For many years, healing membranous bone fractures have been known to show a persistent lucency at the fracture interface. Radiographic follow-up has proven to be of little value as a guideline for healing of mandibular fractures. Recently, a fracture has been treated by rigid internal fixation by metallic plate and screws rather than closed reduction and wire fixation, we expected that some difference in the radiographic features of fracture healing. To investigate these questions we undertook a retrospective radiographic and clinical analysis of 33 followed patients with fractures of the body and angle of the mandible from 1993 to 1997. There were 26 male and 7 female patients ranging in age between 5 and 74 years, with an average of 29.7 years. All patients were managed by open reduction with metallic plates and screws. The length of follow-up ranged from 9 to 187 weeks. Total 81 radiographic follow-up films were obtained and divided into 3 grades according to the degree of radiolucency of fracture lines; grade 0 radiolucent fracture line and no evidence of fracture interface calcification, grade 1 decreased radiolucent area and evidence of fracture interface calcification, and grade 2 disappearance of fracture line.Until follow-up of 8 weeks, all of the radiographs showed grade 0. From 8 weeks to 16 weeks, 62.5 percent showed grade 0 and 37.5 percent showed grade 1. From 16 weeks to 48 weeks, 38.5 percent showed grade 1 and 61.5 percent showed grade 2. After follow-up of 48 weeks, all showed grade 2.In this study we have shown that the radiographic disappearance of mandibular fracture lines was usually accomplished by 48 weeks. We feel that radiographic union of the mandible is lagging well behind clinical union, but disapperance of the fracture line in rigidly fixated mandibular fracture was occurred earlier than healed by fibrous union. We propose that radiographic union of the mandible by approximately 1 year can be a guideline for the normal mandibular bone healing.
Female ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Fracture Healing ; Fractures, Bone ; Humans ; Male ; Mandible ; Mandibular Fractures* ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Epilepsy*

PURPOSE: To determine the efficacy of CarnitilR (acetylcarnitine, Hanmi, Korea) therapy in idiopathic oligoasthenospermic men. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-four subfertile men with abnormal semen parameters were treated between March, 2003 and March, 2004 with 3 g of CarnitilR daily for 3 months. Changes in semen parameters were evaluated 3 months after this therapy. RESULTS: The mean age was 34.2 years and the mean follow-up duration was 3.7 months. In asthenospemic patients (n=28), semen analysis before and after CarnitilR treatment showed an increase in volume (2.64+/-1.65 ml vs. 3.10+/-1.60 ml), motility (35.1+/-17.7% vs. 45.9+/-20.4%) and viability (51.4+/-20.3% vs. 59.3+/-13.6%) respectively. In oligoasthenospermic patients (n=16), semen analysis before and after CarnitilR treatment showed an increase in sperm count (10.7+/-54.4 million/ml vs. 38.4+/-32.5 million/ml) respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that in idiopathic oligoasthenospermic men the empirical medical therapy with acetylcarnitine may be considered as primary treatment.
Acetylcarnitine* ; Carnitine ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infertility, Male ; Male ; Semen ; Semen Analysis ; Sperm Count

No abstract available.
Aneurysm* ; Arteries*

No abstract available.
Age Factors* ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic*

We report a case of sarcoidosis which developed in the skin, lung and eyes in a 50-year-old woman. The skin lesions showed two types of cutaneous manifestations which were subcutaneous nodules on her back and erytrematous papules on the face for several months. Our patient's seurm angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) level was elevated at 33.5 IU/L(reference range, 8.3-21.4 IU/L) and the purified protein derivative(PPD) skin test had a negative result. On her roentgenographic examinations, we could find multiple nodular densities with hazziness on both her lungs and radionuclides(Gallium 67) uptakes in right lower lung field. The ratio of helper to suppressor T cells was 9 in bronchial lavage. Diagnosis of sarcoidosis was made on the basis of histologic findings of non-caseating granulomas from skin and lung tissue. Treatment was initiated with oral alternate-day prednisone 40mg. The cutaneous lesions and dyspnea improved in 2 and 4 weeks respectively, and serum ACE level returned to normal in 2 months.
Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; Prednisone ; Sarcoidosis* ; Skin ; Skin Tests ; T-Lymphocytes

A rostro-caudal topography of the oculomotor nerve fascicles is relatively well known in animal but not in human. We experienced two cases of midbrain infarctions presenting with isolated oculomotor nerve palsies. The MRI of the patient who had monocular elevation palsy with ptosis revealed a lesion in the middle to lower midbrain, whereas that of the other who had monocular depression and adduction palsy with pupillary mydriasis showed a discrete lesion in the upper to middle midbrain. We present the rostro-caudal arrangement of the oculomotor fascicles within midbrain based on MRI findings.
Animals ; Depression ; Humans ; Infarction* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mesencephalon* ; Mydriasis ; Oculomotor Nerve ; Oculomotor Nerve Diseases ; Paralysis

It is known in general that neoplasms of smooth mucsle appear very rarely in the oral region, probaly because in the oral region with histopathologic investigations have been reported. This report presents an unusual case of angioleiomyoma that developed on the lower lip of a 48-year the course of one year and the immunohistochemical findings of the angioleiomyyoma are described.
Angiomyoma* ; Lip*

PURPOSE: To examine the effects of atropine therapy on myopic progression in myopic children. METHODS: Fifty myopic patients, aged from 7 to 14 years and less than -5 diopters, visited our clinic for correction of refractive error from August 2001, and were followed up for at least 1 year. Of these 50 patients, the atropine therapy group was 23 and the control group was 27. Right eye cycloplegic refraction and axial length changes of the two groups were compared and analyzed. RESULTS: There was a mean increase of myopia of 0.25+/-0.43 D/yr in the atropine therapy group and of 0.83+/-0.37 D/yr in the control group (P=0.000). There was a mean increase of axial length of 0.12+/-0.19 mm/yr in the atropine therapy group and 0.39+/-0.21 mm/yr in the control group (P=0.000). In refraction and axial length changes according to age, there was no statistically significant difference within the group, aged from 7 to 9 years. However, there was a statistically significant difference within the group, aged from 10 to 14 years. In refraction and axial length changes according to myopic grade, there were a statistically significant differences between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Atropine therapy is effective in slowing the myopic progression in myopic children with refractive error less than -5 diopters.
Child ; Male ; Female ; Humans

Wegener's granulomatosis is a disease of unknown etiology that is characterized by the clinicopathologic complex of necrotixing granulomatous vasculitis of the upper and lower respiratory tract, glomerulonephritis, and variable degrees of small vessel vasculitis. Recently Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (ANCA) has been reported to be a highly specific test for the diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis. We have experienced a patient of Wegener's granulomatosis in a 11 year old girl who was admitted with complaints f arthralgia, hematuria, convulsion and associated with otitis media and sinusitis. Serologic test of C-ANCA was positive and histologic findings of the kidney showed crescentic glomerulonephritis with sclerosis and surrounding infiltration of multinucleated giant cells. Patient was treated with pulse methylprednisolone without improvement. The clinical course progressed rapidly and expired due to the renal failure, gastrointestinal bleeding and status epilepticus. A brief review of literatures was made.
Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic* ; Arthralgia ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Giant Cells ; Glomerulonephritis ; Hematuria ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Kidney ; Methylprednisolone ; Otitis Media ; Renal Insufficiency ; Respiratory System ; Sclerosis ; Seizures ; Serologic Tests ; Sinusitis ; Status Epilepticus ; Vasculitis ; Wegener Granulomatosis*