Complete denture rehabilitation of a fully edentulous patient with unilateral facial nerve palsy: A case report / 대한치과보철학회지

Bell's palsy is an acute-onset unilateral peripheral facial neuropathy. For patients with sequelae of facial paresis, the successful rehabilitation of fully edentulous arches is challenging. This case report described the treatment procedures and clinical considerations to fabricate complete dentures of a patient who showed unilateral displacement of mandible, unilateral chewing pattern and parafunctional jaw movement due to sequelae of Bell's palsy. Gothic arch tracing was used to record reproducible centric relation and lingualized occlusion was performed to provide freedom to move between centric relation and the patient's habitual functional area in fabricating satisfactory dentures in terms of function and esthetics.

Neutral zone approach for rehabilitation of severely atrophic maxillary and mandibular ridges: A case report / 대한치과보철학회지

The neutral zone technique is an alternative approach for the construction of complete dentures on highly atrophic ridges with history of denture instability. This technique achieves two objectives. First, the teeth will not interfere with the normal muscle function, and second, the force exerted by the musculature against the denture is more favorable for stability and retention. In this case of a 78-years-old female patient with severely atrophic ridges who had been using unstable complete dentures, the neutral zone impression technique was used to increase the stability and the retention of dentures. The neutral zone for both arch was located with modeling compound. After the arrangement of artificial teeth within the neutral zone, the external impression was taken to determine the tissue surface. The final dentures showed enhanced stability and retention and the patient was satisfied with the new dentures with respect to functional and esthetic aspects.

Full mouth rehabilitation in a severe worn dentition with vertical dimension gaining: A case report / 대한치과보철학회지

The progressive attrition of teeth is a normal process by aging. However, excessive tooth wear with decreased vertical dimension of occlusion and collapse of occlusal plane may cause pathologic pulpal condition, occlusal disharmony, functional disorders and esthetic problems. The change of vertical dimension is required in case that there is no sufficient clearance for restoration or in case that the occlusal relationship is modified. For gaining the vertical dimension, a careful diagnosis is essential prior to starting the restoration treatment. After evaluating adaptation of neuromuscular system of patient during provisional phase, the final restorations can be fabricated. In this case, a 78 year old male with severely worn down dentition was treated. To improve the esthetic appearance and to achieve the ideal occlusal relationship, the full mouth rehabilitation with minimal increase of vertical dimension is planned and diagnostic wax-up was performed at the increased vertical dimension. After evaluation of provisional restorations for 12 weeks, final restorations were fabricated and routine clinical assessments were made. After 1 year, the restorations with newly established occlusal scheme are well maintained without significant complications and esthetically and functionally satisfactory results were obtained.

Implant supported fixed prosthesis for complete edentulous maxilla with severe alveolar ridge resorption: A case report / 대한치과보철학회지

Implant fixed prosthesis for the complete edentulous maxilla provides significant benefits in the aspects of functions and esthetics compared with the conventional denture. Implant supported fixed prosthesis are totally supported by implant, and thus stabilizes the prosthesis to the maximum degree as possible. Also, the improved retention and stability of fixed prosthesis enhance patients' psychological and psychosocial health. This clinical presentation describes a maxillary full arch implant-supported fixed prosthesis in complete maxillary edentulous patient who showed vertical and horizontal alveolar bone resorption in the anterior ridge. To rehabilitate the esthetics and proper lip support, the zirconia framework was fabricated and the pink porcelain was veneered to reproduce the natural gingival tissue. After 9 months of follow up, the restorations were maintained without complications and the patient was satisfied with the restoration both functionally and esthetically.

