Background: Identifying the risks related to the complications of electrical cardioversion (ECV) can alert the determinaton of rhythm control in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 1,058 patients who underwent ECV for persistent or long-standing persistent AF/atrial flutter (AFL) from multiple centers. Patients were classified into the no-complication (1,023 patients) and complication (35 patients) groups based on the following major complications: stroke and/or systemic embolism (SSE), myocardial infarction, major bleeding, implantation of cardiac implantable electronic devices, ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation, and death at 1 year follow-up after ECV. Results: Compared with the no-complication group, the complication group exhibited a higher proportion of female patients (37% vs. 22%), as well as a higher proportion of patients with older age (67 ± 11 vs. 61 ± 10 years), diabetes mellitus (DM) (49% vs. 24%), heart failure (HF) (49% vs. 30%), SSE (23% vs. 9%), high CHA 2 DS 2 -VASc (CV) score (3.6 ± 1.8 vs.2.2 ± 1.4), low left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (50 ± 16% vs. 58 ± 21%), and high left atrial volume index (LAVI) (51 ± 26 vs. 40 ± 20 mL/m 2 ). Class I and III antiarrhythmics were less prescribed in the complication group than in the no-complication group (57% vs.76%). Univariate analysis for complications revealed age (≥ 65 years), female sex, DM, HF, SSE, LVEF (< 50%), LAVI (≥ 40 mL/m 2 ), CV score (≥ 3), bradycardia on Holter (< 60/min), and no antiarrhythmics as risk factors. Among these, multivariate analysis revealed clinical significance of female sex and SSE. Conclusion Female sex and a history of SSE were the most important risk factors of complications in patients with persistent or long-standing persistent AF/AFL who underwent ECV.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment modality used as an alternative to surgery in patients with benign thyroid nodules, recurrent thyroid cancers (RTCs), and primary thyroid microcarcinomas. The Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR) initially developed recommendations for the optimal use of RFA for thyroid tumors in 2009 and revised them in 2012 and 2017. As new meaningful evidence has accumulated since 2017 and in response to a growing global interest in the use of RFA for treating malignant thyroid lesions, the task force committee members of the KSThR decided to update the guidelines on the use of RFA for the management of RTCs based on a comprehensive analysis of current literature and expert consensus.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment modality used as an alternative to surgery in patients with benign thyroid nodules, recurrent thyroid cancers (RTCs), and primary thyroid microcarcinomas. The Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR) initially developed recommendations for the optimal use of RFA for thyroid tumors in 2009 and revised them in 2012 and 2017. As new meaningful evidence has accumulated since 2017 and in response to a growing global interest in the use of RFA for treating malignant thyroid lesions, the task force committee members of the KSThR decided to update the guidelines on the use of RFA for the management of RTCs based on a comprehensive analysis of current literature and expert consensus.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment modality used as an alternative to surgery in patients with benign thyroid nodules, recurrent thyroid cancers (RTCs), and primary thyroid microcarcinomas. The Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR) initially developed recommendations for the optimal use of RFA for thyroid tumors in 2009 and revised them in 2012 and 2017. As new meaningful evidence has accumulated since 2017 and in response to a growing global interest in the use of RFA for treating malignant thyroid lesions, the task force committee members of the KSThR decided to update the guidelines on the use of RFA for the management of RTCs based on a comprehensive analysis of current literature and expert consensus.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment modality used as an alternative to surgery in patients with benign thyroid nodules, recurrent thyroid cancers (RTCs), and primary thyroid microcarcinomas. The Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR) initially developed recommendations for the optimal use of RFA for thyroid tumors in 2009 and revised them in 2012 and 2017. As new meaningful evidence has accumulated since 2017 and in response to a growing global interest in the use of RFA for treating malignant thyroid lesions, the task force committee members of the KSThR decided to update the guidelines on the use of RFA for the management of RTCs based on a comprehensive analysis of current literature and expert consensus.

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive treatment modality used as an alternative to surgery in patients with benign thyroid nodules, recurrent thyroid cancers (RTCs), and primary thyroid microcarcinomas. The Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR) initially developed recommendations for the optimal use of RFA for thyroid tumors in 2009 and revised them in 2012 and 2017. As new meaningful evidence has accumulated since 2017 and in response to a growing global interest in the use of RFA for treating malignant thyroid lesions, the task force committee members of the KSThR decided to update the guidelines on the use of RFA for the management of RTCs based on a comprehensive analysis of current literature and expert consensus.

