PURPOSE: The use of thyroidectomy has increased as a diagnostic technique for thyroid disease. However, performance of a, thyroidectomy is accompanied with complications. Post-thyroidectomy complications include recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, hypocalcemia, hematoma, infection, and thyroid storm. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical incidence and to evaluate complications after a thyroidectomy, including recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, hypocalcemia, hematoma, and scaring, following a retrospective review of cases. METHODS: From July 2004 to May 2006, 661 consecutive patients that had undergone a thyroidectomy were identified. Through a retrospective review, we evaluated the incidence and type of complications, including recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, hypocalcemia, hematoma, and postoperative scaring. RESULTS: 1) Recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was a very serious complication, but had a very low incidence. Eight cases out of 661 cases developed and most of the cases developed after a total thyroidectomy. 2) Hypocalcemia was the most common complication. Each incidence of hypocalcemia of methods of thyroid surgery was significant (P= 0.019) but, thyroid disease did not have significant difference (P=0.071). 3) The incidence of postoperative hematoma was 2.74% (18/655). Graves’ disease was more predominant than other diseases. CONCLUSION: Post-thyroidectomy complications and cosmetic problems include recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, hypocalcemia, hematoma, and postoperative scar. An understanding of the incidence and review of complications after a thyroidectomy may reduce their incidence.

OBJECTIVE: Although hemodialysis using heparin bound Hemophan (HBH-HD) has been reported to be a possible modality in patients at risk of bleeding, the efficiency and safety of HBH-HD is not certain. Therefore, we prospectively compared the safety and efficiency of HBH-HD with those of saline flushing HD (SF-HD) and HD using low dose heparin (LDH-HD) in 13 HD patients at risk of bleeding in a cross-over design. METHODS: The safety and efficiency were evaluated by measuring activated partial prothrombin time (aPTT) before and during HD, hemostasis time after needle removal, total blood compartment volume (TBCV) loss of dialyzer, urea clearance (K) and Kt/V. RESULTS: There was no difference in compression time needed to achieve hemostasis at puncture site after needle removal between HBH-HD, SF-HD and LDH-HD. During HBH-HD, there was a slight increase in aPTT at 15 min (50.6+/-4.5 sec), compared to predialysis levels (40.9+/-4.7 sec). In this cross- over study, aPTT during dialysis session was markedly higher in LDH-HD than those in HBH-HD or SF-HD (p<0.05). The loss of TBCV of the dialyzer was greater in SF-HD than HBH-HD or LDH-HD (17.4+/-1.9% vs. 12.4+/-1.4% vs. 10.1+/-1.8%). However, there was no difference in K (212.0+/-30.7 vs. 217.2+/-36.9 vs. 221.6+/- 29.5 mL/min) and Kt/V (1.22+/-0.12 vs. 1.24+/-0.16 vs. 1.26+/-0.18). CONCLUSION: We concluded that the safety and efficiency of HBH-HD are not different compared to SF-HD or LDH-HD and HBH-HD could an alternative hemodialysis method in patients at risk of bleeding.
Anticoagulants ; Cross-Over Studies ; Dialysis ; Flushing* ; Hemorrhage* ; Hemostasis ; Heparin* ; Humans ; Needles ; Prospective Studies ; Prothrombin Time ; Punctures ; Renal Dialysis* ; Urea

BACKGROUND: The urinary protein to creatinine ratio in a single voided random urine sample has been widely used as an estimation of 24 hour urine protein excretion because of inconvenience and frequent collection errors during timed collection of 24 hour urine. But the protein to creatinine ratio also showed frequent estimating error, overestimation or underestimation. We thought that protein to creatinine ratio adjusted by daily creatinine excretion estimated by Cockroft-Gault equation can be more accurate than protein to creatinine ratio and compared them as follows. METHODS: This study consisted of 81 patients whose 24 hour urine protein excretion and random spot urine protein to creatinine ratio were measured concomitantly. There was no significant change of body weight or serum creatinine change around the study day. The modified protein to creatinine ratio could be estimated from the measured protein to creatinine ratio in a random spot urine sample by multiplying the ratio by the expected daily creatinine excretion estimated by Cockroft-Gault equation. These results were compared with well collected 24 hour urine protein. RESULTS: The difference between protein to creatinine ratio and 24 hour urine protein was 0.87+/-1.13, on the other hand, the difference between modified protein to creatinine ratio and 24 hour urine protein was 0.52+/-0.65 (p<0.05). Correlation coefficients between protein to creatinine ratio, modified protein to creatinine ratio and 24 hour urine protein were 0.877, 0.957 respectively. CONCLUSION: The protein to creatinine ratio modified by the expected daily creatinine excreation rate calculated by Cockfort-Gault equation was more accurate than simple protein to creatinine ratio.
Body Weight ; Creatinine* ; Hand ; Humans