Extensive Bowel Ischemia with Heavy Alcohol Consumption: Report of a Case

Alcohol is well-recognized systemic toxin that causes numerous adverse effects, including psychosocial problems, fatal myocardial infarction, stroke and atherosclerosis. The intra-abdominal complications caused by acute alcohol consumption have not been defined. We report an 80-year-old man with sub-acute small bowel and colonic ischemia after heavy alcohol intake in one sitting. We performed a resection of gangrenous bowel segments. Microscopically, there were diffuse infarction, with vasoconstriction of the mesenteric vessels in the ileum and colon without any thrombotic occlusion of the intestinal vessels. The clinicians should always be assured by confirmation of a history of recent substance abuse in patients with unexplained abdominal pain, and mesenteric ischemia should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute or chronic abdominal pain in consumers of alcohol.

Toxicity and Tolerability Study of Adjuvant TAC Regimen Chemotherapy in Korean Patients with Breast Cancer / 한국유방암학회지

PURPOSE: Recent randomized phase III trial by the Breast Cancer International Research Group (BCIRG 001) showed that docetaxel plus doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (TAC) is superior to fluorouracil plus doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (FAC) as adjuvant chemotherapy for node-positive operable breast cancer. Unfortunately, TAC was clearly more toxic than FAC not only with respect to neutropenic fever events, but also with respect to many extrahematological side effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity and tolerability of Korean patients with breast cancer treated with TAC. METHODS: This study was conducted on 80 patients with breast cancer who underwent primary surgery at the Department of Surgery in Soonchunhyang University (4 affiliated hospitals) from October 2005 to October 2008. The patients received 480 courses consisting of TAC (75/50/500 mg/m2, every 3 weeks for 6 cycles) without prophylactic granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). Toxicity was graded according to the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria version 3.0. RESULTS: The main toxicities were hematologic (neutropenia grade 3/4 in 98.8% of patients and 92.3% of cycles; febrile neutropenia in 42.5% of patients and 16.0% of cycles). No cases of septic death occurred. The peak time of occurrence for febrile neutropenia was 7-10 days after receiving chemotherapy (mean duration, 2.05 days). Severe nonhematologic adverse events were as follows: myalgia (30.0%), neurotoxicity (17.5%), fatigue (16.3%), stomatitis (12.5%), and nausea (11.3%). CONCLUSION: An adjuvant TAC regimen without prophylactic G-CSF was tolerable in Korean patients with breast cancer. Although most of the patients developed neutropenia, the nonhematologic toxicities (cardiac toxicity) were tolerable. Further studies on prophylactic G-CSF use to assess the contribution to reduced hematologic toxicities are required in Korean patients with breast cancer.

Granulomatous Mastitis

PURPOSE: Granulomatous mastitis (GM), reported for the first time by Kessler and Wolloch in 1972, is a rare and benign inflammatory lesion of the breast. The etiology of GM is currently unknown, but some reports have suggested autoimmunity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristic, clinical presentations and radiological features of GM. METHODS: A chart review was performed for 23 patients, with GM confirmed by a pathological examination, between July 1999 and December 2005. A retrospective review of the clinical and radiological finding, as well as the cytological results of the patients was undertaken. RESULTS: The ages of these patients ranged between 29 and 74 years, with a mean of 39.7 years. The median follow-up was 8 months. Twenty patients (87%) presented with a mass as the chief complaint, with a median size of 2.56 cm (range 0.78~6.5 cm). Eight patients (34.8%) had radiological findings suspicious of malignancy. Tuberculosis was diagnosed using Tb-PCR in 1 patient. Twenty-two of the 23 patients underwent a wide excision, and the one remaining patient underwent incision and drainage. One of 23 patients had a recurrent disease. CONCLUSION: GM is a rare breast disease, which clinically mimics cancer. As radiological imaging, such as mammography or ultrasonography, are unreliable in distinguishing GM from breast cancer, further special examinations, for example FNAB and gun biopsy, are necessary. The single most important differential diagnosis of GM is tuberculosis, especially in developing countries. We suggest that the evaluation for tuberculosis is essential for the differential diagnosis of GM using clinical and pathological methods.

