A Case of Systemic-Onset Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis with Multiple Complications

No abstract available.

Chest roentgenographic findings of thymic size and shape in respiratory distress syndrome

Thymic size can be affected by both exogenous and endogenous glucocorticoids. Development of the respiratory distress syndrom (RDS) is influenced by adernal cortical function. thus, thymic size in RDS is considered to been larged due to decreased adrenal cortical function. To find whether the presence of RDS correlates with thethymus, the size and shape of the thymus were evaluated in the radiographs of premature infants with RDS, without RDS(control prematurity) and normal infants. The subjects were consisted of chest films of Korean premature infants, 120 with RDS, 60 without RDS, and 60 of normal infants taken at the Departement of Radiology, Our Lady of Mercy Hospital during the period of 62 months since January 1978. Relative size of the thymus was determined bycardiothymic/thoracic ratio(CT/T ratio). Grading and locaiton of the thymic prominence as well as incidence of the shape were examined. And all the relations among the radiographs of RDS, control prematurity and normal infants were analyzed. The results were as follows; 1. The CT/T ratio of premature infants with RDS was significantly greater than that of control prematurity and normal infants (P<0.01). 2. The incidence of bilateral thymicprominence was more frequent in premature infants with RDS than in control prematurity and normal infants(P<0.05).3. The frequency of thymic prominence was greater in the right than left side in all the three groups (P<0.05). 4.As in the shape of the thymus, a rounded type was most frequent, and a triangular type was least frequent in allthe three groups. 5. Incedence of RDS was very low(9.8%) when the CT/T ratio is below 0.3 and it was very high(90.9%) when the CT/T ratio is above 0.49.

Calcifying mucinous adenocarcinoma of the stomach: report of two cases

There is a great variety of abdominal calcifictions of varying etiology. Among them, calcification in gastriccarcinoma is rare. To the best of our knowledge, there has been no previous report of calcifying mucinousadenocarcinoma of the stomach in Korea. In the present communication, we report two cases of this rare tumor. Thefirst case was 27 years old female who had anorexia and palpable mass in the epigastrium. By palpation, a firmnon-tender large mass ws felt in the epigastrium. A plain abdominal film showed numerous pnuctate calcificationsin the left upper quadrant. Film from an upper G-I series demonstrated findings of advanced gastric carcinoma withmultiple punctate calcifications involving the antrum and body. Gastroscopic biopsy proved the lesion to bemucinous adenocarcioma(signet ring cell type). The second case was 38 years old female who compained of nausea,vomiting and weight loss. On physical examination, she appeared normal. Routine laboratory tests were withinnormal limits. A plain abdominal film revealed stippled calcifications in the left upper quadrant medial to thesplenic shadow. The film from an upper G-I series showed a mass in the fundus and upper body of stomach withmultiple stippled calcifications along the lesser curvature. Subtotal gastrectomy was perfomred and the pathologicfindings was calcifying mucinous adenocarcinoma(signet ring cell type).

Reevaluation of the “falx sign”

Visualization of falx cerebri on non-enhanced CT of children with severe head injuries (the falx sign) has been regarded as an evidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage. On the contrary, other authors have reported reverse results. To evaluate clinical significance of the falx sign, authors studied frequency of visualization and CT number of falx cerebri and dural sinuses in 65 children with head injury and 65 children without head injury examined by cranial CT at the Dep. of Radiology, St. Paul's Hospital, Catholic Medical College from March to Sept. 1981. All patients with head trauma were studied within 1 week of the traumatic event. Visualization of falx cerebri was observed at slice in the region of lateral ventricle and slice near to vertex respectively. On the slice in the region of lateral ventricle, falx cerebri was identified in 82% of all of the children examined, of which 92%showed partial visualization of falx cerebri and remaining 8% totally. On the slice near to vertex, falx cerebri was identified in 92% of all the children examined, of which 38% showed partial visualization of falx cerebri and remaining 62% totally. In head trauma group, frequency of visualization of falx cerebri was 78% on the slice in the region of lateral ventricle and 89% on the slice near to vertex; in non-traumatic group, frequency of visualization of falx cerebri was 86% and 94% respectively. The highest numerical value of the falx densities averaged 47 Hounflieds (range, 32-63) in non-traumataic group, averaged 49 Housfields (range, 32-69) in head trauma group. All or a portion of the superior sagittal sinus was visualized in 59% of all of the cases studied, 50% in head trauma group, and 69% in nontraumatic group. The straight sinus was identified in 45% of all of the cases studied, 39% in head trauma group, and 51% in non-traumatic group. In conclusion, there was no distinction between head trauma and non-traumatic group in visualization of falx cerebri and dural sinuses, and we could frequently identify the falx density in normal. Also we could find that frequency for visualization of falx cerebri and drual sinuses increased as the age increased.

The statistical observation of the coracoclavicular joint in Korean

The coracoclavicular joint is a rare genetical anatomic variants. The joint occurs at the junction of a bony projection extending inferiorly form the outer third of the clavicle at the site of the conoid tubercle and a bony projection extending superiorly form the coracoid process of the scapula. In our study we reviewed the radiological incidence of the coracoclavicular joint in Korean adults. The materials consist of 4,625 routine chest films, 9,250 sides. Sex distribution were 3,000 males and 1,625 females. The authors observed coracoclavicular joint on 17 persons (0.37%) and 25 sides (0.26%) and among them, 8 persons (47%) were bilateral and in 9 (53%) it was unilateral. The joint when unilateral occures frequently on left side, and there was no significant sex difference. There were statistically significant differences in the incidence of coracoclavicular joints among Korean, Japanese and Chinese.