We report a case of extraskeletal osteosarcoma in view of rarity, and a brief review of the literature related to this type of tumor is presented. The patient was a 31-year-old Korean woman, who had noticed a bean-sized hard mass in the right thigh progressively enlarged to become egg-size during about 7 months, followed by pain and tenderness. There was neither recognizable previous lesion nor causable agent about the mass on history taking. Physical examination revealed another palpable mass on the inguinal area. The right thigh and inguinal masses were simply excised and histologically confirmed to be an extraskeletal osteosarcoma and metastatic one, respectively.
Female ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Neurons*

This study was undertaken to evaluate the significant diagnostic points of chronic alcoholic hepatitis (CALH) among clinicopathologic findings observed. The specimens used in this study were 20 cases of CALH and 28 cases of chronic active viral hepatitis (CAVH), which were diagnosed at our University Hospital during 9 years period from 1978 to 1987. In these cases, comparative analysis of age and sex distribution, major clinical manifestations, and laboratory and histopathologic findings was performed. The results obained were summarized as follows: Among 20 cases of CALH, the sex distribution was 15 in male and 15 in female with a ratio of 3:1. The range of age distribution was wide from third to seventh decade. There was no recognizable special point about the age and sex distribution of CALH, compared with cases of CAVH. Major clinical manifestations of CALH were hepatomegaly (85%), jaundice (75%) and abdominal pain (50%). Also there was no recognizable special point about the major clinical manifestations of CALH, compared with cases of CAVH. Abnormal values of major laboratory items in CALH were observed in activities of serum r-GTP (100%), SGOT (95%), SGPT (75%) and serum alkaline phosphatase (60%), and total serum bilirubin (60%). Compared with CAVH in major laboratory findings, the significant diagnostic items of CALH were the activities of serum r-GTP and alkaline phosphatase. The characteristic histopathologic findings of CALH, which were compared with CAVH and observed in liver parenchyma, were fatty change (100%), cytoplasmic ballooning and coagulation (100%), delicate fibrosis (85%), bile stagnation (35%), and Mallory bodies (20%), and that observed blurring of limiting plate (60%) in portal and periportal areas.
Female ; Male ; Humans

The cervical spinal injuries may impose a fatal result or permanent neurological disability according to the severity of injury. Authors performed a clinical study consisting of 54 patients who have visited Daejeon Eulji General Hospital for the care of fracture and dislocation of the cervical spine from May 1981 to Jan. 1986, and obtained the following results. 1. The prevalent age distribution was between third and forth decade and the ratio between male and female was 3.5:1 and the most common cause of injury was traffic accident(53.7%). 2. The most common site of injury was CS, 6(22.2%) and the most frequent mechanism of injury was Aexion-rotation type(55.0%). 3. At initial examination, 39 patients(72.2%) had neurological damage and among these, 18 were complete paralysis below the level of injury, 12 were incomplete paralysis, 9 were nerve root injuries. 4. Operative treatment was performed on 24 patients, these were Rogers' posterior fusion on 19 patients, Brooks and Jenkins' atlantoaxial fusion on 3 patients, occipitocervical fusion on 1 patient and excision of hactured fragment on 1 patient. 5. There were no evidences of neurological recovery in completely paralyzed patients, but among incompletely paralyzed and nerve root injured patients, neurological recovery was found in 57.1% of conservatively treated patients and in 71. 4% of operated patients. 6. Radiological stability was found in entire patients who received operative treatment, but, in conservatively treated patients, remained 1 late instability.
Age Distribution ; Clinical Study ; Dislocations ; Female ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Male ; Paralysis ; Spinal Injuries ; Spine

As the span of life is prolonged by socioeconomic and medical development, the percentage of the geriatric population is increasing annually. Now, surgical therapy for the geriatric patients is an important area of medicine. To understand the clinical significance of surgical geriatric patients, an analysis was made of the records at the Surgical Department of City hospital, East Seoul, for 182 patients over 65 years of age, who were treated from January 1990 through December 1995. The results are as follows: 1) The number of surgical patients admitted during the 6 years was 2,734, and the number of surgical geriatric patients admitted during the same period was 257 patients (9.4% of all surgical patients). The percentage of geriatric patients show an increasing tendency from 8.1% in 1994 to 11.3% in 1995. 2) The sex distribution was 140 male patients (54.5%) and 117 female patients (45.3%), a ratio of 1 : 0.83. 3) The average duration of admission was 18.2 days and durations of admission of less than 1 week were most common (21.8% of all geriatric admissions). 4) Of the 182 cases treated surgically, 139 cases (76.4%) involved general anesthesia, 32 cases (17.6%) anesthesia administered spinally, and 11 cases (60%) local anesthesia; One hour or less of general anesthetic time was most common (41.7%). 5) Malignant disease was found in 46 patients (25.3%); stomach cancer was the most frequently found malignant disease. Non-malignant disese was found in 136 patients (74.7%); appendicitis was the most frequently found non-malignant disease. 6) Coexistent disease was noticed in 108 patients (59.3%); cardiovascular disease was the most frequently found (27.1%), and chronic pulmonary disease (21.3%) and hypoproteinemia (14.2%) were next. 7) Operations were performed on 182 patients of the total 257 patients, operation rate of 70.8%. The old age group had a low operation rate. 8) Postoperative complications were occurred in 43 cases (23.6%), and operative mortality was 2.7%. The significant factors affecting postoperative morbidity and mortality were malignancy, long duration for the general anesthetic time, coexistent disease, and emergency operation. The results suggest that the number and the rate of surgical geriatric patients have increased and that age has little effect on the postoperative prognosis. Thus, we believe that more active preoperative treatment, complete therapy for coexistent disease, execution of elective surgery and a short anesthetic time for intentional surgery are important factors for decreasing postoperative morbidity and mortality for surgical geriatric patients.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Anesthesia, Local ; Appendicitis ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Emergencies ; Female ; Hospitals, Urban ; Humans ; Hypoproteinemia ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Mortality ; Postoperative Complications ; Prognosis ; Seoul ; Sex Distribution ; Stomach Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Silver has been used for disinfection and sterilization. We aimed to confirm the in-vitro antibacterial effects of nanocrystalline silver-coated gauze. METHODS: Fourteen clinical isolates each of Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii were used. Bacterial suspensions made in tryptic soy broth were exposed to Ordinary and silver-coated gauze. Bacteria were then harvested from the gauze immediately and after 24 h incubation, cultured on blood agar plates and eunmerated for viable counts. The number of colonies was converted into common logarithms for comparison. RESULTS: The number of colonies recovered from silver-coated gauze was significantly lower than those recovered from ordinary gauze when harvested immediately after exposure (E. coli, 3.06 vs 1.73; A. baumannii, 3.13 vs 1.98; P<0.001). After 24 h incubation of exposed gauze, silver-coated gauze produced less than 1 CFU/mL, whereas ordinary gauze produced a number of colonies significantly higher than it did immediately after exposure (E. coli, 4.13; A. baumannii, 4.46; P<0.001). Conclusion: Compared with ordinary gauze, silver-coated gauze was shown to have 99.99% antibacterial effect.
Acinetobacter baumannii ; Agar ; Bacteria ; Disinfection ; Escherichia coli ; Silver ; Sterilization ; Suspensions

