Purpose: Esophagojejunostomy leakage (EJL) remains one of the most critical complications following total gastrectomy for gastric cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the evolving therapeutic approaches and clinical outcomes of EJL using data from a large-scale multicenter retrospective cohort. Methods: Among 6,577 patients who underwent total gastrectomy or proximal gastrectomy with double tract reconstruction at nine institutions from 2003 to 2024, 196 (3.0%) developed EJL. Of these, 162 patients with comprehensive clinical data were included in the final analysis. The study examined treatment modalities, changes in management over time, patient characteristics, surgical variables, and clinical outcomes. Four groups were defined according to treatment approach: conservative, endoscopic, reoperation, and multimodal (combined) therapy. Results: Endoscopic therapy was first introduced in 2011 and has progressively supplanted reoperation, now comprising 32.5% of cases. The average time to EJL diagnosis was 8.4 days after surgery. Overall in-hospital mortality was 6.1% (10/162). When conservative management was excluded, endoscopic treatment demonstrated the highest rate of therapeutic success (94.3%, p = 0.004). Both the duration until diet resumption and length of hospital stay were notably reduced in the endoscopic and conservative groups compared with reoperation and multimodal therapy (p < 0.001). Moreover, although the highest post-leakage hospitalization costs were observed with multimodal treatment (p < 0.001), overall hospitalization expenses were significantly lower for patients managed conservatively or with endoscopic intervention (p < 0.001). Conclusion Over the past two decades, management of EJL has shifted toward endoscopic approaches. Endoscopic therapies yield superior clinical outcomes and should be considered a primary option for appropriate candidates.

A secondary anterior open bite may develop after a mandibular condyle fracture, particularly when an initial conservative treatment fails to restore vertical ramus height or joint function. Herein, we describe a patient with unstable preexisting occlusion who developed a persistent anterior open bite after bilateral condylar neck fractures were managed conservatively. Bilateral condylar reconstruction was planned through virtual surgical simulation and executed with patient-specific guides to accurately reproduce the intended mandibular position. Partial replacement of the mandibular condyle was selected because the soft tissues within the mandibular fossae, including the discs, remained intact and demonstrated functional mobility over the articulating surfaces. Postoperative evaluation revealed close agreement between the planned and achieved mandibular positions, with less than two millimeters of deviation, and stable occlusion was maintained during long-term follow-up. This case illustrates the potential of digitally assisted planning to achieve predictable outcomes in patients with complex secondary deformities.

Pharyngeal dysphagia can be caused by structural abnormalities or neurological disorders such as stroke, meningitis, and other conditions. Herpes zoster (HZ), caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), is a rare cause of pharyngeal dysphagia. The symptoms of HZ usually involve a painful rash with vesicles along the dermatome area, but it can also affect the cranial nerves (CN), such as CN VII (Ramsay-Hunt syndrome), and less commonly, other CN. A 69-year-old man presented with a sore throat and dysphagia symptoms. A laryngoscopy revealed multiple ulcerative mucosal lesions on the right soft palate and lateral pharynx. The patient was treated with oral valacyclovir, and although the lesions disappeared, the dysphagia symptoms remained. While dysphagia associated with a VZV infection is rare, it can occur with the additional symptoms of vocal cord paralysis. This paper reports a rare case of pharyngeal dysphagia caused by a VZV infection, and the patient presented only with the initial symptoms of sore throat and dysphagia without skin lesions or signs of vocal cord paralysis.

Purpose: Studies have yielded contradictory results on whether donor sex and donor-recipient sex disparity affect hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) recurrence after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). The present study assessed whether donor sex or donor-recipient sex disparity affects HCC recurrence after LDLT at a high-volume center. Methods: This study included 772 HCC patients who underwent LDLT between January 2006 and December 2015 at Asan Medical Center. Patients were divided into 4 groups based on the sex of the donor and recipient: male-to-male (n = 490, 63.5%), male-to-female (n = 75, 9.7%), female-to-male (n = 170, 22.0%), and female-to-female (n = 37, 4.8%). Results: Disease-free survival (DFS; P = 0.372) and overall survival (OS; P = 0.591) did not differ significantly among the 4 groups. DFS also did not differ significantly between LDLT recipients with male and female donors (P = 0.792) or between male and female recipients (P = 0.084). After patient matching with an α-FP/des-γ-carboxy prothrombin/tumor volume score cutoff of 5logs, donor-recipient sex disparity did not significantly affect DFS (P = 0.598) or OS (P = 0.777). There were also no differences in DFS in matched LDLT recipients with male and female donors (P = 0.312) or between male and female recipients (P = 0.374). Conclusion Neither donor sex nor donor-recipient sex disparity significantly affected posttransplant HCC recurrence.

