The radiographic estimation of the kidney in normal Korean children

The radiographic measurement of the renal size and position provide important information of disease of thekidney and the adjacent organs. The author analyzed the 213 cases of intravenous pyelography of normal Koreanchildren from 0 to 18 years of age (135 males and 78 females) and measured the following points; the length of thekidney, the width of the kidney, the level of both hila, and the ratio of the kidney length to the total height ofupper 4 lumbar vertebral bodies plus intervertebral discs. The results were obtained as follows; 1. Above 4 yearsof age, the annual increase rate of the kidney length was 0.31cm, and that of the height of lumbar vertebrae was0.44cm in male and 0.55 cm in female; the height of lumbar vertebrae grew more rapidly than the kidney length. 2.The age group of the most rapid growth in the length and the width of the kidney was 16 to 18 years of age inmale, and 13 to 15 years of age in female, and that of the most delayed growth was 4 to 6 years of age in bothsexes. 3. The size of the left kidney was usually larger than that of the right. But, the right kidney was largerthan the left in 20% of the cases. 4. The right hilum was usually lower than that of the left. In the 12% of thecases, however, the right hilum was higher in position than the left. 5. The width of the kidney in most childrencorresponded to the 45 to 60% of the kidney length. 6. The kidney size in age group between 16 and 18 years waswithin the range of that of normal adults. 7. The ratios of the kidney length to the height of upper 4 lumbarvertebral bodies plus intrevertebral discs were as follows; > 1.1 below 3 years of age. 1±0.1 between 4 and 12 years of age. > 0.9 above 13 years of age.

A clinical and radiological study on spontaneous pneumothorax

A clinical and radiological study was done on 96 cases of spontaneous pneumothorax, encoutered in the Dept. ofRadiology, Busan National University Hospital during last 3 years from March. 1979 to March 1982. The results weresummarized as follows; 1. In the age distribution, the ages between 20 and 39 years were most highest, as 54 cases(56.3%). In the sex distribution, the ratio of male to female was 5:1 in male predominance. 2. The underlyingpathology of the total 96 cases of spontaneous pneumothorax were of tuberculous origin in 33.3% andnon-tuberculous origin in 66.7%. And below 20 years, most were of non-tuberculous origin. 3. In the cases of lungcollapse over 2/3, non-tuberculous origin was more than tuberculous origin and had characteristics of significantmediastinal shifting, in contrast to lower percentage of fluid level by chest radiography. 4. The rupture of blebsor bullae was the main immediate causes of spontaneous pneumothorax, independent of the underlying pathology. 5.In only 27 cases (28.1%) among total 96 cases, bullae or blebs could be detected on the chest radiography. 6. Intreatment of spontaneous pneumothorax, the closed thoracotomy with under water seal drainage is accepted to be thegeneral method of treatment. But open thoracotomy is considered as the best useful therapeutic procedure toprevent the recurrence, whenever bullae of blebs are found on the chest radiography. 7. In the cases of closedthoracotomy, the recurrent rate was 25.0% and most cases were found at the ipsilateral side of the first attack.8. Within a week, the collpased lung were well expanded in most cases of total 96 cases, after closed thoracotomy.