STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective analysis was performed on 40 patients who had had previous lux bar spine surgeries. OBJECTIVE: To determine what factors most influenced surgical outcome and to analyze results in a series of revision lumbar surgeries. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Satisfactory surgical outcome of the revision lumbar surgery range from 28% to 82% and are rarely comparable to primary surgery. Many factors predicting outcome from repeat lumbar surgery haute been listed. METHODS: Forty patients were analyzed who had had previous lumbar surgeries. The patients were classified into 5 groups according to diagnosis: 3 Infection,5 instability,8 nonunion, 14 HNP and 10 spinal stenosis. of 40 patients,33 patients(82.5%) underwent fusion with instrumentation for repeat surgery. Their clinical course was followed for a minimum of 1 year. The number of surgery on each mpatient was 1.3 times on an average. RESULTS: Overall, 80% of patients had a satisfactory result. Obviously extruded or sequestrated HNP in MRI findings, complete block of contrast with severe radiculopathy and/or myelopathy in spinal stenosis, complete decompression, neurolysi s and fusion with instrumentation, and longer than 6 month pain relief after precious surgery were correlated with satisfactory outcome. However, the number of precious operation, age, repair of pseudarthrosis , no abnormality at surgery and combined multiple degenerative joint disease were significantly correlated with poor surgical outcome. The most common complication during repeat surgery was dural tear in 5 cases(12.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Success rate of revision surgery was low as compared to primary operation. Therefore, erroneous diagnosis and faulty surgical technique understandably lead to failure, and precise attention to preoperative and intraoperative detail can minimize these sources of error.
Decompression ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Joint Diseases ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pseudarthrosis ; Radiculopathy ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Spinal Stenosis ; Spine* ; Tears

Fiberglass, as a substitute of asbestos, is used for more than 60 years as a insulator material. Health hazards including irritation of skin, mucosa and respiratory system associated with use of fiberglass is reported. Many studies on the fibrogenicity and carcinogenicity of fiberglass was conducted but evidence is not sufficient to confirm the carcinogenicity or fibrogenicity. Authors studied the health hazards among 152 inhabitants(71 men and 81 women) from 32 households living around the fiberglass factory which produced the fiberglass insulators and glasswool panels for 20 years. Questionnaire survey on household and persons, examination of underground water, pathologic examination of subcutaneous tumors and examination of fiberglass in tumor tissues were done. The results are as follows; 1. Fiberglass concentration of underground water sampled from 33 households in the study area was 13. 7-95. 9 fiber/cc with the diameter to length ratio more than 1:20. 2. Prevalence of dermatosis among study subjects was 23.0 % (35 cases). Prevalence was not associated with the distance from the factory nor duration of exposure. 3. There were 15 cases of subcutaneous tumor with prevalence of 9. 9 %. Age of subcutaneous tumor cases was all above 30 year-old except one cases, who was 5 year old child, who lived in the surveyed area since he was born. Prevalence of subcutaneous tumor was significantly high in area A(42.9 %) than area B(4.6 %, p<0.01). Prevalence of subcutaneous tumor was higher in long-term exposed inhabitants, but was not statistically significant. 4. Pathologic examination exhibits partly encapsulated fat tissue masses and cut surfaces were pale yellow with gritty sensation. The masses consist of mature fat cells showing variation in size and shape. On polarizing microscope, the peripheries of tumors include small irregular threads of doubly refractile material probably represent glass fibers in fibrocollagenous tissue. Concentration of fiberglass in tissue was 5.1-10.2 fiber/rag wet tissue in case 1, 25.8-184.9 fiber/mg wet tissue in case 2 and 40.8-126.5 fiber/mg wet tissue in case 3. Length of fiberglass was shorter than that in underground water. 5. Cases of malignant tumor among inhabitants since last 10 years were 4, 3 of whom was developed in a same household just near the factory. Diagnoses of malignancy cases were stomach cancer, stomach and esophageal cancer, oral cavity cancer, and stomach cancer with liver metastasis. On review examination of tissues of endoscopic biopsy specimen from a case of stomach cancer, there was adenocarcinoma with no evidence of fiberglass materials. Authors concluded there is evidences that fiberglass was strongly associated with the development of the health hazards including dermatosis and benign subcutaneous tumor. However, the association of fiberglass exposure with the development of malignant tumor was not clear, although strongly suggested. For the prevention of development of further health hazards, it is recommended that under ground water source should be closed and further experimental study to confirm the mechanism of the tumorigenesis and follow up survey on the inhabitants should be conducted.