Carotid artery stenting (CAS) is considered for patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis of 50% or greater. Following CAS, hemodynamic changes can alter the cerebral perfusion status. Furthermore, hypotension and bradycardia may occur due to the stimulation of carotid sinus baroreceptors. A more meticulous approach to these hemodynamic changes is required, especially in patients with bilateral carotid artery stenosis and concurrent multiple cerebrovascular stenoses. This report presents a case of posterior cerebral artery territory infarction that occurred after bilateral CAS.

Background: Meniscal scaffold implantation has been introduced as a treatment for meniscal injuries, but there is still no clear consensus on its clinical impact, including its chondroprotective effect. This review aimed to assess the chondroprotective effects, clinical outcomes, and survivorship of meniscal scaffold implantation compared to meniscectomy, as well as among different types of scaffolds. Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was performed on the databases of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, encompassing articles published until June 1, 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) and comparative studies published in English that reported results using collagen meniscal implant (CMI) and polyurethane meniscal scaffold for meniscal tear were included. Results: A total of 421 studies were initially identified across databases, and a systematic review was conducted on 8 studies involving 596 patients. Among the 5 studies that addressed the chondroprotective effect, none found that meniscal scaffolds had a higher chondroprotective effect compared to meniscectomy. In studies comparing CMI and meniscectomy, the Lysholm score results showed a mean difference (MD) range between –5.90 and –4.40. In the case of visual analog scale score, the MD ranged from –1.0 to 1.0. In studies comparing polyurethane meniscal scaffolds and CMI, the Tegner score results showed an MD range of –2.0 to 0.4. Conclusions There was no superiority in chondroprotective effects for both CMI and polyurethane meniscal scaffolds compared to meniscectomy. Although meniscal scaffolds may provide improvements in clinical outcomes, no clinically relevant differences were observed in comparison to meniscectomy. There are no discernible differences between the 2 types of scaffolds.

Background: Meniscal scaffold implantation has been introduced as a treatment for meniscal injuries, but there is still no clear consensus on its clinical impact, including its chondroprotective effect. This review aimed to assess the chondroprotective effects, clinical outcomes, and survivorship of meniscal scaffold implantation compared to meniscectomy, as well as among different types of scaffolds. Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was performed on the databases of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, encompassing articles published until June 1, 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) and comparative studies published in English that reported results using collagen meniscal implant (CMI) and polyurethane meniscal scaffold for meniscal tear were included. Results: A total of 421 studies were initially identified across databases, and a systematic review was conducted on 8 studies involving 596 patients. Among the 5 studies that addressed the chondroprotective effect, none found that meniscal scaffolds had a higher chondroprotective effect compared to meniscectomy. In studies comparing CMI and meniscectomy, the Lysholm score results showed a mean difference (MD) range between –5.90 and –4.40. In the case of visual analog scale score, the MD ranged from –1.0 to 1.0. In studies comparing polyurethane meniscal scaffolds and CMI, the Tegner score results showed an MD range of –2.0 to 0.4. Conclusions There was no superiority in chondroprotective effects for both CMI and polyurethane meniscal scaffolds compared to meniscectomy. Although meniscal scaffolds may provide improvements in clinical outcomes, no clinically relevant differences were observed in comparison to meniscectomy. There are no discernible differences between the 2 types of scaffolds.

Background: Meniscal scaffold implantation has been introduced as a treatment for meniscal injuries, but there is still no clear consensus on its clinical impact, including its chondroprotective effect. This review aimed to assess the chondroprotective effects, clinical outcomes, and survivorship of meniscal scaffold implantation compared to meniscectomy, as well as among different types of scaffolds. Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was performed on the databases of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, encompassing articles published until June 1, 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) and comparative studies published in English that reported results using collagen meniscal implant (CMI) and polyurethane meniscal scaffold for meniscal tear were included. Results: A total of 421 studies were initially identified across databases, and a systematic review was conducted on 8 studies involving 596 patients. Among the 5 studies that addressed the chondroprotective effect, none found that meniscal scaffolds had a higher chondroprotective effect compared to meniscectomy. In studies comparing CMI and meniscectomy, the Lysholm score results showed a mean difference (MD) range between –5.90 and –4.40. In the case of visual analog scale score, the MD ranged from –1.0 to 1.0. In studies comparing polyurethane meniscal scaffolds and CMI, the Tegner score results showed an MD range of –2.0 to 0.4. Conclusions There was no superiority in chondroprotective effects for both CMI and polyurethane meniscal scaffolds compared to meniscectomy. Although meniscal scaffolds may provide improvements in clinical outcomes, no clinically relevant differences were observed in comparison to meniscectomy. There are no discernible differences between the 2 types of scaffolds.

