Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Acute Cervical Cord Injuries (Clinical Correlation and Prognosis) / 대한척추외과학회지

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective evaluation of MRI and clinical examinations in 60 acute cervical spine cord injury. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether initial MRI appearances of the spinal cord in acute trauma correlate with clinical presentation and prognosis. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Magnetic resonance imaging was known to be the best imaging modality to evaluate spinal cord injury. However, there was no sufficient report to correlate between clinical presentation, prognosis and findings of mag-netic resonance imaging. METHODS: Sixty patients with cervical SCI were evaluated their clinical manifestations, prognosis and MRI findings. MRI was taken with 10 days after trauma in all patients. The patients initial and final neurologic status and functional outcome were evaluated and correlation with initial MRI findings. RESULTS: Edema 37%, swelling 33%, contusion 20%, normal 10% was found at initial magnetic resonance imaging. The group of edema and swelling was more neurological deficit than other groups and low functional and neurological recovery was found at last follow up. The average length of the edema and swelling was each other 19.8, 20.4 mm. There was more neurological deficit, lower functional recovery in longer length of the edema and swelling. CONCLUSION: There is a close correlation between initial magnetic resonance imaging and final neurological, functional recovery in acute spinal cord injury. Magnetic resonance imaging is useful in predicting the clinical outcome and prognosis.

Relationship between DNA ploidy and Survival Time in Small Cell Lung Cancer / 결핵

BACKGROUND: Flow cytometric study has been used to measure the DNA content of solid tumors for the last decade. DNA ploidy is an important property commonly measured by flow cytometry. The possibility to study archival paraffin-embedded tumors has hastened an appreciation of prognostic utility of this method. The aim of this study is to look for biologic prognostic indicator for survival time of patients with small cell carcinoma of lung in addition to the well known clinical prognostic factors. METHOD: DNA ploidy was measured by flow cytometric method using tumor cells isolated from paraffin embedded tissue. To evaluate the prognostic significance, DNA ploidy of small cell lung cancer was analysed in 42 patients who died after receiving anticancer chemotherapy. RESULTS: 1) Mean survival time of all patients was 190(+/-156) days. Survival time was shortened, when TNM stage and PS scale were advanced. 2) 62% of all patients was DNA aneuploidy. DNA ploidy had nothing to do with advance of TNM stage and PS scale. 3) Mean survival time of aneuploid tumor was significantly shorter(138+/-90 days) than that of diploid tumors(272 +/- 197 days).(p <0.001) 4) To exclude the influence of clinical prognostic factors such as TNM stage and PS scale, the analysis was restricted to subgroups of identical stage. We were able to find the same tendency. CONCLUSION: DNA ploidy is an independent prognostic factor in small cell lung cancer.