We present two cases of percutaneous sacroplasty for sacral body fracture (Denis 3) and sacral alar fracture under multislice computed tomography (MSCT) guidance and discuss the clinical results and technical considerations. Sacroplasty is often recommended for the treatment of painful sacral insufficiency fractures, which destabilize the sacrum. However, sacroplasty for Denis zone 3 is rare because of the lack of validating controlled studies or unique technical considerations related to sacral anatomy. We performed sacroplasty for Denis zone 3 via the transiliac approach. Precise needle placement and polymethylmethacrylate cement injection were performed safely under the MSCT system. No complications occurred related to this procedure, such as iliac fracture, vascular leakage, or epidural leakage. MSCT-guided transiliac sacroplasty was a useful and effective solution in treating sacral body fracture.
Fractures, Stress ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Needles ; Polymethyl Methacrylate ; Sacrum

Magrjetic resonance (MR) imagings with 0.15 Tesla resistive magnet developed by Korea Advanced Institute of 5cience were performed in 27 patients with various neurologic diseases and compared with X-ray computed tomography (CT). The purpose óf the paper is to evaluate the image quality, the diagnostic value and limitation, and the optimal pulse sequence of MR imagings with a resistive magnet. The MR images were obtained by using a variety of pulse sequence with spin echo technique includïng saturation recovery, T2-weighted spin echo, and/or inversion recovery with various pulse repetition(TR) and echo delay (TE) times. The M R imaging demonstrated the capability of detecting the lesions shown on CT in all cases and also detected an additional finding in one case (multiple sclerosis) which was not seen on CT. The MR imaging appeared to be more useful than CT in the evaluation of syringomyelia of spinal cord and white matter disease, while it failed to demonstrate small calcific lesion or inflammatory nodule (less than 1 cm) shown on CT and has shown somewhat poor contrast resolution in the case of meningioma. The spatial resolution of saturation recovery images was similar or superior to CT, whereas the contrast resolution of saturation recovery was inferior to CT. While the saturation recovery images have shown false negative findings in 5 patients (19%), the inversion recovery and T2-weighted spin echo have shown consistently positive findings. The inversion recovery and T2-weighted spin echo images demonstrated better contrast discrimination between normal and pathologic conditions than the saturation recovery images, but somewhat poorer spatial resolution. Authors suggest that the MR images of both the saturation recovery with 300/30 and T2-weighted spin echo with 1000/90 be used as a routine procedure and additional iversion recovery of 1300/300/30 sequence as a option if white matter disease is suspected.
Discrimination (Psychology) ; Humans ; Korea ; Leukoencephalopathies ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Meningioma ; Spinal Cord ; Syringomyelia ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Thyroid cancer is an indolent condition that usually presents as a limited disease in the neck. Invasion to vital organs is rarely observed; however, it can be a major cause of mortality, even in well-differentiated thyroid cancers. The common sites of local invasion are strap muscle, recurrent laryngeal nerve, laryngo-tracheal tree, esophagus, and great vessels in the lateral compartment and mediastinum. Uncontrolled invasion to vital organs in the neck and mediastinum can cause significant morbidity and affect quality of life and survival. Limited involvement of the aero-digestive tract can be controlled by conservative surgical treatments such as shaving-off procedures, while radical resection and subsequent reconstructive procedures are the best choice for more serious cases. In planning the treatment, the risk-benefit ratio should be carefully evaluated to reduce the morbidity, as well as achieve maximal therapeutic effects. Postoperative adjuvant therapies have been the subject of controversy, but there is a general consensus, especially for high-risk patients, that radioiodine therapy and TSH suppression after radical resection are beneficial. The benefits of external beam radiation therapy are unclear, but it should be considered in patients with microscopic residual disease. In conclusion, radical eradication of lesions followed by proper adjuvant therapy is the treatment of choice for locally advanced thyroid cancers.
Consensus ; Esophagus ; Humans ; Mediastinum ; Mortality ; Neck ; Quality of Life ; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve ; Therapeutic Uses ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Trees

PURPOSE: We sought to compare the quality of life between two similar groups of patients; one group who sustained an isolated femoral shaft fracture, and the other group who sustained an isolated tibial shaft fracture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 1995 to July 2010, two groups of 168 patients who underwent implant removal operations after intramedullary nailing for an isolated femoral shaft fracture or an isolated tibial shaft fracture were enrolled. Short Form 36 (SF-36) questionnaires were completed at the final follow-up visit. Data analysis was performed by another physician not otherwise involved with clinical evaluation or the surgeries. RESULTS: Patients ranged in age from 18 to 37 years old. The two groups had similar characteristics, including age, gender ratio, body weight, smoking, and mean follow-up period (all p>0.05). No significant difference in functional outcome using SF-36 was observed between the groups except in the domain of physical functioning (PF) where femoral shaft fracture patients had a slightly higher score (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: Femoral shaft fracture patients and tibial shaft fracture patients who underwent intramedullary nailing and subsequent implant removal after fracture union with similar epidemiological characteristics had similar functional outcomes using the SF-36 survey, except in the domain of PF, where femoral shaft fracture patients had a slightly better outcome.
Body Weight ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fracture Fixation, Intramedullary ; Humans ; Quality of Life* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Statistics as Topic ; Tibia*

BACKGROUND: This study was to evaluate the association of lumbar spine facet joint osteoarthritis (LSFJOA) identified by multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) with age and low back pain (LBP) in an adult community-based population in Korea. METHODS: A sample of 472 participants (age range, 20 to 84 years) who underwent MDCT imaging for abdominal or urological lesions, not for chief complaints of LBP, were included in this study. LSFJOA based on MDCT findings was characterized using four grades of osteoarthritis of the facet joints. The prevalence of LSFJOA according to age group (below 40 years, 40-49 years, 50-59 years, 60-69 years, and above 70 years), gender, and spinal level was analyzed using chi-square tests and the association between LBP and LSFJOA adjusting for age, gender, and spine level was analyzed using multiple binary logistic regression test. RESULTS: Eighty-three study subjects (17.58%) had LSFJOA (grade > or = 2). The prevalence of LSFJOA was not associated with gender (p = 0.092). The prevalence of LSFJOA increased with age (p = 0.015). The highest prevalence of LSFJOA was observed at L4-5 in men (p = 0.001) and at L5-S1 in women (p = 0.003), and at L5-S1 in the overall population (p = 0.000). LSFJOA was not associated with LBP in men (p = 0.093) but was associated with LBP in women (p = 0.003), especially at L3-4 (p = 0.018) and L5-S1 (p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of LSFJOA based on the computed tomography imaging was 17.58% in the adult community Korean population. The prevalence of LSFJOA increased with age, and the highest prevalence was noted at L5-S1. LSFJOA was not associated with LBP at any spinal level and age except at L3-4 and L5-S1 in women.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Low Back Pain/*epidemiology ; *Lumbar Vertebrae ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Osteoarthritis/*epidemiology/radiography ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult ; *Zygapophyseal Joint

This work aimed to assess some pharmacological activities of P. leptostachya var. asiatica Hara. The dried roots of P. leptostachya var. asiatica Hara were extracted with 70% ethanol to generate the powdered extract, named PLE. Anti-angiogenic activity was detected using chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. In vitro anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated via analyzing nitric oxide (NO) content, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophage cells. Antioxidant activity was determined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and reactive oxygen species (ROS) level in the stimulated macrophage cells. Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and -2 (MMP-2) activities in the culture media were detected using zymography. PLE exhibits an anti-angiogenic activity in the CAM assay, and displays an inhibitory action on the generation of NO in the LPS-stimulated macrophage cells. In the stimulated macrophage cells, it is able to diminish the enhanced ROS level. It can potently scavenge the stable DPPH free radical. It suppresses the induction of iNOS and COX-2 and the enhanced MMP-9 activity in the stimulated macrophage cells. Both monooxygenase and oxidase activities of tyrosinase were strongly inhibited by PLE. Taken together, the dried roots of P. leptostachya var. asiatica Hara possess anti-angiogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and skin whitening activities, which might partly provide its therapeutic efficacy in traditional medicine.
Chorioallantoic Membrane ; Culture Media ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; Ethanol ; Macrophages ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; Medicine, Traditional ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; Oxidoreductases ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Skin*

