BACKGROUND: Balloon PTCA for the distal, long, eccentric coronary artery stenosis will be at high risk for severe dissection or acute occlusion during or after procedure. METHODS AND RESULTS: High Speed Rotational Atherectomy followd by low pressure balloon angioplasty due to distal, long, eccentric coronary artery stenosis. Rotational coronary atherectomy debulked the lesion quickly without difficulty. Rotational Coronary Atherectomy with adjuctive low pressure balloon inflation was successful without event. CONCLUSIONS: This case illustrates the point that complementary deployment of devices may not only improve success of percutaneous coronary intervention, but also may extend its scope.
Angioplasty, Balloon ; Atherectomy, Coronary* ; Coronary Stenosis ; Inflation, Economic ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Aortopulmonary fistula is an exceedingly rare vascular malformation. It is commonly derived after chest injuly or from complication of chest operation and aortic dissection and congenital aortopulmonary fistula is only several cases combined with Tetralogy of Fallot or aortic stenosis. But a congenital aortopulmonary fistula without any hemodynamic abnormalities was not reported. A 56-year old man with exertional dyspnea was admitted. In an examination on admission, there were no abnomalities. Aortography showed an aortopulmonary fistula that branches from the ascending aorta adjacent to the right coronary artery, running to the main pulmonary artery. Transcatheter coil embolization was performed and he was discharged 7 day after embolization without complication. Exertional dyspnea disappeared and careful follow up has be performed periodically.
Aorta ; Aortic Valve Stenosis ; Aortography ; Coronary Vessels ; Dyspnea* ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Fistula* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Artery ; Running ; Tetralogy of Fallot ; Thorax ; Vascular Malformations

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; Neoplasm Metastasis

No abstract available.
Pheochromocytoma* ; Pregnancy*

BACKGROUND: The survival rate of children with neuroblastoma has been improved over 20 years, excluding the metastatic disease, in which it does not exceed 20% so far. New treatment modalities have been developed to improve the outcome in metastatic disease. Preoperative chemotherapy reduce the size, the vascularity and the adhesiveness, so increase the resectability of the primary tumor. This retrospective clinical study was designed to review the survival rate in neuroblastoma and to analyze the effect of preoperative chemotherapy in the view point of neoadjuvant therapy on long-term survival in advanced disease. METHODS: One hundred and thirty-four cases were reviewed from 135 patients with neuroblastoma registered at the Department of Pediatrics in Seoul National University Children's Hospital from January, 1985 till December, 1995. The survival rate was reviewed according to the stage. The age, sex of the patients, the stage, anatomical site of the tumor, the level of serum ferritin and neuron-specific enolase were analyzed for the risk factors on survival. RESULTS: Ranges of age at diagnosis were from 1 month to 166 months with the median of 39 months. Five year survival rates and five year disease-free survival rates were 100%, 100% in stage 1(n=5), 90.9%, 90.9% in stage 2(n=13), 43.4%, 40.6% in stage 3(n=19), 27.1%, 19.8% in stage 4(n=95) and 100%, 100% in stage 4S(n=2), respectively. In stage 3, five year survival rate was 52.5% in group receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 28.6% in control group(P=0.02). Five year disease-free survival rate was also noted as 48.6%, 28.6% in each group(P=0.02). In stage 4, five year and ten year survival rates were 27.6%, 23.6% in group receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 26.9%, 0% in control group(P=0.02). Five year and ten year disease-free survival rates were 14.3%, 14.3% in group receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 20%, 0% in control group (P=0.11). In univariate analysis, the age, the stage, and the site of primary tumor appeared to affect the long-term survival. CONCLUSION: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy and delayed primary surgery contribute for advance in survival in advanced neuroblastoma via increasing the resectability of the primary tumor.
Adhesiveness ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy* ; Ferritins ; Humans ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Neuroblastoma ; Pediatrics ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Survival Rate

