STUDY DESIGN: A prospective study. PURPOSE: To assess postoperative changes in cerebral glucose metabolism in anxiety patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (SS). OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Although an association between preoperative anxiety and abnormal cerebral glucose metabolism may exist, only a limited number of studies using F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) have evaluated preoperative to postoperative changes in cerebral glucose metabolism in SS patients in detail. METHODS: The present study was designed to assess preoperative to postoperative changes in cerebral glucose metabolism in anxiety patients with SS. F-18 FDG PET with statistical parametric mapping analyses was used to compare preoperative and postoperative regional brain glucose metabolism in 18 SS patients. RESULTS: F-18 FDG PET scans showed postoperative activation of several brain clusters in gray matter. These included left parahippocampus, left cerebellar tonsil, left inferior semi-lunar lobule, and right cerebellar tonsil. Areas that were deactivated postoperatively were the right insula, left fusiform gyrus, left orbitofrontal cortex, left inferior frontal gyrus, left middle frontal gyrus, left precuneus, and left inferior frontal gyrus. CONCLUSIONS: SS patients with preoperative anxiety showed altered cerebral glucose metabolism at postoperative follow-up.
Anxiety ; Brain ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glucose ; Humans ; Palatine Tonsil ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Prospective Studies ; Spinal Stenosis

PURPOSE: Pulmonary hypertension is a known risk factor for mortality in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. However, mortality in patients with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and congenital heart disease has been poorly investigated. Therefore, we conducted an investigation into the mortality and risk factors in these patients. METHODS: We reviewed the records of 45 preterm infants who were diagnosed with bronchopulmonary dysplasia and congenital heart disease from 2010 to 2013. Their survival was compared with that of a group of control individuals who did not have congenital heart disease. A variety of factors associated with survival were examined. RESULTS: Although initial pulmonary hypertension was more frequent in the patient group, no significant differences were found between the patients and the control subjects with respect to cumulative mortality. The log-rank test indicated that many factors, including follow-up pulmonary hypertension, the use of pulmonary vasodilators, and aggravated oxygen demand, but not the congenital heart disease type, impacted upon survival in the patient group. Aggravated oxygen demand was the only factor that was determined to be associated with mortality in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference between the patient and the control groups with respect to cumulative survival. Of the three factors that affected survival within the patient group, aggravated oxygen demand was the only risk factor that was associated with mortality.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Defects, Congenital* ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Oxygen ; Risk Factors ; Vasodilator Agents

The aim of this case study was to report the clinical outcome of immediate provisionalization using one-piece narrow diameter (3.0mm) implants in missing maxillary lateral or mandibular incisors. The present study included 36 patients who were treated with 62 one-piece narrow diameter implants. After implant placement, immediate provisional restorations were delivered. All implants showed favorable osseointegration and after progressive loading from 3 months to 9 months (average of 5 months), final restorations were completed without failure in all cases. A survival rate of 100 % (62 of 62) was observed up to 23 months of observation (average of 12.6 months).
Humans ; Incisor ; Osseointegration ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: To analyze and compare the results of three different surgical methods - closed reduction and percutaneous pinning (Group I), bifurcated plate and tension band wiring (Group II), locking compression plate (Group III), - for displaced two- and three-part proximal humeral fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients were treated with a closed reduction and percutaneous pinning, 19 with bifurcated plate and tension band wiring and 18 with locking compression plate. All patients were followed up for more than 1 year, and were reviewed and evaluated with respect to radiological and clinical results. The radiological results were evaluated by bony union and humerus neck shaft angle using the Paavolainen method. The clinical results were evaluated by Neer's evaluation criteria. RESULTS: Bony union rate, time period to achieve bony union, neck shaft angle and clinical results in Groups II and III were better than those in Group I (p<0.05). There were no significant differences between Groups II and III. We observed trends for worse clinical outcomes in patients older than 65 years compared with those in patients younger than 65 years. Clinical outcome for patients older than 65 years in Group III (average 87.5 points) was better than that for the same age group in Groups I (average 77.2 points) and II (average 79.3 points), but the cohorts were too small to obtain statistical significance. Complication rate in Groups II, III was lower than that in Group I (p=0.005). CONCLUSION: The radiological and clinical results in Groups II and III were significantly better than those in Group I, and there were no significant differences between Groups II and III. We thought that bifurcated plate and tension band wiring and locking compression plate were useful surgical methods for displaced two- and three-part proximal humeral fractures.
Cohort Studies ; Humans ; Humerus ; Neck ; Shoulder Fractures

