PURPOSE: To compare the efficacy of selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) in patients treated with either latanoprost or dorzolamide/timolol fixed combination (DTFC) for primary open-angle glaucoma. METHODS: This retrospective study included 92 consecutive patients who underwent a 180-degree SLT for the first time. The subjects divided into two groups:patients who received latanoprost (n = 63) or DTFC (n = 29) before and after SLT. The main outcome measure was intraocular pressure (IOP) decrease over five years after SLT. The mean IOP change, mean percentage of IOP reduction, and success rates were compared between the patients treated with latanoprost and the patients treated with DTFC. Success was defined as an IOP decrease ≥ 3 mm Hg or IOP reduction ≥ 20% without additional medications, laser surgery, or glaucoma surgery. RESULTS: At the postoperative one-year follow-up, the mean IOP was 15.7 ± 2.2 mm Hg in the latanoprost group and, 16.2 ± 2.4 mm Hg in the DTFC group. At the postoperative five-year follow-up, the mean IOP was 15.1 ± 2.5 mm Hg in the latanoprost group and, 14.6 ± 1.7 mm Hg in the DTFC group. There were no statistically significant differences in IOP change, percentage IOP reduction, or success rate between the groups at each time point after the SLT (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Selective laser trabeculoplasty showed a reasonable efficacy in lowering the IOP over a five-year follow-up period. There were no significant differences in IOP lowering effect or success rate between the patients treated with latanoprost or DTFC.
Follow-Up Studies ; Glaucoma ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Laser Therapy ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Retrospective Studies ; Trabeculectomy*

No abstract available.
Macular Edema*

Squamous cell carcinoma of the ovary is rare and usually arise from preexisting cystic teratomas, endometriosis or Brenner tumors which undergo carcinomatous degeneration in their epithelial elements. Some of squamous cell carcinoma of the ovary is known to be associated with cervical neoplasm, but the pathogenesis is still unknown. Recently we experienced one case of ovarian squamous cell carcinoma in patients with microinvasive squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix. We report this case with possible pathogenesis and brief review of literatures.
Brenner Tumor ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri* ; Endometriosis ; Female ; Humans ; Ovary ; Teratoma ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Humans

PURPOSE: We compared the results of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for the correction of hyperopia. METHODS: Patients who underwent PRK or LASIK, under +6.00 diopters (D) hyperopia and under −2.00 D astigmatism were included. In total, 21 patients (38 eyes) underwent PRK surgery and 25 patients (41 eyes) underwent LASIK surgery. We compared the visual acuity, refractive error, safety, and efficacy between the two groups. RESULTS: The manifest refractive spherical equivalent (MRSE) of the PRK and LASIK groups at 1 and 3 months after surgery was significantly different between the two groups (p < 0.05). However, the MRSE was not significantly different at postoperative 6 and 12 months between the two groups. The uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) of the PRK and LASIK groups at 1 month after surgery was significantly different between the two groups (p < 0.05). However, the UCVA was not significantly different at postoperative 3, 6, and 12 months between the two groups. The best-corrected visual acuity was not significantly different at postoperative 1, 3, 6, and 12 months between the two groups. The safety index was not significantly different between the two groups at postoperative 1, 3, 6, and 12 months. The efficacy index of the PRK group was lower than that of the LASIK group at 1 month after surgery. However, the efficacy index was not significantly different at postoperative 3, 6, and 12 months between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the predictability of the two groups at postoperative 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: After PRK treatment, temporary myopic deviation was observed after 1 month, but there was no significant difference between the two treatments after 3 months of follow-up. In the correction of hyperopia, there was no significant difference between PRK and LASIK in efficacy or safety.
Astigmatism ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperopia ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ ; Photorefractive Keratectomy ; Refractive Errors ; Visual Acuity