Isolated spontaneous renal artery dissection (SRAD) associated with fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) is a rare condition that can result in renal infarction. Treatment and long-term management of patients with this condition is controversial. We report the case of a patient with SRAD secondary to FMD who was treated by renal arterial stenting. A previous healthy 50-year-old white male presented to the emergency department with acute right flank pain. Blood pressure was 150/90 mmHg and serum creatinine was 1.6 mg/dL. A CT scan of the abdomen showed multifocal right renal infarction. The patient was started on anticoagulant regimen of heparin. Renal angiography showed the dissection of right renal artery and stenosis of mid-segment of right main renal artery and intrarenal branches. We decided to perform percutaneous balloon angioplasty and stenting for the purpose of dilating the stenotic renal artery, preventing recurrence of the disease and controlling hypertension and elevated creatinine. A dissected intimal flap was closed successfully by renal artery stenting and stenotic renal artery was dilated by stenting and balloon angioplasty. Five days after the procedure, he was discharged with warfarin. Three months later, he had normal renal function and blood pressure without antihypertensive medication was mildly elevated at 145/104 mmHg. Conclusively, stent implantation to renal artery dissection can be effective, reliable and feasible and can be an alternative to surgical treatment.
Abdomen ; Angiography ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; Blood Pressure ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Creatinine ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Fibromuscular Dysplasia* ; Flank Pain ; Heparin ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Infarction ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Renal Artery* ; Stents* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Warfarin

BACKGROUND: The introduction of new immunosuppressants has prompted several trials of steroid withdrawal immunosuppression. However, several groups have reported a higher incidence of rejection. METHODS: We conducted a randomized two-arm, parallel group, open label, prospective study to compare steroid withdrawal (at 6 months post-transplant) regimens: tacrolimus+mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) (FK group) vs cyclosporine+MMF (CyA group). Entry criteria were: first living donor transplant recipient, no diabetes mellitus (DM), no congestive heart failure, no chronic liver disease, and no acute rejection by 6 months post-transplant. The primary endpoint was a biopsy-proven acute rejection episode or treatment failure within 1 year post- transplant. RESULTS: While eighty-seven recipients were assigned to FK (n=43) and CyA group (n=44) before transplantation, seventy-six recipients (FK 39, CyA 37) could taper off steroid at 6 months post-transplant since eleven were excluded due to acute rejection within 6 months post-transplant (FK 2, CyA 3), protocol violation (FK 2, CyA 1), drug change due to side effect (CyA 2) and follow-up loss (CyA 1). After steroid withdrawal, acute rejection episode was 0% in FK group and 13.5% in CyA group (p<0.05). Other results at 12 months post-transplant are comparable: incidence of DM 7.8 vs 0% (FK group vs CyA group), incidence of hypercholesterolemia 41.0 vs 59.5%, proportion of use antihypertensives 48.7 vs 59.6%, plasma creatinine 1.21+-0.24 vs 1.31+-0.50 mg/dL (p>0.05 in every variable). CONCLUSION: These data suggest that steroid withdrawal are successful in first living donor renal transplant recipients and tacrolimus may be more effective than cyclosporine significantly in preventing acute rejection after steroid withdrawal.
Antihypertensive Agents ; Creatinine ; Cyclosporine* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Immunosuppression ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Incidence ; Liver Diseases ; Living Donors* ; Plasma ; Prospective Studies ; Tacrolimus* ; Transplantation* ; Treatment Failure

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The increased risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) has been explained by accelerated atherosclerosis and impaired angiogenesis, where endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) may play key roles. It was hypothesized that : "an altered EPC biology may contribute to the pathophysiology of CRF". SUBJECTS AND METHODS: EPC were isolated from CRF patients on maintenance hemodialysis (n=44) and from a normal control group (n=30). After morphological and immunological characterization, the number and in vitro angiogenic function of the EPC were evaluated. RESULTS: CRF patients showed markedly decreased numbers of EPC (44.6%) and colonies (75.3%) compared to the controls (p<0.001). These findings were corroborated by a 30.5% decrease in the migratory function in response to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)(p=0.040) and by a 48.8% decrease in EPC incorporation into human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC)(p<0.001). In addition, The Framingham's risk factor scores of both the CRF (r=-0.461, p=0.010) and normal groups (r=-0.367, p=0.016) were significantly correlated with the numbers of EPC. Indeed, under the same burden of risk factors the number of circulating EPC was significantly lower in CRF patients than in the normal group (p<0.001). A significant correlation was also observed between the dialysis dose (Kt/V) and EPC incorporation into the HUVEC (r=0.427, p=0.004). CONCLUSION: The EPC biology, which is critical for neovascularization and the maintenance of vascular function, was altered in CRF. Our data strongly suggest that dysfunction of circulating EPC has a role in the progression of cardiovascular disease in patients with CRF.
Atherosclerosis ; Biology ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Dialysis ; Endothelial Cells ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Renal Dialysis ; Risk Factors ; Stem Cells* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