STUDY DESIGN: This is a prospective study. PURPOSE: We compared the outcomes of segmental decompression and wide decompression in patients who had multilevel lumbar foraminal stenosis with back pain. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Wide decompression and fusion in patients with multilevel lumbar foraminal stenosis may increase the risk of perioperative complications. METHODS: From March 2005 to December 2007, this study prospectively examined 87 patients with multilevel lumbar foraminal stenosis and who were treated by segmental or wide decompression along with posterior fusion using pedicle screw fixation, and these patients could be followed-up for a minimum of 2 years. Of the 87 patients, 45 and 42 patients were assigned to the segmental decompression group (group 1) and the wide decompression group (group 2), respectively. We compared the clinical and radiological outcomes of the patients in these two groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between groups 1 and 2 in terms of the levels of postoperative pain based on the visual analogue scale, the Oswestry Disability Score, the clinical results based on the Kirkaldy-Willis Criteria, the complication rate or the posterior fusion rate. On the other hand, the mean operating times in groups 1 and 2 were 153 +/- 32 minutes and 187 +/- 36 minutes, respectively (p < 0.05). The amount of blood loss during surgery and on the first postoperative day was 840 +/- 236 ml and 1,040 +/- 301 ml in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that segmental decompression offers promising and reproducible clinical and radiological results for patients suffering from multilevel lumbar foraminal stenosis.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Decompression ; Hand ; Humans ; Pain, Postoperative ; Prospective Studies ; Stress, Psychological

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible association of estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) gene polymorphisms in a cohort of degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS) patients. METHODS: Accordingly, the authors examined the association between DS and ERalpha gene polymorphisms in 174 patients diagnosed with DS. The Pvu II and Xba I polymorphisms, bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and femoral neck, and biochemical markers were analyzed and compared in the 174 patients with DS and 214 patients with spinal stenosis (SS). RESULTS: A comparison of genotype frequencies in DS and SS patients revealed a significant difference for the Pvu II polymorphism only (p=0.0452). No significant difference was found between these two groups with respect to the Xba I polymorphism, BMD or biochemical markers. No significant association was found between the Pvu II polymorphism of ERalpha and BMD, vertebral slip or biochemical markers in patients with DS. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the ERalpha gene polymorphism using Pvu II restriction enzyme influences the prevalence of DS.
Biomarkers ; Bone Density ; Cohort Studies ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; Estrogens ; Femur Neck ; Genotype ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Spinal Stenosis ; Spine ; Spondylolisthesis

Background: Despite advancements in heart transplantation for pediatric patients in Korea, the waiting list mortality has not been reported. Therefore, we investigated the waiting list mortality rate and factors associated with patient mortality. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of pediatric patients who were registered for heart transplantation at three major hospitals in Korea from January 2000 to January 2020.All patients who died while waiting for heart transplantation were investigated, and we identified the waiting list mortality rate, causes of mortality and the median survival periods depending on the variable risk factors. Results: A total of 145 patients received heart transplantations at the three institutions we surveyed, and the waiting list mortality rate was 26%. The most common underlying diseases were cardiomyopathy (66.7%) and congenital heart disease (30.3%). The leading causes that contributed to death were heart failure (36.3%), multi-organ failure (27.2%), and complications associated with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) (25.7%). The median survival period was 63 days. ECMO was applied in 30 patients. The different waiting list mortality percentages according to age, cardiac diagnosis, use of ECMO, and initial Korean Network of Organ Sharing (KONOS) level were determined using univariate analysis, but age was the only significant factor associated with waiting list mortality based on a multivariate analysis. Conclusion The waiting list mortality of pediatric heart transplantation candidates was confirmed to be considerably high, and age, underlying disease, the application of ECMO, and the initial KONOS level were the factors that influenced the survival period.