The Evaluation of Renal Function in Spinal Cord Injury Patients Using Radioisotope Renography

OBJECTIVE: The purposes of this study were to determine the renal function by radioisotope renography and to compare the findings of radioisotope renography in the spinal cord injured patients to the clinical presentations and findings of other conventional urologic examinations. METHOD: Intravenous pyelogram(IVP), voiding cystourethrogram(VCUG) and urodynamic study were performed in twenty-five spinal cord injured patients along with serum BUN/Creatinine levels and 24 hour creatinine clearance tests. Technetium-99 m mercaptoacetyltriglycine was used for the radioisotope renography. RESULTS: One abnormal radioisotope renography finding was noted among 22 normal findings by IVP and VCUG studies, while no abnormal finding by IVP and VCUG studies was noted among the subjects with a normal radioisotope renography. Effective renal plasma flow(ERPF) was significantly lower in patients with lower creatinine clearance. ERPF, cortical retention and creatinine clearance values for hyperreflexic bladders were significantly different from areflexic bladders. ERPF was significantly higher in a clean intermittent catheterization group than in a percussion and Cred method group for the hyperreflexic bladders. CONCLUSION: The study proves that the radioisotope renography is a sensitive and valuable study to evaluate the renal dysfunction in the spinal cord injured patients.

Correlation of Visual Perceptual Dysfunction with Brain Lesion in Stroke Patients

Visual perceptual dysfunction in stroke patients causes a failure in activties of daily living and learning. Therefore, the correct diagnosis and remediation of visual perceptual dysfunction are important. Since the mechanism of visual perception is not well studied, it is difficult to treat visual perceptual dysfunction effectively. In this study, we tried to correlate visual perceptual dysfunction with anatomical lesion of brain for the use of visual perceptual training. We assesed the visual perception and the brain lesions of fiftroke patients, with Motor-Free Visual Perception Test(MVPT), and brain computerized tommography respectively. The visual responses of contralateral side of the lesions were diminished. The raw score of MVPT was low in patients with lesions in both parietal and, right temporal lobes. The right parietal lobe lesions correlated with tests for figure-ground and visual closure, and the left parietal lobe lesions with visual processing time. The result suggests that the right parietal lobe has an important role in visual perceptions. The right temporal, and the left parietal lobes as well as the subcortex of both hemisphere also has significant roles in visual perceptions.