Pigmentary dermarcation lines are boundaries between more deeply pigmented skin and areas of lighter pigmentation. We report 4 cases of pigmentary demarcation lines of pregnancy associated with erythema which developed in the third trimester of pregnancy and were symmetrically located in the buttock and posteromedial portion of the lower extremities. After delivery, the erythema disappeared within 3-7 days, followed by slow resolution of the brownish pigmentation.
Buttocks ; Erythema* ; Female ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Pigmentation ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Pregnancy* ; Skin

Splenic artery pseudoaneurysm is a relatively rare and potentially life-threatening complication of chronic pancreatitis. The authors present a case of splenic artery pseudoaneurysm complicating ,chronic pancreatitis. It was converting into a pseudoaneurysm by vessel rupturs. In this case report, color doppler US, CT, and MRI made the definite diagnosis.
Aneurysm, False* ; Diagnosis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pancreatitis, Chronic* ; Splenic Artery*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effectiveness and the most accurate element of the diagnostic criteria of the Japan Society of Uitrasonics in medicine(JSUM, Nov. 1989) for distinguishing between benign and malignant solid breast masses on the US. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We analyzed the ultrasonic findings of histopathologically proved 51 fibroadenomas, 12 fibrocystic disease, and 39 breast cancers in relation to the diagnostic criteria of the JSUM (shape, border, boundary echo, internal echo, posterior echo, lateral echo, and depth/width ratio). RESULTS: The number of cases of fibroadenoma, fibrocystic disease, and breast cancer corresponding to the diagnostic criteria was in the shape(26/51, 5/12, 33/39), border(41/51, 9/12, 29/39), boundary echo(48/51, 12/12, 27/39), internal echo(43/51, 9/12, 24/39), posterior echo(32/51, 3/12, 21/39), and lateral shadowing(15/51, 1/12, 35/39). All diagnostic criterias showed statistical significance for differentiation of benign/malignant breast mass on the US(Chi-square test: p<0.05). The order of accuracy was boundary echo, internal echo, and border. The mean of depth/width ratio was 0.54 +/- 0.15, 0.52 +/- 0.12, and 0.69 +/- 0.21 in fibroadenoma, fibrocystic disease, and breast cancer respectively and it had statistical significance for differentiation of benign/malignant breast mass on the US(ANOVA test: p=0.0002). CONCLUSION: The diagnostic criteria of JSUM is effective for differentiation of benign/malignant breast solid masses on the US and has accuracy in the order of boundary echo, internal echo, and border. Depth/width ratio also has statistical significance.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Fibroadenoma ; Japan* ; Ultrasonics*

Intramuscular lipomas are benign soft-tissue mesenchymal tumors which rarely occur in the region of the head. These tumors present as slow-growing, generally painless masses and are easily misdiagnosed initially as epidermal inclusion cysts. We describe a 44-year-old woman who presented with an intramuscular lipoma of the frontalis muscle.
Adult ; Female ; Head ; Humans ; Lipoma*

We describe a 23-year-old man showing typically clinical and histological features of targetoid hemosiderotic hemangioma. About 35 cases of this newly-described entity have been reported since the first description by Santa Cruz and Aronherg in 1988. It is important to distinguish these tumors from patch stage Kaposi's sarcoma, retiform hemangioendothelioma and progressive lymphangioma.
Hemangioendothelioma ; Hemangioma* ; Humans ; Lymphangioma ; Sarcoma, Kaposi ; Young Adult

Prurigo pigmentosa(PP) is a rare dermatosis with an unknown cause characterized by intensely pruritic papules that resolve with reticulate pigmentation. It is a disease entitity commonly reported in Japan but seemingly rare in other parts of the world. We report 5 cases that clinically and histopathologically fulfilled the characterisitics of PP and were treated with dapsone resulting in significant clinical improvement.
Dapsone ; Japan ; Pigmentation ; Prurigo* ; Skin Diseases

