• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.325-333
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• 2001

Background : This study aimed to estimate the clinical outcome and identify the characteristics of a group of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis who completed anti-tuberculosis therapy with the First-line drugs in spite of having positive smear results with negative sputum culture results over the previous six months. Method : A retrospective chart review of 21 patients who fulfilled the above criteria between 1995 and 1999 was performed. The laboratory data as well as the clinical data of the patients with positive smear results and negative culture results over a six months period were reviewed. Results : The negative conversion of sputum culture results was achieved within $1.3{\pm}1.2$ months and the negative conversion of the sputum smear results was accomplished during $9.5{\pm}3.3$ months. Chest X-rays at 5 months following the institution of anti-tuberculosis therapy from all patients revealed improvements. Four out of 21 patients(19%) relapsed during the follow up, $15.2{\pm}13.4$ months after administering anti-tuberculosis therapy for $13.3{\pm}3.1$ months. Relapses were confirmed from between 3 months and 4 months after the treatment completion. Only one of the four relapses had no past history of anti-tuberculosis therapy and the others had prior treatment twice (p<0.01). The period of anti-tuberculosis treatment was extended to a mean of $4.6{\pm}2.6$ months in 12 patients. However, prolongation of anti-tuberculosis therapy had no affect on the relapse rate (odds ratio, 95% CI 0.18, 2.15). Conclusion : Prolongation of therapy with the First-line drugs is not necessary for patients with persistently positive smear results over 6 months and negative culture results. A patient who has had prior anti-tuberculosis therapy more than twice should be paid the closest attention.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.190-196
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• 2013

Intestinal tuberculosis (TB) is presented with nonspecific and variable clinical manifestations such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever and weight loss. Diagnosis of tuberculous enteritis may be missed or confused with many other chronic gastrointestinal disorders such as the Crohn disease and intestinal neoplasms. The diagnosis should be based on careful clinical evaluations, such as extra-intestinal signs and colonoscopic and histologic findings. Newer techniques such as PCR tests from the specimens through colonoscopic biopsy may be helpful to confirm diagnosis of tuberculous enteritis. The treatment regimens for pulmonary tuberculosis are generally effective for tuberculous enteritis as well. If not treated early, the prognosis of intestinal tuberculosis is poor. We report a case of tuberculous enteritis diagnosed by colonoscopic biopsy and TB PCR which was presented with diarrhea, abdominal pain, intermittent fever and weight loss in a 12-year-old girl with active pulmonary tuberculosis. The patient was treated successfully with antituberculosis agents for 11 months without any complications.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.601-608
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• 1999

Background: Tuberculous pleural effusion responds well to the anti-tuberculosis agents in general, so no further aggressive therapeutic managements to drain the tuberculous effusion is necessary except in case of diagnostic thoracentesis. But in clinical practice, we often see some patients who later decortication need due to dyspnea caused by pleural thickening despite the completion of anti-tuberculosis therapy in the patients with tuberculous effusion. Especially, the patients with loculated tuberculous effusion might have increased chance of pleural thickening after treatment. The purpose of this study was that intrapleural urokinase instillation could reduce the pleural thickening in the treatment of loculated tuberculous pleural effusion. Methods: Thirty-seven patients initially diagnosed as having loculated tuberculous pleural effusion were randomly assigned to receive either the combined treatment of urokinase instillation and anti-tuberculosis agents(UK group) and anti-tuberculosis agents(Non-UK group) alone. The 16 patients in UK group received a single radiographically guided pig-tail catheter ranging in size from 10 to 12 French. 100,000 units of urokinase was dissolved in 150 ml of normal saline and instilled into the pleural cavity via pig-tail catheter every day, also this group was treated with anti-tuberculosis agents. While the 21 patients in Non-UK group were treated with anti-tuberculosis agents only except diagnostic thoracentesis. Then we evaluated the residual pleural thickening after treatment for their loculated tuberculous pleural effusion between the two groups. Also the duration of symptoms and the pleural fluid biochemistry like WBC counts, pH, lactic dehydrogenase(LDH), glucose, proteins, and adenosine deaminase(ADA) were compared. Results: 1) The residual pleural thickening(RPT)($5.08{\pm}6.77$ mm) of UK group was significantly lower than that($20.3222{\pm}26.37$ mm) of Non-UK group(P<0.05). 2) The duration of symptoms before anti-tuberculosis drug therapy of patients with RPT$\geq$10 mm($5.23{\pm}3.89$ wks) was significantly longer than the patients with RPT<10 mm($2.63{\pm}1.99$ wks)(P<0.05). 3) There were no significant differences in the pleural fluid findings like WBC count, glucose, LDH, proteins, pH, ADA between the patients with RPT$\geq$10 mm and the patients with RPT<10 mm. Conclusion : The treatment of loculated tuberculous pleural effusion with the urokinase instillation via percutaneous transthoraic catheter was effective to reduce the pleural thickening.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.181-185
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• 2002

Childhood tuberculous peritonitis is difficult to diagnose especially in cases without pulmonary involvement. It may present as mechanical ileus, perforation, simulating acute appendicitis, enterocolitis or intusussception. Early diagnosis in children may be difficult, largely because of variable vague symptoms and nonspecific signs. Surgery has often been required for pathologic confirmation. We have experienced a case of tuberculous peritonitis presenting with abdominal pain, abdominal distension and persistent high fever in a 10-year-old boy who was diagnosed by explo-laparotomy and pathologic confirmation from biopsy specimen from omentum. The patient was treated with antituberculous drugs and recovered uneventfully.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.59 no.6
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• pp.613-618
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• 2005

Background : Recently, medical treatment of multi-drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis has been unsuccessful. Through analyzing the cases with surgical treatment, we hope to provide some help in treating multi-drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis in the future. Material and Method : A retrospective review was performed with 138cases of surgical treatment of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis during 10years from January 1994 to December 2003 at National Masan Hospital. Results : The ratio of men to women, 5.1:1 indicates that there were more incidences in men. The number of the resistant drugs was 5.3 with a mean age of 42.6 years. Cavitary lesions on the plain chest X-rays were seen in 94cases (68.1%). 128cases had positive sputum culture preoperatively. Types of operations were 24 pnemonectomies, 83 lobectomies, 10 bilobectomies, 19 lobectomies with segmentectomies or wedge resections, 1 wedge resection, and 1 carvenoplasty. There was no death after operation. There were 6cases of air leakage over a week, 6cases of postoperative bleeding, 8cases of bronchopleural fistula and empyema, 16cases of dead space, 1case of atelectasis, 1case of wound infection, 1case of cyst as postoperative complication. Postoperative complication showed higher long-term negative conversion rate of 92.8%. Conclusion : There has been many discussions about operative indications, postoperative drug regimens, length of postoperative chemotherapy. In our study, we showed higher long-term success rate of postoperative chemotherapy with pulmonary resection on multi-drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.421-431
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• 2000

Background : The length of postoperative drug therapy remains controversial in pulmonary tuberculosis. We analyzed our experiences to determine the postoperative duration of chemotherapy after resection. Method : A retrospective review was performed in 66 of 95 patients that underwent pulmonary resection for pulmonary tuberculosis between January 1993 and December 1998. We compared the relapse rates according to the length of postoperative chemotherapy in each group, classified by the results of sputum AFB culture before the surgery, the number of resistant drugs, the number of prior treatment and the division of anti-TB drugs used postoperatively. Results : Fifty three of 66(80.3%) were men and 13(19.7%) were women with a median age of 33.5 years(range, 16 to 63). The mean lengths of the pre- and post-operative chemotherapies were 4.9 months, and 12.9 months respectively. Five of 66 patients (7.6%) relapsed during the mean period of follow up (39.7 months). In the group less than three times of the prior treatment, there were two relapses (20%) in Ed-the highlight above-rephrase 10 patients that were medicated for 6 months or less, and one relapse in 43 patients (2.3%) that took medicine for more than 6 months (p=0.03). In the group using second-line drugs postoperatively, there was one relapse (25%) in four patients that were medicated for 12 months or less. No patient in a total of 17 that received medicine for more than 12 months relapsed (p=0.03). Conclusion : We recommend that patients with the prior treatment less than three times should be treated for more than 6 months after resection and patients using the second-line drugs postoperatively should be medicated for more than 12 months.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.186-189
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• 2013

Endobronchial ultrasound guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) now provides an important alternative diagnostic modality in patients with intrathoracic tuberculosis lymphadenopathy. The procedure is well tolerated in the outpatient setting, provides access to the mediastinal and hilar lymph node locations commonly in tuberculosis and also allows bronchial washing to be performed at the same procedure. However, there is no report of EBUS-TBNA applied to children to diagnose tuberculosis. We report a case of EBUS-TBNA applied to children who had intrathoracic tuberculosis lymphadenopathy.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.66 no.3
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• pp.236-240
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• 2009

Miliary tuberculosis is quite a rare but serious cause of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Therefore, the early detection of military tuberculosis as the underlying cause of ARDS is very important for the prognosis and survival of the patient. We report a case of military tuberculosis mimicking ARDS. A female patient was admitted due to repeated fever and dyspnea. The initial chest CT scan showed diffuse ground glass opacity, without a miliary pattern. The case was considered to be ARDS caused by pneumonia. She showed improvement after being treated with levofloxacin. However, she was re-admitted with fever seven days after discharge. The follow up chest CT scan showed micronodules in both lungs. An open lung biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of military tuberculosis.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.1005-1009
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• 2013

Using DNA sequencing method, we analyzed mutations of rpoB (RNA polymerase beta subunit) rifampin-resistant Mycobaterium tuberculosis strains which were identified by conventional test at Masan National Hospital and The Korean Institute of Tuberculosis. Though it has been reported different mutations of rpoB region of rifampin-resistant M. tuberculosis strains in the south of Korea, it is not confirmed whether these mutations of rpoB region actually express rifampin resistance through experiment. We confirmed experimentally these mutations of rpoB region of M. tuberculosis strains induced rifampin-resistance through ampified rpoB by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and cloning of mutant rpoB into rifampin sensitive-M. tuberculosis strain.

• Pediatric Infection and Vaccine
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.131-135
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• 2004

Tuberculous peritonitis is a rare cause of intra-abdominal infection. Although sometimes asymptomatic, most of the patients have fever, weight loss, abdominal pain, and edema. The diagnosis of tuberculous peritonitis is difficult and sometimes delayed because of confusion of the disease with other illnesses and the non-specificity of signs and symptoms. Tuberculous peritonitis is examined with ultrasonography and computerized tomogram, but confirmed by biopsy or tuberculosis culture. Ascitic fluid is exudates with a lot of lymphocytes and elevated protein. Tuberculous peritonitis is treated successfully with isoniazid, rifampicin for one year, pyrazinamide for first 2 months and streptomycin for first one month. We experienced one case of tuberculous peritonitis with transudate of ascitic fluid, confirmed by biopsy using colonoscopy, and treated successfully.