No abstract available.
Coronary Vessels* ; Pulmonary Artery*

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of microdiscectomy under local anesthesia in comparison with general anesthesia. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: No co RESULTS: Between both groups there is no significant operation time difference. However, the average hospital stay duration in the general anesthesia group was 7.3 days, while it was 4.7 days in the local anesthesia group (P<0.05). The VAS and ODI scores were improved in both groups. Thirty-two cases (84.2%) of the general anesthesia group and 40 cases (80%) of the local anesthesia group showed satismparative studies regarding the outcomes of microdiscectomy under local and general anesthesia could be found in the literature. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between May 2000 and June 2004, 88 patients who underwent microdiscectomy under local anesthesia (n=50, local anesthesia group) or under general anesthesia (n=38, general anesthesia group) were selected and included in this study with a follow up period more than 3 years. The operation time and duration of hospital stay were documented. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were used to evaluate the degree of symptom relief. The patient satisfaction was evaluated using the MacNab's criteria and postoperative complications.fied results by the MacNab's criteria with no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). Three patients in the general anesthesia group and 7 patients in the local anesthesia group needed a reoperation. CONCLUSIONS: A microdiscectomy under local anesthesia shows faster recovery period. But it shows also a relative high revision rate. In patients with old age and underlying disease, local anesthesia can be used for the microdiscectomy selectively and careful exploration of the herniated disc is required.
Anesthesia, General* ; Anesthesia, Local ; Diskectomy* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Length of Stay ; Patient Satisfaction ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic*

No abstract available.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic*

No abstract available.
Heel* ; Molluscum Contagiosum* ; Weight-Bearing* ; Zea mays

MELAS syndrome is a rare but distinct clinical entity belonging to a group of mitochondrial encephalomyopathies characterized by the tetrad of mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes. We experienced a case of MELAS syndrome in an 8 year-old boy who showed headache, pain of the eyeball, vomiting, stroke-like episodes such as visual disturbance and dysarthria, myoclonic seizure, confusion, and walking disturbance. His serum lactate level was elevated up to 48 mg/dl. MRI findings showed high signal intensities T2-weighted image and low signal intensities in T1-weighted image in the right thalamus and parietooccipital lobe and bilateral symmetric high signal intensity in T1-dweighted image in the basal ganglia. We have seen the dispersed ragged-red fibers with modified Gomori trichrome staining on light microscope, and abundant and dysmorphic mitochondria on electon microscope in the specimen of muscle biopsy. esis of SLE.
Basal Ganglia ; Biopsy ; Child ; Dysarthria ; Headache ; Humans ; Lactic Acid ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; MELAS Syndrome* ; Mitochondria ; Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathies ; Seizures ; Thalamus ; Vomiting ; Walking

Three patients with complex partial seizures had dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNET) in temporal lobe. In all cases, longterm video-EEG monitoring showed epileptogenic focus in left temporal lobe where small mass lesion was located. For further seizure localization and functional mapping, subdural grids were placed on left temporal lobe including lesions. Lateral temporal lobectomy with lesionectomy was performed in two cases. Lateral temporal lobe resection and amygdalohippocampectomy was done in one case. The pathological findings of all lesions were characterized by intracortical location, multiple nodular architecture, foci of dysplastic cortical disorganization and the presence of a specific glioneuronal element. All patients have been seizure free.
Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe* ; Humans ; Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial* ; Seizures ; Temporal Lobe*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Several randomized controlled studies have shown that responders who had treated with interferon alpha for chronic hepatitis B had better rate of sustained loss of HBeAg and HBV DNA than non-esponders. These studies also showed that non-esponders had higher rates of liver related complication and mortality. But there is very little data on how well sustained responders are and whether the responders eventually lose HBsAg in Korea. The aims of this study were to better define the long term remission of chronic hepatitis B induced by interferon alfa therapy and compare the clinical outcome among the interferon responders and non-esponders in Korea. METHODS: Sixty-ight patients with chronic hepatitis B who were treated with interferon alfa between 1987 and 1998 were followed up for serologic status (HBsAg, HBeAg, HBV DNA), biochemical tests and liver related complication or mortality. RESULTS: Among 68 patients with chronic hepatitis B who were treated with interferon alfa, 28 (41%) responded to treatment with loss of HBeAg within 1 year of starting treatment. Up to 129 months (mean 58 months) after therapy, responders had higher rate of cumulative clearance of HBeAg at five years than non-esponders (100% vs 35.1%, p<0.05). Responders had maintained the normal serum ALT than nonresponders at five years (94% vs 55.6%, p<0.05). Loss of HBsAg was not different between responders and non-esponders (5% vs 4%, NS). The rates of liver related complication and mortality did not differ between both groups. Delayed clearance of HBeAg occured in twelve out of forty non-esponders (30%). There were no differences in age, baseline ALT, histologic finding of liver biopsy, HBV DNA at the end of first year after study with IFN therapy between the non-esponders with and without delayed clearance of HBeAg. CONCLUSION: Remission in chronic hepatitis B induced by alfa interferon maintained in long duration. But clinical outcomes such as liver related complication, mortality and the elimination of HBV infection have no differences between responders and non-esponders. Further studies are needed for the role of interferon therapy in long-erm clinical outcome for chronic hepatitis B.
Biopsy ; DNA ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B, Chronic* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha* ; Interferons* ; Korea ; Liver ; Mortality

PURPOSE: This study was to identify how a navigation program would affect resilience, uncertainty and anxiety in patients with newly diagnosed gastric cancer. METHODS: A randomized controlled design was used with 103 participants recruited and randomly allocated in two groups. The experimental group (n=50) received the navigation program, which consisted of information provisions and psychological support, prior to treatment. The control group (n=53) received standard care with general educational intervention only prior to treatment. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS for Windows. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, patients in the navigation program group showed signicant reduction in scores for anxiety (F=5.86, p<.017). However uncertainty (F=0.22, p=.642) and resilience (F=1.06, p=.503) were not signicantly different. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the navigation program has positive effects on anxiety in patients with newly diagnosed gastric cancer. We suggest that further studies be conducted to investigate other strategies for increasing the resilience and reducing the uncertainty of these patients.
Anxiety ; Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Uncertainty

PURPOSE: To reassess the diagnostic value of plain radiographs, compared with computed tomography, in thediagnosis of acute traumatic spinal fracture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-six patients (total 64 cases) withacute traumatic spinal fracture were studied using plain radiographs and computed tomography. Fracture site andtype (according to the three-column theory), classification as major or minor injury, stability of fracture, andthe presence of associated soft tissue change were evaluated on plain radiographs and CT. The results of the twoimaging techniques were compared. RESULTS: Excluding eight cases of C1 and C2 fractures, 41 cases involvedfractures of the vertebral body, and 15 involved only the posterior column. Plain radiographs and CT showed,respectively, 27 and 25 cases of simple compression fracture, 13 and 16 of bursting fracture. One case ofcompression fracture was not detected on plain radiographs. The results of classification as major (43/56) orminor (13/56) injury were equivalent on plain and CT films. For the evalvation of unstable fracture, plainradiographs were superior to CT(stable fracture, 46/64; unstable fracture, 18/64), while for the evaluation ofsoft tissue change, CT was better than plain radiographs. CONCLUSION: If correct procedures are meticulouslyadhered to, plain radiographs of acute traumatic spinal injury provide good information for the diagnosis oftraumatic fracture.
Classification ; Diagnosis ; Fractures, Compression ; Humans ; Spinal Fractures* ; Spinal Injuries