Prenatally diagnosed neuroblastomas have been reported in increasing numbers over the past several years. The vast majority are in favorable stages of the disease (stage I, II, IV-S). The authors experienced one case of stage IV-S neuroblastoma of the adrenal gland with liver metastasis, which regressed spontaneously after removal by adrenalectomy. This patient was noticed to have an abdominal mass at prenatal ultrasonography performed at 36weeks of gestation. This tumor was a neuroblastoma of the left adrenal gland with multiple liver metastases. Left adrenalectomy and liver biopsy were performed at 3 months of age. Thirty-eight months after surgery, an MRI demonstrated that the hepatic metastatic lesions had completely regressed without chemotherapy or radiation.
Adrenal Glands ; Adrenalectomy* ; Biopsy ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Liver* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Neuroblastoma* ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal

No abstract available.

Nevus sebaceus of Jadassohn is a hamartoma of the skin with the potential to develop benign and malignant neoplasms. This case was characterixed by multiple basal cell epitheliomas, clinically one reddish nodule and multiple pigmented papules, arising in the nevus sebaceus. Histologically, epithelial papillomatous hyperplasia and high-positioned hyperplastic sebaceous glands were found, and tumor nests consisting of basaloid cells with peripheral palisading arrangements were mainly situated in the upper dermis without significant infiltrative growth. We report a rare case of nevus sebaceus with multiple basal cell epitheliomas in the right cheek of a 49-year-old woman.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Cheek ; Dermis ; Female ; Hamartoma ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Middle Aged ; Nevus* ; Nevus, Sebaceous of Jadassohn* ; Sebaceous Glands ; Skin

This study aims to examine the performance of public municipal hospitals through the analysis of data envelopment analysis, efficiency, profitability, and publicness by using panel data during period from 2006 to 2010. The main findings of the study are as follows. First, as a result of efficiency analysis during the period from 2006 to 2010, it was revealed that the number of staff by each job category, labor cost ratio, the number of operating beds need to be decreased. Second, the performance data represented by the indicators of efficiency, profitability and publicness were complementary and showed a tendency of being increased or decreased in same direction. Third, from the result of panel analysis, the efficiency was mainly influenced by the structural factors, while the profitability was influenced by managerial factors, and the publicness by medical environment. In conclusion, in order to enhance the performance of public municipal hospitals in Korea, it is important to harmonize the effort for efficiency, financial and policy support by central and local government, and the continuous participation of community residents.
Hospitals, Municipal* ; Korea ; Local Government

No abstract available.
Cytogenetics*

PURPOSE: To evaluated the usefulness of pressure-flow study (PFS) as a preoperative technique, and to compare its sensitivity and specificity, with uroflow, post void residual urine and prostate volume, in benign prostatic hyperplasia patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 109 men, with lower urinary tract symptoms that underwent a transurethral resection of prostate (TURP), between May 1995 and June 2002, were retrospectively analyzed. Fifty one patients underwent preoperative PFS and 58 did not. The PFSs were performed with an 8Fr suprapubic catheter. The results of the PFS were divided into two groups: obstructed and unobstructed, using an ICS nomogram, pQ slope or the minimal urethral opening pressure. The outcomes of the operations were estimated with IPSS and the maximal flow rate 3 month after the operations. RESULTS: With the PFS operations, 47 cases (81.0%) were obstructed and 11 (19.0%) unobstructed. The success rates of the TURP for the obstructed, unobstructed and non-invasive study groups were 87.2, 63.6 and 88.2%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the PFS were 84.5 and 40.4%, respectively. The sensitivity of the maximal flow rate (or=30gm) was 50.0%. CONCLUSIONS: PFS is not a mandatory preoperative technique for men, with lower urinary tract symptoms, who undergo a TURP. However, it can decrease the TURP failure rate. Other noninvasive parameters can be preoperatively useful for men who undergo TURP, as long as they are applied compositely carefully.
Catheters ; Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Male ; Nomograms ; Prostate ; Prostatic Hyperplasia* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate ; Urodynamics

