Bradycardia is recognized as an acute complication of cervical cord injury. The etiology of such a phenomenon is believed to be due to an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system imposed on the heart by a cervical cord injury. The majority of the episodes of bradycardia degrees Ccurred either with tracheal suctioning or with changes in position. We experienced a case of severe bradycardia and hypotension when turning the patient with acute cervical spinal cord injury to the prone position, which was reversed by administration of intravenous atropine and ephedrine.
Anesthesia, General* ; Atropine ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Bradycardia* ; Ephedrine ; Heart ; Humans ; Hypotension* ; Prone Position ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord* ; Suction

BACKGOUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of various levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on the intraocular pressure in the patients receiving positive pressure ventilation. METHODS: Twenty, critically ill sedated and hemodynamically stable patients without history of glaucoma were placed on controlled positive pressure ventilation. Measured variables included intraocular pressure (IOP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), central venous pressure (CVP), peak inspiratory pressure (PIP) and arterial blood gas analysis (ABGA), and were recorded at zero end-expiratory pressure (ZEEP), and at 5, 10, 15, 20 cmH2O PEEP, applied in random order. RESULTS: IOP increased significantly from 13+/-3 to 16+/-3 mmHg at 15 cmH2O PEEP and from 14+/-4 to 17+/-6 mmHg at 20 cmH2O PEEP. CVP increased significantly from its corresponding ZEEP measurements at all PEEP levels and from 14+/-4 cmH2O at 5 cmH2O PEEP to 21+/-4 cmH2O at 20 cmH2O PEEP. There was a positive correlation between PEEP levels and PIP or CVP but no relationship between PEEP levels and IOP was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The application of PEEP levels > or = 15 cmH2O resulted in a significant increase in the IOP of patients with normal basal ocular tonometry. This study suggests that further increase in IOP may occur in the mechanically ventilated patients with already increased IOP or normal-tension glaucoma, when higher levels of PEEP are used.
Arterial Pressure ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Central Venous Pressure ; Critical Illness* ; Glaucoma ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure* ; Positive-Pressure Respiration* ; Tonometry, Ocular ; Veins

It has been reported that keratocytes endocytose foreign particles both in vitro and in vivo, suggesting the active participation of keratocytes in corneal wound healing and host defense mechanism. This study was conducted to investigate the phagocytosis of keratocytes against Candida albicans[C.albicans]and the intracellular response after phagocytosis. C.albicans were fixed with glutaraldehyde and then coated with fibronectin. After exposing these C.albicans to the cultured rabbit keratocytes, the phagocytosis of keratocytes against C.albicans was evaluated by light microscope[LM]and transmission electron microscope[TEM], while the intracellular response was evaluated by changes of acid phosphatase activity. Also the study about latex beads was performed at the same time to know even if keratocytes can phagocytose foreign particles, regardless of wheather or not the particles are biodegradable. After Wright staining, phagocytosed latex beads and C.albicans were observed on LM and these were recognized to be surrounded by limiting membranes inside the cytoplasm of keratocytes on TEM. The phagocytic rates of fibronectin-coated were increased to 1.5 times , as compared with that of non-coated group. Acid phosphatase activities were higher in C.albicans-exposed groups than in control[keratocytes cultured without C.albicans or latex beads]during the culture period of 24 hours and they also increased according to culture duration and reached to the plateau after 12 hours. In comparison with non-coated group, fibronectin-coated groups showed a increasing tendency of acid phosphatase activity. These results suggest that keratocytes can phagocytose not only foreign particles but also C.albicans and that fibronectin may act as effective opsonin on phagocytosis, and that keratocytes phagocytosing C.albicans increase acid phosphatase activity to digest engulfed C.albicans when corneal stroma was wounded or inflammed.
Acid Phosphatase* ; Candida albicans* ; Candida* ; Corneal Stroma ; Cytoplasm ; Fibronectins ; Glutaral ; Latex ; Membranes ; Microspheres ; Phagocytosis* ; Wound Healing ; Wounds and Injuries

A 61-year-old man was admitted to the emergency room complaining of a severe left exophthalmos caused by frontal and ethmoid sinus mucoceles that were visualized on a brain computerized tomogram. In addition, he had coexisting ankylosing spondylitis with a 20 year duration that resulted in total fixation of the cervical spine and progressive thoracic kyphosis. An unruptured anterior communicating artery aneurysm was found incidentally on the cerebral angiogram. We report that the anesthetic management for endoscopic sinus surgery of a frontal sinus mucocele in a patient with coexisting severe cervical spine ankylosing spondylitis and an unruptured cerebral aneurysm requires a detailed preoperative assessment of the airway, cardiac, pulmonary, and neurologic system. This case highlights the need for careful measures to avoid rupturing the cerebral aneurysm by the increased blood pressure induced by endotracheal intubation and the infiltration of an epinephrine-containing local anesthetic.
Blood Pressure ; Brain ; Emergencies ; Ethmoid Sinus ; Exophthalmos ; Frontal Sinus ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Kyphosis ; Middle Aged ; Mucocele ; Spine ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing

Central venous catheter-related venous thrombosis is one of the most important complications occurred after central venous catheterization. Forty six year old man had end-stage renal failure due to diabetes mellitus. Temporary hemodialysis catheter was inserted via right subclavian vein. Thirty days after hemodialysis catheter insertion, the patient presented with right neck swelling and difficulty to aspirate blood from hemodialysis catheter. Venography showed right internal jugular vein thrombosis. We report a case in which a patient developed right internal jugular vein thrombosis after long-term placement of temporary hemodialysis catheter.
Catheterization, Central Venous ; Catheters* ; Central Venous Catheters ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Jugular Veins ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Neck ; Phlebography ; Renal Dialysis* ; Subclavian Vein* ; Thrombosis ; Venous Thrombosis*

PURPOSE: To report a patient with Leber's idiopathic stellate neuroretinitis accompanying peripapillary sensory retinal detachment detected with optical coherence tomography. CASE SUMMARY: A 26-year-old woman complained of visual disturbance in her right eye for several months. Her best corrected visual acuity was 0.5 in the right eye and 0.9 in the left eye. A relative afferent papillary defect was present in the right eye. Severe disc swelling with retinal hemorrhage and stellate macular exudates were observed in the right eye. Fluorescein angiography revealed optic disc leakage. There appeared to be no leakage from the other retinal vessels or from the retinal pigment epithelium. OCT revealed outer nuclear-plexiform layer fluid accumulation in the papillomacular region. Eight weeks after steroid treatment, the best corrected visual acuity in the right eye had improved to 0.7, and the optic disc edema had improved. The OCT showed that the fluid in the outer nuclear-plexiform layer space had largely been absorbed.
Adult ; Edema ; Exudates and Transudates ; Eye ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Humans ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinal Hemorrhage ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium ; Retinal Vessels ; Retinaldehyde ; Retinitis ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To investigate the results of 23-gauge sutureless vitrectomy and preoperative bevacizumab in diabetic retinopathy cases. METHODS: A total of 212 eyes received pars plana vitrectomy by a single surgeon for proliferative diabetic retinopathy and were followed up for at least 6 months. The change of visual acuity and operative complications among the 20-gauge vitrectomy (group I, 86 eyes), 23-gauge vitrectomy (group II, 30 eyes), and 23-gauge vitrectomy with preoperative intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injection (group III, 96 eyes) were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: One month postoperatively, visual improvement was better in groups II and III than in group I. Three months postoperatively, visual improvement was better in group III than in groups I and II. Six months postoperatively, visual improvement in group III was better than in group I, but there was no significant difference between group II and III. Intraoperative retinal breaks and postoperative vitreous hemorrhage were less common in group III than in groups I and II. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy, 23-gauge sutureless vitrectomy showed faster visual recovery compared with 20-gauge vitrectomy, and vitrectomy with preoperative bevacizumab had less intraoperative and postoperative complications than vitrectomy without preoperative bevacizumab.
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Eye ; Humans ; Postoperative Complications ; Retinal Perforations ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy ; Vitreous Hemorrhage ; Bevacizumab

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to illustrate MR patterns of signal intensity of proximal femur in normal subjects according to the age distribution. METHOD AND MATERIAL: Tl-weighted MR images of the proximal femur in 125 subjects, aged 13 days to 25 years, were retrospectively analyzed. Age distribution was classified to 4 groups;below 4 months, 5 months to 4 years, 5 years to 14 years, and 15 years to 25 years. RESULTS: By the age of 4 months, the non-ossified femoral epiphysis was seen as intermediate-signal-intensity cartilage. At 5 months-4 years, the ossified fernoral capital epiphysis was seen within intermediate-signal-intensity cartilage and appeared as decreased or increased signal-intensity red or yellow marrow surrounded by a rim of low-signal-intensity cortical bone. At 5-14 years, the ossified femoral capital and greater trochanteric epiphysis were seen within the intermediate-signal-intensity cartilage and appeared as decreased or increased signal-intensity red or yellow marrow. At 15-25 years, the proximal metaphyseal marrow showed increased signal intensity. Four patterns of the metaphyseal marrow were recognized by Ricci et al. The frequency of pattern la progressively decreased with age. Pattern 2 and 3 were visible in the 15-25 years age group. CONCLUSION: An understanding of the spectrum of normal age-related change of the proximal femoral cartilage and marrow patterns serves as the foundation for interpretation of proximal femur pathologies.
Age Distribution ; Bone Marrow ; Cartilage ; Epiphyses ; Femur* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Pathology ; Retrospective Studies

A 50-year-old man with bladder cancer had spinal anesthesia for transurethral resection of bladder. After he had spinal block at the T8 level, he developed a persistent penile erection, making it impossible to introduce the 24 French cystoscope. To treat a persistent penile erection, intravenous glycopyrrolate was incrementally given for a total of 0.4 mg. A persistent penile erection was markedly subsided 5 minutes after last 0.2 mg glycopyrrolate was given. Then corpus cavernosum blood was aspirated. The cystoscope was easily introduced, and transurethral resection of bladder proceeded without further complication.
Anesthesia, Spinal* ; Cystoscopes ; Glycopyrrolate ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Penile Erection* ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms

Left atrial dissection is an uncommon entity, and is generally associated with mitral valve surgery, blunt chest trauma, intramyocardial dissecting hematoma after AMI, Behcet's disease, and infective endocarditis. Moreover, debridement of very calcified valves or inadvertent incision of the annulus may occur during the surgical procedure, and hemodynamic influence of a paraprosthetic leak may extend the dissection into the left atrial wall. We report a case with a mobile intimal flap of the left atrial wall detected by intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography after aortic valve replacement. An intraoperative transesophageal echocardiographic examination is needed for aortic valve replacement, especially when aortic stenosis is combined with severe annulus calcification.
Aortic Valve Stenosis ; Aortic Valve* ; Debridement ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Endocarditis ; Fistula* ; Hematoma ; Hemodynamics ; Mitral Valve ; Thorax