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Many studies have been conducted to improve the primary stability of implants by providing bioactive surfaces via surface treatments. Increase of surface roughness may increase osteoblast activity and promote stronger bonding between bone and implant surface and it has been reported that bioactive surface or titanium can be obtained through alkali and heat treatment. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stability of alkali and heat treated implants via histomorphometric analysis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Specimens were divided into three groups; group 1 was the control group with machined surface, the other groups were treated for 24 hours in 5 M NaOH solution and heat treated for 1 hour at 600degrees C in the atmosphere (group 2) and vacuum (group 3) conditions respectively. Surface characteristics were analyzed and fixtures were implanted into rabbits. The specimens were histologically and histomorphometrically compared according to healing periods and change in bone composition were analyzed with EPMA (Electron Probe Micro Analyzer). RESULTS: 1. Groups treated with alkali and heat showed increase of oxidization layer and Na ions. Groups 2 which was heat treated in atmosphere showed significant increase of surface roughness (P<.05). 2. Histomorphometric analysis showed significant increase in BIC (bone to implant contact) according to increase in healing period and there was significant increases in groups 2 and 3 (P<.05). 3. BA(bone area) ratio showed similar results as contact ratio, but according to statistical analysis there was significant increase according to increase in healing period in group 2 only (P<.05). 4. EPMA analysis revealed no difference in gradation of bone composition of K, P, Ca, Ti in surrounding bone of implants according to healing periods but groups 2 and 3 showed increase of Ca and P in the initial stages. CONCLUSION: From the results above, it can be considered that alkali and heat treated implants in the atmosphere have advantages in osseointegration in early stages and may decrease the time interval between implantation and functional adaptation.
Alkalies ; Atmosphere ; Hot Temperature ; Ions ; Nitrogen Mustard Compounds ; Osseointegration ; Osteoblasts ; Rabbits ; Titanium ; Vacuum

One of the complication during or after subclavian vein cannulation is intravascular catheter or wire embolization. Although some studies have reported safety of retaining foreign body embolization, and even death. The intravascular foreign body can be removed surgically or non-surgically. With improvement in instrument technology and technique, percutaneous retrieval of intravascular foreign bodies has become a relatively common procedure. Commonly used methods to remove intravascular foreign bodies are loop snare and basket technique. Sometimes biopy forcep can be used. We have experienced 2 cases of non-surgical removal of intravascular foreign bodies. One of the foreign bodies was 7cm wire fragment in right atrium(RA), the other was a 50cm guide wire. We used the standard loop snare technique for removal of 7cm wire fragment in RA and stone removal basket and 3.0mm ACS PTCA balloon to remove the 50cm short guide wire.
Catheterization ; Catheters ; Foreign Bodies* ; SNARE Proteins ; Subclavian Vein ; Surgical Instruments

PURPOSE: To evaluate the pre-operative and the intra-operative factors including marginal fibrosis affecting the result of vitrectomy for macular hole. METHODS: The medical records of the patient who had been operated for idiopathic full-thickness macular hole from January 1997 to July 2000 were investigated retrospectively. RESULTS: Hole closure, as the implication of anatomical success, was seen in 28 eyes (84.8%) at 1 month after surgery and 23 eyes (69.7%) at the end of follow-up period. And the improvement of two or more Snellen line, as the implication of functional success, was seen in 17 eyes (51.5%). The smaller size of the hole was well correlated with higher rate of anatomical success (P=0.001). And there was a good correlation of higher anatomic success rate with the lack of marginal fibrosis around the hole (P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There must be more efforts and investigations on proper management of marginal fibrosis, which might help to improve the result of macular hole surgery.
Fibrosis* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Retinal Perforations* ; Retrospective Studies ; Vitrectomy

Primary tumors of the heart are rare, three quarter of the tumors are benign, and nearly half of the benign heart tumors are myxomas. Cardiac myxoma usually originate in the left atrium about 75 percent, however, only 3 to 4 percent of myxoma are detected in the left ventricle. We report on a 32 years old woman with left ventricular myxoma who presented with shortness of breath, chest tightness, and general weakness. Acute pulmonary embolism and left ventricular myxoma were found on a perfusion lung scan and echocadiogram. A mass located on septal wall of left ventricle was excised en bloc. The patient recovered uneventfully and careful follow up has be performed periodically.
Adult ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart ; Heart Atria ; Heart Neoplasms ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Lung ; Myxoma* ; Perfusion ; Pulmonary Embolism* ; Thorax

No abstract available.
Vasovasostomy*