OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the utility of manual lymph drainage (MLD) during lymphoscintigraphy (LS) in predicting the effect of complex physical therapy (CPT). METHOD: Forty seven patients were included in this study. MLD was done for 30 minutes after one hour LS image was obtained. 24 patients were followed up for 3~6 months. According to one hour LS image, patients were assigned to visible lymph node or lymphatic vessel group (Either group) and invisible lymph node and lymphatic vessel group (Neither group), and also according to LS changes after MLD, good and poor response group. The limb volume was checked before, and immediately after CPT, and at 1 month and 3~6 months after CPT. The treatment response was evaluated by percent volume reduction (PVR). RESULTS: There were no significant differences in volume reduction between Either group and Neither group. Otherwise, good response group showed significantly greater volume reduction after CPT than poor response group. Mean PVR in the good response group was 37.02% immediately after CPT, 41.2% at 1 month after CPT, and 47.4% at 3~6 months after CPT. Mean PVR in the poor response group was 19.22% immediately after CPT, 13.0% at 1 month after CPT, and 5.21% at 3~6 months after CPT. CONCLUSION: LS changes after MLD reflected the effects of CPT more accurately than one hour LS image.
Drainage* ; Extremities ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Vessels ; Lymphedema ; Lymphoscintigraphy*

PURPOSE: Behcet's disease, distinguished by the triad of chronic oral aphthae, recurrent genital ulcers and uveitis, is a chronic, relapsing systemic disease. Vascular complications occur in 7~29% of Behcet's patients and are the most common causes of death. Consequently, vascular surgeons should be familiar with the vascular manifestations in Behcet's disease. METHOD: Between October 1994 and July 2002, we retrospectively reviewed 779 patients diagnosed with Behcet's disease in Samsung Medical Center. RESULT: Thirty cases of the 779 patients had vascular manifestations. Male to Female ratio was 25 (83.3%) to 5 (16.7%). In age distribution, males were most frequent in their 30s, while females were equally distributed. Arterial involvement occured in 10 cases (33.3%), venous involvement in 16 (53.3%) and combined arterial and venous involvement in 4 (13.3%). As for arterial manifestations, arterial occlusion occured in 7 cases, aneurysm in 5 and pseudoaneurysm in 4. Venous manifestations were all deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Iliofemoral vein DVT occured in 14 cases, IVC thrombosis in 5, and renal vein thrombosis in 1. Surgical treatment was performed in 5 cases; one primary repair and one arterial ligation were done in 2 cases of pseudoaneurysm, two combined aneurysmal resection and bypass in 2 cases of aneurysm, and one bypass in 1 case of arterial occlusion. Radiologic intervention was done in 5 cases. Stent graft insertion was performed in 2 cases, combined thrombolysis and percutaneous transluminal angioplasty in 1 case, occluder balloon in 1 case, and inf. vena cava filter insertion in 1 case. CONCLUSION: Behcet's disease is a chronic and systemic disease that may involve multiple organs. Because of vascular involvements, in particular the high fatality of arterial complications in Behcet's disease, we must always perform early diagnosis, proper clinical intervention and continuous follow up.
Age Distribution ; Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, False ; Angioplasty ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Cause of Death ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Ligation ; Male ; Renal Veins ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomatitis, Aphthous ; Thrombosis ; Ulcer ; Uveitis ; Veins ; Vena Cava Filters ; Venous Thrombosis