Background: Meniscal scaffold implantation has been introduced as a treatment for meniscal injuries, but there is still no clear consensus on its clinical impact, including its chondroprotective effect. This review aimed to assess the chondroprotective effects, clinical outcomes, and survivorship of meniscal scaffold implantation compared to meniscectomy, as well as among different types of scaffolds. Methods: A comprehensive search strategy was performed on the databases of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar, encompassing articles published until June 1, 2024. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) and comparative studies published in English that reported results using collagen meniscal implant (CMI) and polyurethane meniscal scaffold for meniscal tear were included. Results: A total of 421 studies were initially identified across databases, and a systematic review was conducted on 8 studies involving 596 patients. Among the 5 studies that addressed the chondroprotective effect, none found that meniscal scaffolds had a higher chondroprotective effect compared to meniscectomy. In studies comparing CMI and meniscectomy, the Lysholm score results showed a mean difference (MD) range between –5.90 and –4.40. In the case of visual analog scale score, the MD ranged from –1.0 to 1.0. In studies comparing polyurethane meniscal scaffolds and CMI, the Tegner score results showed an MD range of –2.0 to 0.4. Conclusions There was no superiority in chondroprotective effects for both CMI and polyurethane meniscal scaffolds compared to meniscectomy. Although meniscal scaffolds may provide improvements in clinical outcomes, no clinically relevant differences were observed in comparison to meniscectomy. There are no discernible differences between the 2 types of scaffolds.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the role of muscle strength exercise in the association between obesity status and knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods: The study subjects were 1,266 elderly women aged 65 years and older who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2009 to 2011. Participants were categorized into three groups (normal, single obesity, multi-obesity) based on the presence or absence of obesity and abdominal obesity determined by body mass index and waist circumference. Additionally, they were categorized into two groups based on the presence or absence of muscle strength exercise. Logistic regression used to examine the odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for KOA according to the independent and combined levels of obesity status and participation in strength training. Results: The multi-obesity group had a significantly higher probability of being exposed to KOA compared to the normal group (OR, 2.489; 95% CI, 1.837−3.372). However, there was no significant difference between the groups with and without participation in muscle strength exercise. We also calculated ORs for KOA exposure according to muscle strength exercise participation by obesity status. The results showed that in the multi-obesity group, the probability of KOA exposure was significantly higher in the group not participating in muscle strength exercise compared to the group participating in muscle strength exercise (OR, 2.998; 95% CI, 1.312−6.853). Conclusion This study suggests that regularly participating in muscle strength exercise may play a protective role against the risk of KOA associated with obesity and abdominal obesity.

Purpose: The Avoid Axillary Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy (ASLAN) trial aims to demonstrate the oncologic safety of omitting axillary surgery in patients with excellent response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) for early human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2)-positive (+)/triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) who have undergone breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and adjuvant radiotherapy. The ASLAN trial will provide crucial information that could change the procedure in highly selected patients undergoing axillary surgery after NACT. Methods ASLAN is a prospective, multicenter, and single-arm surgical trial. The recruitment will be conducted among five tertiary care hospitals in the Republic of Korea. The total number of patients to be recruited will be 178, and we plan to complete patient enrollment by December 2023. The enrollment is considered among patients with HER2+ breast cancer (BC) or TNBC at clinical stage T1–3N0–1M0 who are expected to achieve breast pathological complete response (BpCR) based on a combination of radiologic imaging and physical examination after NACT. BCS was performed on eligible patients. After BCS, patients who showed BpCR were enrolled with the omission of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). The primary study endpoint upon completion of this trial is 5-year recurrence-free survival, and the secondary endpoints include the 5-year ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence interval, 5-year ipsilateral axillary recurrence interval, 5-year distant metastasis-free survival, 5-year BC-specific survival, 5-year overall survival, 5-year contralateral BC-free survival, re-operation rate according to breast biopsy after NACT, adverse events within 5 years, and quality of life.Discussion: Several clinical trials are currently underway to determine whether SLNB can be omitted after NACT in patients with HER2+ BC or TNBC that are expected to achieve pathologic complete response. The ASLAN trial is expected to provide valuable clues regarding the feasibility of omitting axillary surgery in highly selected patients.