Analysis and Consideration of the Complications of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

PURPOSE: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has replaced open cholecystectomy as the standard treatment and it has widely gained rapid acceptance. However, laparoscopic cholecystectomy has many complications and it can require conversion to open cholecystectomy or further management. We reviewed our cases for determining the complications and clinical results in order to improve the efficacy and safety of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in our hospital. METHODS: The data from 3,224 laparoscopic cholecystectomies that were performed at our hospital from January 1995 to December 2004 were reviewed retrospectively. The pre-operative laboratory data, operative findings, post-operative pathologic findings, complications and proper treatment were evaluated. RESULTS: 52 of all the patients developed complications. The median patient age was 51.8+/-11.6 years, and the median admission time was 29.9+/-10.6 days. The most common complications were post operative bleeding (20 case), and bile duct injury (15 cases). A collection of bile was noted in 12 cases. The treatment of complications were operations (16 case) radiologic interventions (14 case), and observation with conservative management (22 case). CONCLUSION: There were various complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and these patients needed a longer hospital stay and operative treatment. So, improvement of surgeons' skill with a carefully approach and better understanding of the anatomical variations of the biliary tree and vascular system, recognition of pre-operative patients' general condition and the severity of inflammation, and prompt and proper management for complications should be done to prevent serious problems.

Recurrence Patterns and Clinical Behavior of Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GISTs)

PURPOSE: Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal neoplasm of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and account for 1% of all GI malignancies. GISTs have a highly variable clinical course, and recurrent disease sometimes develops despite curative treatment. Although there are several known risk factors for recurrence, there are few adequate treatment strategies. This study evaluated the clinical behavior and clinicopathological characteristics, and examined correlation between recurrence and the prognostic factors. METHODS: From March 1999 to December 2005, 41 patients, with GISTs confirmed by a pathologic examination after a surgical resection, were enrolled. The patients were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining for CD117, CD34 and smooth muscle actin, and were classified according to the NIH criteria. RESULTS: The mean age was 58.9 years and the GISTs were mainly located in the stomach (56%) and small bowel (32%). With a median follow-up of 17.4 months, recurrence of the disease occurred in nine (22%) patients, with the liver being the main organ involved. According to the NIH criteria, there were 2 very low risk tumors, 11 low risk, 16 intermediate, and 12 high risk diagnosed. Gender was found to have predictive value for a recurrence (P=0.05). CONCLUSION: The primary site and gender have predictive value for a recurrence. Identifying the risk factors for recurrent disease may be useful for planning follow-up schedules. Further study involving more cases and a long-term follow-up will be needed. In addition, pathologic and immunohistoche-mical studies will be required to reduce the recurrence rate after a resection and to improve the patients' outcome.

A Clinical Review and Comparative Study of CBD Exploration and Percutaneous Transhepatic Stone Removal for Management in Recurrent Biliary Stone

PURPOSE: Recurrent bile duct stones, following biliary surgery, cause many difficult problems and reoperation on the biliary tract has limitation due to high mortality and morbidity. In recent years, various non-operative modalities for the management of recurrent stone have been developed and reoperation on biliary. This study was designed to determine the factors contributing to the success rate, and to investigate the optimal treatment method, of reccurrent biliary stones. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients, treated by percutaneous transhepatic stone removal (PTBD group), and 42 treated by a common bile duct exploration (operation group), at Chung- Ang University Hospital, between January 1999 and August 2002, were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Complete removal (Success) was achieved in 82.1 and 86.1% of the cases of the PTBD and operation groups, respectively. There were no significant differences observed relating to the sex, age, duration of hospital stay, cost, success rate. However, the complication rate was significantly decreased in the PTBD group (8 cases (20.5%) vs. 22 cases (51.2%) P=0.0057). CONCLUSION: Form the comparison of the operation and PTBD groups, similar success rates were observed. Percutaneous transhepatic stone removal is also an effective method for the management of recurrent bile duct stones. After studying more cases, re-evaluation must be performed concerning the potential advantages of percutaneous transhepatic stone removal.