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: Despite the decrease in the number of lower limb amputation in ischemic limb patients as a result of advances in vascular reconstruction surgery, amputation still plays an important role in the management of end-stage peripheral vascular disease. Owing to the importance of the amputation level in postoperative rehabilitation and prevention of reamputation, there have been many reports defining theses level. Clinical characteristics were determined by retrospectively reviewing medical records of patients who underwent lower limb amputation for peripheral vascular disease. METHOD: Between June 1997 and September 2002, lower limb amputation was performed in 73 patients with peripheral vascular disease. RESULT: Mean follow-up period was 15 months; male to female ratio was 7.1 to 1; and mean age was 62.6 years. Associated diseases included DM (39 patients), hypertension (15 patients), ischemic heart disease (13 patients), and cerebrovascular disease (6 patients). Etiologies were atherosclerosis in 47.9%, Buerger's disease in 15.1%, DM foot in 13.7%, acute arterial embolization in 2.7%, ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm in 1.4%, and combined atherosclerosis with DM foot in 19.2%. Bypass surgery was performed in 24 cases and only 4 cases underwent radiologic vascular intervention. The frequency of amputation was one surgery in 50 cases and more than two surgeries in 23 cases. Amputation level was digit amputation in 49 cases (67.1%), transmetatarsal in 10 cases (13.7%), below-knee in 11 cases (15.1%) and above-knee in 3 cases (4.1%). In 73 cases, reamputation was performed in 19 cases (26%) for poor stump wound healing. The cause of reamputation was atherosclerosis in 17.1%, Buerger's disease in 27.3%, DM foot in 60.0% and combined atherosclerosis with DM foot in 28.6%; the reamputation rate was the highest in DM foot patients. Bypass surgery for improved blood flow in the stump was performed in 24 cases, among these cases, reamputation was performed in 2 cases (8.3%). CONCLUSION: Amputation in ischemic limb patients was most commonly performed in artherosclerosis patients and the most common amputation level was digit. The reamputation rate was the highest in DM foot patients; a more careful selection of the amputation level in DM foot patients may be needed.
Amputation* ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal ; Arteries ; Atherosclerosis ; Extremities ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foot ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Lower Extremity* ; Male ; Medical Records ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases ; Rehabilitation ; Retrospective Studies ; Thromboangiitis Obliterans ; Wound Healing

We assessed the clinical status after anticoagulant therapy in acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) involving the lower limbs. Between 1994 and 2001, 139 patients suffering from acute DVT were treated with heparin therapy followed by oral anticoagulant therapy. The coagulation factor assay was done prior to any anticoagulation therapy. The duplex scan was checked serially. The mean follow-up periods was 32 ± 19 months. There were 32 (23.0%) cases of protein C deficiency, 12 (8.6%) cases of protein S deficiency, 13 (9.4%) cases of AT-III deficiency and 11 (7.9%) cases of abnormal plasminogen level. Fourteen cases had coagulation factor abnormalities within the family. The initial lung scan showed 29 (20.9%) cases with high, 13 (9.4%) cases with intermediate and 70 (50.4%) cases with a low probability of pulmonary embolism (PE) developing. During the follow-up periods, there were 3 cases of non-fatal PE documented with chest CT scan. The patients were divided according to the extent of the thrombus; Group I (38 cases) was limited to the infrainguinal deep vein, Group II (70 cases) extended to the iliac vein and Group III (9 cases) extended to the vena cava. Partial lysis occurred in 20/35/3 (52.6/50.0/33.3%) cases and no change in 10/24/6 (26.3/ 34.3/ 66.7%) cases in Groups I/ II/ III, respectively. Deep vein valvular reflux occurred in 15/25/5 (39.5/35.7/55.6%) cases in Groups I/ II/ III, respectively. With anticoagulation therapy, most of the thrombi remained in unresolved states and there was a high rate of deep vein valvular reflux. However, there was no serious complications which affected the patients' quality of life.
Acute Disease ; Adult ; Anticoagulants/*therapeutic use ; Female ; Heparin/*therapeutic use ; Human ; Leg/*blood supply ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultrasonography, Doppler, Duplex ; Venous Thrombosis/*drug therapy/physiopathology/ultrasonography

