The chest radiographs and angiograms were retrospectively evaluated in 47 patients with pulmonary atresia (PA) and ventricular septal defect (VSD) to determine the characteristic findings of major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCSs) on the chest radiographs. Of 47 patients, 23 had MAPCAs and 24 had only PDA for blood supply of whole right and left lung. Chest radiographs enabled identification of 16 of 23 patients with MAPCAs. The most common finding of MAPCAs was inappropriately large peripheral pulmonary vasculature (n=16, 69.6%). The other findings were tortuosity of pulmonary vasculature (n=12, 52.2%), focal unevendistribution of pulmonary vasculature (n=12, 52.2%), and two descending pulmonary arteries (n=4, 17.4%). When chest radiographs showed two or more findings of MAPCAs, MAPCAs could be differentiated from PDA with statistical significance (p<0.005). It is concluded that chest radiographs may help to identify MAPCAs before angiography if two-dimensional echo ardiography suggests PA with VSD.
Angiography ; Arteries* ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular* ; Humans ; Lung ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Atresia* ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax*

Purpose: This study sought to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the shortening effect of the modified Weil osteotomy for the treatment of Freiberg’s disease. Materials and Methods: We reviewed 21 cases treated with the modified Weil osteotomy for Freiberg’s disease from November 2005 to June 2019. The average follow-up period was 32.5 months and the mean age of the patients was 38.3 years. The clinical results were analyzed using the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) lesser metatarsophalangeal-interphalangeal scale, the visual analogue scale (VAS), and the range of motion (ROM) of the metatarsophalangeal joint. In the radiologic evaluation, the length of preoperative and postoperative metatarsal shortening was compared. Results: The average AOFAS lesser metatarsophalangeal-interphalangeal scale showed an improvement from 60.5 preoperatively to 90.9 at the latest follow-up. VAS showed a decrease from 5.4 preoperatively to 0.9 at the latest follow-up. ROM of the affected metatarsophalangeal joint increased from 40.2 degrees preoperatively to 58.6 degrees at the latest follow-up. The mean length of metatarsal shortening was 6.7 mm. There was no transfer metatarsalgia, osteonecrosis, and definite joint space narrowing. Conclusion Modified Weil osteotomy with second layer cutting is an effective treatment option to restore the joint surface and painless joint motion for patients with Freiberg’s disease.

Fourty three patients with tuberculous spondylitis were surgically treated through the anterior approach at our hospital from January, 1989 to December, 1994. Among them, 32 cases were followed up more than 18 months postoperatively, and were included in this study. The most prevalent location was lumbar region(50%). Paraparesis was frequently seen in patients with middle and lower thoracic spinal lesions and all patients with neurologic deficits improved after decompression of spinal cord. Autogenous rib and/or iliac strut bone grafting was performed, followed by spinal instrumentation. Solid bone fusion was obtained in all patients. There was no need for prolongation of duration of antituberculous drug therapy and no increased incidence of secondary infection due to spinal instrumentation.
Bone Transplantation ; Coinfection ; Decompression ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Paraparesis ; Ribs ; Spinal Cord ; Spondylitis*

Gel bleeding following breast augmentation using silicone breast implants (SBIs) occurs when microscopic silicone droplets diffuse through the implant surface, potentially resulting in complications such as capsular contracture and immune responses related to breast implant illness. Prompt and reliable diagnostic measures are crucial, as the presentation of gel bleeding can resemble cancer, making an accurate diagnosis challenging. This report discusses a rare case of axillary silicone lymphadenopathy caused by gel bleeding in a 48-year-old woman with intact SBIs. Silicone lymphadenopathy can be suspected based on mammography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging in patients with a history of SBI insertion, and confirmation can be obtained through a pathological examination. Excisional biopsy is generally recommended for symptomatic patients, while treatment may not be necessary for asymptomatic patients; However, removal can be considered if the patient indicates a preference for it. Patients with silicone lymphadenopathy require replacement of SBIs to examine the breast capsule and verify the integrity of the implant. This case highlights the importance of considering gel bleeding as a potential cause of silicone lymphadenopathy, even in patients with intact SBIs.

