% of total subjects were developed for pregnance; 3.3%, during delivery; and 69.7%, after birth. In the pregnant period, the drug intoxications were 2.4% of total subjects, several diseases such as influenza, bleeding, surgical operation, venereal disease and rubella etc. were about one percent, and the accompanied with some symptoms of pregnancy intoxication and traumatic events were 2.4%. During time, the cases with delayed rhythmical pain were 16 persons, the immaturities were 11, the asphyxial cases were nine, the errors of forceps delivery were seven, the cases of low body weight inspite of full term were our, the cases with cesarian section were three, the head injuries were two, and the accompanied with three kinds of above reasons were three. During after birth, the cases with acute communicable diseases were 35.4% of total subjects, the fever unknown origin were 16.1%, the chronic otitis media were 3.7%, the meningitis were 3.5%, the gastric and nutritional diseases were 3.5%, the drug intoxications were 4.8%, the blood diseases were 0.3% and the other causes were 2.2%. Here by acute communicable diseases, some importances were measle, 10.1% of total subjects; meningitis, 7.3%; convulsion with some reasons, 4.9%; poliomyelitis. 3.2%; encephalitis, 2.4%; and mumps, rubella, pertusis, scarlet fever, and small pox were somewhat played a role in. Among 59 cases with brain diseases, 53 were concussion by the accidents, such as traffic and falling or sliping down etc., the cerebral paralysis and hydrocephalus were two, respectively. And the blood diseases were severe newjaundice in all five cases. If we were summarized with the above mentioned, most of the hearing impairments were introduced by the combined reasons with familial or hereditary factors and the acquired, than by a simple disease. Among the congenital or hereditary hearing impairments classified to now a day, we suppose that the many cases with the acquired causes during pregnancy, delivery and after birth were complexed. Subsequently, the maternal and child health should be more and more developed in our country, also.
Body Weight ; Brain Diseases ; Busan ; Child Health ; Child* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Communicable Diseases ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Encephalitis ; Fever ; Hearing Loss* ; Hearing* ; Hematologic Diseases ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Influenza, Human ; Korea ; Meningitis ; Mumps ; Otitis Media ; Paralysis ; Parents ; Parturition ; Poliomyelitis ; Pregnancy ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Rubella ; Scarlet Fever ; Seizures ; Seoul ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases ; Surgical Instruments

Myocarditis is defined as inflammation of the myocardium caused by viral, richettsial, bacterial, or protozoal infection, or drug toxicity. The clinical course of patients with myocarditis varies from subclinical disease to fulminant myocarditis (FM). FM occurs rapidly and causes heart failure or lethal arrhythmia, often leading to death by cardiogenic shock due to severe left ventricular dysfunction. For some critical patients who have difficulty maintaining hemodynamic status, percutaneous cardiopulmonary support, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), and/or a mechanical ventricular assist device are available alternative choices. Here we report cases of patients with FM who were treated using ECMO during the acute stages of the illness.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Drug Toxicity ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation ; Heart Failure ; Heart-Assist Devices ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Myocarditis ; Myocardium ; Shock, Cardiogenic ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Menetrier's disease is a poorly defined condition that is of unknown origin, characterized by giant folds in the stomach. The histologic features are foveolar hyperplasia and cystic dilatation of the gland. We presented the characteristic findings of Menetirer's disease in Korea with a review of literatures to understand the Menetirer's disease more precisely. METHODS: The sixteen cases of Menetrier's disease was reported in Korea. We analyzed their age, sex, symptoms, signs, laboratory findings and treatments, retrospectively. RESULTS: The average age was 46 years. There were 11 men and 4 women. The most common symptom was epigastric pain (94%). The most common sign were epigastric tenderness (69%) and pretibial pitting edema (63%). Patients were often associated with the hypoalbuminemia (73%). All patients showed hypertrophic folds on either gastrofiberscopy or upper gastrointestinal series. All patients showed foveolar hyperplasia histologically. Three patients were operated to control a massive upper gastrointesinal bleeding. Two patients were operated to control the intractable edema. Two patients were operated to exclude gastric malignancy. CONCLUSIONS: Menetrier's disease showed broad clinical features such as epigastric pain, hypoalbuminemia, massive hematemesis and mimicking gastric malignancy. The giant gastric folds and foveolar hyperplasia were the most commom and important findings in the Menetrier's disease.
Dilatation ; Edema ; Female ; Gastritis, Hypertrophic* ; Hematemesis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Korea* ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach

PURPOSE: While tumor markers (carbohydrate antigen 19-9 [CA 19-9] and carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA]) can aid in the diagnosis of biliary tract cancer, their prognostic role has not been clearly elucidated. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the prognostic role of tumor markers and tumor marker change in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with pathologically proven metastatic or relapsed biliary tract cancer who were treated in a phase II trial of first-line S-1 and cisplatin chemotherapy were enrolled. Serum tumor markers were measured at baseline and after the first cycle of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Among a total of 104 patients, 80 (77%) had elevated baseline tumor markers (69 with CA 19-9 elevation and 40 with CEA). A decline ≥ 30% of the elevated tumor marker level after the first cycle of chemotherapy conferred an improved time to progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and better chemotherapy response. Multivariate analysis revealed tumor marker decline as an independent positive prognostic factor of TTP (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.44; p=0.003) and OS (adjusted HR, 0.37; p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed similar results in each group of patients with CA 19-9 elevation and CEA elevation. In addition, elevated baseline CEA was associated with poor survival in both univariate and multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Tumor marker decline was associated with improved survival in biliary tract cancer. Measuring tumor marker after the first cycle of chemotherapy can be used as an early assessment of treatment outcome.
Antineoplastic Agents ; Biliary Tract Neoplasms* ; Biliary Tract* ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; CA-19-9 Antigen ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Cisplatin* ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: While tumor markers (carbohydrate antigen 19-9 [CA 19-9] and carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA]) can aid in the diagnosis of biliary tract cancer, their prognostic role has not been clearly elucidated. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the prognostic role of tumor markers and tumor marker change in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with pathologically proven metastatic or relapsed biliary tract cancer who were treated in a phase II trial of first-line S-1 and cisplatin chemotherapy were enrolled. Serum tumor markers were measured at baseline and after the first cycle of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Among a total of 104 patients, 80 (77%) had elevated baseline tumor markers (69 with CA 19-9 elevation and 40 with CEA). A decline ≥ 30% of the elevated tumor marker level after the first cycle of chemotherapy conferred an improved time to progression (TTP), overall survival (OS), and better chemotherapy response. Multivariate analysis revealed tumor marker decline as an independent positive prognostic factor of TTP (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.44; p=0.003) and OS (adjusted HR, 0.37; p < 0.001). Subgroup analysis revealed similar results in each group of patients with CA 19-9 elevation and CEA elevation. In addition, elevated baseline CEA was associated with poor survival in both univariate and multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Tumor marker decline was associated with improved survival in biliary tract cancer. Measuring tumor marker after the first cycle of chemotherapy can be used as an early assessment of treatment outcome.
Antineoplastic Agents ; Biliary Tract Neoplasms* ; Biliary Tract* ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; CA-19-9 Antigen ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Cisplatin* ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy* ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Treatment Outcome