Thirty-four patients with suspected ectopic pregnancy whose serum hCG levels had been measured by beta-hCG EIA before surgery were evaluated retrospectively. The results were as follows: 1. Final diagnosis of thirty- four patients with suspected ectopic pregnancy comprised twenty-eight tubal pregnancy, five ruptures of hemorrhagic corpus luteum and one tubo-ovarian abscess. One of the five patients with rupture of hemorrhagic corpus luteum was accompanied by missed abortion. 2. Range of serum hCG levels in twenty-eight patients with tubal pregnancy was 59-21, 980 mIU/ml and that of four patients with rupture of hemorrhagic corpus luteum and one patient with tubo-ovarian abscess was 0.6-6.6 mIU/ml. Serum hCG level of a patient with rupture of hemorrhagic corpus luteum who was accompanied by missed abostion was 200 mIU/ml. 3. Serum hCG levels in twenty-two of twenty-eight patients with tubal pregnancy were lower than 3,000 mIU/ml. Low serum hCG level below 100 mIU/ml and high serum hCG levl above 6,500 mIU/ml were noticed in four and six patients with tubal pregnancy recpectively. 4. Mean serum hCG levels (±SD) of twelve patients with tubal pregnancy who had intraabdominal free blood of less than 500ml and sixteen patients with tubal pregnancy who had intraabdominal free blood of more than 500ml were 4,131 (±7,801) mIU/ml and 3,208 (±5,081) mIU/ml, respectively. There was no statistical difference in the mean level of serum hCG between both group (P>0.05). 5. Mean serum hCG levels (±SD) of thirteen patients with unruptured tubal pregnancy and fifteen patients with ruptured tubal pregnancy were 2,628 (±5,448) mIU/ml and 4,449 (±6,938) mIU/ml, respectively. Mean level of serum hCG was statistically higher in ruptured tubal pregnancy (P<0.01). 6. Positive rate of urine pregnancy test in the diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy was 64% (16/25) and mean range of serum hCG level of nine patients with false negative result were 353 mIU/ml and 59­933 mIU/ml.
Abortion, Missed ; Abscess ; Corpus Luteum ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Tests ; Pregnancy, Ectopic* ; Pregnancy, Tubal ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture

Adventitial cystic disease (ACD) is an uncommon vascular disease of an unknown origin, and this malady can be suspected in a young, healthy patient who has sudden onset of claudication. We describe here a case of ACD of the right popliteal artery. A 43-year-old male presented with 4 month history of severe right leg claudication. He had no other atherosclerotic predisposing history except for 10 pack years of smoking. On examination, the right femoral pulses were normal, the popliteal artery absent and the dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial artey pulses were decreased. The ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) was 0.4. Ultrasonography showed a hypoechoic cystic lesion with a well-defined marin along the arterial wall. Computed tomography showed a round hypodense cystic mass with thin enhancing rim and a non-enhancing center in the popliteal fossa. Operatively, the 2.5 cm-sized expanding cyst indented the popliteal artery, which involved half of its diameter with adhesion to the adhesion to the adjacent structures. The artery had no thrombosis and it was a short-segment lesion with luminal patency, but half of the arterial wall was thickened with inflammation. Partial excision of the cyst wall and evacuation of the gelatineous materials was performed. Postoperatively, his symptoms improved somewhat, but ABI was 0.6. On the angiography, there was residual stenosis and contrast pooling. These findings disappeared after balloon angioplasty. he was asymptomatic 6 months later with an ABI >1 in the right side.
Adult ; Angiography ; Angioplasty* ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; Arteries ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Cystotomy* ; Gelatin ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Leg ; Male ; Phenobarbital ; Popliteal Artery ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thrombosis ; Ultrasonography ; Vascular Diseases

