PURPOSE: Anastomotic leakage following surgery is one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, prevention of anastomotic leakage is crucial for safe rectal surgery. The aim of this study is to determine the effect of Mallecot(R) insertion on the prevention of anastomotic leakage after low rectal anastomosis. METHODS: From January 2002 to December 2006, 264 rectal cancer surgeries were performed in one center and by one surgeon. Among them, 110 cases whose anastomosis was located below 6 cm from the anal verge were collected and reviewed retrospectively. We made a diverting stoma on 6 out of 20 patients with high risk of anastomotic leakage, and inserted Mallecot(R) on the remaining 14 patients transanally. Removal of Mallecot(R) was done at the 7th postoperative day after a digital rectal examination to identify the completeness of anastomosis had been performed. RESULTS: Totally, anastomotic leakage occurred in 8 of 110 patients (73%). Among the 90 patients without any preventive measures, 7 incidents of anastomotic leakage were observed; on the other hand, 1 of 14 patients with Mallecot(R) insertion suffered anastomotic leakage. In two of the patients with leakage, including 1 in the Mallecot(R) group, the leakage was resolved via percutaneous drainage; in the other 6 patients were reoperated. CONCLUSIONS: The importance of preventing an anastomotic leakage after low rectal surgery cannot be overemphasized to reduce morbidity and to improve the prognosis. In addition, Mallecot(R) insertion may be an alternative method for diverting stoma formation.
Anastomotic Leak ; Digital Rectal Examination ; Drainage ; Hand ; Humans ; Mortality ; Prognosis ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: To establish effective preventive measures for hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection, a nationwide epidemiologic study on seroprevalence of anti-HAV and the disease prevalence is needed. The aim of this study was to analyze the recent sero-epidemiological changes of hepatitis A markers in Korea. METHODS: The results of 11,068 anti-HAV total and 32,360 anti-HAV IgM tests by electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) that had been requested in recent four years (2005-2008) to a reference medical laboratory from 1,699 institutions nationwide were retrospectively analyzed according to the distribution of year, sex, and age groups. RESULTS: The overall positive rate of anti-HAV total was 62.8%. The overall positive rate of anti-HAV IgM was 11.0%, showing a significantly increasing trend by year: 7.7%, 10.9%, 8.9%, and 14.3% in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008, respectively (P<0.0001). The positive rate of anti-HAV IgM was higher in male than in female subjects (11.8% vs 10.0%, P<0.0001), and 81.8% (2,916/3,566) of the anti-HAV IgM positive results were observed in the age groups of 21-40 yr. The annual positive rates of anti-HAV total and anti-HAV IgM showed significantly decreasing and increasing trends, respectively, in the age groups of > or =21 yr. Conclusion: In accordance with a decreasing sero-positivity of anti-HAV total, the prevalence of acute hepatitis A virus infection has been considerably increased during the recent four years in the age groups of > or =21 yr. The results of this study could be used effectively as a basic data for establishing effective preventive measures for hepatitis A including vaccination in these susceptible age groups.
Adult ; Biological Markers/blood ; Chemiluminescent Measurements ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Hepatitis A/*epidemiology ; Hepatitis A Antibodies/*blood ; Hepatitis A virus/*immunology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M/blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Factors ; Time Factors

PURPOSE: This study examined the results of treatment according to the stage and size of a spontaneous osteonecrosis lesion of the knee (SONK) in the patients over 60 years of age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-two knees from 19 patients over 60 years of age were treated for spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee at our institution between January, 2000, and June, 2004. The mean follow time was 20.7 months. The condylar ratios, proportion of the lesion size to the condyle were measured. The size was obtained by multiplying the values from the anteroposterior and lateral radiographs. The stages were classified radiographically, and the treatment results were analyzed according to the size and stage. Conservative treatment was performed if the ratio and size were <40% and 5.0 cm2, respectively. Arthroplasty was performed if the ratio or size was >40% or 5.0 cm2. A paired T-test, Spearman correlation test and Wilcoxon test were used for the statistical evaluation. RESULTS: There was a higher prevalence in females (15 patients, 79%), and the mean age was 65 years (46-77 years). Bilateral involvement was observed in 3 patients. The lesions involved mainly the medial femoral condyle (21 cases, 95%). Seven cases (31%) had a condylar ratio <40% and 15 cases (69%) had a condylar ratio >40%. Conservative treatments were performed in 5 cases staged radiographically as I or II and there were no significant changes in the knee scores (p=0.931). Of the 17 cases staged III and IV radiographically, conservative treatment and arthroplasty were performed in 7 and 10 cases, respectively. Seven cases, in whom conservative treatments had been performed, showed a decreased in the knee scores compared with the increased knee scores in 10 patients treated with arthroplasty (p=0.943). CONCLUSION: An accurate diagnosis and measurement of the size and staging of spontaneous osteonecrosis of knee in patients over 60 years of age is important for proper treatment. Clinically, no further progression of symptoms is visible on grade I and II spontaneous osteonecrosis of the knee after conservative treatment. However, arthroplasty improves the clinical results in patients with radiological grade III and IV osteonecrosis compared with conservative treatment.
Aged* ; Arthroplasty ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Knee* ; Middle Aged* ; Osteonecrosis* ; Prevalence