Though systemic vasculitidis are a group of diseases with extremely low incidence and prevalence, vessels with diverse size from aorta to capillaries are involved. It has been argued how to classify and define systemic vasculitidis, especially how to discriminate poly arteritis nodosa (PAN) and microscopic polyangiitis (MPA). Since there are lots of overlapping between them, clinical manifestations, antineuclear cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) and angiographic findings besides pathologic findings should be considered altogether. We report a case of systemic vasculitis in which crescentic necrotizing glomerulonephritis with positive perinuclear-type ANCA occurred with intraperitoneal aneurysmal rupture simultaneously. Our case can be a typical one that shows definite overlapping between PAN and MPA.
Aneurysm* ; Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic ; Aorta ; Arteritis ; Capillaries ; Cytoplasm ; Glomerulonephritis ; Incidence ; Microscopic Polyangiitis ; Polyarteritis Nodosa ; Prevalence ; Rupture* ; Systemic Vasculitis*

A 65 year-old woman with Sjogren's syndrome was found to have renal mass and acute renal failure. Immunopathologic analysis of renal biopsy specimens showed polyclonal lymphocytic interstitial infiltration. Gene rearrangement study of T cell receptor showed a polyclonal pattern. The degree of azotemia and the size of pseudolymphoma diminished dramatically with steroid therapy. This is a case of proven pseudolymphoma that was found as renal mass in Sjogren's syndrome.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Aged ; Azotemia ; Biopsy ; Female ; Gene Rearrangement ; Humans ; Nephritis, Interstitial* ; Pseudolymphoma* ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; Sjogren's Syndrome*

OBJECTIVE: Positively charged N, N-diethyl-aminoehtyl groups on Hemophan enable negative charged heparin to be bound with the dialyzer membrane and hemodialysis using heparin bound Hemophan (HBH- HD) could be a hemodialysis modality in patients at risk of bleeding. We designed simplified heparin binding technique and evaluated the bleeding risk and efficiency of HBH-HD in chronic renal failure patients at risk of bleeding. METHODS: During the period from April 1995 through April 2002, 159 patients at high bleeding risk received 1057 HBH-HD (dialyzer: GFS plus 11, Gambro). The duration of each HBH-HD was standardized to 4 hours at blood-flow rate of 200-250 mL/min. To evaluate safety of HBH-HD, we measured serum heparin concentration (HC) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) at baseline, 15, 60, 120 minutes and endpoint (240 minutes) (n= 40). To evaluate the dialysis efficiency, HBH-HD and routine hemodialysis with systemic heparinization (R-HD) were compared for total blood compartment volume (TBCV) loss, dialyzer urea clearance (K) and Kt/V in same study group patients (n=20). RESULTS: Clotting of dialyzer necessitating termination of dialysis occurred in 11 (1.0%) out of 1, 057 dialyses at 150 minutes, and clotting requiring change of blood line occurred in 64 dialyses (6.1%) between 150 and 230 minutes. There was a slight increase in the aPTT (mean+/-SD, 49.8+/-10.5 sec) and HC (0.14+/-0.06 U/mL) at 15 min, compared to predialysis levels of 44.3+/-12.9 sec and 0.11+/-0.06 U/ mL, respectively (p>0.05). But no increase in aPTT, HC was observed in measurements at 60 min, 120 min, and at the endpoint. TBCV loss was significantly higher in HBH-HD (mean+/-SD, 17.2+/-9.6%), compared to R-HD (2.8+/-1.2%) (p< 0.0001). However, K and Kt/V value (mean+/-SD) were 136.9+/-14.6 mL/ min and 1.27+/-0.21 in HBH-HD and 137.6+/-18.4 mL/ min and 1.20+/-0.22 in R-HD, showing no significant difference (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: HBH-HD could be a safe and efficient HD technique in patients at high risk of bleeding. Extracorporeal clotting, however, should be observed carefully during HBH-HD.
Dialysis ; Hemorrhage* ; Heparin* ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Membranes ; Partial Thromboplastin Time ; Renal Dialysis* ; Urea

A 21-year-old male was presented with sudden headache, fever, petechiae and neck stiffness. The diagnosis of meningococcal meningitis was confirmed by examination of cerebrospinal fluid. The clinical symptoms of the illness were improved after treatment of antibiotics. However the patient developed generalized edema, oliguria, azotemia, and heavy proteinuria in the recovery phase of illness. Low serum C3 level was also noted. A kidney biopsy was performed and showed the features of postinfectious glomerulonephritis and typical subepithelial humps on electron-microscopic examination. His symptoms and laboratory findings were improved, and C3 level returned to normal range after conservative treatment. We suggest that a complement deficiency should be ruled out in patients of glomerulonephritis developed during the recovery phase of meningococcal meningitis. C3 nephritic factor detection and renal biopsy should be carefully considered in these patients.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Azotemia ; Biopsy ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Complement C3 Nephritic Factor ; Complement System Proteins ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Fever ; Glomerulonephritis* ; Headache ; Humans ; Kidney ; Male ; Meningitis ; Meningitis, Meningococcal* ; Neck ; Neisseria meningitidis ; Oliguria ; Proteinuria ; Purpura ; Reference Values ; Young Adult