No abstract available.
Animals ; Embryonic Structures* ; Mice*

Minimally invasive cardiac surgery including robotic technique has become increasingly popular over the last decade. The advantages of such technique include improved cosmesis and healing, and reduced stress response, hospital and intensive care unit stay, and transfusion requirements. Robot-assisted cardiac surgery requires prolonged one-lung ventilation to optimize exposure. Remote-access perfusion requires appropriate positioning of multiple catheters to establish cardiopulmonary bypass. Carbon dioxide insufflation into the thorax can cause hemodynamic instability and carbon dioxide embolism. Limited exposure of the heart may pose difficulties with management of arrhythmia, hemostasis, myocardial protection and de-airing at the end of surgery. Limited access due to robot manipulator would make rapid intervention for cardiopulmonary resuscitation difficult or impossible. This case report describes robot-asssisted atrial septal defect repair and discusses the anesthetic issues associated with minimally invasive cardiac surgery including robotic cardiac surgery.
Anesthesia* ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Carbon Dioxide ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Catheters ; Embolism ; Heart ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial* ; Hemodynamics ; Hemostasis ; Insufflation ; Intensive Care Units ; One-Lung Ventilation ; Perfusion ; Thoracic Surgery ; Thorax

PURPOSE: Acute thrombosis of arteriovenous graft (AVG) has been treated by surgical thrombectomy; however, endovascular treatment became an alternative treatment option recently. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of endovascular treatment for acute thrombosis of AVG (EndoAVG) by primary endovascular treatment strategy. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of patients who underwent EndoAVG from January 2003 to December 2010 in Inha University Hospital. The patients' clinical characteristics and EndoAVG procedures were reviewed by electronic charts and X-ray films. Clinical success was defined as the residual stenosis below 30% or success of hemodialysis. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients were enrolled. The mean age was 64+/-15.4 years in the success group and 58+/-17.2 years in the failed group. The mean duration from AVG formation to endovascular thrombectomy was 19.2+/-29.5 months. The success rate of EndoAVG was 84.2% (32/38). There were three complications after EndoAVG: two brachial artery thromboses and one rupture of a vein at the ballooning site. Six months, twelve months and twenty-four months secondary patency rate were 77.5%, 65.5%, and 42.5%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The success rate of EndoAVG was 84.2%. Its result is compatible with open thrombectomy and can be a good alternative option for the treatment of acute thrombosis of AVG. Larger number of cases is required for stronger study.
Arteriovenous Fistula ; Brachial Artery ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Electronics ; Electrons ; Humans ; Renal Dialysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture ; Thrombectomy ; Thrombosis ; Transplants ; Veins ; X-Ray Film

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between a new osteoporotic vertebral fracture and instrumented lumbar arthrodesis. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: In contrast to the growing recognition of the importance of adjacent segment disease after lumbar arthrodesis, relatively little attention has been paid to the relationship between osteoporotic vertebral fractures and instrumented lumbar arthrodesis. METHODS: Twenty five patients with a thoracolumbar vertebral fracture following instrumented arthrodesis for degenerative lumbar disorders (study group) were investigated. The influence of instrumented lumbar arthrodesis was examined by comparing the bone mineral density (BMD) of the femoral neck in the study group with that of 28 patients (control group) who had sustained a simple osteoporotic vertebral fracture. The fracture after instrumented arthrodesis was diagnosed at a mean 47 months (range, 7 to 100 months) after the surgery. RESULTS: There was a relatively better BMD in the study group, 0.67 +/- 0.12 g/cm2 compared to the control group, 0.60 +/- 0.13 g/cm2 (p = 0.013). The level of back pain improved from a mean of 7.5 +/- 1.0 at the time of the fracture to a mean of 4.9 +/- 2.0 at 1 year after the fracture (p = 0.001). However, 12 (48%) patients complained of severe back pain 1 year after the fracture. There was negative correlation between the BMD of the femoral neck and back pain at the last follow up (r = - 0.455, p = 0.022). CONCLUSIONS: Osteoporotic vertebral fractures after instrumented arthrodesis contribute to the aggravation of back pain and the final outcome of degenerative lumbar disorders. Therefore, it is important to examine the possibility of new osteoporotic vertebral fractures for new-onset back pain after lumbar instrumented arthrodesis.
Arthrodesis ; Back Pain ; Bone Density ; Femur Neck ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Osteoporosis ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: A carboxy-O-methyl transferase inhibitor entacapone has been introduced as an adjuvant drug for Parkinson disease (PD) patients. Although clinical trials reported beneficial role of entacapone, a long-term trial over 3 years failed to show significant effect. The goals of this study were to evaluate the clinical benefit and the efficacy of entacapone in an open clinical practice. METHODS: After the completion of a double-blind placebo-controlled entacapone study, 149 patients from 4 centers were included. Antiparkinsonian medications were optimized by the judgment of the neurologists in charge. The clinical global impression (CGI) scale was obtained at 6 months and 1 year after the initiation of entacapone treatment. RESULTS: Of the 149 patients, 117 patients chose to try entacapone in an open-label fashion. Sixty-nine (59%) patients completed the 1-year trial. Twenty-nine patients discontinued entacpaone before 6 months, and 19 between 6 months and 1 year during trial. Twelve patients out of 48 patients discontinued entacapone because of its poor efficacy. The CGI scale was 3.9 (+/-1.5) at the beginning of the trial, 4.3 (+/-1.1) at 6 month, and 3.8 (+/-1.3) at 1 year, respectively. The CGI scale of those who discontinued between 6 month and 1 year was 3.4 (+/-1.7), which was worse, but insignificantly, than that of the continuer. CONCLUSIONS: The dropout at 1 year of our study was very high at 41%. Even though entacapone is indicated for advanced PD patients with motor fluctuation, the fluctuators commonly have dyskinesia and mental symptoms, which can become more troublesome with entacapone. In the patients with advanced PD, the clinical efficacy and side effects should be carefully considered in a long-term use of entacapone.
Dyskinesias ; Humans ; Judgment ; Parkinson Disease* ; Patient Dropouts ; Transferases