No abstract available.
Hair Removal*

OBJECTIVE: The aim of study was to analyze obstetric and neonatal causes of Korean neonatal deaths. METHODS: The study subjects are a cohort of infants who were born during 1996 and who died before their first birthday. The data were collected through three stages of the study: the collection of existing data, a national infant mortality survey at medical facilities, and data integrating and adjusting process. The sources of existing data were health insurance data and the resident registration data. The National infant mortality survey was conducted by both 'Ministry of Health and Welfare' and 'Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs'. 3930 medical and health facilities where obstetrics services are available were surveyed during November 1998. The survey results were computerized to match data sets, and any overlap among different data sets were filtered. Causes of deaths were grouped according to the KCD (Korean Standard Classification of Diseases). Causes of neonatal death were further analyzed using composite causes combining obstetric and neonatal conditions. RESULTS: Causes of 2,433 neonatal death were known out of 2,856 deaths. "Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period" comprised 77.1% of neonatal death, being the most common cause. The next common cause was 'congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities', constituting 15.7% of neonatal death. Among the 'certain conditions originating in the perinatal period', 'respiratory distress of newborn' constituted 17.1% of neonatal deaths and 'disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight', constituted 15.6% of neonatal deaths. Neonatal sepsis constituted 14.8% of neonatal death. Among congenital malformations 'congenital malformation of the heart' was most common, constituting 6.2% of neonatal death. 'Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period' was more important cause of preterm neonatal death. Of the related maternal condition, idiopathic preterm birth, multifetal pregnancy, premature rupture of the membranes and hypertensive diseases during pregnancy were common conditions. Congenital malformation was the most important cause of term neonatal death. CONCLUSION: Prematurity-related condition was more important cause of preterm neonatal death while congenital malformation was the most important cause of term neonatal death.
Cause of Death ; Classification ; Cohort Studies ; Dataset ; Gestational Age ; Health Facilities ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Mortality ; Insurance, Health ; Membranes ; Obstetrics ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Premature Birth ; Rupture ; Sepsis

PURPOSE: This study investigated the relationship between height and psychopathology in community children with relatively short stature according to the parents' reports. Also, the matter of parental concern about child's height was explored. METHODS: The child behavior checklist (CBCL), the Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument (BEPSI), and the child-health questionnaire-parent form 50 (CHQ-PF50) were administered to 423 parents (from elementary and middle school children's) in Gangnam, South Korea. Subjects were divided into three groups; (1) relatively short (n=30), (2) average stature (n=131), (3) relatively tall (n=153). CBCL, BEPSI, and CHQ-PF50 scores were compared among three groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in psychosocial burden associated with relatively short stature measured by Korean version of the BEPSI and Korean version of the CBCL scores among three groups. But general health perception score of relatively short was significantly lower than that of nonshort on the CHQ-PF50. Also, they were more used complementary medicines, milk and growth hormone compared to the nonshort. The parents' expected height of their children was 180.6+/-3.5 cm for boys and 166.7+/-3.5 cm for girls. This is respectively 90 percentile and 75-90 percentile for the Korean standard adult height. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that in Korea, Parents tended to regard relatively short children as having health problems. Also, the parental expectation for their child's attainable height is unrealistically tall, mostly due to lack of correct medical information.
Adult ; Checklist ; Child Behavior ; Child* ; Female ; Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Korea ; Milk ; Parents ; Psychopathology*

The transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) has been used for the assessment of right and left ventricular function, valvular structure and function, regional wall motion abnormalities and localization of intravascular catheters, cannular and prosthesis. We inserted the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) under the guidance of intraoperative TEE because of the difficulty of placing PAC with the pressure tracing method in two patients. The PAC was inserted from right atrium to right ventricle with the basal four chamber view and advanced to pulmonary artery through pulmonary valve with the longitudinal view of TEE. We observed typical pulmonary arterial wave form to confirm the correct position. We suggest that the TEE can be used for successful placement of a PAC to facilitate manipulation of the catheter as an alternative method in the patients whose PAC can not be positioned with the pressure tracing method.
Catheters* ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Heart Atria ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Prostheses and Implants ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Pulmonary Valve ; Ventricular Function, Left