We report the 15 childhood-tympanoplasty performed from the beginning September 1994 until November 1997. The ages ranged between 8 and 16 years, mean 13.4 years. The study included the only tympanoplasty cases with a follow up changing from 3 to 36 months (mean 10.8 months). All the tympanoplasties were type I, whereas ossicular reconstruction of two cases with erosion of ossicul (crus longus) and fixassion of stapedial footplate was postponed till a second operation. According to 3rd month follow up postoperatively, 13 patients showed graft and hearing success (Gab air-bone10 dB), and two cases showed severe tympanosclerosis without graft and hearing success. We have the idea that childhood tympanoplasties could not be postponed for a later age.

A free radical is any atom or molecule that contains one or more unpaired electrons. The unpaired electrons alter the chemical reativity of an atom or molecule, usually making it more reactive than the corresponding non-radical. Activateted phagocytes generate large amounts of free radicals as part of the mechanism by which foreign organisms are killed. During chronic inflammations this normal protective mechanism may become damaging. Researcers now recognise that free radicals are critical players in immune system and the process of inflammation. Our study was undertaken in an attemp to determine the activities of antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GSH-Px, CAT) in erythrocytes isolated from patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA) of knee joints and, as control, from healthy volunteers. In patients with RA, median SOD activity was lower than patients with OA and controls (t=1.96 p=0 06, t=3.89 p=0.0003 respectively). GSH-Px activity in RA was lower than control (t=1.97 p=0.05). While, the activity of CAT in RA was significantly lower than OA, there was no significant difference between RA and control groups (t=2.15 p=0.04, t=1.07 p=0.29 respectively). Decreased antioxidant enzyme activities were established in patients with RA. The decrease in enzyme levels may be explained as these enzymes were used excessively in chemical reactions, or were inhibited by free radical generation.

In this study we made clinical assessement and evaluation of radiological findings and treatment outcomes of low back pain patients admitted to Physiatry Department 100 patients were retrospectively evaluated together with physical examination, rutin laboratory tests, direct lomber x-rays, and when needed, computerized tomography and electroneuromyography were done for each patient. We classified patients according to their congenital anomalies, level of disc herniation, associated disorders and diagnosis. We analized age, sex, the time lapsed till diagnosis, trauma as the cause of low back pain and discussed the types and the outcome of treatments. In 64% of patients lombardisc herni discal and in 23% degenerative disc disease were present. The classification of disc herniations were as the follows;. L 3-4 level: 5 patients (7.8%), L 4-5 level: 24 patients (37.5%), L 5- S1 level: 17 patients (26.6%), L4-5+ L5-S1 level in combination: 14 patients (21.8.%) and L3-4+ L 4-5+ L 5-S1 levels in combination: 3 patients (4.7.%). Other most frequent diseases present in combination with disc hernia were osteoporosis (22%), facet syndrome (23%) spondylolisthesis(5%) and spinal stenosis (4%), 14% of patients were treated with only medication and 86% of them were treated with medication + physiotehrapy. 4 patients who had not get releif, had been referred for surgery. The following tretment outcomes occured: Complete releif in 68%, partial releif in 17 % and no reply to the treatment in 10 % of patients. In conclusion most of the low back pain, admitted to the hospital, consisted of disc hernia and degeneratif disc disease and the most frequent accompanying pathologies were facet syndrome, osteoporosis and spondylolisthesis.

Diaphragmatic elevation has been reported after open hearth surgery with an incidence ranging from 10% to 60%. Phrenic nerve cold injury resulting from the use of iced slush topical hypothermia has been suggested as the cause of elevated diaphragm, although other mechanisms have been implicated. We retrospectively studied 268 patients undergoing cardiac operations with cardiopulmonary bypass in different units over an 8 years period. This study comprised 214 men and 54 women ranging in ages from 18 to 76 years with mean age of 54 years. Of 193 patients in whom iced slush was employed, 50(26%) had elevated hemidiaphragm. When slush was not employed elevated hemidiaphragm developed in 3 (4%) of 75 patients. With iced slush was employed, elevated hemidiaphragm developed in 2 (7%) of 29 patients without internal mammary artery takedown versus 41 of 110 patients (37%) with takedown of internal mammary artery. Our data suggest that the use of topical iced slush is associated with an increase in the incidence of elevated hemidiaphragm. The propensity to elevated hemidiaphragm is increased further when the IMA graft is performed.

The aim of this study was the analysis of the patients admitted to the Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversity, Faculty of Medicine Department of Physiatry outpatient clinics in 1997. The submissions to the unit, in the time of January and December 1997, were evaluated retrospectively. Classification was made according to gender, age, education, urban and rural living as well as the location of disc herniations, mostly affected joints in osteoarthritis and inflammatuary arthritis, varieties of soft tissue rheumatisms, and therapies applied to the patients. 60.32% of patients were female and 39.68% of them were male. 63.5 % of all patients were in the ages between 30 and 70. The most frequently diagnosed diseases were disc herniations (21 %), osteoarthritis (19.8 %), soft tissue rheumatism (15.9 %), inflammatuary arthritis (6.8 %) and brucellosis ( 2.8 %) respectively. 42.2 % of patients were diagnosed as herniated nucleus whic was more frequent in lumbar region than cervical region. 64.9 % of disc herniations were in the ages between 21 and 40. This group of patients had prefered conservative treatment to surgical intervention. Surgical intervention had been performed on 0.78% of all patients.

In this study, excavation in the bone surface of the incus was investigated at four levels. The frequency of occurrence of excavations was recorded at each of these level and histologic appearance was examined by light microscope. In all levels examined, excavations were encountured with an average of 150 and males showed a greater degree of excavation than females. It is suggested that excavations occur in response to biomechanical factors.

In this study, comparison was made between the morphological properties of the coronary arteries including ramus interventricularis anterior (RIA), ramus interventricularis posterior (RIP) and ramus circumflexus (RCF) and six conduits (used as coronary artery graft) vena saphena magna (VSM), arteria thoracica interna (ATI), arteria gastroepiploica dextra (AGD), arteria epigastrica inferior (AEI) and arteria radialis (AR). The materials were harvested from seven cadavers and 8 autopsies of died individuals with nonvascular diseases. Lenght, lumen diameter, wall thickness, and histological structure were examined on the samples obtained from these vessels. The highest measurements of coronary arteries were obtained from RIA samples. The lenghts of all conduits were adequate for coronary artery graft. Mid segment of VSM was found to be more adequate part with 3.25 mm diameter. The most similar diameter value from arterial conduits to coronary arteries was measured from AR and ATI. In histological examination, coronary arteries, AEI, AGD, and AR were found as muscular type, and ATI as elastic type. The differences between coronary arteries and the conduits were statistically significant with respect to the diameters and wall thicknesses. The similarities between coronary arteries and the conduits were investigated by Duncan’s multiple range test and the values of ATI were the most similar to those of the coronary arteries.

The aim of the study was to compare the findings of conventional chest radiography and computed tomography in the diagnosis of lung hidatid cysts. The study population consisted of 21 patients with lung hidatid cyst from two institutions between 1990 and 1997. The group included 9 men and 12 women with a mean age of 40.5 years (between 6 to 65 years). All patients had both conventional chest radiography and computed tomography scans. The conventional chest radiography and computed tomography scans were retrospectively evaluated to identify the lesions, and compared the findings. The radiologic diagnosis of hidatid cyst was confirmed by histopathologicaly in all patients.

Fitz Hugh Curtis (FHC) syndrome appears in the 5 to 10 percent of women who have pelvic inflamatory disease . FHC syndrome clinically mimics many disease such as biliary pathology and may be cause of infertility. In this article, Fitz Hugh Curtis Syndrome which was diagnosed laparoscopically and confirmed microbiologically was discussed in view of the literature.

Primary central nervous system lymphomas are very rare conditions, represent less than 1% of all primary brain tumors. They are defined as lymphoma limited to the cranial-spinal axis without systemic disease. In the last 10 years, their frequency have been higher because of the immünosuppressive patients. Such 6 cases were treated between the years 1993-1996 in the University of Ankara Medical School, Dep. of Neurosurgery. In this study with the lights of literature, the diagnosis and treatment modalities of PCNSL will be discussed.

"Beau's lines" nail deformity is known as transverse depressions on the nail plate and caused by nail growth interruption in the matrix. Beau's lines nail deformity in whose etiology there are some systemic and local traumatic whose factors, cytotoxic agents or metabolic events, was met in a woman who was on short duration and strict diet with heavy exercise programs. We concluded that this heavy exercise and strict diet are assumed to lead systemic and metabolic trauma to her body.

The intervertebral disc undergoes changes with age and trauma and has some regenarative properties. In this rewiev article, the hydrostatic, mechanical and regenerative properties of the intervertebral discs are being rewieved in the light of related literature.

Vasospasm is an important and major complication of subarachnoid hemorrhage. In early period, ischemic vascular events has been estimated in 30% of patients with 7% of mortality. Angiography and transcranial doppler techniques are so useful in the diagnosis. In the recent years, the importance of calcium antagonists in the treatment of vasopasm increased and new drugs are in proceeding.

Hematopoietic stem cells transplant patients are severely immunocompromised during the immediate post-transplant period. The risk for common and opportunistic infections may persist for many months. However, the role of reimmunization for these patients remains unsettled. Protein antigens such as tetanus and diphtheria toxoids are more immunogenic than polysaccharide antigens. The new polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines also appear more immunogenic. Inactivated poliovirus vaccine has been used successfully. Most healthy patients produce adequate antibody titers to vaccinations that are given 12 months after transplantation. Therefore, the presence of chronic graft versus host disease can diminish the response for vaccination. The literature supports the use of standard vaccines in allogeneic bone marrow transplant patients. However, relatively few data are available about reimmunization after peripheral stem cells transplant patients. Based on immune recovery data, most healthy recipients should be capable of responding normally by 2 years after transplantation. Therefore, more data on the optimal methods and timing of immunization are needed. This review article summarizes the main results obtained with the clinical use of currently available vaccines on hematopoietic stem cells transplant patients.