BACKGROUND: Arthroscopic shoulder surgery is often associated with severe postoperative pain. It is important to control pain in this setting, not only to improve the patient's well-being but also to facilitate rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of a continuous suprascapular nerve block for pain relief after arthroscopic shoulder surgery. METHODS: Forty patients (20 in each group) scheduled for elective arthroscopic shoulder surgery received a suprascapular nerve block and a catheter was introduced before surgery. The patients were received standardized general anesthesia. After surgery, a single bolus of normal saline (Group I) or 0.2% ropivacaine (Group II) 6 ml was injected through a catheter in each group. All patients received either a continuous infusion of normal saline (Group I) or a continuous infusion of 0.2% ropivacaine (Group II) through the catheter at a rate of 3 ml/hr plus a bolus of 3 ml with a lock out time of 30 min. Pain relief was assessed at 2, 4, 8, 12, 24 hours using visual analog scale (VAS) and verbal pain scores (VPS). RESULTS: VAS and VPS were lower in the ropivacaine group (Group II) than in the normal saline group (Group I). There were no complication in either group. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous suprascapular nerve block using 0.2% ropivacaine is a safe and efficacious treatment for postoperative shoulder pain.
Anesthesia, General ; Catheters ; Humans ; Nerve Block* ; Pain, Postoperative ; Rehabilitation ; Shoulder Pain ; Shoulder* ; Visual Analog Scale

Purpose: To assess the symmetry of microvascular parameters measured via optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) between the dominant and non-dominant eyes of normal Korean subjects. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data on 120 eyes of 60 healthy Koreans. The ‘hole-in-the-card’ technique was used to determine ocular dominance. Central macular, peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer thickness, were measured via spectral domain OCT. Vessel and perfusion density and the area of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) were measured via OCTA. We used the paired t-test to compare all between-eye parameters. We calculated areas under receiver operating characteristic curves to determine diagnostic utility. Results: The average participant age was 27.4 ± 2.01 years. Forty-one subjects (68.3%) were right eye-dominant and 19 (31.7%) left eye-dominant. None of the central macular, macular GC-IPL, or peripapillary RNFL thickness differed between the eyes; neither did any OCTA-assessed microvascular parameter (vessel or perfusion density or the FAZ area). Conclusions No OCT or OCTA parameter differed between dominant and non-dominant eyes. No parameter identified ocular dominance.

BACKGROUND: The imaging system that's currently being used in the field of dermatology is based on such instruments as the dermoscope, phototrichograph and camera. In recent years, the use of an image magnification system based on polarization has become popular. OBJECTIVE: In this study, optical quantification was performed based on the multiwavelength imaging analysis of the structures that form dermatologic diseases, and an attempt was made to enhance the image quality by using polarization technology. METHODS: The lesions of three patients who were clinically diagnosed with cherry angioma, melanocytic nevus and inflammatory lesions in acne and freckles were measured at the outpatient clinic of the Department of Dermatology of the authors' hospital. All the patients were female, and their mean age was 29.3 years. RESULTS: The optical characteristics of the patients' various skin lesions, including cherry angioma, melanocytic nevus and inflammatory lesions in acne and freckles, were distinguishable by their wavelength. CONCLUSION: The use of different kinds of information may be helpful for measuring and diagnosing various skin lesions that have not been differentiated with using the previous modalities. Further, if the various environmental factors that may be generated during the measurement process can be controlled, then these study results can be applied to a standard diagnostic modality in the field of dermatology.
Acne Vulgaris ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Dermatology ; Female ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Melanosis ; Nevus, Pigmented ; Prunus ; Skin