Purpose: Lidocaine, a type of local anesthetic, is used widely to suppress pain during intra-articular injections, but many studies have suggested that lidocaine is toxic to the articular cartilage. This study examined the biological changes that occur when chondrocytes are exposed to lidocaine to determine the protective effect of human placenta hydrolysate (HPH) on chondrocytes. Materials and Methods: SW1353 cells, human-derived chondrocytes, were treated with lidocaine and HPH to confirm the changes in cell viability, production of reactive oxygen species, and MMP13 and BNIP3 gene expression levels. In addition, the radical scavenging ability of HPH was evaluated using an ABTS assay. Results: After treating the cells with the test substance for 72 hours, the cell viability increased by up to 28% in the HPH/lidocaine-treated group compared to the lidocaine-treated group. The level of reactive oxygen species, which was increased by lidocaine, was lower in the group treated with HPH/lidocaine. In addition, the expression levels of the MMP13 gene, which damages cartilage tissue, and the BNIP3 gene, which is involved in mitophagy, were also 21% and 69% lower, respectively, in the HPH/lidocaine-treated group than in the lidocainetreated group. Conclusion HPH may alleviate the side effects of an intra-articular injection of lidocaine by suppressing cell death, suppressing free radicals, and alleviating intracellular mitochondrial damage.

Objective: Primary frozen shoulder causes significant pain and progressively restricts shoulder movements. Diagnosis is made clinically based on patient history and physical examination. Management is mainly non-invasive owing to its self-limiting clinical course. However, clinical practice guidelines for frozen shoulder have not yet been developed in Korea. The developed guidelines aim to provide evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of frozen shoulder. Methods: A guideline development committee reviewed the literature from four databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and KMbase). Using the Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome (PICO) framework, the committee formulated two backgrounds and 16 key questions to address common clinical concerns. Recommendations were made using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework. Results: Diabetes, thyroid disease, and dyslipidemia significantly increase the risk of developing a frozen shoulder. Although frozen shoulder is often self-limiting, some patients may experience long-term functional disabilities. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging should be used as adjunctive tools alongside clinical diagnosis, and rather than as independent diagnostic methods. Noninvasive approaches, such as medications, physical modalities, exercises, electrical stimulation, and manual therapy, may reduce pain and improve shoulder function. Other noninvasive interventions have limited evidence, and their application should be based on clinical judgment. Intra-articular steroid injections are recommended for treatment, and physiotherapy or hydrodilation with steroid injections can also be beneficial. Conclusion These guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations for diagnosing and treating primary frozen shoulder.

Purpose: Due to the shortage of lung donors relative to the number of patients waiting for lung transplantation (LTx), more than one-third of patients on the waitlist have died without receiving LTx in Korea. Therefore, the importance of fair and effective allocation policies has been emphasized. This study investigated the characteristics of the current urgency-based allocation system in Korea by simulating the Eurotransplant lung allocation score (ET-LAS) using a nationwide multi-institutional registry for LTx in Korea. Materials and Methods: This study used data from the Korean Organ Transplantation Registry (KOTRY), along with additional retrospective data for ET-LAS calculation. A total of 194 patients were included in this study between January 2015 and December 2019. The Korean urgency definition classifies an LTx candidate as having statuses 0–3 according to urgency. The ET-LAS was analyzed according to the Korean urgency status. Results: In total, 92 patients received lung transplants at status 0, 85 at status 1, and 17 at status 2/3. The ET-LAS showed a bimodal distribution with distinct peaks corresponding to status 0 and non-status 0. There was no significant difference in the ET-LAS among non-status 0 patients. In logistic and decision tree analyses, oxygen supplementation methods, particularly oxygen masks and high-flow nasal cannulas, were significantly associated with a high ET-LAS (≥50) among non-status 0 patients. Conclusion Simulation of the ET-LAS with KOTRY data showed that the Korean urgency definition may not allocate lungs by urgency, especially for patients in non-status 0; therefore, it needs to be revised.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between serum creatinine levels and the presence and severity of radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA) in individuals aged ≥50 years while adjusting for potential confounders. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional data from the 2009–2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey comprising 3428 individuals aged ≥50 years were utilized. The Kellgren–Lawrence (K–L) grading scale was used to assess the radiographic presence and severity of knee OA. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic analyses were used to investigate the association between serum creatinine levels and the presence of knee OA, whereas ordinal regression was used to assess the impact of creatinine levels on knee OA severity. Results: The presence of radiographic knee OA conferred by low serum creatinine levels was found to be significant in both sexes [odds ratio (OR), 0.118; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.045–0.314, p<0.001 for men; OR, 0.148; 95% CI, 0.040–0.549, p=0.004 for women]. Low serum creatinine was significantly associated with knee OA-graded K–L severity in each sex-based group [β, -1.923; standard error, 0.478; p<0.001 for men and β, -1.532; SE, 0.575; p=0.008 for women]. Conclusion Low serum creatinine level was associated with a higher presence of knee OA in both men and women, and was also linked to the severity of the disease. These findings suggest that the serum creatinine level may be a potential biomarker for assessing the presence and severity of knee OA.