Treatment strategies for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) should be based on objective evidence of inducible ischemia in the subtended myocardium to improve clinical outcomes, symptoms, and cost-effectiveness. Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is the most verified index to-date for invasively evaluating lesion-specific myocardial ischemia. Favorable results from large clinical trials that applied FFR-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) prompted changes in coronary revascularization guidelines to emphasize the importance of this ischemia-based strategy using invasive coronary physiology. However, the frequency of functional evaluations is lacking in daily practice, and visual assessment still dominates treatment decisions in CAD patients. Despite recent efforts to integrate functional and anatomical assessments for coronary stenosis, there is considerable discordance between the 2 modalities, and the diagnostic accuracy of simple parameters obtained from current imaging tools is not satisfactory to determine functional significance. Although evidence that supports or justifies anatomy-guided PCI is more limited, and FFR-guided PCI is currently recommended, it is important to be aware of conditions and factors that influence FFR for accurate interpretation and application. In this article, we review the limitations of the current anatomy-derived evaluation of the functional significance of coronary stenosis, detail considerations for the clinical utility of FFR, and discuss the importance of an integrated physiologic approach to determine treatment strategies for CAD patients.
Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Stenosis ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Myocardium ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Physiology ; Ultrasonography, Interventional

Treatment strategies for patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) should be based on objective evidence of inducible ischemia in the subtended myocardium to improve clinical outcomes, symptoms, and cost-effectiveness. Fractional flow reserve (FFR) is the most verified index to-date for invasively evaluating lesion-specific myocardial ischemia. Favorable results from large clinical trials that applied FFR-guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) prompted changes in coronary revascularization guidelines to emphasize the importance of this ischemia-based strategy using invasive coronary physiology. However, the frequency of functional evaluations is lacking in daily practice, and visual assessment still dominates treatment decisions in CAD patients. Despite recent efforts to integrate functional and anatomical assessments for coronary stenosis, there is considerable discordance between the 2 modalities, and the diagnostic accuracy of simple parameters obtained from current imaging tools is not satisfactory to determine functional significance. Although evidence that supports or justifies anatomy-guided PCI is more limited, and FFR-guided PCI is currently recommended, it is important to be aware of conditions and factors that influence FFR for accurate interpretation and application. In this article, we review the limitations of the current anatomy-derived evaluation of the functional significance of coronary stenosis, detail considerations for the clinical utility of FFR, and discuss the importance of an integrated physiologic approach to determine treatment strategies for CAD patients.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to translate the Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms Assessment (UTISA) questionnaire, which assesses the severity and nuisance of symptoms and signs of uncomplicated urinary tract infection, into Korean with subsequent linguistic validation for clinical use and research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This self-administered questionnaire is composed of 14 items that cover the 7 most frequent symptoms and signs. After acquiring permission for use of the questionnaire in Korea from Bayer Health Care Pharmaceuticals Global Health Economics and Outcome Research, 2 bilingual linguists individually translated the original English version of the UTISA questionnaire into Korean, and the translations were then reconciled by the linguists and the authors. A preliminary Korean version was translated back into English and reconciled by another bilingual linguist to confirm proper forward translation of the UTISA questionnaire, and then a complete Korean version of the UTISA questionnaire was finished. Ten women with acute cystitis completed the Korean UTISA questionnaire and were then interviewed to confirm the final Korean version through cognitive debriefing. RESULTS: Linguistic validation of the Korean version of the UTISA questionnaire was completed through forward translation and reconciliation, back-translation and reconciliation, cognitive debriefing, and finally, proof-reading of the questionnaire as a instrument for assessing symptoms and signs of uncomplicated urinary tract infection. CONCLUSIONS: The UTISA questionnaire was translated into a Korean, and the translation was validated linguistically. Psychometric validation will be needed in a large set of patients with uncomplicated urinary tract infection.
Cystitis ; Delivery of Health Care ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Linguistics ; Psychometrics ; Translations ; Urinary Tract ; Urinary Tract Infections

BACKGROUND: Although it is known that losing weight has an effect on the treatment of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, the studies that show how losing weight affects the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease for the normal weight male adults are limited so far. In this study, we set body mass index as criteria and investigated how the weight changes for 4 years makes an impact on the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease for the male adults who have the normal body mass index. METHODS: From January to December of 2004, among the normal weight male adults who had general check-up at the Health Promotion Center of Ulsan University Hospital, 180 people (average age, 47.4 +/- 4.61 years) who were diagnosed with fatty liver through abdominal ultrasonography were included in this study and were observed according to the variety of data and ultrasonography after 4 years (2008). People who had a history of drinking more than 140 g of alcohol per week or who had a past medical history were excluded from the analysis. The weight change of subjects was calculated using the formula 'weight change = weight of 2008 (kg) - weight of 2004 (kg)' and classified into three groups, loss group (< or =-3.0 kg), stable group (-2.9 to 2.9 kg), and gain group (> or =3.0 kg). The odds for disappearance of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in those three different groups were compared. RESULTS: Among 180 subjects, compared with stable group (67.2%, 121 subjects), loss group (11.7%, 21 subjects) showed 18.37-fold increase in the odds of disappearance of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.34 to 77.80) and gain group (21.1%, 38 subjects) showed 0.28-fold decrease in the odds of disappearance of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (95% CI, 0.10 to 0.83). CONCLUSION: Even for the normal weight people, losing weight has an effect on the improvement of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Adult* ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight Changes ; Drinking ; Fatty Liver* ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Ideal Body Weight ; Male ; Ulsan ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: Peritoneal recurrence after curative resection of colorectal cancer has been considered to be a lethal condition and to be suitable for palliative chemotherapy. Recently, aggressive approaches such as cytoreductive surgery and perioperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy were introduced for peritoneal malignancies to improve survival. The aim of this study is to identify the risk factors of peritoneal recurrence after curative resection of colorectal cancer and to determine the indication of early postoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (EPIC). METHODS: From January 1997 to December 2007, a total of 2,320 patients' records with curative resection for colorectal cancer were collected through the prospective colorectal cancer registry protocol in Kyungpook National University Hospital, Korea. Of those, a total of 1,929 patients were included for analysis of the relationship between perioperative clinicopathologic variables and peritoneal recurrence. RESULTS: The study group was composed of 1,086 men and 843 women with a mean age of 61.1. In multivariate analysis, preoperative level of serum CA19-9>37 U/ml (odd ratio [OR] 3.217; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.525~6.788), right colon cancer (OR 2.524; 95% CI 1.158~5.502), pT4 tumor (OR 2.131; 95% CI 1.009~4.502) and positive apical lymph node (OR 3.045; 95% CI 1.023~9.066) were independent risk factors of peritoneal recurrence after curative resection of colorectal cancer. CONCLUSION: In colorectal cancer patients with increased preoperative serum levels of CA19-9, right-sided location, serosal exposure or invasion of adjacent organ, and positive apical lymph node, more scrupulous surveillance for peritoneal recurrence was necessary during the postoperative follow-up period. In selective patients with risk factors of peritoneal recurrence, more aggressive strategies for management, such as EPIC, were able to be considered under the acceptable general condition and life-expectancy.
Colonic Neoplasms ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Multivariate Analysis ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors

Tacrolimus and pimecrolimus represent a new class of topical non-steroidal medication currently used in the treatment of a variety of inflammatory skin lesions. We report a case of a patient in whom topical pimecrolimus therapy resulted in tinea incognito. Mycologic examination, including a KOH smear and fungal culture, was positive for hyphae and colonies of trichophyton mentagrophytes. The lesion was treated with oral griseofulvin and topical clotrimazole.
Clotrimazole ; Griseofulvin ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Skin ; Tacrolimus ; Tinea* ; Trichophyton

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Microvascular damage due to distal embolization during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is an important cause of periprocedural myocardial infarction. We assessed the lipid-core plaque using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and microvascular dysfunction invasively with the index of microcirculatory resistance (IMR) and evaluated their relationship. METHODS: This study is pilot retrospective observational study. We analyzed 39 patients who performed NIRS before and after PCI, while fractional flow reserve, thermo-dilution coronary flow reserve (CFR) and IMR were measured after PCI. The maximum value of lipid core burden index (LCBI) for any of the 4-mm segments at the culprit lesion (culprit LCBI(4mm)) was calculated at the culprit lesion. We divided the patients into 2 groups using a cutoff of culprit LCBI(4mm) ≥500. RESULTS: Mean pre-PCI LCBI was 333±196 and mean post-PCI IMR was 20±14 U. Post-PCI IMR was higher (15.6±7.3 vs. 42.6±17.6 U, p<0.001) and post-PCI CFR was lower (3.7±2.2 vs. 2.1±1.0, p=0.029) in the high LCBI group. Pre-PCI LCBI was positively correlated with post-PCI IMR (ρ=0.358, p=0.025) and negatively correlated with post-PCI CFR (ρ=−0.494, p=0.001). The incidence of microvascular dysfunction (IMR ≥25 U) was higher in the high LCBI group (9.4% vs. 85.7%, p<0.001). However, there were no significant differences in the incidences of creatine Kinase-MB (9.4% vs. 14.3%, p=0.563) and troponin-I elevation (12.5% vs. 14.3%, p=1.000). CONCLUSIONS: A large lipid-core plaque at the ‘culprit’ lesion is observed higher incidence of post-PCI microvascular dysfunction after PCI. Prospective study with adequate subject numbers will be needed.
Coronary Artery Disease ; Creatine ; Humans ; Incidence ; Microvessels ; Myocardial Infarction ; Observational Study ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared ; Troponin I