The Computed Tomography is the most exact method to find out some diesase, soft tissue or musculoskeletal system. It is searching examination distinguishing normal structure and abnormal states in the spine and spinal canal. This is almost an absolute diagnostic method for spinal stenosis, and it has a special forte becasue it can distinguish the soft tissue around the spine. Thus we can distinguish metastatic cancer, herniated intervertebral disc, hypertrophy of the yellow ligament, and spine tumor very easily. Thirty-two cases of herniated intervertebral disc in lumbar spine were treated for 18 months from Jan. 1981 to Jun. 1982. Of thirty two cases, 18 cases were underwent CT scanning and 9 cases were underwent CT scanning and myelography. We obtained following results: 1. In the 18 cases taking a CT scan we found 6 cases of bulging annulus, 7 cases of herniated disc, one case each of facet syndrome, lateral recess syndrome, and three cases had normal finding. 2. In 9 cases taking CT scan, myelography and operation, 7 cases showed the same positive findings, but one case showed the positive CT scan and myelography, negative surgical exploration, and another case showed positive myelography, negative CT scan surgical exploration. 3. In 9 cases who took only a CT scan, there were 6 cases in which myelography was impossible or refused. Among these 6 cases 4 patients took operation and showed positive findings. 4. The diagnosis of herniated intervertebral disc by means of the CT scan has been made more accurately by the supplementary use of metrizamide and improvement of interpretation. a. When the patient refuses myelography. b. For discrimination of other diseases than herniated intervertebral disc. c. When the patient is allergic to iodine dyes used in myelography. As mention above, not only herniated intervertebral disc, but also many other diseases in spine can be diagnosed and we can decide that the herniated intervertebral disc surgery would by desirable with only the CT scan as nonivasive diagnostic test.
Coloring Agents ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Intervertebral Disc ; Iodine ; Ligaments ; Methods ; Metrizamide ; Musculoskeletal System ; Myelography ; Spinal Canal ; Spinal Stenosis ; Spine ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Gestational Age* ; Mortality

Human rotavirus has now been established as the leading cause of gastroenteritis in young children worldwide. At least fourteen serotypes of group A rotavirus have been identified on the basis of antibody responses to major neutralizing glycoprotein, VP7 (G type for glycoprotein), present in the outer capsid of the virus. Serotype 1, 2, 3 and 4 are the most highly prevalent in human. In Korea, rotavirus is also the principal cause of severe nonbacterial diarrhea requiring hospitalization in infants and young children, which is commonly detected by EIA method. The epidemiology of rotavirus infection has been monitored by only serologic methods without electropherotyping in Korea. This study shows seasonal and age related variations .of rotavirus infection in Korea according to the genotype using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Fecal specimens were obtained from 39 children hospitalized with acute watery diarrhea and gastroenteritis in Ewha Womans University MokDong Hospital in Seoul from Jan. to Dec. of 1996. All four (1, 2, 3, 4) major G serotypes were identified by amplification of segment of the gene for VP7 using RT-PCR. Rotavirus Gl 749 bp, G2 653 bp, G3 374 bp and G4 583bp were shown on 2.9 or 3.3% NuSieve agar gel. Results were as follows: 1) Rotavirus was detected at 53.8% (21/39) by EIA and 89.7% (35/39) by RT-PCR. 2) Serotype Gl, G2, G3, G4 when detected by RT-PCR accounted for 80.0% (28/35), 14.3% (5/35), 2.9% (1/35) and 2.9% (1/35), respectively. 3) Thirty five strains of rotavirus were detected at the frequency of 17.1% (6/35) in Oct., 20.0% (7/35) in Nov. and 20.0% (7/35) in Dec. 4) As for the age range, children affected by rotavirus were mostly under 1 years.
Agar ; Antibody Formation ; Capsid ; Child ; Child, Hospitalized* ; Diarrhea* ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Gastroenteritis ; Genotype* ; Glycoproteins ; Hospitalization ; Humans* ; Infant ; Korea ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Reverse Transcription* ; Rotavirus Infections ; Rotavirus* ; Seasons ; Seoul

No abstract available.
Infant, Newborn ; Meconium Aspiration Syndrome* ; Meconium* ; Mortality ; Suction*

Thirty one infants of diabetic mothers(IDM) who had been admitted in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Chonnam University Hospital from January 1987 to July 1991 were studied for evaluation of their perinatal outcome and prognosis. The results were as follows; 1) The distribution of diabetic mothers according to modified White's classification was GD & class A in 12 cases(38.7%), B in 16 cases(51.6%), C in one case, D4 in one case, and R in one case. 2) Of the 31 diabetic mothers, 8(25.8%) had a history of infertility or stillbirth, 20(64.5%) had prognostically bad signs of pregnancy (PBSP), and 12(38.7%) were treated with insulin and/or oral hypoglycemic agent during pregnancy. 3) C-section rate was 32.2%, and the rates of shoulder dystocia and birth asphyxia were 35.5% and 29.0%, respectively. 4) The rates of large for gestational age were 75.0% in class GD & A, 68.8% in class B, and the rates of small for gestational age were 8.3% and, 6.3% respectively, Characteristic face with body composition was noted in all babies, hepatosplenomegaly in 90.3%, heart murmur in 41.9%, respiratory distress syndrome in 12.9%, transient tachypnea of mewborn in 19.4%, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 40.0%, and seizure in 6.5%. 5) Laboratory abnormalities were hypoglycemia in 77.4%, hyperbilirubinemia in 83.9%, polycythemia in 16.1%, hyperinsulinemia in 45.5%, hypercalcemia in 22.6%, and hypomagnesemia in 23.1%. 6) Birth injuries were noted in 61.3%, The most common were caput succedaneum and/or cephal-hematoma, brachial palsy, and fracture. Congenital anomalies were noted in 16.1%. The most common were musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, and gastrointestinal anomalies. 7) In the short term follow up of 19 patients, there were mild developmental delay in 2 cases, cerebral palsy in 2 cases, and epilepsy in 1 case. These results suggested that infants of diabetic mothers had greater morbidity than infants of nondiabetic mothers. Therefore, long term follow up is recommended to achieve their normal growth and development.
Asphyxia ; Birth Injuries ; Body Composition ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic ; Cerebral Palsy ; Classification ; Dystocia ; Epilepsy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gestational Age ; Growth and Development ; Heart Murmurs ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; Hypercalcemia ; Hyperinsulinism ; Hypoglycemia ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infertility ; Insulin ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Jeollanam-do ; Mothers* ; Paralysis ; Parturition ; Polycythemia ; Pregnancy ; Prognosis ; Seizures ; Shoulder ; Stillbirth ; Tachypnea

No abstract available.
Animals ; Autoimmunity* ; Mice*

Astrovirus is frequently associated with diarrhea in children. It can not be readily isolated by cell culture, and an electronmicroscope is usually used for detection of this agent. Recently in 1995 a combined method of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was designed for easier detection of astrovirus, which is based on the conserved sequence in 3'-end of genomes of the 7 known serotypes of human astrovirus. As of yet there has not been any report of astrovirus data in Korea using the RT-PCR methods. The purpose of this study was to detect astrovirus incidence, severity of symptoms, seasonal variation and coinfection rate with rotavirus in Korean children inpatients with diarrhea. Fecal specimens from 61 young children hospitalized with gasteroenteritis Korea from Jan. 1996 through Mar. 1997. They were examined for astroviurs infection by RT-PCR method. Results are as follows: 1. Astrovirus was detected at 9.8% (6/61) from fecal specimens of children with severe diarrhea by EIA using monoclonal antibody coated plates. 2. Astorvirus was detected at 29.5% (18/61) from fecal specimens of children with severe diarrhea by RT-PCR. 3. The age of the 18 children affected by astrovirus ranged from 2 monthes to 7 years with mean of 3.0 years. 4. Mean hospital stay of the 1S children was 6.1 days. 5. Five (27.8%) astrovirus RT-PCR positive strains were confirmed in November and in December, respectively out of 18 specimens in total. 6. Astrovirus coinfection with rotavirus type G1 was confirmed in 15/16 specimens (93.8%), and with type G2 was in 1/16 specimens (6.3%).
Cell Culture Techniques ; Child* ; Coinfection ; Conserved Sequence ; Diarrhea ; Feces* ; Genome ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inpatients ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Mamastrovirus ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Reverse Transcription* ; Rotavirus ; Seasons

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Acute-Phase Proteins ; Bacterial Infections*

PURPOSE: We investigated whether in utero exposure to magnesium sulfate is associated with lower incidence of neonatal mortality, morbidity, and neurodevelopmental abnormalities in very low birth weight infants. METHODS: We evaluated 172 infants with birth weight less than 1,500g. According to the maternal receipt of magnesium sulfate, we divided into two groups. We reviewed the medical records of mothers and their babies to evaluate clinical outcome. RESULTS: Of 172 infants, 58(GA 30.0+/-2.3weeks, BW 1,20+/-2221g) received magnesium sulfate prior to delivery for tocolysis or preeclampsia(study group). The remaining 114(GA 29.6+/-2.3weeks, BW 1,220 +/-198g) served as the control group. Neonatal mortality was not significantly different between the two groups(12.5% vs 26.0%). There was no significant difference between the two groups in neonatal complications' RDS(52.4% vs 67.6%), BPD(16.7% vs 29.6%), apnea(52.4% vs 67.6%), IVH(23.8% vs 31.0%), PVL(4.8% vs 11.3%), NEC(7.1% vs 7.0%), ROP(26.8% vs 41.2%), and neal infection(33.3% vs 54.9%). The duration of ventilator therapy(10.9+/-7.3 vs 14.2+/-10.6 days), oxygen administration(20.2+/-20.0 vs 24.3+/-19.9 days) and admission(51.5+/-16.9 vs 54.6+/-16.7 days) were not different. Among 64 patients in whom follow up evaluation was possible more than 1 year, the incidence of cerebral palsy or developmental delay was not different(12.0% vs 12.8%). CONCLUSION: Maternal receipt of magnesium sulfate does not seem to be associated with an appreciably reduced risk of neonatal mortality, morbidity, and neurodevelopmental abnormalities in very low birth weight infants. (Abbreviations. GA, gestational age, BW, birth weight; RDS, respiratory distress syndrome; BPD, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, IVH, intraventricular hemorrhage; PVL, periventricular leukomalacia; NEC, necrotizing enterocolitis; ROP, retinopathy of prematurity)
Birth Weight ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; Cerebral Palsy ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gestational Age ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant Mortality* ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight* ; Leukomalacia, Periventricular ; Magnesium Sulfate* ; Magnesium* ; Medical Records ; Mothers ; Oxygen ; Tocolysis ; Ventilators, Mechanical