The prevalence of Loa loa infections in non-endemic areas such as Korea is very low, even though it is quite common in the endemic regions of West and Central Africa. We describe a patient who presented with temporary localized edema (classical Calabar swellings) after travelling to Cameroon and in whom the diagnosis of loiasis was made by ELISA. This is the second reported case of loiasis in Korea. As international travel is becoming more frequent, Loa loa infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis for patients with eosinophilia and Calabar swellings in Korea.
Adult ; Angioneurotic Edema/parasitology* ; Animal ; Antinematodal Agents/therapeutic use ; Arm/parasitology* ; Case Report ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Human ; Ivermectin/therapeutic use ; Loa/isolation & purification ; Loiasis/pathology* ; Loiasis/parasitology* ; Loiasis/complications ; Male ; Skin Diseases/pathology* ; Skin Diseases/parasitology*

PURPOSE: To investigate the effect of unilateral medial rectus muscle resection for recurrent exotropia after bilateral lateral rectus muscle recession for intermittent exotropia METHODS: A retrospective analysis was made of thirtypatients who underwent unilateral medial rectus resection for recurrent exotropia. All had prior bilateral lateral rectus recession for intermittent exotropia. Data were collected for age, the preoperative deviation, the postoperative deviation at 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months and the last visit, and the amount of medial rectus resection performed. RESULTS: The average preoperative deviation was 27.0+/-3.6 PD. After unilateral medial rectus resection, average deviation at distance was 2.8 PD at postoperative 2 weeks, 4.5 PD at 3 months, 5.1 PD at 6 months and 5.8 PD at last visit. The average deviation corrected per millimeter of medial rectus resection was 3.53+/-0.17 PD/mm. CONCLUSIONS: Considering that deviation angles of recurrent exotropia is smaller than those of primary surgery and the possibility of saving the other medial rectus muscle, unilateral rectus muscle resection could be effective surgical method for recurrent exotropia.
Child ; Exotropia/*surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Oculomotor Muscles/*surgery ; *Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures ; Recurrence ; Refraction, Ocular ; Retrospective Studies

Cicatrix, Hypertrophic ; Cleft Lip ; Cleft Palate ; Ear, Middle ; Female ; Fistula ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jeollanam-do ; Lip ; Male ; Mothers ; Palate ; Parturition ; Postoperative Complications ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First ; Seasons ; Surgery, Oral ; Ventilation

BACKGROUND: Quality control is important for accurate diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, and proficiency testing with external quality controls is an important part of quality control. This study intended to develop and supply customized external quality controls for HIV antigen/antibody testing fitted with currently used reagents for standardization of HIV infection diagnosis and evaluation of HIV testing competency of laboratories in Korea. METHODS: Serological tests and inactivation were performed on the obtained HIV antibody positive plasma. To manufacture quality controls having the required antibody titers, dilution ratio was searched using VIDAS (bioMérieux, France), Architect (Abbott Laboratories, USA), and Cobas 8000 (Roche Diagnostics, Germany) analyzers. Diluted source plasma was divided into aliquots after filtering. Homogeneity and stability of the produced external quality controls were evaluated. RESULTS: The collected HIV antibody positive plasma was confirmed by Western blot. Dilution ratios for source plasma were produced for each analyzer showing signal-to-cut-off 2–3, 5–7, and 15–16 reactivity. Diluted plasma was made to 1 mL aliquots and total set of 1,500 external quality controls for HIV antigen/antibody were manufactured. Produced controls satisfied the required criteria of homogeneity and showed less than 10% coefficient of variation for stability except negative controls. CONCLUSIONS: Customized external quality controls were developed and qualified for HIV testing reagents used in Korea. Continuous external quality control assessment for HIV tests with controls would be required.
Blotting, Western ; Diagnosis ; HIV Infections ; HIV* ; Humans* ; Indicators and Reagents ; Korea* ; Plasma ; Quality Control* ; Serologic Tests