PURPOSE: To assess the effectiveness of ethanol embolization for the treatment of arteriovenous malformation (AVM), and the complications, if any, arising. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three patients with AVMs underwent 145 staged sessions of ethanol embolization. AVMs were located in an upper extremity (n=14), a lower extremity (n=10), the pelvis (n=7), the thorax (n=1), or the abdomen (n=1). Eighty-five transcatheter embolizations and 60 direct percutaneous puncture embolizations were performed, and seven patients underwent additional coil embolization of the dilated outflow vein. The therapeutic effectiveness of embolization was evaluated in terms of the extent to which an AVM was obliterated between baseline and the final angiogram. Complications were classified as minor or major. RESULTS: In 13 patients (39%), AVMs were totally obliterated. In eitht patients (24%), more than 75% were obliterated; in three (9%), the proportion was 50-75%; and in four (12%), less than 50%. Five patients (15%), were not treated. The reasons for failure were the difficulty of approaching the nidus due to previous surgical ligation or coil embolization of the feeding artery, the subcutaneous location of an AVM, post-procedural infection, and massive bleeding during the follow-up period. Twenty-one minor complications such as focal skin necrosis or transient nerve palsy developed during 145 sessions of (an incidence of 14%), but these were relieved by conservative treatment. The five major complications arising (3%) were cerebral infarction, urinary tract infection, acute renal failure due to rhabdomyolysis, permanent median nerve palsy, and infection. CONCLUSION: Ethanol embolization by direct percutaneous puncture or using a transcatheter technique is an effective approach to the treatment of an AVM. However, to overcome the considerable number of complications arising, further investigation is required.
Abdomen ; Acute Kidney Injury ; Arteries ; Arteriovenous Malformations* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Ethanol* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Ligation ; Lower Extremity ; Median Nerve ; Necrosis ; Paralysis ; Pelvis ; Punctures ; Rhabdomyolysis ; Skin ; Thorax ; Upper Extremity ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Veins

Rhabdomyolysis is an uncommon complication in a vascular surgery. Recently we experienced two cases of rhabdomyolysis after aortic surgery. The first one underwent an elective surgery for AAA but the 2nd case performed an emergency surgery because of ruptured AAA. Both patients recovered from rhabdomyolysis by conservative medical treatment without any major complications such as acute renal failure.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Aneurysm ; Aorta ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Rhabdomyolysis*

PURPOSE: The spreading, orientation, and chemotaxis with the gradient of a chemoattractant of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were studied on the micro-grooved substrata by the light, fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy. METHOD: Vertical-walled grooves were produced in silicon wafers by the micromachining technique. All grooves were 4~20micrometer deep and 10~80 micrometer wide. SMCs were cultured on each microgroove and examined under stereo-microscope. RESULT: Cell clusters were markedly oriented by all the grooved substrata examined. Time-lapse images acquired from CCD (Charge Coupled Device) showed that the grooves directed the migration of SMCs. There was no prominent difference in the migration speed of SMCs according to the grooves. All the cytoskeletal fibers were reorganized in the same direction with grooves. Especially the alignments of microtubule and intermediate filaments were distinguished in the SMCs on the micro grooves. CONCLUSION: These results could be applied to the analysis of vascular restenosis and the development of artificial blood vessels.
Blood Substitutes ; Chemotaxis ; Fluorescence ; Intermediate Filaments ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Microtechnology ; Microtubules ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle* ; Silicon

As medical technology progresses rapidly, there is a rise in the average age along with the Korean dietary lifestyle becoming more westernized, which leads to an increase in the number of vascular disease patients in Korea. Thus, we need to manage the medical information of a disease systematically in order to diagnose and treat constructively. However, since there has been no standardized method of management to date, a great deal of information could not be properly utilized nor studied. Therefore, the departments of Cardiology, Radiology and Neurology of Samsung Seoul Hospital recently got together to develop an information management system called the Vascular Data System. This program was developed to be run on win98 O/S, upper Pentium III, and upper 128 MB Memory, and its source code is Dephi 4.0. It was configured for the user to set the configurations as well as do a variety of search and analysis. If this program were to be updated continuously, it may be used extensively as well as in various parts of clinical research activities.
Cardiology ; Humans ; Information Management ; Information Systems ; Korea ; Life Style ; Memory ; Neurology ; Seoul ; Vascular Diseases*