No abstract available.
Aorta, Thoracic*

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of cancer pain was 64% in advanced or terminal cancer patients. In the world, about 25% of all cancer patients had been died without pain control despite of severe pain. We relieved cancer pain with the three methods of treatment such as continuous epidural morphine infusion, alcohol sympathetic block and continuous epidural morphine infusion with alcohol block in the patients requested from other departments. The change of pain was investigated retrospectively. METHODS: The alteration of cancer pain in 26 terminal cancer patients were recorded in visual analogue scale from June 1996 to May 1998 retrospectively. RESULTS: Patients lived average 38.5 days from beginning of pain control. All patients complained severe pain at the point of time requested to pain clinic. But 2 days after pain control, most patients were comfortable or tolerable to pain. At 1 week before death, pain were aggravated and sometimes uncontrolled. CONCLUSIONS: At first time, cancer pain was controlled but it becomes uncontrollable and aggravated in the patients time was drawing near.
Humans ; Morphine ; Pain Clinics ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies

We have recently experienced a clinically atypical case of malignant histiocytosis involving the spleen, ileum and bone marrow, in a 25-year-old Korean male. He was admitted to our hospital because of multiple purpuric lesions of skin which had been appearing since 2 years ago. Physical and laboratory examinations revealed marked splenomegaly with pancytopenia. With clinical impression of hypersplenism, splenectomy was performed. During the operation, the surgeons found a dark red mucosal lesion in the ileum incidentally, to resect the segment. Microscopic findings of the spleen and the ileal lesion showed extensive proliferation of atypical histiocytes, many of them phagocytosing numerous erythrocytes. Bone marrow biopsy was done for follow-up study, which showed increased cellularity with infiltration of atypical histiocytes.
Follow-Up Studies ; Biopsy

BACKGROUND: The number of the elderly living in a home for the aged is increasing as the socio-culture changes, but health management for the institutionalized elderly has been discontinuos, centered on the single treatment of the disease. The aim of this study is to collect baseline data which is for development of the health maintenance program for the elderly living in a house for the aged. METHODS: We reviewed the journals related to the health maintenance program for the elderly. We selected the contents about health management program for the elderly. 3 domain of the contens were done. The 3 domain were physical health (interview for health habit, physical exam, clinical test), mental health (Korean version of geriatric depression scale, Korean version of mini mental status examination), assessment of functional status (katz activities of daily living, lawtons instrumental activities of living).. 158 elderly people living in a home for the aged in Seoul have been researched since August 1996. RESULT: Total subjects were 158 (men 73, women 85). The average age was 78.1(+/-7.2). The rate of smoking, alcohol drinking, exercise were 32%, 20.4%, 34.4%, each. The rate of assitive device use was 28.3%. The prevalence of sleep distur-bance, urinary incontinence were 69.7%, 17.3%. The prevalence of gait disturbance was 38.4%. The occurrence rate of falling for last 1 year was 29.6%. The prevalence of fear of falling was 57.2%. The positive rate of VDRL was 12.3%, the prevalence of anemia was 48.7%. The prevalence of degenerative arthritis, hypertension were 44.2%, 31.3%, each. The prevalence of depression, dementia were 71.3%, 56.7%, each. The rate of elderly person dependent on one and more ADL was 8.1%. CONCLUSION: We found the health status of the elderly living in a home for the aged. On the basis of the results of the study, it is needed that continuous application of the program for management of the elderly in a home for the aged, keeping searching proper contents of examination and methods of measurement.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aged* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Anemia ; Dementia ; Depression ; Female ; Gait ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Mental Health ; Osteoarthritis ; Prevalence ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Urinary Incontinence