PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness, patterns and appearances of false positive lesions, and technical problems of CTAP(CT Arterioportography). MATERIALS AND METHODS: CTAP was done in 45 patients in whom hepatic lesions were suggested on other radiologic studies. CTAP findings were compared with the informations obtained by operations, biopsies, and follow-up imagings. Additional findings, which were not detected in other radiologic studies, false positive manifestations, and technical errors were analyzed. RESULTS: CTAP detected 51 additional hepatic lesions which are not detected in other imaging studies. Of the 51 lesions, ten were true positive hepatic tumors, 2 were inflammatory lesions and 39 were false positive .lesions. False positive lesions included perfusion defects of periportal and perifissural areas, subcapsular perfusion defects and nonlobar, nonsegmental geographic perfusion defects. In 2 cases, CTAP aided in deciding the surgical strategy. On the other hand, there were 4 cases causing interpretational confusion and 6 cases of improper imaging due to technical errors. CONCLUSION: CTAP was valuable in detection of additional hepatic cancer lesion as well as in making the treatment plan. However, since many false positive lesions and improper imaging due to technical error occur during the examination, the understanding of such problems is essential for correct interpretation of CTAP.
Biopsy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; Perfusion

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disease, but there are few studies about the quality of life (QOL) of Korean patients with OSA. The aims of the present study were compare the QOL of patients with OSA and healthy controls, and to determine the factors that influence the QOL in these patients. METHODS: This was a casecontrol study comparing the QOL of 136 OSA patients and 126 healthy controls. For all of the subjects, QOL and the severity of subjective symptoms were evaluated using various questionnaires, including the Korean versions of the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 (SF-36), the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI-K), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (KESS), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), the Beck Depression Inventory (KBDI)-2, and the Hospital Anxiety Scale (HAS). RESULTS: The QOL was worse in patients with OSA than in the controls, but there was no association between the severity of OSA and the degree of worsening of QOL. Multiple stepwise regression analysis revealed that the strongest associations were found between QOL and HAS, ISI and BDI-2 scoring in OSA patients. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that OSA represents a considerable burden on the QOL of Koreans, and suggest that the impairment in QOL of Koreans with OSA is related to the degree of anxiety, insomnia and depression that they suffer.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Humans ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Quality of Life* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive* ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

Clinical therapy that combines full-mouth rehabilitation with immediate implantation and orthognathic surgery poses a challenge to prosthodontists. This clinical report describes a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and treatment of a patient presenting with skeletal discrepancy and rampant caries. The results thus achieved indicate that full-mouth rehabilitation by fixed immediate and early loading implantation accompanied by orthognathic surgery can be a predictable and effective treatment procedure.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Orthognathic Surgery* ; Rehabilitation*

PURPOSE: In the cases of a vascular compromised condition in an injured lower extremity, soft tissue coverage with free tissue transfer presents a challenging problem to the reconstructive surgeon. For this reason, cross-leg flaps are still used in unusual circumstances. Advances in surgical technique has made the cross-leg free flap possible although it may require long operation time along with significant donor site morbidity. Therefore, a pedicled cross-leg muscle flap may be an alternative treatment modality when local flap or free flap is not possible. METHODS: Twelve patients(9 males and 3 females) underwent the operation from October 2001 to December 2008. The patients' age ranged from 6 to 82 years. The unusual defects included the regions such as the knee, popliteal fossa, distal third of the tibia, dorsal foot, and the heel. Indications for the cross-leg gastrocnemius flap are inadequate recipient vessels for free flap(in eight cases), extensive soft tissue injuries(in three cases) and free flap failure(in one case). The muscle flap was elevated from contralateral leg and transferred to the soft tissue defect on the lower leg while both legs were immobilized with two connected external fixator systems. Delay procedure was performed in 2 weeks postoperatively, and detachment was done after the establishment of the adequate circulation. The average period from the initial flap surgery to detachment was 32 days(3 to 6 weeks). Mean follow-up period was 4 years. RESULTS: Stable coverage was achieved in all twelve patients without any flap complications. Donor site had minimal scarring without any functional or cosmetic problems. No severe complications such as deep vein thrombosis or flap necrosis were noted although mild to moderate contracture of the knee and ankle joint developed due to external fixation requiring 3 to 4 weeks of physical treatment. All patients were able to walk without crutches in 3 months postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Although pedicled cross-leg flaps may not substitute free flap surgery, it may be an alternative method of treatment when free flap is not feasible. Using this modification of the gastrocnemius flap we managed to close successfully soft tissue defects in twelve patients without using free tissue transfers.
Ankle Joint ; Cicatrix ; Contracture ; Cosmetics ; Crutches ; External Fixators ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foot ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Heel ; Humans ; Knee ; Leg ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscles ; Necrosis ; Tibia ; Tissue Donors ; Venous Thrombosis

