No abstract availble.
Aged ; Duodenal Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Esophagoscopy ; Female ; Helicobacter Infections/*diagnosis ; *Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Simethicone has been effectively used as a preprocedure drink during colonoscopy because it causes bubbles in the lumen to coalesce. We tried to confirm whether simethicone could effectively lessen the bubble formation and shorten the procedure time. In addition, we tried to determine the proper dose of this medication. METHODS: Patients were randomized to receive 0 mg as a control group (group I), 200 mg of simethicone at 7 PM in the evening before the procedure (group II), or 200 mg at 7 PM in the evening and 200 mg at 7 AM in the next morning (group III). The bubbles were scored as follows: 0, none or small amounts of bubbles that don't require any jet of water; 1, moderate amounts of bubbles that require two or three jets of water due to the focal distribution; And 2, large amounts of bubbles that require repeated jets (> or = 4) of water due to the extensive distribution. RESULTS: 101 patients were included in this study. The number of patients in groups I, II and III were 38, 35 and 28, respectively. The procedure time was statistically similar among the three groups. Severe bubbles (score 2) were significantly more likely to occur in group I than in groups II and III (p=0.014). On the other hand, the presence of significant bubbles (> or = 1) was not different between groups II and III. CONCLUSIONS: Simethicone significantly diminished the presence of bubbles. We recommend using 200 mg of simethicone in the evening before the colonoscopy.
Colonoscopy ; Hand ; Humans ; Simethicone* ; Water

BACKGROUND: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a serious complication resulting from herpes zoster infections, and it can impair the quality of life. In order to relieve pain from PHN, various treatments, including pharmacological and interventional methods have been used. However, little information on the recommendations for the interventional treatment of PHN, along with a lack of nation-wide surveys on the current status of PHN treatment exists. This multicenter study is the first survey on the treatment status of PHN in Korea. METHODS: Retrospective chart reviews were conducted on the entire patients who visited the pain clinics of 11 teaching hospitals from January to December of 2011. Co-morbid disease, affected site of PHN, routes to pain clinic visits, parenteral/topical medications for treatment, drugs used for nerve block, types and frequency of nerve blocks were investigated. RESULTS: A total of 1,414 patients' medical records were reviewed. The most commonly affected site was the thoracic area. The anticonvulsants and interlaminar epidural blocks were the most frequently used pharmacological and interventional methods for PHN treatment. For the interval of epidural block, intervals of 5 or more-weeks were the most popular. The proportion of PHN patients who get information from the mass media or the internet was only 0.8%.The incidence of suspected zoster sine herpete was only 0.1%. CONCLUSIONS: The treatment methods for PHN vary among hospitals. The establishment of treatment recommendation for PHN treatment is necessary. In addition, public relations activities are required in order to inform the patients of PHN treatments by pain clinicians.
Anticonvulsants ; Health Care Surveys ; Herpes Zoster ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Incidence ; Internet ; Mass Media ; Medical Records ; Nerve Block ; Neuralgia, Postherpetic ; Pain Clinics ; Public Relations ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Zoster Sine Herpete