• Title/Summary/Keyword: Medicinal leech

Search Result 6, Processing Time 0.023 seconds

Medicinal Leech Therapy for Salvage of the Failing Flap (피판 부전증의 구제를 위한 약용거머리 치료법)

  • Baek Chung-Hwan;Shin Juno;Park Joo-Hyun
    • Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
    • /
    • v.16 no.1
    • /
    • pp.20-25
    • /
    • 2000
  • The medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis, has been used for salvage of the venous-congested flap following reconstructive surgery, with increasing frequency during the last two decades. Medicinal leech therapy is a safe, efficacious, economical, and well-tolerated intervention. The flap salvage with leeching occurs in approximately 70% of cases, and leeches need to be used as early as possible. At the time of the bite, evacuation of blood and injection of the leech saliva products, including anticoagulants and inhibitors of platelet aggregation, maintain capillary circulation of the flap, and then venous capillary return is established across the wound by angiogenesis. One of the salivary products, hirudin, represents the first parenteral anticoagulant introduced since the discovery of heparin. We analyzed two cases in which flap salvage with leeching was attempted, and reviewed medicinal leech therapy on the basis of our experiences and literature review. This has not been documented in the head and neck surgery literature in our country.

  • PDF

The literature review of Leech therapy (거머리 요법에 대한 연구동향)

  • Jang, Hyo-Kil;Heo, Dong-Seok
    • Journal of Pharmacopuncture
    • /
    • v.13 no.1
    • /
    • pp.103-120
    • /
    • 2010
  • Objective : To review the trend of the study related to Leech therapy and to establish the hereafter direction for the study on Leech therapy. Methods : I reviewed and analyzed all the theses published in Domestic and Foreign research institution from 1990 to 2009. Results : The following results were obtained in this study. 1. Analyzed number of theses published, there was no significance per year. 2. Classified by theme of journal, journals related to surgery were most(41 journals, 75.92%) among 54 kinds. 3. Classified by theses by research method and thesis types, case report accounted for nearly twothirds (52 pieces, 68.42%) of all theses and consideration of document was next(9 pieces, 11.84%). 4. With the most case of venous congestion after plastic and reconstructive surgery(33 pieces, 63.46%), leech therapy was effective on illnesses such as haematoma, macroglossia, purpura, varicous vein, avulsion injury, neurovascular compression, diabetic neuropathy, penoscrotal oedema, buerger's disease, rheumatoid arthritis. 5. Two most appeared adverse effects were anemia and infection. Immediate blood transfusion was done for recovering anemia and prophylactic 3rd generation antibiotics to infection were emphasized in more than half of case reports. 6. All of consideration of documents was retrospective study of cases related leech therapy and 3 pieces of them emphasized prophyratic antibiotic treatment for preventing infection. 7. The study of clinical trail type started first in 2002 and osteoarthritis of knee and carpometacarpal joint were main target. As see above result, Leech therapy was effective cure and could be used in disease induced by venous congestion. And I think that it is necessary to perform additional study related to solution of problems about leech therapy and protocol for using in clinical practice.

Microsurgical Replantation of A Partial Ear with Arteriole Anastomosis

  • Ahn, Ho-Beom;Cho, Gue-Seung;Kim, Dae-Young;Lee, Sam-Yoong;Cho, Bek-Hyun
    • Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
    • /
    • v.8 no.1
    • /
    • pp.10-14
    • /
    • 1999
  • Ear reconstruction is very difficult to perform and often results in a devastating deformity. The use of microsurgical replantation techniques has allowed very favorable anesthetic results. We report a case of a partial ear replantation without venous repair with the use of medicinal leeches to decompress the acute venous congestion during the postoperative care. The medicinal leech therapy can be very useful in a partial ear replantation in cases with no venous repair.

  • PDF

A Study on Economic Analysis of R&D Output -With Respect to Hirudin- (연구개발제품(硏究開發製品)의 경제성분석(經濟性分析) 연구(硏究) - 히루딘을 중심으로 -)

  • Hyeon, Byung-Hwan;Lim, Jae-Hwan
    • Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
    • /
    • v.24 no.1
    • /
    • pp.55-62
    • /
    • 1997
  • Hirudin is a potent thrombin inhibitor originally derived from the medicinal leech. Leeches were commonly used at the turn of the century for bloodletting and are still used today in some countries. So, hirudin is being developed as a alternative to heparin which has several shortcomings. This study is intended to analyze R&D trends, potential market for hirudin and existing anticoagulant drug market. Anticoagulant drug market in Korea is estimated by over 1,200 billion won in 2010 and revenues in the world market are forecasted to reach 1.62 billion dollar in 1999.

  • PDF

Evaluation of Anticoagulant Activity of Recombinant Hirudin (유전자 재조합에 의해 제조된 하루딘의 항응고 작용)

  • 김영식;엄은미;정정숙;정춘식;정기화;손정훈;최의성;이상기
    • Biomolecules & Therapeutics
    • /
    • v.1 no.2
    • /
    • pp.166-170
    • /
    • 1993
  • Hirudin is a potent inhibitor of thrombin, which was originally obtained from the medicinal leech (Hirudo medicinalis) Now it is being produced through the recombinant technology on a large scale. Recombinant hirudin has been assayed for the anticoagulant activity by the measurement of clotting time and the inhibition of thrombin actvity using a chromogenic substrate. The assay range of partial thromboplastin time and thrombin time is within $0.2{\sim}1.0 {\mu}g/mι.$ Thrombin time is more sensitive to the measurement of clot. Ex vivo study showed the level of hirudin in rat plasma was highest in 10 min and then it was eliminated slowly. The half-life of r-hirudin was 80~110 min depending on the assay methods. Intraveneous injection of russel viper venom was used for thrombus induction combined with vents cava ligation. Inhibition of venous thrombosis was observed with i.v. hirudin. It was dependent on the concentration of hirudin.

  • PDF

Treatment of Complete Scalp Avulsion with the Conditions of Unstable Vital Signs: A Case Report (불안정한 생체징후 하의 두피 결출상 환자의 치험례)

  • Lee, Kang Woo;Kang, Sang Yoon;Yang, Won Yong;Burm, Jin Sik
    • Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
    • /
    • v.12 no.2
    • /
    • pp.116-120
    • /
    • 2011
  • Purpose: Scalp avulsion is a life-threatening injury that may cause trauma to the forehead, eyebrows, and periauricular tissue. It is difficult to treat scalp avulsion as it may lead to severe bleeding. Therefore, emergency scalp replantation surgery is necessary, and we must consider the function, aesthetics, and psychology of the patients. A case of scalp avulsion leading to massive bleeding was encountered by these authors, which led to a failure to achieve the proper operation conditions in an adequate time period. Methods: A 49-year-old female was hospitalized due to having had her head caught in a rotatory machine, causing complete scalp avulsion which included the dorsum of the nose, both eyebrows, and ears. Emergent microsurgical replantation was performed, where a superficial temporal artery and a vein were anastomosed, but the patient's vital signs were too unstable for further operation due to excessive blood loss. Three days after the microanastomosis, venous congestion developed at the replanted scalp, and a medicinal leech was used. Leech therapy resolved the venous congestion. A demarcation then developed between the vitalized scalp tissue and the necrotized area. Debridement was performed 2 times on the necrotized scalp area. Finally, split-thickness skin graft with a dermal acellular matrix ($Matriderm^{(R)}$) was performed on the defective areas, which included the left temporal area, the occipital area, and both eyebrows. Results: The forehead, vertex, right temporal area, and half of the occipital area were successfully replanted, and the hair at the replanted scalp was preserved. As stated above, two-thirds of the scalp survived; the patient could cover the skin graft area with her hair, and could wear a wig. Conclusion: Complete scalp avulsion needs emergent replantation with microsurgical revascularization, but it often leads to serious vital conditions. We report a case with acceptable results, although the microanastomosed vessel was minimal due to the patient's unstable vital signs.