Huge Ancient Hematoma in the Calf

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Osteomyelitis of Bilateral Femoral Heads After Childbirth: A Case Report

Hip and pelvic pain during pregnancy or after delivery is a common problem in young females, and in most cases this problem has a self-limiting course. The patient described in this case suffered from severe hip pain after childbirth. MR imaging study was performed and it showed arthritis of bilateral hip joints and osteomyelitis of femoral heads with an abscess in the surrounding muscle. Infection, such as septic arthritis or osteomyelitis, is an extremely rare cause of peripartum joint pain. The patient's clinical symptoms and laboratory findings improved with antibiotic therapy. However, limitation of motion of the bilateral hip joints persisted although the patient continued rehabilitative therapy for 15 months, and the patient had to undergo bilateral total hip replacement. Hereby, we present a case of severe osteomyelitis and pyogenic arthritis of bilateral femoral heads and hip joints after delivery, which eventually required bilateral total hip replacement.

Application of Hand Towel Drape over Dingman Mouth Gag

In cleft palate surgery, the environment is especially critical when suturing. Encum-bered, obstructive space in the environment can hinder a suture while using the Dingman mouth gag. We introduced a novel but simple draping technique. A simple hand towel is placed over the gag. A hole is cut out in the middle according to each patient's mouth. After making the hole, the hand towel is soaked in water and gently squeezed. Then the towel is properly placed over the Dingman mouth gag. Dripping water on the hand towel during the suture helps keep it in place. Using this draping technique, we cut 14 minutes of operation time compared to the average operation time of the past 2 years. There were several disadvantages in previous draping method. First, long suture material may easily get caught. Second, the operation field can easily be contaminated. Third, focusing on the operation becomes difficult due to the obstruction. This draping technique can compensate for the disadvantages of the previous Dingman mouth gag.

The Effect of Transurethral Resection of the Prostate on Erectile Function in Patients with Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) on erectile function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 108 patients treated with TURP were retrospectively evaluated. All patients were evaluated 1, 3, and 6 months after TURP by use of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), peak urinary flow rate (Qmax), and post-void residual urine (PVR). RESULTS: One and 3 months after TURP, the erectile function domain score of the IIEF was significantly decreased. However, after 6 months, there was no longer a significant decrease in the erectile function domain score. The change in erectile function was compared with the IPSS score. There was no statistically significant correlation, but patients who had better voiding symptoms after TURP had improved erectile function. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that there was a significant decrease in erectile function for 3 months after TURP. However, no significant change in erectile function was observed 6 months after TURP.

Neurotoxicity Screening in a Multipotent Neural Stem Cell Line Established from the Mouse Brain

Neural stem cells (NSCs) have mainly been applied to neurodegeneration in some medically intractable neurologic diseases. In this study, we established a novel NSC line and investigated the cytotoxic responses of NSCs to exogenous neurotoxicants, glutamates and reactive oxygen species (ROS). A multipotent NSC line, B2A1 cells, was established from long-term primary cultures of oligodendrocyte-enriched cells from an adult BALB/c mouse brain. B2A1 cells could be differentiated into neuronal, astrocytic and oligodendroglial lineages. The cells also expressed genotypic mRNA messages for both neural progenitor cells and differentiated neuronoglial cells. B2A1 cells treated with hydrogen peroxide and L-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine underwent 30-40% cell death, while B2A1 cells treated with glutamate and kainate showed 25-35% cell death. Cytopathologic changes consisting of swollen cell bodies, loss of cytoplasmic processes, and nuclear chromatin disintegration, developed after exposure to both ROS and excitotoxic chemicals. These results suggest that B2A1 cells may be useful in the study of NSC biology and may constitute an effective neurotoxicity screening system for ROS and excitotoxic chemicals.

