The Age Distribution among Children Seeking Medical Treatment for Precocious Puberty in Taiwan.

Objective: Children with precocious puberty (PP) may have increased physiological and psychological problems. In this study, we aimed to explore the trend of parents seeking medical care for their children with precocious puberty.

Methods: The Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Dataset (NHIRD) was used to estimate the prevalence (2000-2013) and incidence (2002-2013) of PP (ICD-9 code: 259.

Insights Into Microcirculation Underlying Critical Limb Ischemia by Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography.

Perfusion difference is used as a parameter to evaluate microcirculation. This study aims to differentiate lower-limb perfusion insufficiency from neuropathy to prevent possible occurrence of failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS).Patients were retrospectively gathered from 134 FBSS cases diagnosed in the past 7 years.

Long-term follow-up study of osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture treated using balloon kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty.

Object: Long-term follow-up study is required for verifying whether the clinical outcomes of kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty are altered. The authors' findings showed only subtle differences between these operations within a 5-year period. However, they still suggest the use of vertebroplasty over kyphoplasty in view of the treatment costs.

Selective retromastoid vestibular neurectomy for intractable Ménière's disease: a technical note.

Background: Retrosigmoid vestibular neurectomy is considered to be the most effective and safe procedure to control intractable vertigo associated with Ménière's disease while preserving hearing. The surgical procedure of retrosigmoid vestibular neurectomy at the cerebellopontine angle has been well established. Here, we provide for otologic surgeons additional details about the procedure, with special attention to the anatomic features to emphasize our technique, which enables an adequate sectioning of the vestibular fibers on the cochlear nerve close to the overlapping zone containing large-caliber vestibular fibers and small-caliber cochlear fibers.

Brainstem hemorrhage caused by direct carotid-cavernous fistula. A case report and literature review.

A 34-year-old woman presented with a history of persisting headache for years, and a newly developed dizziness, left facial palsy and right hemiparesis two days prior to this admission. Initial computed tomographic angiography of the head demonstrated an area of increased density in the left middle and posterior fossae. Multiple aneurysmally dilated venous ectasias with contrast enhancement at the left pre-pontine cistern causing a massive mass effect to the brainstem were also noted, suggesting a huge vascular abnormality.

En bloc resection concept for endoscopic endonasal nasopharyngectomy: surgical anatomy and outcome.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients have a 19%-56% locoregional recurrence rate after primary therapy. For those recurrent NPC (rNPC) patients, re-irradiation may cause some complications. In recent years, endoscopic endonasal nasopharyngectomy (EEN) has become a surgical option for rNPC patients.