Simultaneous or subsequent bilateral thalamic hemorrhagic events have ranged from 12 to 19 in prior reports, with a time lag between bilateral thalamic hemorrhage of up to two days. Herein, we report the first case of delayed (17 days) consecutive contralateral thalamic hemorrhage after spontaneous first thalamic hemorrhage. A 65-year-old female initially presented with a drowsy mentality with a left-side motor weakness (grade II/III). Brain computed tomography (CT) demonstrated right side thalamic and intraventricular hemorrhage. She regained alertness with mild residual motor weakness (grade III/IV) under medical management. Seventeen days later, a sudden and generalized tonic-clonic seizure developed. Brain CT scans revealed a new contralateral thalamic hemorrhage coincident with microbleeds. Neurologic status remained unchanged, consisting of a stuporous mentality with quadriparesis of grade II/II. We report the first case of delayed consecutive contralateral thalamic hemorrhage up to 17 days after first thalamic hemorrhage. The case highlights the need for close monitoring of patients with thalamic hemorrhage who experience microbleeds on the contralateral side, due to the possibility of delayed hemorrhage.
Aged ; Brain ; Female ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Quadriplegia ; Seizures ; Stupor ; Thalamus ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Simultaneous or subsequent bilateral thalamic hemorrhagic events have ranged from 12 to 19 in prior reports, with a time lag between bilateral thalamic hemorrhage of up to two days. Herein, we report the first case of delayed (17 days) consecutive contralateral thalamic hemorrhage after spontaneous first thalamic hemorrhage. A 65-year-old female initially presented with a drowsy mentality with a left-side motor weakness (grade II/III). Brain computed tomography (CT) demonstrated right side thalamic and intraventricular hemorrhage. She regained alertness with mild residual motor weakness (grade III/IV) under medical management. Seventeen days later, a sudden and generalized tonic-clonic seizure developed. Brain CT scans revealed a new contralateral thalamic hemorrhage coincident with microbleeds. Neurologic status remained unchanged, consisting of a stuporous mentality with quadriparesis of grade II/II. We report the first case of delayed consecutive contralateral thalamic hemorrhage up to 17 days after first thalamic hemorrhage. The case highlights the need for close monitoring of patients with thalamic hemorrhage who experience microbleeds on the contralateral side, due to the possibility of delayed hemorrhage.
Aged ; Brain ; Female ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Quadriplegia ; Seizures ; Stupor ; Thalamus ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVE: Percutaneous vertebroplasty is often complicated by the presence of multiple fractures or non-localizing pain in the patients with osteoporotic vertebral fractures. The purpose of this study is to estimate the value of preoperative radiologic studies in the localization of symptomatic vertebrae and to determine the factors which can influence on the clinical results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical and radiologic data of 57 vertebrae in 30 patients underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. Inclusion criteria was severe pain(McGill-Melzack score 3, 4 or 5) associated with the acute vertebral fractures and absence of spinal nerve root or cord compression sign. Acute symptomatic vertebral fracture was determined by the presence of signal change on MR images or increased uptake on whole body bone scan. RESULTS: Pain improvement was obtained immediately in all patients and favorable result was sustained in 26 patients(86.7%) during the mean follow-up duration of 4.7 months(5 complete pain relief, 21 marked pain relief). Those who underwent vertebroplasty for all acute symptomatic vertebrae had significantly better clinical result than those who did not. Further vertebral collapse and eventual bursting fracture occurred in 1 vertebra which showed intradiskal leakage of bone cement and disruption of cortical endplate on postoperative CT scan. CONCLUSION: Preoperative MR imaging and whole body bone scan are very useful in determining the symptomatic vertebrae, especially in the patients with multiple osteoporotic vertebral fractures. To obtain favorable clinical result, the careful radiologic evaluation as well as clinical assessment is required. Control of PMMA volume seems to be the most critical point for avoiding complications.
Follow-Up Studies ; Fractures, Compression* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Polymethyl Methacrylate ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Nerve Roots ; Spine ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vertebroplasty*

Coccygodynia is a common problem that is characterized by pain in the tailbone that radiates to the lower sacral and perineal areas. Coccygodynia may occur after a fall in the sitting position or damage to the sacrococcygeal ligament during a difficult vaginal delivery.Currently, the therapeutic options for coccygodynia are unclear, however, a number of treatment approaches have been proposed.In this case a favorable outcome was obtained by using a radiofrequency lesion generator to create a lesion on the ganglion impar in a patient with chronic coccygodynia.
Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Ligaments

An endobronchial metastasis is defined as a subsegmental or a more proximal central bronchial metastasis of a nonpulmonary neoplasm in the bronchoscopically visible range. However, the frequencies of endobronchial metastasis range from 2 to 50% of pulmonary metastases from extrathoracic neoplasms by a different difinition of an endobronchial metastasis. Primary neoplasms of an endobronchial metastasis including breast cancer, colon cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and ovarian cancer are relatively common. However, an endobronchial metastasis arising from thyroid cancer, parotid gland tumor, bone tumor, bladder cancer, and stomach cancer has only rarely been reported in the literature. Here we report a case of an endobrochial metastases from a hepatocellular carcinoma
Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Parotid Gland ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms