Influences of Cylindrical Correction Amount of PRK on Accuracy of Geometric Corneal Center-Adjusted Ablation Centration

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of the amount of cylindrical correction on the accuracy of geometric corneal center-adjusted ablation centration selected by the surgeon in advanced surface ablation-photorefractive keratectomy (ASA-PRK). METHODS: Ninety-five myopic eyes of 62 patients who underwent ASA-PRK were divided into three groups based on the amount of myopic cylindrical correction: Group 1 or =-0.50 D and or =-1.00 D, 28 eyes. The distances and distribution of the ablation centers from the entrance pupil center were analyzed by corneal topography at one month after ASA-PRK. Risk factors for decentration (>0.3 mm) were determined from patient-related factors such as gender, age, laterality, central corneal thickness, and order of procedure and surgery-related factors such as amount of spherical correction, ablation depth, vertical scale bar percentage, and learning effect of surgeon. RESULTS: Mean decentration was 0.26 +/- 0.15 mm (0.04 to 0.83 mm). There was no statistically significant difference in the amount of decentration among the three groups (p = 0.879). Superior-nasal displacement (53.7%) of the ablation center most frequently occurred after ASA-PRK. The amount of decentration among the three groups was not dependent on either patient-related or surgery-related factors. CONCLUSIONS: ASA-PRK using the surgeon-selected ablation center with adjustment toward the geometric corneal center was found to be highly accurate in ablation centration and did not influence the amount of ablation decentration regardless of the amount of myopic cylindrical correction.

Clinical Manifestations and Surgical Outcomes of Intermittent Exotropia with or without Dissociated Vertical Deviation

PURPOSE: Clinical manifestations and surgical outcomes of intermittent exotropia with or without dissociated vertical deviation (DVD) were evaluated. METHODS: Patients who were diagnosed with intermittent exotropia following surgical correction were divided into 2 groups: 66 patients with DVD (DVD group) and 81 patients without DVD (XT group). The postoperative deviation between exodeviation of 10 prism diopters (PD) and esotropia of 5 PD was considered surgically successful. RESULTS: The onset of strabismus occurred at an earlier age in the DVD group. There were more cases of nystagmus, inferior oblique muscle overaction, superior oblique muscle overaction, and AV pattern in the DVD group than in the XT group, but there were no differences between the 2 groups in terms of head tilt, amblyopia, and age at first operation. While exodeviation in the DVD group was smaller than in the XT group, stereopsis in the DVD group was statistically worse than in the XT group in the Titmus test. At postoperative 1 month, the XT group had better surgical outcome, but at postoperative 6 and 12 months, there were no differences in the surgical outcomes of intermittent exotropia between the 2 groups. Regarding DVD surgery, a postoperative DVD angle less than 10 PD accounted for 90.0% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: Intermittent exotropia combined with DVD had worse stereoacuity and lesser exodeviation. There was no statistically significant difference in the surgical outcomes of intermittent exotropia with or without DVD.

Clinical Manifestations of Foveal Hypoplasia

PURPOSE: To estimate the baseline demographic/ocular characteristics and associated findings of patients with foveal hypoplasia. METHODS: The medical records of 42 patients (84 eyes) who were clinically diagnosed with foveal hypoplasia were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: There were 28 males and 14 females with mode age at diagnosis of 1 (range, 0-60 years) year and a mean follow-up period of 9.7 +/- 5.4 years. At the first office visit, the most common complaints were ocular oscillation and face turn. There were 75 eyes (91.5%) with best corrected visual acuity worse than 0.3 at the first visit, but that number decreased to 55 eyes (67.1%) at the last follow-up (age range, 7-60 years). The absolute spherical equivalent of refractive errors was 2.89 +/- 2.96 diopters (D), and 71 eyes had astigmatism with a mean astigmatism of 2.1 +/- 1.1 D. Forty-two patients had associated diseases: 15 (35.7%) with aniridia, 16 (38.1%) with ocular albinism and 11 (26.2%) with oculocutaneous albinism. In addition, strabismus was found in 24 patients (57.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Diseases associated with foveal hypoplasia include aniridia, ocular albinism and oculocutaneous albinism. Since foveal hypoplasia is often associated with high refractive errors and poor vision, an early prescription of eyeglasses is mandatory for management of refractive amblyopia to ensure the development of the best corrected visual acuity.

Effects of Exercise on Glycemic Control in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus / 대한소아내분비학회지

PURPOSE: Exercise is frequently recommended in the management of diabetes mellitus(DM) and can improve blood control by increasing insulin sensitivity and psychological benefits. Exercise can result in good glycemic control in type 2 DM, when combined with diet and drug therapy. However, in type 1 DM, the expected improvement in glycemic control with exercise have not been clearly established. Effects of exercise on glycemic control in patients with type 1 DM were investigated. METHODS: 20 patients with of type 1 DM, who were no retinopathy, neuropathy, nephropathy and cardiac disorders, were enrolled and exercised for 30min. with 50% of individualized maximum VO2. Blood sugar concentration were measured before, immediate and 15min after exercise. The results were evaluated with HbA1c, C-peptide and DM duration. RESULTS: Blood sugar concentration were significantly decreased from pre-exercise 198+/-9.7mg/dL to immediate 145+/-7.1mg/dL and at 15min. Post-exercise 134+/-4.0mg/dL(P10% there was also significantly decreased in blood sugar levels 222+/-64.7mg/dL, 169+/-6.1mg/dL, 157+/-1.2mg/dL respectively(P<0.05). Group with moderate decreased blood sugar(40-99mg/dL) was 8 patients(42.1%), group with mild decreased blood sugar(<40mg/dL) was 7 patients(36.8%) and group with decreased more than 100mg/dL was 4 patients(21.5%). There was no correlation in degree of decreased blood sugar concentration among HbA1c, C-peptide, DM duration. CONCLUSION: Proper exercise in type 1 diabetic children can decrease blood sugar level significantly and make good glycemic control and can decrease DM microvascular complications in addition to motivating physically active lifestyle.

Prognostic Significance of Circulating Blasts after 7 Day of Multiagent Chemotherapy in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia / 대한소아혈액종양학회지

PURPOSE: To assess the importance of early clearance of blast cells in peripheral blood and the predictability of outcome in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) through this method. METHODS: We reviewed medical records of all childhood patients with ALL enrolled on Severance Hospital (January 1992 to December 1997) to determine the presence of blast cells in peripheral blood at diagnosis and after 1 week of intensive induction therapy. RESULTS: Persistent circulating leukemic blasts were present at day 7 in 14 patients (11.4%) among 123 ALL patients. Compared with blast negative group, these patients had two adverse clinical and laboratory features (Hemoglobin level and L2 morphology), and a poorer 4-year event-free survival (69.8% vs. 82.7%, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: We found that this simple and noninvasive method, which can replace bone marrow examination, may be very beneficial to predict the prognosis of ALL.