Background/Aims: We aimed to investigate the oral beclomethasone dipropionate’s (BDP) efficacy as an add-on therapy and to clarify the predictive factor for response to oral BDP in Korean ulcerative colitis (UC) patients. Methods: Patients with a stable concomitant drug regimen with exposure to oral BDP (5 mg/day) within 30 days before BDP initiation were included. Partial Mayo score (pMS) was used to evaluate response to oral BDP. Clinical remission (CREM) was defined as a post-treatment pMS ≤ 1 point. Clinical response (CRES) was defined as an at least 2-point decrease in post-treatment pMS and an at least 30% decrease from baseline pMS. Patients without CREM or CRES were considered nonresponders (NRs). Results: Of all, 37 showed CREM, 19 showed CRES, and 44 were NRs. The CREM group included more patients with mild disease activity (75.7% vs. 43.2%, p = 0.011) than NRs. In contrast to NRs, CREM and CRES patients showed significant improvement of post-treatment erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) (ESR with p = 0.001, CRP with p = 0.004, respectively). Moreover, the initial rectal bleeding subscore (RBS) was significantly different between CREM and CRES, or NR (both with p < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, initial stool frequency subscore (SFS) of 0 and RBS of 0 were predictive factors for CREM (odds ratio [OR], 15.359; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.085 to 217.499; p = 0.043 for SFS, and OR, 11.434; 95% CI, 1.682 to 77.710; p = 0.013 for RBS). Conclusions Oral BDP is an efficacious add-on therapy in Korean UC patients. Patients with initial SFS or RBS of 0 may be particularly good candidates for oral BDP.

Objectives: It is important that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients adhere to their prescribed medication regimens to avoid the repeat exacerbations, complications, or surgeries associated with this disorder. However, there are few studies on medication adherence in patients with IBD, especially in Asian populations. So, we analyzed the factors associated with medication adherence in Korean IBD patients. Methods: Patients who had been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) more than 6 months previously and receiving oral medications for IBD were enrolled. Medication adherence was measured using the Medical Adherence Reporting Scale (MARS-5), a self-reported medication adherence measurement tool. Results: Among 207 patients in the final study population, 125 (60.4%) had CD and 134 (64.7%) were men. The mean age was 39.63 years (SD, 13.16 years) and the mean disease duration was 10.09 years (SD, 6.33 years). The mean medication adherence score was 22.46 (SD, 2.86) out of 25, and 181 (87.4%) patients had score of 20 or higher.In multiple linear regression analysis, self-efficacy (β=0.341, P<0.001) and ≥3 dosing per day (β=–0.192 P=0.016) were revealed to be significant factors associated with medication adherence. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between self-efficacy and medication adherence (r=0.312, P<0.001). However, disease related knowledge, depression, and anxiety were not significantly associated with medication adherence. Conclusion To improve medication adherence among patients with IBD, a reduction in the number of doses per day and an improved self-efficacy will be helpful.

Background: The aim of this multicenter, randomized, open-label, comparative, investigator-blinded study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP-2) combined with β-TCP (rhBMP-2/β-TCP) in alveolar ridge preservation. Materials and methods: Eighty-four subjects from three centers were enrolled in this clinical trial. After tooth extraction, rhBMP-2/β-TCP (n = 41, test group) or β-TCP (n = 43, control group) were grafted to the extraction socket with an absorbable barrier membrane for alveolar ridge preservation. Using computed tomography images obtained immediately after and 12 weeks after surgery, changes in the alveolar bone height and width were analyzed for each group and compared between the two groups. Results: Both the test and control groups showed a significant decrease in alveolar bone height in the 12 weeks after surgery (both groups, p < 0.0001). However, the test group exhibited a significantly lower decrease in alveolar bone height than the control group (p = 0.0004). Alveolar bone width also showed significantly less resorption in the test group than in the control group for all extraction socket levels (ESL) (p = 0.0152 for 75% ESL; p < 0.0001 for 50% ESL; p < 0.0001 for 25% ESL). There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence of adverse events between the two groups. No severe adverse events occurred in either group. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that rhBMP-2/β-TCP is a safe graft material that provides a high alveolar bone preservation effect in patients receiving dental extraction.

Background/Aims: Self-expandable metal stents (SEMSs) can be applied to relieve colorectal obstruction secondary to incurable primary colorectal cancer or extracolonic malignancy. We aimed to identify factors associated with clinical success and the reintervention-free survival (RFS) after palliative stenting. Methods: Cases of palliative SEMS placement between 2005 and 2019 were retrieved from the institutional database and reviewed retrospectively. Logistic regression and log-rank testing followed by Cox proportional hazard analyses were performed to investigate the predictors of the clinical success of palliative stenting and factors associated with RFS, respectively. Results: A total of 593 patients underwent palliative stenting for malignant colonic obstruction (MCO). The technical and clinical success rates were 92.9% and 83.5%, respectively. Peritoneal carcinomatosis was a predictor of clinical failure (odds ratio, 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17 to 0.65) in the multivariate analysis. Peritoneal carcinomatosis (hazard ratio [HR], 2.48; 95% CI, 1.69 to 3.64) and stent expansion >90% on day 1 (HR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.05 to 2.50) were associated with a shorter RFS. Neither clinical success nor RFS was associated with extracolonic malignancy. Re-obstruction, stent migration, and perforation were responsible for most reinterventions after clinically successful palliative stenting. Conclusions In patients requiring palliative stenting for MCO, peritoneal carcinomatosis was associated with both clinical failure and short RFS. Stent expansion >90% on postprocedural day 1 was another predictor of a short RFS after clinically successful stenting. A large prospective study is warranted to establish factors associated with RFS after successful palliative stenting for MCO.