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adipocytes ; Adult ; Asbestos ; Biopsy ; Carcinogenesis ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiologic Studies* ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; Family Characteristics ; Glass* ; Groundwater ; Humans ; Liver ; Male ; Mouth ; Mucous Membrane ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prevalence ; Respiratory System ; Sensation ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of vitamin D deficiency and its association with iron deficiency anemia (IDA). METHODS: A total of 171 children aged less than two years underwent 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 tests between January 2007 and July 2009. The study was classified into two groups: normal and vitamin D insufficiency, by their vitamin 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 levels. RESULTS: In total, 120 children were in the normal group (mean age, body weight and heights 12.5+/-7.0, 9.3+/-0.9 kg and 76.8+/-1.1 cm), and 51 children in the vitamin D insufficiency group (9.9+/-5.4 months, 9.0+/-0.9 kg and 75.1+/-0.9 cm). Vitamin D insufficiency was most commonly diagnosed in the spring (44%). The proportion of complete breast-feeding was higher in the insufficiency (92%), and 25.5% of the children in the deficient group also experienced IDA compared that 12% of normal group. Ten children in the insufficiency group experienced bony changes. Six children received calcitriol medication in the normal group, in whom the mean vitamin 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level increased from 39.6+/-14.6 ng/mL (pre-medication) to 41.8+/-17.2 ng/mL (post-medication), and 13 in the insufficiency group, in whom the mean vitamin 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 increased from 20.7+/-7.0 ng/mL to a mean post-treatment level of 43.7+/-23.8 ng/mL. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that approximately 30% of children aged < or =2 years experienced vitamin D insufficiency associated with subclinical rickets. Many children also experienced concurrent IDA. Guidelines for vitamin D supplement in such children must therefore be established.
Aged ; Anemia ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; Body Weight ; Calcifediol ; Calcitriol ; Child ; Humans ; Iron ; Prevalence ; Rickets ; Vitamin D ; Vitamin D Deficiency ; Vitamins

PURPOSE: Central compartment reoperation for recurrent thyroid carcinoma is challenging to surgeons due to the scar tissues and adhesions and the distortion of the normal anatomic relationships. This study was carried out to investigate the central neck recurrence patterns and the surgical morbidity of reoperation for patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma. METHODS: The study population was comprised 68 papillary thyroid carcinoma patients (15 males and 53 females, median age: 50.8 years [range: 12~78 years]) who underwent reoperation for recurrent tumors in the central compartment of the neck between January 1999 and June 2007. All of the patients had undergone prior total thyroidectomy. RESULTS: Of the 68 patients, 21 recurrences occurred in the proper thyroid tissue of the thyroid bed, 43 in the central neck nodes and 4 in a combination of the central nodes and proper thyroid tissue. The common recurrent site from the proper thyroid tissue were at the berry ligaments and at the level of the upper one-third of the recurrent laryngeal nerves, while the common nodal recurrence sites were the lower-most portion of the paratracheal nodes and the right paraesophageal nodes (the lymph nodes posterior to the right recurrent laryngeal nerve). Eleven cases of transient hypocalcemia (17.5%, 11/63) and 3 cases of permanent hypocalcemia (4.3%, 3/63) were noted after reoperation. Recurrent laryngeal nerve injury occurred in 5 patients (8.1%, 5/62), but three of them were intentionally resected with the recurrent cancers. CONCLUSION: Reoperation for central neck recurrence of papillary thyroid carcinoma is associated with a higher complication rate. Meticulous surgical dissection of the central compartment based on the recurrent patterns is important to reduce injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerves and parathyroid glands.
Carcinoma ; Cicatrix ; Female ; Fruit ; Humans ; Hypocalcemia ; Intention ; Ligaments ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Neck ; Recurrence ; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve ; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries ; Reoperation ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms

PURPOSE: Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is a relatively rare form of thyroid carcinoma that often presents at a more advanced stage of disease with a higher incidence of distant metastases because of its propensity for vascular invasion. However, FTC and papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) have similar prognoses when they are matched for age and stage. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the useful prognostic factors and determine the optimal management of FTC. METHODS: This study was conducted on 216 patients with FTC who underwent thyroidectomy at our institutions between April 1986 and August 2006. The patients included 174 women and 42 men with a mean age of 41 (4~87) years, and patients underwent follow-up evaluation for a mean period of 114 (6~253) months. The potential risk factors for treatment outcome were calculated using multivariate analysis, and the prognostic accuracy of UICC/AJCC pTNM staging, AMES, AGES, MACIS, and Degroot classification for predicting survival were compared. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 13 (6.0%) patients developed locoregional recurrences and 8 patients (3.7%) showed distant metastases. In addition, cause specific mortality was seen in 8 patients (3.7%). The overall survival and cause-specific survival (CSS) rates at 10 years were 95.4% and 89.3%, respectively, and these cases were accurately predicted by the AMES and pTNM staging systems. The Cox proportional hazards revealed that gender (P=0.015), angioinvasion (P=0.013), invasion to adjacent structure (P=0.003), widely invasive carcinoma (P=0.028), and distant metastases at the time of presentation (P<0.001) were independent prognostic factors for survival. CONCLUSION: The extent of surgery in cases of FTC should be individualized based on the clinicopathologic findings; Conservative surgery should be adequate for cases of minimally invasive FTC without angioinvasion, however total or near-total thyroidectomy should be conducted in cases of widely invasive and minimally invasive FTC with angioinvasion.