No abstract available.
Adenoids* ; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss refers to a condition wherein thresholds increase only at low frequencies in pure-tone audiometry. Systemic steroid treatment is commonly used for acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss without vertigo, but there has been no established treatment in most clinical researches. The purpose of this study is to compare and analyze the short-term effects of high- and half-dose oral steroid therapy on patients suffering from acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss without vertigo. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Forty-six patients diagnosed with acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss were divided into two groups and treated with high-dose (24 patients) and half-dose (22 patients) steroids, respectively. A retrospective analysis was conducted on their medical records. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in any of the following: age, sex ratio, duration of symptoms before treatment, pure-tone hearing thresholds, low frequency hearing thresholds and speech intelligibility. However, both groups showed significant differences in hearing thresholds before and after treatment. In addition, no significant difference was noted in the recovery and recurrence rate between the two groups. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, there is no difference in treatment effect between the high- and half-dose groups. Therefore, half-dose steroids may be used as a treatment option for acute low tone sensorineural hearing loss.
Audiometry, Pure-Tone ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Methods ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Ratio ; Speech Intelligibility ; Steroids ; Therapeutic Uses* ; Vertigo

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Vestibular schwannoma is a benign neoplasm originating from the vestibular nerve, and the most common symptom caused by the tumor is unilateral hearing loss. This study is aimed to review the clinical outcomes of tumor growth and hearing changes in the natural progress of vestibular schwannoma.SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed 28 patients who were diagnosed with vestibular schwannoma and treated with the ‘wait and scan’ modality for more than a year. We analyzed the patients' audiological changes and tumor growth by reviewing the temporal bone MR images. Patients were classified into an intrameatal group and extrameatal group according to the involvement of the cerebropontine angle. RESULTS: The overall mean follow-up was 45.6±25.8 months. Among the 28 patients, 6 (21.4%) showed tumor growth after ‘wait and scan.’ Hearing thresholds and speech discrimination scores showed deterioration after ‘wait and scan’ in both groups. Among the 12 patients with serviceable hearing at initial diagnosis, 9 (75.0%) preserved serviceable hearing after ‘wait and scan.’ When the pure tone average and speech discrimination scores were applied to the scattergram, most values were positioned near the center of the scattergram, which implied slight changes after ‘wait and scan.’ CONCLUSION The percentage of patients showing tumor growth after the ‘wait and scan’ policy was low. Patients with serviceable hearing at diagnosis would most likely preserve their hearing after ‘wait and scan.’ Considering the limited tumor growth and minimal hearing changes, rather than microsurgery or radiation surgery, the conservative ‘wait and scan’ policy can be an alternative treatment modality in patients with small-sized, non-growing vestibular schwannomas.

The Korean Society of Nephrology (KSN) has published a clinical practice guideline (CPG) document for maintenance hemodialysis (HD). The document, 2021 Clinical Practice Guideline on Optimal HD Treatment, is based on an extensive evidence-oriented review of the benefits of preparation, initiation, and maintenance therapy for HD, with the participation of representative experts from the KSN under the methodologists’ support for guideline development. It was intended to help clinicians participating in HD treatment make safer and more effective clinical decisions by providing user-friendly guidelines. We hope that this CPG will be meaningful as a recommendation in practice, but not on a regulatory rule basis, as different approaches and treatments may be used by health care providers depending on the individual patient’s condition. This CPG consists of eight sections and 15 key questions. Each begins with statements that are graded by the strength of recommendations and quality of the evidence. Each statement is followed by a summary of the evidence supporting the recommendations. There is also a link to full-text documents and lists of the most important reports so that the readers can read further (most of this is available online).

The Korean Society of Nephrology (KSN) has published a clinical practice guideline (CPG) document for maintenance hemodialysis (HD). The document, 2021 Clinical Practice Guideline on Optimal HD Treatment, is based on an extensive evidence-oriented review of the benefits of preparation, initiation, and maintenance therapy for HD, with the participation of representative experts from the KSN under the methodologists’ support for guideline development. It was intended to help clinicians participating in HD treatment make safer and more effective clinical decisions by providing user-friendly guidelines. We hope that this CPG will be meaningful as a recommendation in practice, but not on a regulatory rule basis, as different approaches and treatments may be used by health care providers depending on the individual patient’s condition. This CPG consists of eight sections and 15 key questions. Each begins with statements that are graded by the strength of recommendations and quality of the evidence. Each statement is followed by a summary of the evidence supporting the recommendations. There are also a link to full-text documents and lists of the most important reports so that the readers can read further (most of this is available online).