Cases showing memory disturbances with isolated retrograde memory without any definitive brain lesions are classified as dissociative amnesia. Improvements in imaging techniques have allowed the organic causes of this disease to be identified in several recent cases. Several studies have diagnosed cases of memory disorders as pure retrograde amnesia (PRA). The patient reported here had no psychiatric disorder and had normal MRI results, but showed hypometabolism in PET that met the criteria for PRA.
Amnesia ; Amnesia, Retrograde ; Brain ; Humans ; Memory ; Memory Disorders

BACKGROUND: Aspirin resistance (AR) in platelet function assays showed substantial variation depending on the methods used to evaluate it. METHODS: In this study, we prospectively compared the results of Multiplate impedance platelet aggregometry (IPA) with those of light transmission aggregometry (LTA) and VerifyNow(R) system in determination of the prevalence of aspirin resistance (AR) and investigated the correlation between its presence and poor outcome (modified Rankin scale >2) in 105 patients with aspirin after acute ischemic stroke (AIS). RESULTS: After 5 days of using aspirin, 15 patients (14.3%) were classified as aspirin-resistance with the use of IPA, 24 patients (22.9%) by the LTA, and 14 patients (13.3%) by VerifyNow. Good agreement between the results of IPA and VerifyNow, was found (R=0.674, P<0.01). The concordance rate of AR detection was high between VerifyNow and IPA (k=0.72, P<0.01), albeit quite low between LTA and IPA. Regarding on its influence on clinical outcome after AIS, there wasn't any significant relationship between occurrence of poor outcome and the presence of AR in three platelet function assays. CONCLUSION: This study reveals that the incidence of AR in AIS might be highly test-specific. IPA seems to be similar to VerifyNow as a platelet function test.
Aspirin ; Blood Platelets ; Electric Impedance ; Humans ; Incidence ; Light ; Platelet Function Tests ; Prevalence ; Prospective Studies ; Stroke

PURPOSE: Medical direction is an integral part of proper prehospital care, which is performed by EMS providers. In Gyunggi province, a number of measures have been implemented to improve the direct medical direction system. We aimed to report on the process and results of the newly implemented medical direction system. METHODS: This is a descriptive analysis of the newly implemented medical direction system for community EMS providers from June 2014 to October 2014. Direct medical direction was requested by emergency medical technicians (EMTs) during the study period, as follows: when a destination hospital was selected, EMTs requested medical direction from the physicians at the destination hospital. During the study period specially-trained advanced EMTs were permitted to perform intravenous (IV) access for fluid or glucose infusion without direct medical direction. EMTs were asked to complete records when they requested direct medical direction and performed IV access without medical direction. These records were collected and used in the analysis. RESULTS: Of 5949 direct medical direction requests, 5527 were analyzed; 2958 (53.5%) cases were requested to the destination hospitals, 2569 (46.5%) were requested to the centralized dispatch center. 'Patient evaluation' was the most common reason for EMTs to request medical direction to the destination hospitals (1680, 54.4%) and centralized dispatch center (980, 38.1%). EMTs' degree of satisfaction did not differ significantly between destination hospitals and the centralized dispatch center (4.12+/-0.82 and 4.09+/-0.84, p=0.053). IV access rate for hypotensive patients increased 6.1% during the study period compared to the same period of 2013 (17.6% and 11.5%, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: We found that it is feasible to request direct medical direction to the destination hospitals and perform IV access for fluid or glucose infusion without direct medical direction for specially-trained advanced EMTs. Continuing efforts to establish an optimized medical direction system would be required for proper pre-hospital care.
Emergency Medical Service Communication Systems ; Emergency Medical Services ; Emergency Medical Technicians ; Glucose ; Humans ; Korea

Cerebral venous angomas are a rare form of intracranial vascular malformation and first reported by Wolf in 1967. The characteristic angiographic appearance of venous malformation is a local network of small veins that converged centrally into a single large drainage vein. The CT findings are linear or curvilinear enhancement after administration of contrast media. The authors present a case of venous angiomatosis of the both hemisphere combined with dural arteriovenous malformations demonstrated by the carotid angiography and bran CT, with clinical presentation of status epilepcus and following left hemiplegia due to cerebral infarction.
Angiography ; Angiomatosis* ; Arteriovenous Malformations* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Contrast Media ; Drainage ; Hemiplegia ; Vascular Malformations ; Veins ; Wolves

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the mechanical properties of various nickel-titanium (NiTi) files with similar tapers and cross-sectional areas depending on whether they were surface-treated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three NiTi file systems with a similar convex triangular cross-section and the same ISO #25 tip size were selected for this study: G6 (G6), ProTaper Universal (PTU), and Dia-PT (DPT). To test torsional resistance, 5 mm of the straightened file's tip was fixed between polycarbonate blocks (n = 15/group) and continuous clockwise rotation until fracture was conducted using a customized device. To evaluate cyclic fatigue resistance, files were rotated in an artificial curved canal until fracture in a dynamic mode (n = 15/group). The torsional data were analyzed using 1-way analysis of variance and the Tukey post-hoc comparison test, while the cyclic fatigue data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test at a significance level of 95%. RESULTS: PTU showed significantly greater toughness, followed by DPT and G6 (p < 0.05). G6 showed the lowest resistance in ultimate torsional strength, while it showed a higher fracture angle than the other files (p < 0.05). In the cyclic fatigue test, DPT showed a significantly higher number of cycles to failure than PTU or G6 (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that the torsional resistance of NiTi files was affected by the cross-sectional area, while the cyclic fatigue resistance of NiTi files was influenced by the surface treatment.
Fatigue

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MS) and homocysteine (Hcy) are known to contribute to developing atherosclerothrombosis in ischemic stroke. However, there have been controversies regarding the relationship between insulin resistance and plasma Hcy levels in healthy subjects. Our aim was to determine the possibility of a relationship between MS and elevated Hcy in ischemic stroke patients. METHODS: We investigated demographic features and risk factors in 221 patients from Gachon Stroke Registry between March 2003 and February 2004. The stroke subtypes were categorized as large artery atherosclerosis (LAA), small artery occlusion (SAO) and cardioembolism (CE). MS was defined as the followings; impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance or IDDM with two or more among 1) hypertension (antihypertensive treatment and/or BP 160/90 mmHg), 2) dyslipidemia (TG >or=150 mg/dL and/or HDL-C (<35 in men, <39 mg/dL in women)), 3) obesity (BMI >or=25 kg/m2 or waist circumference 90 in men, 80 cm in women). RESULTS: Hcy, total cholesterol, and fibrinogen levels were higher in MS(+) than in MS(-) (p=0.026, 0.021 and 0.025). The Hcy level was higher in LAA patients than in SAO and CE patients (14.1 +/- 6.8, 12.0 +/- 6.2, 11.0 +/- 4.3 mol/L, p=0.009). It was significantly higher in MS(+) than is MS(-) in SAO patients (15.4 +/- 9.5 vs 10.5 +/- 2.9 mol/L, p=0.016), while not observed in LAA or CE patients. Among the MS(+), LAA was more prevalent (48.6%) than SAO (36.1%) and CE (15.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Elevated Hcy level may be associated with ischemic stroke with MS. Further studies remain to be investigated to clarify whether lowering the elevated Hcy can be an another important asset in reducing the risk not only for stroke, but also for MS.
Arteries ; Atherosclerosis ; Cholesterol ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Dyslipidemias ; Fasting ; Fibrinogen ; Glucose ; Homocysteine* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Insulin Resistance ; Male ; Obesity ; Plasma* ; Risk Factors ; Stroke* ; Waist Circumference