Purpose: Despite the increasing use of immediate breast reconstruction (IBR), its oncologic safety in the setting of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) needs to be comprehensively clarified in breast cancer management. The objective of the present study was to analyze the oncologic safety of IBR following NACT. Methods: In total, 587 patients with breast cancer who underwent a total mastectomy (TM) with IBR after NACT between 2008 and 2017 at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed. The reviewed patients with IBR following skin-sparing mastectomy (SSM) or nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) were matched 1:3 to patients who underwent TM alone after NACT. Matching variables included age, clinical T and N stages before NACT, response to NACT, pathologic T and N stages, and molecular subtypes. Results: After propensity score matching, 95 patients who underwent IBR following SSM/ NSM after NACT (IBR group) and 228 patients who underwent TM alone after NACT (TM group) were selected. The median follow-up period was 73 (range, 5–181) months after matching. After matching, there were no significant differences between the two groups in 5-year locoregional recurrence-free survival (88.8% vs. 91.2%, p = 0.516), disease-free survival (67.3% vs. 76.6%, p = 0.099), distant metastasis-free survival (71.9% vs. 81.9%, p = 0.057), or overall survival (84.1% vs. 91.5, p = 0.061) rates. In multivariate analyses, conducting IBR was not associated with increased risks for locoregional recurrence, any recurrence, distant metastasis, or overall death. Conclusion Our findings suggest that IBR following SSM/NSM elicits comparable long-term oncologic outcomes to those of TM alone in the setting of NACT.

Background: This study investigated the associations between transfusion of different types of red blood cell (RBC) preparations and kidney allograft outcomes after kidney transplantation (KT) over a 16-year period in Korea using a nationwide population-based cohort. Methods: We investigated the reported use of RBCs during hospitalization for KT surgery, rejection, and graft failure status using nationwide data from the National Health Information Database (2002–2017). The associations between the type of perioperative RBC product and transplant outcomes were evaluated among four predefined groups: no RBC transfusion, filtered RBCs, washed RBCs, and packed RBCs (pRBCs). Results: A total of 17,754 KT patients was included, among which 8,530 (48.0%) received some type of RBC transfusion. Of the patients who received RBC transfusion, 74.9%, 19.7%, and 5.4% received filtered RBCs, pRBCs, or washed RBCs, respectively. Regardless of the type of RBC products, the proportions of acute rejection and graft failure was significantly greater in patients receiving transfusion (P < 0.001). Cox proportional hazards regression analyses showed that the filtered RBC and pRBC groups were significantly associated with both rejection and graft failure. The washed RBC group also had hazard ratios greater than 1.0 for rejection and graft failure, but the association was not significant. Rejection-free survival of the pRBC group was significantly lower than that of the other groups (P < 0.001, log-rank test), and graft survival for the no RBC transfusion group was significantly greater than in the other groups (P < 0.001, log-rank test). Conclusion Perioperative RBC transfusion was associated with poor graft outcomes.Notably, transfusion of pRBCs significantly increased transplant rejection. Therefore, careful consideration of indications for RBC transfusion and selection of the appropriate type of RBCs is necessary, especially for patients at high risk of rejection or graft failure.

Objective: : Nontraumatic subdural hematoma (SDH) is a common disease, and spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leakage is a possible etiology of unknown significance, which is commonly investigated by several invasive studies. This study demonstrates that heavily T2-weighted magnetic resonance myelography (HT2W-MRM) is a safe and clinically effective imaging modality for detecting CSF leakage in patients with nontraumatic SDH. Methods: : All patients who underwent HT2W-MRM for nontraumatic SDH workup at our institution were searched and enrolled in this study. Several parameters were measured and analyzed, including patient demographic data, initial modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score upon presentation, SDH bilaterality, hematoma thickness upon presentation, CSF leakage sites, treatment modalities, followup hematoma thickness, and follow-up mRS score. Results: : Forty patients were identified, of which 22 (55.0%) had CSF leakage at various spinal locations. Five patients (12.5%) showed no change in mRS score, whereas the remaining (87.5%) showed decreases in follow-up mRS scores. In terms of the overall hematoma thickness, four patients (10.0%) showed increased thickness, two (5.0%) showed no change, 32 (80.0%) showed decreased thickness, and two (5.0%) did not undergo follow-up imaging for hematoma thickness measurement. Conclusion : HT2W-MRM is not only safe but also clinically effective as a primary diagnostic imaging modality to investigate CSF leakage in patients with nontraumatic SDH. Moreover, this study suggests that CSF leakage is a common etiology for nontraumatic SDH, which warrants changes in the diagnosis and treatment strategies.