Paraganglioma is an uncommon and slowly-growing benign neuro-endocrine tumor originating from the extra-adrenal paraganglia. The most common site of head and neck paraganglioma is the carotid body. Paraganglioma of thyroid gland is a rare disease, and is hard to diagnose preoperatively since the pathologic features are similar to thyroid neoplasm, especially to medullary carcinoma. Occasionally, multiple paragangliomas can be found in the body. To our knowledge, there are two cases of synchronous carotid body tumor with thyroid paraganglioma that have been reported to date. We report a case of 34-year-old female with carotid body paraganglioma synchronous with intra-thyroid paragangloma, which was misdiagnosed as papillary thyroid carcinoma in the preoperative evaluation. After the tumors were successfully excised, there were no signs of complications and the patient has survived the 2-year-follow-up period without recurrence.
Adult ; Carcinoma, Medullary ; Carotid Body ; Carotid Body Tumor* ; Female ; Head ; Humans ; Neck ; Paraganglioma* ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate whether the use of HA-CMC solution in thyroid surgery influences drainage amount and hospital stay. METHODS: Between November 2012 and December 12, 147 patients with thyroid cancer who underwent total thyroidectomy with central compartment neck dissection were analyzed retrospectively. The patients were divided into four groups; those with or without HA-CMC solution application and high or low output drainage. RESULTS: There were no differences in hospital stay and mean total drainage between the with and without HA-CMC solution application groups (P=0.230, P=0.732). The mean hospital stay was 2.2±0.4 days for the low output of drainage group and 3.1±0.6 days for the high output drainage group (P<0.001). There was no significant difference in the use of HA-CMC solution (41.1% vs. 56.8%, P=0.070). CONCLUSION: The use of HA-CMC solution in thyroid cancer surgery might not increase drainage amount and make hospital stay longer.
Drainage* ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Neck Dissection ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Thyroidectomy

PURPOSE: Although guidelines indicate that routine dissection of the central lymph nodes in patients with thyroid carcinoma should include the right para-oesophageal lymph nodes (RPELNs), located between the right recurrent laryngeal nerve and the cervical oesophagus and posterior to the former, RPELN dissection is often omitted due to high risk of injuries to the recurrent laryngeal nerve and the right inferior parathyroid gland. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively identified all patients diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma who underwent total thyroidectomy with central lymph node dissection, including the RPELNs, between January 1, 2009 and December 31, 2013 at the Thyroid Cancer Center of Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. RESULTS: Of 5556 patients, 148 were positive for RPELN metastasis; of the latter, 91 had primary tumours greater than 1 cm (p<0.001). Extrathyroidal extension by the primary tumour (81.8%; p<0.001), bilaterality, and multifocality were more common in patients with than without RPELN metastasis; however, there were no significant differences in age and sex between groups. A total of 95.9% of patients with RPELN metastasis had central node (except right para-oesophageal lymph node) metastasis, and the incidence of lateral neck node metastasis was significantly higher in patients with than without RPELN metastasis (63.5% vs. 14.3%, p<0.001). Forty-one patients underwent mediastinal dissection, with 11 patients confirmed as having mediastinal lymph node metastasis with RPELN metastasis on pathological examination. CONCLUSION: RPELN metastasis is significantly associated with lateral neck and mediastinal lymph node metastasis.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma/pathology/*surgery ; Carcinoma, Papillary/pathology/*surgery ; Esophageal Neoplasms/*secondary/surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; *Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes/pathology/*surgery ; Lymphatic Metastasis/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve/pathology ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery ; *Thyroidectomy ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

To evaluate the efficacy of magnetic resonance imaging in brainstem stroke, we studied 21 cases of clinically definite brainstem ischemic stroke with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and conventional computed tomography (CT). MRI demonstrated brainstem lesions in 79% of the cases (16.5 out of 21), while CT revealed 33% (7 out of 21) when cases with suspicious lesions counted as 0.5. Although MRI was done a few days later than CT in most cases, MRI was superior to CT in detecting the number and the size of ischemic lesions, with clear delineation of anatomy and visualization of the status of the blood flow in the vertebral-basilar artery. Disappearance of the flow signal void in the basilar artery can be an important clue in diagnosing occlusion or thrombus of the basilar artery. By delineating the extent and the location of the infarction, MRI findings allowed an interpretation of whether the ischemic vessel is a small basilar branch or a large vessel vertebral or basilar artery.
Adult ; Aged ; Brain Ischemia/complications/*diagnosis/radiography ; Brain Stem/blood supply/*pathology/radiography ; Cerebral Infarction/etiology/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed