The generalized Batho method, proposed by Webb and Fox, which is a method of calculation of dose correction factor for the multilayer of heterogeneous tissue, is complex even for a few kind of tissues. The method was modified for the purpose of getting a simple method that divide the multilayer of heterogeneous tissues into some groups of adjacent-tissue pairs. This new method could reduce the number of exponential terms and the time for calculating the dose correction factors by manual and computer calculation.

A 36-year old Korean woman consulted a clinic for a regular gynecological examination, and a mass was noticed in her pelvis. She was referred to the Asan Medical Center, Seoul where transvaginal ultrasonography confirmed a pelvic mass exceeding 10 cm in diameter. She received total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingoophorectomy, and a borderline serous neoplasm with micropapillary features involving the left ovary and right ovarian serosa was histopathologically confirmed. In addition, a section of a nematode with numerous eggs was found in the parenchyma of the left ovary. The worm had degenerated but the eggs were well-preserved and were identified as those of Enterobius vermicularis. She is an incidentally recognized case of ovarian enterobiasis.
Adult ; Animals ; Enterobiasis/diagnosis/*parasitology/pathology ; Enterobius/isolation & purification ; Female ; Human ; Korea ; Ovarian Diseases/diagnosis/*parasitology/pathology ; Ovary/parasitology ; Parasite Egg Count

Since the adoption of the Da Vinci robotic system for remote access thyroid surgery, robotic thyroidectomy (RT) has become a popular surgical option for patients who want to avoid neck scars. Surgeons in South Korea pioneered this surgical technique and have reported successful outcomes. Although many studies have reported that RT is a feasible and safe therapeutic alternative, concerns over the surgical and oncological safety of RT remain. This article reviews the advantages and disadvantages of RT and compares the surgical safety and oncological completeness of RT with conventional open thyroidectomy.
Cicatrix ; Humans ; Korea ; Neck ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Thyroidectomy*

PURPOSE: Obesity is associated with a number of medical comorbidities and is considered a risk factor for surgical complications. The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of body habitus including obesity on the surgical outcomes of the Bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) robotic thyroidectomy (RoT) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients. METHODS: The medical records of 456 PTC patients who underwent BABA RoT between January 2011 and December 2012 were reviewed, and 310 women PTC patients who had undergone BABA robotic total thyroidectomy with central lymph node dissection were examined. Body habitus were evaluated by measuring body mass index (BMI), body surface area, and neck circumference. We divided the patients into BMI < 25 kg/m2 and BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 groups. Clinicopathological data, surgical outcomes, and postoperative complications were evaluated. RESULTS: Clinicopathological characteristics did not differ between the 2 BMI groups. The creation of working space time (P = 0.210) and other surgical outcomes showed no significant differences between the groups. There were no statistically significant differences between body habitus indexes and postoperative length of hospital stay, number of retrieved central lymph nodes, postoperative thyroglobulin levels, occurrence of hypoparathyoidism, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury and wound complication. CONCLUSION: Patient with large body habitus undergoing BABA RoT were not at an increased risk of surgical complications and showed good surgical outcomes. BABA RoT may be a good alternative operative method for PTC patients for whom cosmetic outcome is an important consideration.
Body Mass Index ; Body Surface Area ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Medical Records ; Methods ; Neck ; Obesity ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries ; Risk Factors ; Thyroglobulin ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Thyroidectomy* ; Wounds and Injuries

PURPOSE: Obesity is associated with a number of medical comorbidities and is considered a risk factor for surgical complications. The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of body habitus including obesity on the surgical outcomes of the Bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) robotic thyroidectomy (RoT) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients. METHODS: The medical records of 456 PTC patients who underwent BABA RoT between January 2011 and December 2012 were reviewed, and 310 women PTC patients who had undergone BABA robotic total thyroidectomy with central lymph node dissection were examined. Body habitus were evaluated by measuring body mass index (BMI), body surface area, and neck circumference. We divided the patients into BMI < 25 kg/m2 and BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 groups. Clinicopathological data, surgical outcomes, and postoperative complications were evaluated. RESULTS: Clinicopathological characteristics did not differ between the 2 BMI groups. The creation of working space time (P = 0.210) and other surgical outcomes showed no significant differences between the groups. There were no statistically significant differences between body habitus indexes and postoperative length of hospital stay, number of retrieved central lymph nodes, postoperative thyroglobulin levels, occurrence of hypoparathyoidism, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury and wound complication. CONCLUSION: Patient with large body habitus undergoing BABA RoT were not at an increased risk of surgical complications and showed good surgical outcomes. BABA RoT may be a good alternative operative method for PTC patients for whom cosmetic outcome is an important consideration.
Body Mass Index ; Body Surface Area ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Medical Records ; Methods ; Neck ; Obesity ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Injuries ; Risk Factors ; Thyroglobulin ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Thyroidectomy* ; Wounds and Injuries

