Epilepsy surgery in Korea began as early as in the 1940s and continued to develop through the second half of the 20th century. Introduction of neuroimaging modalities, establishment of epilepsy monitoring units and the epilepsy team approach contributed to the rapid development. �or about 300�- 400 operations carried out yearly��, t�here i��s at �prese�nt suffi���cien�t n�umb ��er of ep�ileps� y surg�ery cen�ters�� an�d q�ualifi��ed neurosurgeons in Korea. However, Korean neurosurgeons should adapt themselves to changing recent trends. Etiologies of epilepsy have dramatically changed from head trauma and infectious diseases to tumors and developmental abnormalities. Although traditional resective surgery still constitutes the main bulk of the operations, new therapeutic procedures based on neuro�modulation are emerging as alternative treatments. There should also be participation in basic science research which would leads to future innovations in treatment of epilepsy.

No abstract available.
Animals ; Immunohistochemistry* ; Neurons* ; Rats* ; Substantia Nigra*

No abstract available.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn

No abstract available.
Emphysema* ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular*

Non-metrical morphologic variations of skull foramina were studied with 250 crania of Korean adults. Studied morphologic variationts were presence of supra-orbital foramen(33.3%), frontal foramen(27.7%), accessory infraorbital foramen(13.2%), accessory lesser palatine foramen(41.0%), Vesalius foramen (16.9%), Huschke foramen(18.8%), condylar canal(62.6%) and parietal foramen(49.8%). The ahsence of posterior ethmoidal foramen(0.2%), zygomaticofacial foramen(7.1%) and mastoid foramen(30.2%) was also observed. The variations were presence of the exsutural location of anterior ethmoidal foramen 30.8%), mastoid foramen(35.9%) and incomplete development of oval foramen(4.9%), foramen spinosum(9.6%), hypoglossal foramen(9.6%). And incidence of these variations were compared with 12 different geographical localitics.
Adult ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mastoid ; Rabeprazole ; Skull*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Contracture*

PURPOSE: Visual internal urethrotomy is a standard therapy for incomplete urethral stricture, and may also be a reasonable initial treatment for a short complete urethral stricture. The success rate and final results of the repeated internal urethrotomy were retrospectively assessed to figure out the appropriate indication for visual internal urethrotomy as an initial treatment for incomplete pendulous and bulbous urethral stricture; according to the stricture free month. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January 1990 and December 1999, an internal urethrotomy was primarily performed on 166 patients with urethral strictures. The exclusion criteria were complete urethral and posterior urethral stricture. Retrograde urethrography was performed under fluoroscopic control. When the stricture recurred, the urethrotomy was repeated as the primary procedure. RESULTS: With regard to the time to recurrence, the success rate of the group of stricture recurrence at 6 months was significantly lower than that of the stricture free group at 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: With regard to the stricture site and length, the stricture free month might be considered as an important predictor of the outcome of a repeated internal urethrotomy, and visual internal urethrotomy might be considered as an initial treatment method for incomplete urethral stricture under the following conditions; a bulbous stricture, a stricture length under 20mm, and stricture free at 6 months.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Endoscopy ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Urethral Stricture*

This study was done to report the epidemiologic characteristics of medical retirement from the Republic of Korea (ROK) Army due to visual impairment and to suggest a practical screening system for the draft. The medical records of 423 eyes of 301 patients who retired from the ROK Army due to visual impairment were reviewed retrospectively between January 2010 and December 2014. The patients were grouped by the presence of trauma, and each group was subdivided by military rank. We analyzed demographic and ophthalmic data, including the etiology of ophthalmologic disease. The etiology was classified into 5 anatomical categories (ocular surface, lens, retina, optic nerve and extraocular visual pathway, and extraocular muscle and orbit), which were then subdivided into the type of disease. The mean age was 24.5 years, and non-traumatic mechanisms accounted for 81.1% (343/423 eyes) of medical retirements. Visual acuity was better in patients without trauma. In enlisted soldiers, disease in the optic nerve and extraocular visual pathway was the most common anatomical category (40.5%), and primary open angle glaucoma (30.8%), retinal dystrophy (18.3%), congenital cataract (14.5%), and retinal detachment (9.7%) were the four most common diseases. Most medical retirements due to visual impairment resulted from non-traumatic mechanisms, even though patients were young. The fundus examination and visual field test would be more useful tools than a conventional vision test for large-scale draft screening for the most common two disease types: primary open angle glaucoma and retinal dystrophy.
Adult ; Cataract/epidemiology ; Cohort Studies ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle/epidemiology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Military Personnel ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retinal Dystrophies/epidemiology ; *Retirement ; Retrospective Studies ; Vision Disorders/epidemiology/*pathology ; Visual Acuity ; Young Adult

Epilepsy associated with brain tumors (EABT) is a multi-faceted disease that both oncological and epileptological concerns should be taken into consideration. Usually, it is characterized by chronic drug-resistant epilepsy with a low-grade brain tumor in the cerebrum. However, the distinction of typical EABT and simple brain tumors with short-term epilepsy is obscure. We need a working formulation based on the patient's burden in both oncological and epileptological aspects. The diagnosis of EABT is straightforward, but the treatment should be more complex. Medical treatment with anticonvulsants aloneseems tobe anoutdated remedy for EABT because of the risk of tumor growth and malignant progression in some patients as well as the expected favorable seizure control after surgery. Surgical treatment of EABT has resulted in seizure-free state in about 80% of patients. Complete resection of the tumor is an important prognostic factor in seizure control and probably also in tumor control. Recently, many authors emphasized a lesion-directed surgery aimed at a complete tumor removal in EABT. However, in some patients, especially in patients with dual pathology, electrophysiological studies have to be thoroughly applied. For the treatment of EABT in the temporal lobe, more sophisticated surgical strategy is required. A lesionectomy saving the uninterrupted hippocampus could be applied for selected patients. Further research is strongly needed for better understanding and treatment of EABT and low-grade glioma.
Anticonvulsants ; Brain ; Brain Neoplasms ; Cerebrum ; Epilepsy ; Glioma ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Seizures ; Temporal Lobe