Neuralgic Amyotrophy Considered as Cervical Radiculopathy: A case report

Neuralgic amyotrophy is a syndrome with a broad range of clinical manifestations. It is characterized by acute, severe pain in the shoulder or arm lasting several days or weeks, followed by muscle weakness and atrophy as the pain diminishes. The diagnosis is based on typical clinical features, electromyography (EMG) and a nerve conduction study. The early and correct diagnosis is important to preclude unnecessary testing or surgical procedures. A 59-year-old female patient presented with pain and weakness involving her right palm and 1-3rd fingers. Three weeks before presentation, she noted the sudden onset of severe right shoulder and forearm pain. After the pain was reduced, she noted persistent right palm and 1-3rd finger pain and weakness. On cervical MRI, there was a mild central disc protrusion at C4-5 and C5-6. Electrodiagnostic testing was performed and she was diagnosed with neuralgic amyotrophy. One week after hospital treatment, her pain was relieved from VAS 10 to 3 and she was discharged with mild weakness of the thumb and index finger during pinch grips.

Ultrasound-Guided Sciatic Nerve Block for the Treatment of Radiation Therapy Induced Sciatic Neuritis: A case report

Sciatic nerve block is frequently used for anesthesia or analgesia during lower leg surgery or chronic lower leg pain syndrome. Recently, a lot of ultrasound-guided peripheral nerve block has been reported because there are several benefits compared to blind technique. We performed ultrasound-guided right sciatic nerve block successfully to the patient who has been suffering from right buttock pain after previous radiation therapy.

Newly Discovered Pseudoaneurysm after Embolization of a Renal Arteriovenous Fistula with a Pseudoaneurysm following a Renal Stab Wound

Post-traumatic arteriovenous fistula (AVF) and pseudoaneurysm are rare, and mostly occur in stab wound patients. Suspected AVF and pseudoaneurysm requires angiography, with planned simultaneous embolization. Superselective embolization is generally a safe and effective treatment modality for AVF and pseudoaneurysm with minimal associated morbidity. Rare complications of the embolization do occur, including renal abscess, postembolization syndrome, impaired renal function, pulmonary embolism caused by migration of coils, and allergic reaction. We present here the case of a man who presented with a newly discovered pseudoaneurysm after embolization of a renal AVF with pseudoaneurysm after a renal stab wound.

An Investigation of Patients who have Undergone Curative Gastrectomy after Incomplete Endoscopic Mucosal Resection with a Diagnosis of Early Gastric Cancer

PURPOSE: Increasingly, endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) for early gastric cancer (EGC) has been performed. However, yet, there is no standard therapy after incomplete EMR or ESD. The aim of this study was to evaluate the necessity of further resection after an incomplete EMR or ESD. METHODS: We analyzed 24 patients who underwent curative gastrectomy due to an incomplete EMR or ESD between January 2000 and February 2007. A retrospective review was performed evaluating the clinicopathological characteristics, operating methods and presence of residual tumor. RESULTS: After the gastrectomy, the total positive residual tumor rate was 66.7% (16/24), with a rate of 73.5% (11/15) for mucosal cancer a rate of 50.0% (4/8) for submucosal cancer, and a rate of 100% (1/1) for cancer that invaded the muscularis propria. There were no positive lymph nodes. There was no recurrence in a mean 35.5 months (range, 4~90 months) of follow-up. CONCLUSION: Further resection is recommended for patients with a positive resection margin, because of the possibility of the presence of a residual tumor. Laparoscopic resection may be one of the most effective therapeutic options for these patients as a minimally invasive procedure by which curative resection can be expected.

Is CO2 Gas Insufflation in Endoscopic Thyroidectomy Safe or Not?: A Prospective Study through the Continuous Measurement of the End-tidal CO2 Pressure

