Seborrheic dermatitis is a chronic recurrent inflammatory disorder presumed to be caused by increased sebaceous gland secretion, metabolic changes in the cutaneous microflora, and changes in the host immune function. Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is known to increase the blood flow rate without altering the blood pressure, heart rate, or cardiac output, to stabilize hypertonic conditions of the sympathetic nerves, and to affect the endocrine and immune systems. It is used in the differential diagnosis and treatment of autonomic nervous system disorders of the head, neck, and upper limbs. The authors report the first case of successful treatment of a patient with seborrheic dermatitis through repeated SGB trials.
Autonomic Nervous System Diseases ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Output ; Dermatitis, Seborrheic* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Head ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Immune System ; Neck ; Nerve Block ; Sebaceous Glands ; Stellate Ganglion* ; Upper Extremity

BACKGROUND: In an effort t enhance long term patency of coronary bypass grafts, utilization of arterial conduits have been on an icrease. With the same objective, we have been using the right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) in coronary artery bypass procedures since 1998. The current paper has been undertaken with the aim of assessing the apropriateness, problems, and short term results of using the RGEA as an arterial graft conduit by studying the postoperative clinical results of 100 patients than received coronary artery bypass grafting (CARG) with this artery. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between May of 1998 and May of 1999, an analysis of the mortality, postoperative myocardial infarction, and the need for IABP insertion as a result of low cardiac output were made between 100 consecutive patients undergoing CABG with the RGEA. There was one postoperative death due to cerebral infarction. Postoperative complications/morbidity comprised myocardial infarction in 2, cerebral infarct in 3, reoperation due to bleeding in 1, mediastinitis in 1, and low cardiac output syndrome necessitating IABP in 3 patients. Complicatons related to harvesting of the arterial grafts were not experienced in any of the patients. CONCLUSION: The results of the current data show that utilization of the RGEA in CABG is not associated with increased mortality/morbidity and demonstrates satisfactory short term results suggesting the usefulnessof this conduit as an arterial graft.
Arteries ; Cardiac Output, Low ; Cerebral Infarction ; Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Gastroepiploic Artery* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mediastinitis ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction ; Reoperation ; Transplants

PURPOSE: Crowding causes dysfunction in the emergency department (ED) and is associated with poor quality of patient care, dissatisfaction of the physicians, and increased financial burden of medical care. Frequent use is often considered a major contributor to ED crowding. The present study sought to verify the relationship between the frequent ED users and ED crowding, and to ascertain the severity of the frequent ED users. METHODS: One-year ED visit data from a tertiary teaching hospital located in an urban area were analyzed. Frequent ED users were defined as four or more ED visits per year. Crowding indicators were defined as the length of stay and the percentage of patients staying over 6 hours. Severity indicators were defined as operation within 24 h, admission to intensive care unit, and expiry in the ED. RESULTS: The 2.7% of patients who had four or more ED visits were responsible for 11.9% of visits. The median length of stay of frequent users was significantly longer (6.18 h) than that of infrequent users (3.42 h). The percentage of patients who stayed more than 6 h was significantly larger in the frequent user group than infrequent user group (51.4% vs. 32.9%, respectively; OR=2.158; 95% CI, 2.041~2.281). However, the severity of frequent users was lower than that of infrequent users (3.0% vs. 5.3%, respectively; OR=0.553; 95% CI, 0.472~0.648). CONCLUSION: Frequent users presenting to an ED located in an urban area were more likely to stay longer in the ED, and were less likely to be severe. Active interventions to reduce ED crowding are required.
Crowding ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Health Services Misuse ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Patient Care

PURPOSE: Crowding causes dysfunction in the emergency department (ED) and is associated with poor quality of patient care, dissatisfaction of the physicians, and increased financial burden of medical care. Frequent use is often considered a major contributor to ED crowding. The present study sought to verify the relationship between the frequent ED users and ED crowding, and to ascertain the severity of the frequent ED users. METHODS: One-year ED visit data from a tertiary teaching hospital located in an urban area were analyzed. Frequent ED users were defined as four or more ED visits per year. Crowding indicators were defined as the length of stay and the percentage of patients staying over 6 hours. Severity indicators were defined as operation within 24 h, admission to intensive care unit, and expiry in the ED. RESULTS: The 2.7% of patients who had four or more ED visits were responsible for 11.9% of visits. The median length of stay of frequent users was significantly longer (6.18 h) than that of infrequent users (3.42 h). The percentage of patients who stayed more than 6 h was significantly larger in the frequent user group than infrequent user group (51.4% vs. 32.9%, respectively; OR=2.158; 95% CI, 2.041~2.281). However, the severity of frequent users was lower than that of infrequent users (3.0% vs. 5.3%, respectively; OR=0.553; 95% CI, 0.472~0.648). CONCLUSION: Frequent users presenting to an ED located in an urban area were more likely to stay longer in the ED, and were less likely to be severe. Active interventions to reduce ED crowding are required.
Crowding ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Health Services Misuse ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Patient Care

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is major source of chronic liver disease in Korea. However this virus might have different nucleotide sequence according to races, different region, etc. Recently the novel method that allows sensitive amplification with dramatically decreased mis-incorporation has developed. We determined to get the major form of HBV nucleotide sequence from whole sequencing data of 26 Korean HBV carriers. METHODS: HBV DNA were collected from 26 Korean chronic HBV carriers. We used the novel PCR with pfu for the amplification of HBV DNA, and specific primers were made with combination sequence bases of non-HBV part and HBV parts which were located head and tail in the virion. Then whole length of HBV were directly sequenced and analysed. RESULT: HBV DNA was consisted of 3215 bases in 20 cases of 26 Korean chronic HBV carriers. And the remainder had smaller or larger number due to deletion, insertion or both in pre-S2 and S gene. They were 99.03% homology of their nucleotide sequence and belong to genotype C. The variability of nucleotide sequence was significantly higher in the singly coding region (SCR) than doubly coding region (DCR), and also high in pre-S1 and pre-S2 gene among the DCR. Hot-spots were more frequently found in the SCR, pre-S1 and pre-S2 gene. CONCLUSION: In Korean chronic HBV carriers, HBV is consisted of 3215 nucleotides, and belongs to genotype C. And it might exist one genotype with the variability in Korea.
Base Sequence* ; Clinical Coding ; Continental Population Groups ; DNA ; Genome* ; Genotype* ; Head ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Diseases ; Nucleotides ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymerization* ; Polymers* ; Virion

Alveolar soft-part sarcoma(ASPS) is a rare, aggressive malignancy of uncertain histologic origin with a propensity for vascular invasion and distant metastasis. ASPS may mimic benign vascular neoplams of malformation but careful evaluation of the unique imaging features on CT scans, MR images, and angiograms lead to the correct diagnosis. ASPS of the tongue is slow-growing, painless mass, especially ASPS of the base the tongue is difficult to be noticed by patient, dentists or oral and maxillofacial surgeons on oral examintion because of its location and clinical resemblance to a benign lesion. And it leads to delayed or inadequate diagnosis. We report radiologic and clinical features of an ASPS of the basal portion of the tongue in a 17-year-old boy, showing normal appearance, but palpation of the tongue and floor of the mouth reveals the tumor. Among the 23 cases of a primary ASPS of tongue reported, 7 cases occured on the basal region of the tongue, inculding the present one. There has been no recurrence or metastasis as of 3 years postoperatively.
Adolescent ; Dentists ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Mouth ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Palpation ; Recurrence ; Sarcoma, Alveolar Soft Part* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tongue* ; Viperidae

Though leiomyosarcoma usually occurs in the gastrointestinal tract and uterus, it rarely occurs in the wall of large veins and arteries. We present a case of primary leiomyosarcoma arising in the great saphenous vein of the left inner thigh and spreading for some extent along the vein in a 54 year old female. Diagnosis was confirmed by desmin stain and electron microscopy. Postoperative course was fine. This is the first report of this in Korean literature.
Female ; Humans ; Leiomyosarcoma/*pathology ; Middle Aged ; *Saphenous Vein ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms/*pathology ; Vascular Diseases/pathology

BACKGROUND: Surgical hepatic inflow obstructions such as the Pringle Maneuver (PM) or hepatic vascular exclusion (HVE) can reduce bleeding during hepatic resection, but ischemia/reperfusion injury of the liver and systemic hemodynamic changes are also inevitable during and after PM or HVE. Nitric oxide plays a pivotal role in ischemia/reperfusion injury. We evaluated hemodynamic changes and changes of nitric oxide during liver ischemia/reperfusion injury excluding the effects of intestinal ischemia. METHODS: Liver ischemia was induced by clamping of the portal triad, infrahepatic and suprahepatic inferior vena cava for 90 minutes. To exclude the effects of intestinal ischemia during liver ischemia, portal and iliac venous blood was bypassed to the jugular vein using a pump. Hemodynamic parameters and nitric oxide were measured serially; before and during ischemia, and after reperfusion. RESULTS: Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) was well-maintained during ischemia, but after reperfusion, MAP, cardiac output (CO) and stroke volume (SV) significantly decreased (35 - 40, 30 - 40 and 30%, respectively) postischemia. Compared to preischemia, systemic vascular resistance and heart rate did not change after reperfusion. Pulmonary vascular resistance and mean pulmonary arterial blood pressure significantly increased (220 - 250% and 60 - 70%) after reperfusion. Nitric oxide (NO) did not change until 20 minutes after reperfusion, but after 40 minutes reperfusion, NO significantly decreased (20%) compared to preischemia. CONCLUSIONS: After 90 minutes warm liver ischemia/reperfusion causes hypotension induced by decreased CO and SV. Increased PVR seems to be the cause of decreased CO and SV. NO-SVR interaction does not seem to be the cause of postreperfusion hypotension.
Arterial Pressure ; Cardiac Output ; Constriction ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics* ; Hemorrhage ; Hypotension ; Ischemia ; Jugular Veins ; Liver* ; Nitric Oxide* ; Reperfusion ; Stroke Volume ; Vascular Resistance ; Vena Cava, Inferior

Coronary artery aneurysm is an uncommon disease. The optimal medical or surgical treatment for this disease remains obscure. The causes of coronary artery aneurysms include atherosclerosis, Kawasaki disease, infectious vascular disease, connective tissue disorder and congenital malformation. A 50 year old man visit our institution for chest pain that had started 3 days previously. After coronary angiography, multiple coronary aneurysms were diagnosed and successful surgical intervention was performed.
Aneurysm ; Angina, Unstable ; Atherosclerosis ; Chest Pain ; Connective Tissue ; Coronary Aneurysm ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Vessels ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; Vascular Diseases

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hypoxemia is often associated with liver cirrhosis without cardiopulmonary diseases. Pulmonary vascular impairments including intrapulmonary shunt have been considered as a major mechanism of hypoxemia. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence and pathophysiologic basis of hypoxemia in cirrhotic patients without respiratory symptoms. METHODS: In fourty three cirrhotic patients without heart and lung diseases, we performed the arterial blood gas analysis and calculated alveolar arterial oxygen gradient (A-aO2). According to the A-aO2, the patients were divided into hypoxemic and normoxemic groups. In each group, a Tc-99m-macroaggregated albumin (Tc-99m-MAA) scan, a contrast-enhanced echocardiography and a pulmonary function test were performed. RESULTS: Twenty-eight of 43 patients (65%) showed hypoxemia. Hypoxemic patients showed significantly more increased shunt fraction of 3.1 1.4% than normoxemic one of 2.1 1.1% in the Tc-99m-MAA scan (p<0.05). However, only two of hypoxemic patients had shunt fraction above physiologic shunt range. By contrast-enhanced echocardiography, an intrapulmonary shunt was confirmed in one patient. There was no significant correlation between the shunt fraction and the hepatic reserve based on the Child-Pugh classification in hypoxemic patients. In the results of pulmonary function test, only DLco decreased more significantly in hypoxemic group than in normoxemic group (58.4 14.2 % vs 75.3 16.5% of predicted, p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Hypoxemia is not infrequently observed in cirrhosis, but incidence of significant intrapulmonary shunt is low. Therefore, other mechanism such as diffusion defect may be suggested to play a role in the development of hypoxemia in cirrhotic patients without respiratory symptoms.
Anoxia ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Classification ; Diffusion ; Echocardiography ; Fibrosis ; Heart ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver* ; Lung Diseases ; Oxygen ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Technetium Tc 99m Aggregated Albumin