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common clinical disease which has been associated with cardiovascular disease and sudden death. Positive airway pressure (PAP) is the most effective treatment for OSA; however, most patients experience difficulties in tolerating machines, masks, or economic burdens. In Korea, National Health Insurance (NHI) application for PAP started in July 2018. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the PAP adherence and factors contributing to good adherence after NHI coverage in Korea. Methods: A retrospective study was performed to examine 89 patients with OSA who were treated with PAP in 2019. All medical records were analyzed to obtain demographic and clinical data, including personal history, polysomnographic data, and PAP results. Results: A total of 66 participants were included, of which 56 (84.8%) were maintained on PAP therapy after 3 months, and 32 of 42 (76.1%) were maintained on PAP therapy after 6 months; prolonged rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency, increased nonREM (NREM) apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and supine AHI significantly contributed to good PAP adherence for 3 months. At 6 months, prolonged REM sleep latency, increased NREM AHI, supine AHI, and increased arousal index significantly contributed to good PAP adherence. However, comorbid hypertension contributed to poor PAP compliance. Conclusions PAP adherence in patients with OSA was 84.8% after 3 months, and 76.1% after 6 months after NHI coverage in a regional tertiary sleep center in Korea. Prolonged REM sleep latency and increased supine AHI and NREM AHI significantly contributed to good adherence, whereas comorbid hypertension was a factor for poor PAP compliance.

No abstract available.
Antibodies ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome

No abstract available.
Nitrous Oxide* ; Subacute Combined Degeneration*

Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common clinical disease which has been associated with cardiovascular disease and sudden death. Positive airway pressure (PAP) is the most effective treatment for OSA; however, most patients experience difficulties in tolerating machines, masks, or economic burdens. In Korea, National Health Insurance (NHI) application for PAP started in July 2018. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the PAP adherence and factors contributing to good adherence after NHI coverage in Korea. Methods: A retrospective study was performed to examine 89 patients with OSA who were treated with PAP in 2019. All medical records were analyzed to obtain demographic and clinical data, including personal history, polysomnographic data, and PAP results. Results: A total of 66 participants were included, of which 56 (84.8%) were maintained on PAP therapy after 3 months, and 32 of 42 (76.1%) were maintained on PAP therapy after 6 months; prolonged rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency, increased nonREM (NREM) apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and supine AHI significantly contributed to good PAP adherence for 3 months. At 6 months, prolonged REM sleep latency, increased NREM AHI, supine AHI, and increased arousal index significantly contributed to good PAP adherence. However, comorbid hypertension contributed to poor PAP compliance. Conclusions PAP adherence in patients with OSA was 84.8% after 3 months, and 76.1% after 6 months after NHI coverage in a regional tertiary sleep center in Korea. Prolonged REM sleep latency and increased supine AHI and NREM AHI significantly contributed to good adherence, whereas comorbid hypertension was a factor for poor PAP compliance.

Purpose: First-year students can form a preconception based on life experiences before entering college and identifying learners’ existing characteristics can be useful foundation data for curriculum development. This study examines what preconceptions freshman students had about medicine before entering medical school. Methods: A total of 110 first-year students were asked about what preconceptions they had about “medicine”. A total of 1,124 data were used in the content analysis method. Results: The results were extracted into 5, and 12 twelve categories. On the theme of “scientific discipline”, the knowledge students had about general health was based on scant expertise and little evidence. Students perceived medicine as Western and scientific, considering Korean traditional medicine as unscientific. Students believed that “medical practice” should be a “disease treatment” and “patient-centered” approach rather than a “social responsibility”. In “the role of the doctor”, students were concerned about the doctor's being financially stable on the positive side, and about the high-intensity workload on the negative side. In “medical education”, students believed that studying medicine would be “hard and difficult” because of the “importance of memorizing” and “extensive study load”. In “specialty stereotype”, students had biases that were mostly concentrated on “psychiatry” and “surgery” Conclusion Perception of “medicine” has been revealed to a varied range of themes, but some have been inaccurate or unrealistic. These prejudices and groundless beliefs have a gap with the learning outcomes that students should achieve in the curriculum, and these preconceptions seem to have been influenced by South Korea’s unique cultural context.