PURPOSE: Endoscopic thyroidectomy has recently been widely used in clinical practice. The operative method can be classified into CO2gas insufflation and the gasless technique. This study assessed the safety of low pressure CO2gas insufflation (up to 6 mmHg) by performing continuous measurement of the end-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) pressure. METHODS: From March 2003 to October 2006, 95 patients (90 hemithyroidectomies and 5 total thyroidectomies) underwent endoscopic thyroidectomy. The low pressure CO2gas insufflation technique was applied in all cases. The ETCO2 pressure of the patients was measured by capnometry at the time of a pre-gas insufflation status (0 minutes) and at the time of post-CO2gas insufflation (30 minutes) and then it was measured every 30 minutes with also performing capnograms. We analyzed the ETCO2 pressure at the time of the pre-CO2gas insufflation status (0 min) and we compared this with that of each status by using paired T-test. RESULTS: For all 95 cases, the mean patient age was 36.2+/-9.1 (range: 21~57 years), the mean tumor size was 1.7+/-1.1 (range: 0.1~4.5 cm) and the mean operative time was 135.0+/-46.1 (range: 50~340 min). The mean ETCO2 pressure (mmHg) was 33.0+/-3.9 at the time of pre-CO2gas insufflation status (0 min); the mean ETCO2 pressure was 31.1+/-3.7 at 30 min (n=95), 33.5+/-3.7 at 60 min (n=95), 35.2+/-3.6 at 90 min (n=95), 34.9+/-3.7 at 120 min (n=90), 34.6+/-3.8 at 150 min (n=70), 34.1+/-3.4 at 180 min (n=40), 34.3+/-5.2 at 210 min (n=15) and 34.0+/-4.2 at 240 min (n=9). There was a significant difference the early post-CO2gas insufflation status (P0.05; at 60 min, 150 min, 180 min, 210 min, 240 min). At each time point, the ETCO2 pressures were all within the normal range. CONCLUSION: We successfully performed endoscopic thyroidectomy with using the low pressure CO2gas insufflation technique and there were no significant complications. We think that performing endoscopic thyroidectomy with using the low pressure CO2gas insufflation technique is a safe procedure.

Malignant gestational trophobalstic tumor with markedly elevated serum hCG levels and negative urine hCG level / 대한산부인과학회지

Gestational trophoblastic disease comprises a spectrum of interrelated conditions originating from the placenta. Malignant gestational trophoblastic disease refers to lesions that have the potential for local invasion and metastasis. This compromises many histological entities including hydatidiform moles, invasive moles, gestational choriocarcinomas, and placental site trophoblastic tumors. Before the advent of sensitive assays for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and efficacious chemotherapy, the morbidity and mortality from gestational trophoblastic disease were substantial. Currently, with sensitive quantitative assays for beta-hCG and current approaches to chemotherapy, most women with malignant trophoblastic disease can be cured. We present a case of malignant gestational trophobalstic tumor with serum beta-hCG concentration over 1million IU/L that metastaze to the lungs and have a hyperthyroidism, but negative urine hCG testing. We report a case with a brief review of literatures.

The Changes of Serum Prostate-specific Antigen after Ejaculation / 대한비뇨기과학회지

PURPOSE: Prostatic manipulation and surgery have been shown to increase serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA). We studied the effect of ejaculation on the serum PSA levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 131 men(16 to 64 years old) who had no history of surgery or inflammatory disease of the urogenital tract. The total serum PSA, free PSA, serum total testosterone, free testosterone, luteinizing hormone(LH), and follicular stimulating hormone(FSH) were evaluated 1 hour after ejaculation. RESULTS: A PSA level was detected in all the men. There were statistically significant changes of the serum PSA level before and after ejaculation. We compared the parameters between increased PSA group and the decreased PSA group. There were significant differences between the two groups on comparison of the total prostate volume(25.4+/-3.6g vs 15.1+/-4.2g, respectively) and the transition zone volume(7.1+/-2.7g vs 5.3+/-1.1g, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Based on our data, ejaculation affects the serum PSA concentration in young men, and there seems to be a physiological relationship between ejaculation and the PSA level. The larger the prostate volume, the more ejaculation has an effect on the serum PSA level.

A Case of Angioleiomyoma of Retroperitoneum / 대한산부인과학회지

Angioleiomyoma is a rare benign soft tissue tumor that originates from smooth muscle cells and contains thick-walled blood vessels. Few cases of angioleiomyoma have been described at sites other than the extremities and head. The female genital tract is rarely involved. We have experienced a case of retroperitoneal angioleiomyoma with abnormal MRI and CT findings, which was confused with ovarian malignancy.

A Case of patients in whom Endometrial adenocarcinoma was diagnosed while on therapy with Tibolone / 대한산부인과학회지

Tibolone (Livial, NV Organon, Oss, Netherlands) is a synthetic steroid which exhibits estrogenic, progestogenic and androgenic activity. In the endometrium, tibolone dose not have estrogenic activity, but dose have intrinsic progestogenic activity. Therefore, it dose not stimulate the endometrial tissue which usually undergoes atrophy. Tibolone has been associated with a relatively low incidence of vaginal bleeding and endometrial hyperplasia. Recently. a few reports have been published even less frequently describing invasive endometrial cancer during tibolone therapy. We report a case of histologically diagnosed adenocarcinoma of the endometrium in women using tibolone. Although we do not suggest causability between the use of tibolone and the development of endometrial malignancy, but we should alert physicians to thorough investigation in patients presenting with vaginal bleeding and the increase of endometrial thickness by sonogram while on tibolone.

Usefulness of Reagent Strips for the Diagnosis of Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is one of the potentially life-threatening complications for patients with liver cirrhosis, and it has a mortality rate of over 20%. Early diagnosis of SBP and immediate use of an adequate antibiotic therapy are very important for achieving a better prognosis. The aim of our study was to assess the usefulness of reagent strips for making the rapid diagnosis of SBP. METHODS: A diagnostic paracentesis procedure was performed upon hospital admission in 257 cirrhotic patients (187 males, 70 females; mean age: 54 years) with ascites. Each fresh sample of ascitic fluid was tested using a reagent strip, and the result was scored as 0, 1+, 2+ or 3+. The leukocyte count, polymorphonuclear cell count, blood bottle culture, and chemistry of ascites were also done. RESULTS: We diagnosed 79 cases of SBP and 2 cases of secondary bacterial peritonitis by means of the polymorphonuclear cell count and the classical criteria. When a reagent strip result of 3+ was considered positive, the test's sensitivity was 86% (70 of 81), the specificity was 100% (176 of 176), and the positive predictive value was 94%. Furthermore, when a reagent strip result of 2+ or more was considered positive, the test sensitivity was 100% (81 of 81), the specificity was 99% (174 of 176), and negative predictive value was 99%. CONCLUSIONS: The use of reagent strips is a very sensitive and specific tool for the rapid diagnosis of SBP in cirrhotic patients. A positive result should be an indication for empirical antibiotic therapy, and a negative result may be useful as a screening test to exclude SBP.

The effect of preoperative transarterial chemoembolization on the patient's outcome in resectable hepatocellular carcinoma / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: Although hepatic resection (HR) is the mainstay for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), high recurrence rate (>60%) is major serious problem. Thus preoperative transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) has been proposed as a neoadjuvant treatment before HR. However, the effect of preoperative TACE in preventing recurrence for initially resectable HCC remains controversial. This study aims at assessing the role of preoperative TACE on the early and long-term outcome following resection of HCC. METHODS: Retrospective randomized analysis was performed. A total of 366 patients who had HR for HCC between January 1995 and December 2000, were included, 132 patients underwent preoperative TACE (TACE plus HR) and 234 patients did not (HR). Statistically no baseline characteristic difference in two groups. RESULTS: HR group was significantly higher than TACE plus HR group in disease-free survival rate and overall survival rate (p<0.001, p<0.01). In subgroup analysis, the disease-free survival rate of HR group was higher than TACE plus HR group in UICC T1-2 and UICC T3 (p<0.01 for both), whereas the difference in overall survival rate was significant only in UICC T3 (p<0.01). Those who achieved tumor necrosis of more than 95% by preoperative TACE showed comparable overall survival rate with HR group, while it was significantly lower in patients who demonstrated tumor necrosis of less than 95% (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative TACE for initially resectable HCC may promote early and late tumor recurrence and reduces overall survival rate after surgery particularly in patients with advanced- stage tumors.

Adefovir Dipivoxil Alone or in Combination with Ongoing Lamivudine in Patients with Decompensated Liver Disease and Lamivudine-resistant Hepatitis B Virus

The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adefovir dipivoxil with or without ongoing lamivudine in decompensated lamivudine-resistant chronic hepatitis B patients. Forty-six hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive patients with decompensated liver function and lamivudine-resistant hepatitis B virus (HBV) were assigned to adefovir dipivoxil monotherapy (n=18) or combination therapy with ongoing lamivudine (n=28) according to their own preference. After 24 weeks of treatment, 83% of monotherapy and 86% of combination therapy showed serum HBV DNA below detection limit (<0.5 pg/mL). Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalized in 78% and 82% respectively. Median Child-Pugh-Turcotte (CPT) score or Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score reduced significantly by 3 or 5 point in monotherapy and 2 or 2 point in combination therapy respectively. There were no significant differences in rate of undetectable serum HBV DNA, median change of ALT and median reduction of CPT or MELD scores between the two groups. In conclusion, both adefovir dipivoxil monotherapy and combination therapy with ongoing lamivudine result in comparable virologic, biochemical, and clinical improvements in HBeAg-positive patients with decompensated liver function and lamivudine-resistant HBV. Combination with lamivudine showed no additional benefit over monotherapy during 24 weeks of treatment in these patients.

Autoimmune Chronic Pancreatitis Relapsing Despite the Maintenance Dose of Steroid

Autoimmune chronic pancreatitis is a disease characterized by diffuse swelling of the pancreas, irregular narrowing of the main pancreatic duct and elevated levels of serum IgG, and lymphoplasmacytic infiltration is observed on histologic examination. Steroid therapy can dramatically reverse the clinical symptoms and the histologic and radiologic findings. It is known that recurrence is very rare after successful steroid treatment. Furthermore, there have not yet been any reports about a case that relapsed during maintenance therapy with low dose steroid. We experienced a rare case of autoimmune chronic pancreatitis that relapsed despite maintenance therapy with low-dose steroid, and the patient again responded to high-dose steroid.

The Relationship between Bone Mineral Density and Serum Lipid Profile in Postmenopausal Women / 대한산부인과학회잡지

OBJECTIVE: To assess the correlation of serum lipid profile with lumbar bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women and investigate whether serum lipid profile could be a risk factor of osteoporosis. METHODS: From 1995 to 2003, we retrospectively reviewed 231 postmenopausal women, who did not take any drugs affecting lipid or bone metabolism. The hysterectomized women or metabolic disease patients were excluded. We analyzed the relationship between serum lipid profile and other parameters in normal and osteopenic groups based on lumbar BMD. RESULTS: There was no significant relationship between serum lipid profile and lumbar BMD in univariate analysis (chi-squared test and Pearson correlation analysis). Lumbar BMD was correlated inversely with age (r=-0.355, por=160 mg/dL) LDL-C levels were 1.09 (95%CI: 0.58-2.05) and 1.10 (95%CI: 0.44-2.79), respectively, compared to normal (<130 mg/dL) LDL-C group. CONCLUSION: There was no correlation between serum lipid profile and lumbar BMD. Serum lipid profile may not be a risk factor of osteoporosis, however, a prospective study in a larger group, considered with multiple factors, will be required to get more proper conclusions.

A Case of Papillary Eccrine Adenoma: Immunohistochemical Study

A case of papillary eccrine adenoma on the right hand of a 84-year-old woman is reported. The tumor was 1 cm in diameter, occupying the whole thickness of the dermis. Histologically, the tumor was composed of dilated tubules of various sizes with intraluminal papillary projections, and was surrounded by a fibrous stroma. An immunohistochemical study revealed that the proliferating tubules were composed of the outermost layer of alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive and the inner layer of keratin 14-negative cells. This antigen expression pattern was comparable to that of the normal eccrine secretory coil, which indicates that the tumor differentiated toward the secretory coil of an eccrine sweat gland.