Adventitial cystic disease (ACD) is an uncommon vascular disease of an unknown origin, and this malady can be suspected in a young, healthy patient who has sudden onset of claudication. We describe here a case of ACD of the right popliteal artery. A 43-year-old male presented with 4 month history of severe right leg claudication. He had no other atherosclerotic predisposing history except for 10 pack years of smoking. On examination, the right femoral pulses were normal, the popliteal artery absent and the dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial artey pulses were decreased. The ankle-brachial pressure index (ABI) was 0.4. Ultrasonography showed a hypoechoic cystic lesion with a well-defined marin along the arterial wall. Computed tomography showed a round hypodense cystic mass with thin enhancing rim and a non-enhancing center in the popliteal fossa. Operatively, the 2.5 cm-sized expanding cyst indented the popliteal artery, which involved half of its diameter with adhesion to the adhesion to the adjacent structures. The artery had no thrombosis and it was a short-segment lesion with luminal patency, but half of the arterial wall was thickened with inflammation. Partial excision of the cyst wall and evacuation of the gelatineous materials was performed. Postoperatively, his symptoms improved somewhat, but ABI was 0.6. On the angiography, there was residual stenosis and contrast pooling. These findings disappeared after balloon angioplasty. he was asymptomatic 6 months later with an ABI >1 in the right side.
Adult ; Angiography ; Angioplasty* ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; Arteries ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Cystotomy* ; Gelatin ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Leg ; Male ; Phenobarbital ; Popliteal Artery ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thrombosis ; Ultrasonography ; Vascular Diseases

A 67-year-old Korean man presented with gross, painless hematuria that had lasted for the previous 2 months. Cystoscopy showed a semispherical tumor approximately 1 cm in diameter that was covered with normal bladder mucosa and extended from the bladder neck to the posterior wall of the bladder. The patient underwent transurethral resection of the tumor. Histological examination and immunohistochemical staining showed a granular cell tumor (GCT). There were no features suggesting a malignant phenotype. On follow-up, the patient has remained free of bladder recurrence. We herein report this case of a GCT of the urinary bladder and review the literature.
Aged ; Cystoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Granular Cell Tumor ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mucous Membrane ; Neck ; Phenotype ; Recurrence ; Urinary Bladder

Subclavian artery(SCA) injuries are rare, accounting for only 1 to 2% of all acute vascular injuries. The majority of SCA injuries are occured by motor vehicle accident and by penetrating trauma, only 1 to 5% of all subclavian artery injuries occurred by blunt mechanisms. The incidence of brachial plexus injury is also rare and 60% of brachial plexus injuries induced by blunt injury is occurred by motor vehicle accident. Aggressive diagnostic work-up is recommended for the patients with high suspicious index and repair is essential for the successful management of these rare vascular injuries. We report the experience of one case of combined subclavian artery and brachial plexus injuries due to blunt trauma.
Brachial Plexus* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Motor Vehicles ; Subclavian Artery* ; Vascular System Injuries ; Wounds, Nonpenetrating

PURPOSE: The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is very common among patients with a urological malignancy. We assessed the prevalence and patterns of use of complementary therapies among patients with bladder, prostate and renal cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between May and July 2004, we conducted a survey to assess the use of CAM at 13 outpatient clinics in Korea. Seven hundred and eleven patients with bladder (269), prostate (300) or renal cancers (142) were selected to answer a self-administered questionnaire on CAM, which were then analyzed. RESULTS: Among 711 patients with urological malignancies, 279 (39.2%) had been treated with at least one type of CAM, in addition to conventional Western treatment. The cancer patients treated with radiation therapy or immunotherapy were more likely to employ CAM than those using other therapies. Age, gender, cancer type, occupations, religions, level of education and disease status (stable or progressive) were not associated with the prevalence of CAM. 44.3% of CAM users wanted to discuss CAM techniques with their doctors, but only 24.8% received an explanation of there use. CONCLUSIONS: CAM is used by a large number of patients with urological malignancies, particularly in those undergoing radiation therapy or immunotherapy. Urologists need to have an accurate knowledge and apprehension of CAM. The possible effects and side effects should be defined, with appropriate guidelines recommended for patients with a urological malignancy.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Complementary Therapies* ; Education ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Kidney Neoplasms ; Korea ; Occupations ; Prevalence ; Prostate ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms

Objectives: This study compared serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) levels in endometriotic cysts (ECs) with those in non-ECs and analyzed changes thereof after single-port laparoscopic (SPL) ovarian cyst enucleation using vasopressin injection. Methods: In total, 180 patients (EC group, n = 112; non-EC group, n = 68) who underwent SPL ovarian cyst enucleation were retrospectively reviewed. Their AMH levels were checked preoperatively, on postoperative day 10 (POD10), and on postoperative month 3 (POM3). Changes in AMH levels were analyzed according to tumor type and vasopressin use. Results: The median initial and postoperative serum AMH levels in the EC group were significantly lower than those in the nonEC group (preoperation: 2.0 vs 3.8 ng/mL, P < 0.001; POD10: 1.0 vs 3.2 ng/mL, P < 0.001; POM3: 1.2 vs 3.6 ng/mL, P < 0.001). The postoperative decrease in AMH levels was higher in the EC group than the non-EC group on POD10 (0.8 vs 0.5 ng/mL, P = 0.011) but not on POM3 (0.7 vs 0.5 ng/mL, P = 0.164). Vasopressin injection during EC enucleation had no significant effect on the decrease in AMH levels on POD10 (vasopressin group vs non-vasopressin group: 1.0 vs 0.8 ng/mL, P = 0.253) and POM3 (vasopressin group vs nonvasopressin group: 1.4 vs 1.1 ng/mL, P = 0.242). Conclusions AMH levels were lower at baseline and had higher decreasing rates after SPL surgery in the EC group relative to the nonEC group. Vasopressin injection might not protect the ovary from the postoperative decrease in AMH levels.

Approximately 5% to 22% of malignant tumors involving the ovary are metastases, and the carcinomas of the gastrointestinal tract are responsible for 81% to 88% of these cases. A lung cancer, one of the most common malignancies and well known to metastasize widely, rarely metastasize to the ovary. There has been no report on small cell lung cancer metastasized to the ovary in Korea. Recently, we experienced a case of metastatic ovarian cancer originated from small cell lung cancer in 46-year-old Korean woman with which is confirmed with the immunohistochemistry. Herein we report the case with brief review of literature.
Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Korea ; Lung Neoplasms ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Ovary ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

PURPOSE: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) in biological fluids are potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and assessment of urological diseases such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa). The aim of the study was to identify and validate urinary cell-free miRNAs that can segregate patients with PCa from those with BPH. METHODS: In total, 1,052 urine, 150 serum, and 150 prostate tissue samples from patients with PCa or BPH were used in the study. A urine-based miRNA microarray analysis suggested the presence of differentially expressed urinary miRNAs in patients with PCa, and these were further validated in three independent PCa cohorts, using a quantitative reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction analysis. RESULTS: The expression levels of hsa-miR-615-3p, hsv1-miR-H18, hsv2-miR-H9-5p, and hsa-miR-4316 were significantly higher in urine samples of patients with PCa than in those of BPH controls. In particular, herpes simplex virus (hsv)-derived hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H9-5p showed better diagnostic performance than did the serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for patients in the PSA gray zone. Furthermore, a combination of urinary hsv2-miR-H9-5p with serum PSA showed high sensitivity and specificity, providing a potential clinical benefit by reducing unnecessary biopsies. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings showed that hsv-encoded hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H9-5p are significantly associated with PCa and can facilitate early diagnosis of PCa for patients within the serum PSA gray zone.
Biomarkers ; Biopsy ; Cohort Studies ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Herpes Simplex ; Humans ; Microarray Analysis ; MicroRNAs* ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Prostate ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Simplexvirus ; Urologic Diseases

PURPOSE: Previously, we reported the presence of virus-encoded microRNAs (miRNAs) in the urine of prostate cancer (CaP) patients. In this study, we investigated the expression of two herpes virus-encoded miRNAs in prostate tissue. METHODS: A total of 175 tissue samples from noncancerous benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 248 tissue samples from patients with CaP and BPH, and 50 samples from noncancerous surrounding tissues from these same patients were analyzed for the expression of two herpes virus-encoded miRNAs by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and immunocytochemistry using nanoparticles as molecular beacons. RESULTS: Real-time reverse transcription-PCR results revealed significantly higher expression of hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miRH9- 5p in surrounding noncancerous and CaP tissues than that in BPH tissue (each comparison, P<0.001). Of note, these miRNA were expressed equivalently in the CaP tissues and surrounding noncancerous tissues. Moreover, immunocytochemistry clearly demonstrated a significant enrichment of both hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H9 beacon-labeled cells in CaP and surrounding noncancerous tissue compared to that in BPH tissue (each comparison, P<0.05 for hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2- miR-H9). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that increased expression of hsv1-miR-H18 and hsv2-miR-H95p might be associated with tumorigenesis in the prostate. Further studies will be required to elucidate the role of these miRNAs with respect to CaP and herpes viral infections.
Carcinogenesis ; Herpesviridae ; Humans ; Hyperplasia* ; Immunohistochemistry ; MicroRNAs ; Nanoparticles ; Prostate* ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction