An automated percutaneous lumbar discectomy(APLD) have been apphed for contained lumbar disc herniation. But suggested that more exclusion criteria than disc containment was needed to improve success rate. The purposes of this study are to evaluate cIinical outcome of more than 4 years follow up of APLD, to analysis the cause of failure for longer follow up period, and to define prognostic factor of APLD. The l04 patients with contained lumbar disc herniation were treated with APLD from March 1990 to November 1992 in National Medical Center. The surgical candidates were contained focal disc herniation in MRI, sciatica than back pain, failure to conservative management at least 6 weeks and clinical and radiological correlation. And patient were excluded from this data if they had history of previous lumbar surgery and compensation claims. Among them 74 cases were followed up for over 4 years (Mean: 5.3 years). The results were accessed by questionnaire using telephone or OPD follow up. The overall success rate was 84% on 3 months follow up, but 68.9% on more than 4 years follow up by four subjective criterias (Onik, 1987). Causes of decreasing success rate were reoperation, recurrence without specific cause or after sprain and heavy work. 76% of failed cases occurred within 1 year and 40% of them underwent open discectomy. The patient sex, treated level, duration of symptom were not influenced on success rate, but age was factor related to success rate. In this study we can assess the effectiveness of APLD within 3 months in most cases and then change treatment option according to patients status, and it seems that we need more exclusion criteria than disc containment in MRI and refined patient selection in order to decrease the failures.
Back Pain ; Compensation and Redress ; Containment of Biohazards ; Diskectomy* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Patient Selection ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Recurrence ; Reoperation ; Sciatica ; Sprains and Strains ; Telephone

We treated the 90 wrists (83 patients) with de Quervain's disease, and studied retrospectively the factors affecting the result of treatment, and the results of several treatment modalities, compared with published series of this disease. There was significant association between outcome and duration of symptoms before treatment, but age, sex, associated disease, and hand dominance were not associated(chi-square test, p < 0.05). And 75 wrists received single injections of steroid and local anesthetic into the tendon sheaths with complete pain relief in 59 wrists (69%). Furthermore, an additional injection gave pain abatement in 6 wrists. And regardless of treatment method, 95% of the whole patients had satisfactory outcome at a mean of 54 months (minimum follow-up, 45 months). We concluded that injection of steroid is the preferred initial treatment in de Quervain's disease, giving complete and lasting relief in 87% of cases.
De Quervain Disease ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand ; Humans ; Methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Tendons ; Wrist

Transitional cell carcinoma of the ovary is extremely rare tumor and the category of transitional cell carcinoma has been proposed for those tumors in which definite urothelial features are present but no benign, metaplastic, and/or proliferating Brenner tumor is identified. We report a case of primary transitonal cell carcinoma of the ovary in 48-year old woman who presented with low abdominal pain and dyspepsia. Brief literature was reviewed about the features of its behavioral aggressiveness and characteristic chemosensitivity.
Abdominal Pain ; Brenner Tumor ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell* ; Dyspepsia ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Ovary*

Purpose: Osteoporosis is a common calcium and metabolic skeletal disease which is characterized by decreased bone mass, microarchitectural deterioration of bone tissue and impaired bone strength, thereby leading to enhanced risk of bone fragility.In this study, we aimed to identify novel genes for susceptibility to osteoporosis and/or bone density. Materials and Methods: To identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between control and osteoporosis-induced cells, annealing control primer-based differential display reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out in pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cells. Expression levels of the identified DEGs were evaluated by quantitative RT-PCR. Association studies for the quantitative bone density analysis and osteoporosis case-control analysis of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) were performed in Korean women (3,570 subjects) from the Korean Association REsource (KARE) study cohort. Results: Comparison analysis of expression levels of the identified DEGs by quantitative RT-PCR found seven genes, Anxa6, Col5a1, Col6a2, Eno1, Myof, Nfib, and Scara5, that showed significantly different expression between the dexamethasontreated and untreated MC3T3-E1 cells and between the ovariectomized osteoporosis-induced mice and sham mice. Association studies revealed that there was a significant association between the SNPs in the five genes, ANXA6, COL5A1, ENO1, MYOF, and SCARA5, and bone density and/or osteoporosis. Conclusion Using a whole-genome comparative expression analysis, gene expression evaluation analysis, and association analysis, we found five genes that were significantly associated with bone density and/or osteoporosis. Notably, the association P-values of the SNPs in the ANXA6 and COL5A1 genes were below the Bonferroni-corrected significance level.

OBJECTIVE: Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) was the third most common cause of death in South Korea in 2014. Evidence from abroad suggests that comprehensive stroke centers play an important role in improving the mortality rate of stroke. However, surgical treatment for CVD is currently slightly neglected by national policy, and there is still regional imbalance in this regard. For this reason, we conducted a survey on the necessity of, and the requirements for, establishing regional comprehensive cerebrovascular surgery centers (CCVSCs).METHODS: This investigation was performed using the questionnaire survey method. The questionnaire was consisted with two sections. The first concerned the respondent’s opinion regarding the current status of demand and the regional imbalance of cerebrovascular surgery in South Korea. The second section asked about the requirements for establishing regional CCVSCs. We sent the questionnaire to 100 board members of the Korean Society of Cerebrovascular Surgeons.RESULTS: Most experts agreed that cerebrovascular surgery patients were concentrated in large hospitals in the capital area, and 83.6% of respondents agreed that it was necessary to alleviate the regional imbalance of cerebrovascular surgery. With regards to personnel, over 90% of respondents answered that at least two neuro-vascular surgeons and two neuro-interventionists are necessary to establish a CCVSC. Regarding facilities, almost all respondents stated that each CCVSC would require a neuro-intensive care unit and hybrid operating room. The survey asked the respondents about 13 specific neurovascular surgical procedures and whether they were necessary for a regional CCVSC. In the questions about the necessity of cerebrovascular surgical equipment, all seven pieces of equipment were considered essential by all respondents. A further five pieces of equipment were considered necessary on site: computed tomographic angiography, magnetic resonance angiography, conventional angiography, surgical microscope, and surgical navigation. Our results may provide a basis for future policy regarding treatment of cerebrovascular disease, including surgery.CONCLUSION: Raising the comprehensiveness of treatment at a regional level would lower the national disease burden. Policies should be drafted regarding comprehensive treatment including surgery for cerebrovascular disease, and related support plans should be implemented.
Angiography ; Cause of Death ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; Health Resources ; Humans ; Korea ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Mortality ; Operating Rooms ; Patient Transfer ; Stroke ; Surgeons ; Surgical Equipment ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Applying work restrictions for asymptomatic healthcare personnel (HCP) with potential exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is recommended to prevent transmission from potentially contagious HCP to patients and other HCP. However, it can lead to understaffing, which threatens the safety of both patients and HCP. We evaluated 203 COVID-19 exposure events at a single tertiary hospital from January 2020 to June 2021. A total of 2,365 HCP were potentially exposed, and work restrictions were imposed on 320 HCP, leading to the loss of 3,311 working days. However, only one of the work-restricted HCP was confirmed with COVID-19. During the study period, the work restriction measures might be taken excessively compared to their benefit, so establishing more effective standards for work restriction is required.

Applying work restrictions for asymptomatic healthcare personnel (HCP) with potential exposure to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is recommended to prevent transmission from potentially contagious HCP to patients and other HCP. However, it can lead to understaffing, which threatens the safety of both patients and HCP. We evaluated 203 COVID-19 exposure events at a single tertiary hospital from January 2020 to June 2021. A total of 2,365 HCP were potentially exposed, and work restrictions were imposed on 320 HCP, leading to the loss of 3,311 working days. However, only one of the work-restricted HCP was confirmed with COVID-19. During the study period, the work restriction measures might be taken excessively compared to their benefit, so establishing more effective standards for work restriction is required.

BACKGROUND: Measurement of the plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) level has been recommended as the first diagnostic test for differentiating between ACTH-independent Cushing syndrome (CS) and ACTH-dependent CS. When plasma ACTH values are inconclusive, a differential diagnosis of CS can be made based upon measurement of the serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) level and results of the high-dose dexamethasone suppression test (HDST). The aim of this study was to assess the utility of plasma ACTH to differentiate adrenal CS from Cushing' disease (CD) and compare it with that of the HDST results and serum DHEA-S level. METHODS: We performed a retrospective, multicenter study from January 2000 to May 2012 involving 92 patients with endogenous CS. The levels of plasma ACTH, serum cortisol, 24-hour urine free cortisol (UFC) after the HDST, and serum DHEA-S were measured. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients had adrenal CS and 35 patients had CD. The area under the curve of plasma ACTH, serum DHEA-S, percentage suppression of serum cortisol, and UFC after HDST were 0.954, 0.841, 0.950, and 0.997, respectively (all P<0.001). The cut-off values for plasma ACTH, percentage suppression of serum cortisol, and UFC after HDST were 5.3 pmol/L, 33.3%, and 61.6%, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of plasma ACTH measurement were 84.2% and 94.3%, those of serum cortisol were 95.8% and 90.6%, and those of UFC after the HDST were 97.9% and 96.7%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Significant overlap in plasma ACTH levels was seen between patients with adrenal CS and those with CD. The HDST may be useful in differentiating between these forms of the disease, especially when the plasma ACTH level alone is not conclusive.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone* ; Cushing Syndrome* ; Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate ; Dexamethasone ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Pituitary ACTH Hypersecretion* ; Plasma* ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Food residue is frequently observed in the gastric remnant after distal gastrectomy, despite adequate preparation. We devised a water-intake method to reduce food residue in the gastric remnant by drinking large quantities of water in a short time. The aims of this study were to identify the risk factors for food residue and to study the effectiveness of this new method for endoscopy preparation. METHODS: A cohort of 708 patients who underwent distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer was reviewed prospectively. Sixty patients with large amounts of food residue were randomly divided into two groups: a water-intake group (n=40) and a prolonged fasting group (n=20). RESULTS: The incidences of a large amount of food residue were 15.7%, 5.8%, 7.5%, and 2.8% at 3, 12, 24, and 36 months, respectively, after distal gastrectomy. Independent risk factors for food residue were endoscopy at 3 months, diabetes mellitus, a body mass index of <19.5, and laparoscopic surgery. The proportion of successful preparations at follow-up endoscopy was higher for the water-intake group (70%) than for the prolonged fasting group (40%, p=0.025). CONCLUSIONS: The water-intake method can be recommended as a preparation for endoscopy in patients who have had repetitive food residue or risk factors after distal gastrectomy.
Body Mass Index ; Cohort Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Drinking ; Endoscopy ; Fasting ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy ; Gastric Stump ; Humans ; Incidence ; Laparoscopy ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Korea*