Three-dimensional lower extremity alignment in the weight-bearing standing position in healthy elderly subjects.

Background: Although assessment of lower extremity alignment is important for the treatment and evaluation of diseases that present with malalignment of the lower extremity, it has generally been performed using only plain radiographs seen in two dimensions (2D). In addition, there is no consensus regarding the criteria for quantitative three-dimensional (3D) evaluation of the relative angle between the femur and tibia. The purpose of this study was to establish assessment methods and criteria for quantitatively evaluating lower extremity alignment in 3D and to obtain reference data from normal elderly subjects.

[Slow delivery rate improves the outcome of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy].

Purpose: To determine the efficiency of slow delivery rate of shockwaves (SW) on stone fragmentation and treatment outcomes in patients with renal and ureteral calculi.

Patients And Method: Using the Siemens Lithostar Multiline, we treated 843 patients (229 renal and 614 ureteral stones) at a fast delivery rate (120 SW/min, between October 2003 and August 2006), 448 patients (139 renal and 309 ureteral stones) at a slow delivery rate (90 SW/min, between September 2006 and August 2008).

Results: The stone free rates at 3 months after treatment of fast rate group and slow rate group were 60% and 53% (renal stones, P = 0.

Advantage of vein grafts for anomalous origin of a right coronary artery.

A 66-year-old man with anomalous origin of the right coronary artery suffered from chest pain. The results of coronary angiography and multidetector computer tomography indicated that the proximal right coronary artery was intermittently compressed, causing the ischemia. Coronary artery bypass grafting was regarded as a reliable treatment compared with percutaneous coronary intervention or other surgeries.

[Significance of age on prognosis in patients treated by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy].

Purpose: To investigate the effect of patient age on the stone-free rate (SFR) in patients with urinary stones treated by extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL).

Patients And Method: 138 patients with renal calculi and 463 patients with ureteral calculi were treated using the Siemens Lithostar Multiline. Multiple logistic regression was used to investigate the effect of age and other possible predicting factors, i.

[Preoperative pulseless electrical activity of acute type A aortic dissection; report of a case].

An 80-year-old man with acute type A aortic dissection, who was preoperatively observed in the intensive care unit, suddenly became unresponsive. The patient was immediately intubated, but a pulse check was delayed because the cardiac monitor seemingly showed a normal sinus rhythm. Bedside echocardiography, while continuing cardiopulmonary resuscitation, revealed massive pericardial effusion.

[Treatment of upper urinary tract calculi using Siemens Lithostar Multiline, and comparison with previous machine: Lithostar].

Purpose: We compared the efficacy, safety and conveniency of previous and present lithotriptors for the treatment of upper urinary tract calculi.

Patients And Method: 691 patients with renal calculi and 2,294 patients with ureteral calculi were treated using a 2nd generation electromagnetic fluoroscopic guided lithotriptor, the Lithostar (L group), and 153 with renal calculi and 486 with ureteral calculi were treated using a 3rd generation lithotriptor, the Lithostar Multiline (M group). The success rates, defined as stone-free or residual fragments that were 4 mm or less on three months later, were calculated and compared.

Quantitative 3-dimensional analysis of preoperative and postoperative joint lines in total knee arthroplasty: a new concept for evaluation of component alignment.

We developed a quantitative 3-dimensional (3D) technique for the assessment of changes in the tibial joint line as well as distal and posterior femoral joint lines using a 3D image-matching procedure. In this study, we performed 3D joint line assessment of 20 knees that had undergone total knee arthroplasty. Most of the knees exhibited proximal change in the tibial joint line, distal change in the distal femoral joint line, and anterior change in the posterior femoral joint line.

Three-dimensional knee motion before and after high tibial osteotomy for medial knee osteoarthritis.

Background: High tibial osteotomy (HTO) is an established surgical option for treating medial knee osteoarthritis. HTO moves the mechanical load on the knee joint from the medial compartment to the lateral compartment by changing the leg alignment, but the effects of the operation remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the change in three-dimensional knee motion before and after HTO, focusing on lateral thrust and screw home movement, and to investigate the relationship between the change in knee motion and the clinical results.

Three-dimensional lower extremity alignment assessment system: application to evaluation of component position after total knee arthroplasty.

A 3-dimensional (3D) lower extremity alignment assessment system based on biplanar computed radiography, a camera calibration procedure, and 3D image fitting techniques was developed. The goal of this study was to examine the errors associated with applying this 3D technique to determine component alignment after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Tibial and femoral component alignment after TKA (varus--valgus, flexion-extension, and internal--external angulations) in 4 patients was determined directly with reconstructions from computed tomography (CT) scans and indirectly with the proposed bone and component image fitting techniques.

[Intermittent oral hormonal chemotherapy using estramustine phosphate and etoposide for the treatment of hormone-refractory prostate cancer].

Seventeen patients were given lower dose and intermittent oral administration of estramustine phosphate (6 mg/kg/day) and etoposide (30 mg/m2/day) for 7 days. Then administration was discontinued for 7 days. This administration cycle was repeated.

[Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of the aortic annular diameter in aortic valve stenosis].

Accurate preoperative knowledge of the aortic annular diameter is a great value in determining the appropriate procedure for aortic valve stenosis. We have successfully used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to evaluate the size of the aortic annular diameter preoperatively. Between October 1997 and October 1998, 5 aortic valve replacements were performed in patients with aortic valve stenosis.

Rotational muscle strength of the limb after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using semitendinosus and gracilis tendon.

Purpose: To investigate the influence of harvesting semitendinosus and gracilis tendons on the rotational muscle strength of the limb after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction.

Type Of Study: Prospective study.

Methods: We performed a prospective study of 62 consecutive (34 male, 28 female) patients with ACL reconstructions using the semitendinosus and gracilis tendons.

Three-dimensional knee motion analysis for the pathogenesis knee osteoarthrosis.

To discuss the pathogenesis of knee OA, the relationships of the risk factors which are detected by the epidemiological study are explained by the three-dimensional motion analysis.

Mycotic abdominal aortic aneurysm associated with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS): report of a case.

A 59-year-old man, who manifested lower back pain, was admitted with sepsis and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). A computed tomographic scan showed a slight thickening of the abdominal aortic wall. A blood examination revealed pancytopenia.

Quantitation of heteroplasmy of mitochondrial tRNA(Leu(UUR)) gene using PCR-SSCP.

We have devised a novel method for quantitative analysis of the MELAS (mitochondrial myopathy, encephalopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes) tRNA(Leu(UUR)) mutation of mitochondrial DNA using a PCR-SSCP (polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism) method, and compared the results obtained using the PCR-SSCP method with those obtained using other methods including Southern blotting, last one cycle hot PCR, and conventional PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism). The standard curve obtained using the PCR-SSCP method is linear, with a correlation coefficient of 0.999; it was determined that this method is more accurate than other methods for quantitative analysis.

[Venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in an elderly patient with severe respiratory failure--report of a case].

A 69-year-old woman, who developed acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after coronary artery bypass grafting, underwent venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V-V ECMO) because conventional ventilatory support was ineffective. We used a covalently bonded heparin surface ECMO system, including an artificial lung, a centrifugal pump, cannulas, tubing and connectors, that was maintained with low-dose systemic heparinization, the patient was weaned from ECMO after 186 hours. During ECMO, her platelet count was about half of the initial level and markedly elevated thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), plasmin-alpha 2 plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC) and D-dimer were decreased by the use of heparin and protease inhibitors.

[Invasive thymoma involving the liver: a case report of transdiaphragmatic extension].

A 38-year-old woman had an invasive thymoma which disseminated into the thoracic cavity and infiltrated the lateral liver surface. Such transdiaphragmatic extension by an invasive thymoma is rare, however, routine abdominal CT should be performed in invasive thymoma cases to avoid underestimating the extent of disease.