Purpose: As thyroid cancer patients are experiencing longer disease-free survival periods, evaluating their quality of life after surgery has become crucial. However, studies on this topic have primarily focused on Western populations, leaving a gap in understanding the Korean patient population’s experiences and needs. This study aims to address this gap and provide insights into the quality of life of thyroid cancer patients in Korea. Methods: This cross-sectional study evaluated the quality of life of Korean thyroid cancer patients who underwent thyroid lobectomy or total thyroidectomy. Patients were surveyed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC-QLQ-C30, ver. 3.0) during outpatient clinic visits from January to September 2015. The results were analyzed by comparing them to scores of the general population and based on the time elapsed since surgery. This approach allowed for a comprehensive evaluation of the quality-of-life outcomes in this patient population. Results: The study found that thyroidectomy had a notable impact on patients’ role and cognitive functions. Patients also experienced worsened symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, and constipation, which improved over time and returned to normal levels. However, there were no significant changes in other functions and symptoms after surgery. Conclusion The study’s findings showed that thyroidectomy had a relatively minor impact on the functional and symptomatic well-being of patients. Therefore, the results suggest that thyroid surgery may be a safe and effective treatment option for thyroid cancer patients seeking to maintain a good quality of life.

To evaluate the validity of serum pepsinogen levels as a screening tool for gastric cancer and adenoma, immunoradiometric assays of serum pepsinogen I level (PG I), II level (PG II) and esphagogastroduodenal endoscopies were done in 757 health examlnees. Serum PG I level was higher in subjects with active duodenal ulcer (n=45, 75.2+/-34.3 microgram/l(mean+/-standard deviation), p<0.01) and gastroduodenal ulcers (n=8,756+/-19.8 microgram/l, p<0.05), and was lower in those with gastric adenoma (n=4,37.7+/-37.2 microgram/l, p<0.2) than those with normal, mild gastritis findings or ulcer scars (n=378, 56.6+/-24.9 microgram/l). Serum PG II level las higher in subjects with active duodenal ulcer (17.2+/-13.8 microgram/l, p<0.2), active gastro-duodenal ulcers (l8.3+/-7.4 microgram/l, p<0.2) and gastric carcinoma (n=3, 23.8+/-10.9 microgram/l, p<0.05) than those with normal, mild gastritis findings or ulcer scars (14.5+/-7.9 microgram/l). Serum PG I/PG 11 ratio was higher in subjects with active duodenal ulcer (5.1+/-1.6, p<0.05) and was lower in those with chronic gastritis (n=107, 4.1+/-1.7, p<0.05), gastric polyp (n=19, 3.9+/-1.4, p<0.2), gastric adenoma (n=4, 2.1+/-1.9, p<0.01) and gastric carcinoma (n=3, 2.7+/-1.2, p<0.1) than those with normal, mild gastritis findings or ulcer scars (4.5+/-1.7). Serum PG 11 level increased with age until 6th decade, whereas serum PG I/PG II ratio decreased with age in 378 subjects with normal, mild gastritis findings or ulcer scars. The screening criteria of serum PG I<70 microgram/l and PG I/PG II ratio<3.0 for detecting gastric cancer and adenorna gave a positive rate of 15.7%, sensitivity of 57.1% and specificity of 84.7%.
Adenoma* ; Cicatrix ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Gastritis ; Immunoradiometric Assay ; Korea* ; Mass Screening* ; Pepsinogen A* ; Peptic Ulcer ; Polyps ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Ulcer

No abstract available.
Humans ; Paraquat* ; Poisoning*

A retrospective analysis was performed on 23 patients with pineal region tumors treated with radiation from 1979 through 1985 at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital, Histologic confirmation was done in only one case by surgical removal, and in the remaining 22 patients, the diagnosis was based on clinical and radiological findings. The radiation volume was the primary tumor site in 1 case, whole brain in 14 cases, and the whole craniospinal axis in 8 cases. The overall 5 year survival was 71.5%. The 5 year survival was 69. 3% for whole brain treated group and 73.3% for craniospinal axis treated group. The survival for the two groups did not differ significantly. In two cases sites of recurrence were detected. One in supratentorial area, and the other in the lung. The results from this retrospective analysis and the review of other reports indicate that routine use of prophlatic spinal irradiation is not warranted in pineal region tumor, and the craniospinal irradiation is recommended in cases with high risk for subarachnoid seeding such as positive CSF cytology, surgical removal or biopsy.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Biopsy ; Brain ; Craniospinal Irradiation ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Lung ; Pinealoma* ; Radiation Oncology ; Radiotherapy* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul

BACKGROUND: Functional MRI is a new neuroimaging method that detects focal blood flow change associated with neural activation. This study aimed at improving it for use as a clinical test. METHODS: We separated image reconstruction from scan acquisition as an off-line process, systematized post-processing stages, and employed SPM96 package for statistical analysis. Tasks easy enough for most neurological patients were designed for activation of motor, somatosensory, visual, and language areas. From twenty consecutive patients admitted to neurology wards, frequency of expected activation and inactivation among defined regions of interest was obtained as a measure of sensitivity and quasi-specificity. RESULTS: It took about 4 minutes for data acquisition per task condition. Thus within half an hour all four tasks were tested in cooperative patients. Post-processing took about an hour per task condition, using PC-based analysis packages. Sensitivity and quasi-specificity were about 70% and 90%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our newly developed method shortened the time for fMRI acquisition and systematized post-scan analysis. Data obtained from patients showed acceptable reliability for clinical use, but further research and improvement should be necessary.
Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Neuroimaging ; Neurology