Adenocarcinoma, Follicular ; Carcinoma ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroidectomy ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: The clinical importance of papillary microcarcinoma (PTMC) is debatable. Because PTMC is being diagnosed with increasing frequency, it is important to describe the clinical and histological characteristics that confer aggressive behavior to this cancer. This study was carried out to evaluate the clinical and histological characteristics of PTMC and to determine an appropriate treatment strategy for such cases. METHODS: From Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2005, 1,255 patients with small papillary carcinoma, which measured less than 2.0 cm in its greater dimension, underwent total thyroidectomy at our institution. Among these patients, 633 (50.4%) had a thyorid carcinoma less than or equal to 1 cm in diameter (Group A). The clinicopathologic features and treatment outcome of these patients were evaluated and compared with the remaining 622 cases (49.6%) (Group B). RESULTS: For the patients with PTMC (Group A), there were 70 men and 563 women with a median age of 44 years (range; 12~86). During a mean follow-up of 32.5+/-18.2 months, 6 patients (0.9%) developed locoregional recurrences and 3 patients (0.5%) showed distant metastases. There was no disease-related mortality in both groups. The disease of group B was more likely to show extracapsular invasion (P < 0.001), invasion to adjacent structures (P < 0.001), and lateral neck node metastasis (P < 0.001) than that of group A. However, there were no significant differences in multifocality (P=0.189), bilaterality (P=0.203), the locoregional recurrence rate (P=0.065) and the distant meta-stasis rate (P=0.325) between the two groups. On multivariate analysis, locoregional recurrent disease was associated with central lymph node metastases (P=0.033) and lateral neck node metastases (P=0.022). CONCLUSION: Despite PTMC having less aggressive clinicopathologic parameters as compared with clinical cancer (>1 cm), some PTMCs show aggressive clinical behavior and locoregional recurrence. The treatment of PTMC should be individualized based on its tumor risk profiles and the clinical presentations. Moreover, performing close follow-up is essential, especially for those patients who present with cervicolateral lymph node metastases.
Carcinoma, Papillary ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroidectomy ; Treatment Outcome

BACKGROUNDS: Though they are considered as reliable devices, titanium plates and screws have limitations due to some potential problems. To overcome these problems, researches on bioabsorbable materials for internal fixation have been continuing. Recently, there are many clinical trials to apply biodegradable internal fixation devices in oral and maxillofacial surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical results of application of bioabsorbable plates and screws in orthognathic surgery. METHODS: Fifty-four patients with dentofacial deformity (17 male patients and 37 female patients) were selected in this study. The patients were treated by internal fixation using bioabsorbable plates and 2.4-mm, 2.0-mm pretapped screws (Biosorb FX, Bionix Implants, Inc., Finland). The patients were evaluated for complications during the follow-up period. RESULTS: Five patients (9.3%) experienced complications. All complications in these cases were infection. No other complications related with physical or mechanical properties of bioabsorbable plates were found such as malunion or nonunion, fractures of plates and loosening of screws. All complications were minor and adequately managed with drainage and supportive care with antibiotics coverage. CONCLUSIONS: From the results, the use of these fixation systems in orthognathic surgery will provide a promising alternative titanium fixation in appropriate cases.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Dentofacial Deformities ; Drainage ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Internal Fixators ; Male ; Orthognathic Surgery* ; Surgery, Oral ; Titanium

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the prevalence and characteristics of subclinical ulnar neuropathy at the elbow in diabetic patients. METHODS: One hundred and five patients with diabetes mellitus were recruited for the study of ulnar nerve conduction analysis. Clinical and demographic characteristics were assessed. Electrodiagnosis of ulnar neuropathy at the elbow was based on the criteria of the American Association of Neuromuscular & Electrodiagnostic Medicine (AANEM1 and AANEM2). The inching test of the ulnar motor nerve was additionally performed to localize the lesion. RESULTS: The duration of diabetes, the existence of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) symptoms, the duration of symptoms, and HbA1C showed significantly larger values in the DPN group (p<0.05). Ulnar neuropathy at the elbow was more common in the DPN group. There was a statistically significant difference in the number of cases that met the three diagnostic criteria between the no DPN group and the DPN group. The most common location for ulnar mononeuropathy at the elbow was the retrocondylar groove. CONCLUSION: Ulnar neuropathy at the elbow is more common in patients with DPN. If the conduction velocities of both the elbow and forearm segments are decreased to less than 50 m/s, it may be useful to apply the AANEM2 criteria and inching test to diagnose ulnar neuropathy.
Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Neuropathies ; Elbow* ; Electrodiagnosis ; Forearm ; Humans ; Mononeuropathies ; Prevalence ; Ulnar Nerve ; Ulnar Neuropathies*

BACKGROUND: Multi-drug resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as one of the most important nosocomial pathogens. In addition to the diverse resistance mechanisms, some A. baumannii strains are known to have biofilm-producing capacity, thereby decreasing antibiotic effectiveness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was designed to assess biofilm-producing capacity of three different MDR A. baumannii strains with diverse resistance mechanisms (OXA-51, IMP-1 and VIM-2 type beta-lactamases), and intended to compare the effect of each antibiotic regimen (rifampicin, colistin, imipenem, tigecycline, rifampicin-imipenem and rifampicin-colistin) on mature A. baumannii biofilms using in vitro polystyrene plate biofilm assay. RESULTS: Among three MDR A. baumannii strains, only VIM-2 strain produced strong biofilm compared to the controls (optical density, 8.04 +/- 2.16 vs. 0.49 +/- 0.26). Regarding VIM-2 strains, none of imipenem, colistin and rifampicin reduced biofilm formation alone at MIC of each antibiotic agent (inhibition of biofilm synthesis, less than 30%). In comparison, tigecyclin (0.76 +/- 0.23), imipenem-rifampicin (1.07 +/- 0.31) and colistin-rifampicin (1.47 +/- 0.54) showed a significant inhibition of biofilm synthesis compared to the positive controls at 48 hours after incubation (P<0.01). Tigecycline inhibited biofilm formation even at the one fourth level of MIC (1.17 +/- 0.21). Likewise, both imipenem and colistin were also effective even with the reduced concentrations when those were combined with rifampicin. Such biofilm-inhibiting effects with those antibiotic regimens sustained up to 96 hours after incubation. CONCLUSION: Tigecycline, imipenem-rifampicin and colistin-rifampicin would be effective for the prevention or reduction of biofilm formation caused by A. baumannii strains.
Acinetobacter baumannii* ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biofilms ; Colistin* ; Imipenem* ; Polystyrenes ; Rifampin*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the utility of ceramic-on-polyethylene articular bearing surface when cementless total hip arthroplasty is performed in patients older than 65 years through an analysis of the minimum five-year follow-up results using the ceramic femoral head and cross-linked polyethylene liner. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2010 to September 2012, 51 patients (56 hips) who were older than 65 years were enrolled in this retrospective study. The mean age at surgery was 70.9±5.1 years old. A clinical assessment was analyzed using the Harris hip score. For the radiographic assessment, the cup inclination and anteversion, stem alignment, and wear amount were measured. The postoperative complications were also determined. RESULTS: The mean Harris hip score was improved from preoperative 48 points to postoperative 87 points (p < 0.05). The mean cup inclination was 40.9°±6.4° and the mean cup anteversion was 20.3°±8.1°. The mean cup anteversion of the elevated liner-used group (16 cases) was 14.3°±7.9° and the mean cup anteversion of the neutral liner used group (40 cases) was 22.4°±9.1° (p < 0.05). The mean stem alignment angle was 0° (range, varus 4°–valgus 4°). The mean linear wear amount was 0.458±0.041 mm and the average annual linear wear rate was 0.079±0.032 mm/yr. Six cases (10.7%) of intraoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures were encountered. CONCLUSION: Based on these results, the use of a ceramic-on-polyethylene articular bearing surface in elderly patients with cementless total hip arthroplasty is beneficial. On the other hand, careful effort is needed to prevent intraoperative periprosthetic femoral fractures.
Aged ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip* ; Ceramics* ; Femoral Fractures ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Hand ; Head* ; Hip ; Humans ; Polyethylene* ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies