BACKGROUND: Post-herpetic neuralgia is the most serious one of herpes zoster complications and its incidence becomes higher as the age of the patient increases. Nevertheless, besides considering the age and onset time of treatment, there is no more objective factor estimating the prognosis of post- herpetic neuralgia. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to understand the progression of herpes zoster and estimate the prognosis of post-herpetic neuralgia by practicing electrodiagnostic tests to patients with herpes zoster. METHODS: We evaluated the pain scales in 26 patients with herpes zoster on the first visit and 2 months later. We also performed electrodiagnostic tests, more objective and reproducible methods, including somatosensory evoked potentials and motor nerve conduction studies on both the involved and uninvolved sites of 32 lesions in 26 patients with herpes zoster, and then compared the results with the change of pain scales. RESULTS: 1. The pain category scale and visual analogue scale on the second examination were significantly decreased compared with those on the first examination (P<0.05). 2. Latencies of intercostal somatosensory evoked potentials recorded on scalp and spine were significantly delayed in involved sides compared with those in uninvolved sides (P<0.05). 3. In the latencies and conduction velocities of motor nerve conduction studies, no significant differences were seen between involved sides and uninvolved sides. 4. On the second examinataion, latency differences of somatosensory evoked potentials were significantly improved compared with those on the first examination (P<0.05). 5. Among the various somatosensory evoked potentials parameters, P1 latency difference of cortical somatosensory evoked potentials between involved and uninvolved sides correlated significantly with pain category scale ard visual analogue scale on second examination (r=0.48, P<0.05; r =0.51, P<0.05, respectively). N1 latency difference of spinal somatosensory evoked potentials between involved and uninvolved sides correlated significantly with a visual analoge scale on the first examination and pain category scale on the second examination (r=0.61, P<0.05; r=0.78, P<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: Intercostal somatosensory evoked potentials can be a useful and reliable technique to predict the development and severity of post-herpetic neuralgia.
Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory ; Herpes Zoster* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Neural Conduction ; Neuralgia* ; Prognosis ; Scalp ; Spine ; Weights and Measures

We present a case of multiple trichoepithelioma associated with milia. A 12-year-old girl developed symmetrically distributed, numerous, skin-colored papules on her face, some of which were studded with milia-like whitish materials. Histopathological findings of these lesions revealed the typical findings of trichoepitheliomas with overlying milia in the upper dermis.
Child ; Dermis ; Female ; Humans

Multiple myeloma is considered to be the most common primary malignant bone tumor which has the flat bone as a predilection site in old ages. We experienced a case of an unsual multiple myeloma which formed a huge tumor mass on medial end of left clavicle. The tumor mass together with medial half of the clavicle was excised completely. We have discussed the rationale for the excision of the clavicle.
Clavicle ; Multiple Myeloma

No abstract available.
Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell* ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes* ; Skin

No abstract available.
Paget Disease, Extramammary

No abstract available.
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome*

Angiosarcoma with predominantly epithelioid features is a rare soft tissue neoplasm and the interpretation of its cytopathologic findings may be difficult. We report a case of metastatic angiosarcoma with predominantly epithelioid features diagnosed by liquid-based cytology. The cytopathologic findings in this case differed from those of the conventional preparation and we found a clean background, no hyperchromatic nuclei and several cytoplasmic changes, including intracytoplasmic vacuoles with peculiar shapes, juxtanuclear condensation and perinuclear clearing. Identification of these changes using liquid-based cytology supplemented with immunochemistry may be helpful in reaching a correct cytopathologic diagnosis.
Cytodiagnosis ; Cytoplasm* ; Diagnosis ; Hemangiosarcoma* ; Immunochemistry ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms ; Vacuoles

Impetigo herpetiformis is a rare pustular disorder that primarily affects pregnant women. A 31 year-old woman at 37 weeks and 4 days' gestation of 3rd pregnancy presented with pruritic multiple erythematous pustules and crusts on the trunk and both antecubital fossa for 3 months. She had had similar lesions in her 1st and 2nd pregnancy, which subsided after delivery without any fetal or maternal complication. She had no personal or familial history of psoriasis. Histopathologic findings showed subcorneal pustules with numerous neutrophils and spongiform pustule of Kogoj. Bacterial culture from pustules was sterile. After Caesarean section at 38 weeks' gestation, a healthy female neonate was delivered and her skin lesion resolved spontaneously.
Cesarean Section ; Female ; Humans ; Impetigo* ; Infant, Newborn ; Neutrophils ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Psoriasis ; Skin

The pseudolymphoma of the skin has the architectural and cytological features of a neoplastic proliferation of lymphoid tissue but pursue a benign course. Cutaneous B cell pseudolymphoma (CBPL) shares many histopathologic and clinical features with cutaneous B cell lymphoma (CBCL). Therefore, the differentiation between CBPL and CBCL is often very difficult, but it is important because each of them has a different therapeutic consequence. Recently, immunoglobulin gene rearrangement is considered as a reliable technique for differentiation of CBPL with CBCL. We herein report a case of idiopathic lymphocytoma cuffs, showing a typical nodular infiltrate of lymphocytes that formed a follicular germinal center resembling reactive lymph nodes with numerous tingible bodies, and that revealed a polyclonality in the immunoglobulin gene rearrangement.
Genes, Immunoglobulin ; Germinal Center ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphoid Tissue ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Pseudolymphoma* ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Because systolic and diastolic dysfunction frequently coexist in acute myocardial infarction(AMI), we hypothesize that a combined measure of ventricular performance using Doppler echocardiography may be more sensitive and time-saving diagnostic tool for the evaluation of patients presenting with cardiogenic chest pain. METHOD AND RESULTS: Seventy-one patients with AMI (47 male, 59+/-11 years) and 45 patients with normal coronary artery (29 male, 52+/-11 years) were included in the study for measurement of cardiac performance index and established parameters of ventricular function using conventional echo-Doppler methods. a new derived index of cardiac performance: (ICT+IRT)/ET, was obtained by subtracting ejection time(ET) from the interval between cessation and onset of the mitral inflow velocity to give the sum of isovolumic contraction time(ICT) and isovolumic relaxation time(IRT). The mean value of the index was significantly different between normal and AMI(p<0.01). The degree of inter-group overlap was smaller for the index compared to other parameters. within functional groups, the value of the index did not appear to be related to heart rate, mean arterial pressure and the degree of mitral regurgitation. CONCLUSION: cardiac performance index is a conceptually new, simple and reproducible Doppler index of combined systolic and diastolic myocardial performance, and it is useful as screening test for patients with cardiac dysfunction due to AMI.
Arterial Pressure ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Vessels ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening* ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Relaxation ; Ventricular Function