1.Impact of Ultrasound Education Following Neuroanatomy Class for First-Year Medical Students: A Survey-Based Study
Kwanju SONG ; Jong Wook SHIN ; Hee-Jung SONG
Journal of Neurosonology and Neuroimaging 2024;16(2):93-99
Background:
Although ultrasound is widely used in clinical practice, educational opportunities for medical students, particularly those in neurology, remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of neurological US education on first-year medical students and provide insights for future curriculum development.
Methods:
A prospective, single-center study was conducted from 2022 to 2023 involving 231 first-year medical students over two years at the Chungnam National University College of Medicine. The sessions on Transcranial Doppler and carotid Doppler included a 30 minutes lecture, a 30 minutes demonstration by a neurology specialist, and optional hands-on practice, respectively. A post-session survey assessed students’ feedback, preferences, and willingness to engage in US education. For the analysis, the Likert-scale responses were dichotomized into positive and negative responses, and comparisons between years were conducted using chi-square or Fisher’s exact tests.
Results:
Over 80% of students found the sessions helpful in understanding anatomy and physiology. Student interest in US education significantly increases from 2022 to 2023 (80.5% vs. 92.4%, p=0.013), along with overall satisfaction (82.5% vs. 96.2%, p<0.001). Students preferred optional programs and instructions from specialists or residents. The demand for expanded US education showed an increasing trend (68.0–78.1%), although the difference was not statistically significant.
Conclusion
Neurological US education positively affects student learning and motivates students to use US in future practice. This study highlights the importance of neurological US education and provides insights for the development of future specialized curricula in neurology.
2.An Acute Metabolic Encephalopathy, Lactic Acidosis and Stroke-like Episodes Syndrome Patients with Hyperperfusion Responsive to Steroid Treatment
Kwanju SONG ; Myung Ki YOON ; Kijeong KIM ; Sang Hee HA ; Bum Joon KIM
Journal of the Korean Neurological Association 2023;41(4):306-309
Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) is a genetic disorder caused by mutation in mitochondrial DNA. Patients with stroke-like episodes show restrictive lesions in diffusion weighted image, whereas magnetic resonance angiography images show both vasodilation or vasoconstriction. Vasodilation may lead to hyperperfusion and cerebral edema, which may worsen clinical outcome. Here, we report a 25-year-old male patient diagnosed as MELAS, who presented with stroke-like episodes and seizures and showed cerebral edema with vasodilation which was normalized after steroid treatment.
6.Neuro-Behcet’s Disease Manifesting as Bilateral Fornix and Left Thalamus Infarction
Myung Ki YOON ; Joonseo OH ; Kwanju SONG ; Kijeong KIM ; Jun Young CHANG
Journal of the Korean Neurological Association 2024;42(2):153-156
Neuro-Behcet’s disease (NBD) is defined as neurological involvement in Behcet’s disease. A 32-year-old man was admitted due to sudden memory impairment and had a history of recurrent oral/genital ulcers. Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed ischemic lesions in the bilateral fornix and left thalamus, and high-resolution vessel wall MRI demonstrated vasculitis in the anterior communicating artery. We report a rare case of NBD that presented as vasculitis and ischemic stroke in the bilateral fornix and thalamus.