Purpose: Laparoscopic appendectomy, a routine surgical procedure for acute appendicitis, is commonly performed in general hospitals. However, postoperative outcomes based on surgical subspecialty have not been well established. This study aimed to compare surgical outcomes of laparoscopic appendectomy across different surgical subspecialties using risk-adjusted cumulative summation (RA-CUSUM) analysis. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 631 patients undergoing laparoscopic appendectomy between July 2020 and December 2022. Surgeons were categorized into gastrointestinal (GI) or non-GI groups and senior or young groups. Surgical failure was defined as operation time exceeding the mean plus 2 standard deviations, presence of postoperative complications, or readmission within 30 days after surgery. RA-CUSUM analysis was employed to evaluate surgical failure within each group. Results: The GI group performed more partial cecectomies (P = 0.017) and had longer operation times (P = 0.019) than the non-GI group. The senior group exhibited shorter operation time (P < 0.001), reduced length of stay (P = 0.011), and a higher complication rate (P < 0.001) than the young group. RA-CUSUM analysis indicated a decrease in surgical failure as accumulation progressed in both senior and young groups, as well as in the GI and non-GI groups. Conclusion Outcomes of laparoscopic appendectomy varied by subspecialty and length of experience. However, each surgeon showed trends of decreasing surgical failure over time. These results suggest that the surgeon’s subspecialty minimally affects the outcomes of laparoscopic appendectomy, reflecting its fundamental nature within general surgery.

Thermal ablation using radiofrequency is a new, minimally invasive modality employed as an alternative to surgery in patients with benign thyroid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancers. The Task Force Committee of the Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology (KSThR) developed recommendations for the optimal use of radiofrequency ablation for thyroid tumors in 2012. As new meaningful evidences have accumulated, KSThR decided to revise the guidelines. The revised guideline is based on a comprehensive analysis of the current literature and expert consensus.
Advisory Committees ; Catheter Ablation* ; Consensus ; Humans ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroid Nodule ; Ultrasonography

Core needle biopsy (CNB) has been suggested as a complementary diagnostic method to fine-needle aspiration in patients with thyroid nodules. Many recent CNB studies have suggested a more advanced role for CNB, but there are still no guidelines on its use. Therefore, the Task Force Committee of the Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology has developed the present consensus statement and recommendations for the role of CNB in the diagnosis of thyroid nodules. These recommendations are based on evidence from the current literature and expert consensus.
Advisory Committees ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle* ; Consensus* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Methods ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Thyroid Nodule

PURPOSE: To identify altered patterns of retinal mRNA expression in a rat model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats from P2 to P14 were exposed to hyperoxia (80% oxygen) to induce OIR and then returned to normoxic conditions. Control rats were sustained in room air. Retinal gene expression between the rats of OIR and the controls was compared using cDNA microarray analysis. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to verify the microarray results. RESULTS: Among a total of 12,731 cDNAs analyzed by mircroarray, 13 genes were strongly up- or down-regulated (>2-fold change over controls) in the OIR rats. We found a significant increase in expression of 10 genes (CaM-kinase II inhibitor; acidic nuclear phosphoprotein 32 family, member A; vascular endothelial growth factor; interferon alpha-inducible protein 27-like; similar to enthoprotin, epsin 4, clathrin interacting protein; nidogen [entactin]; tubulin, beta5; fibrillin-1; spectrin beta2; and stearoyl-coenzyme A desaturase 2) and a significant decrease in expression of 3 genes (myelin-associated oligodendrocytic basic protein, heat shock protein, and decorin) in OIR rats compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed changes in expressions of various retinal genes in a rat model of OIR by microarray and RT-PCR. This study should contribute to the understanding of genetic indicators associeated with OIR.
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Down-Regulation ; Gene Expression ; Microarray Analysis ; *Oxygen ; RNA, Messenger/*metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Retina/*metabolism ; Retinal Diseases/*chemically induced/*metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Up-Regulation

PURPOSE: To report a patient with Coats' disease who presented with a premacular membrane that was peeled off after laser photocoagulation. CASE SUMMARY: A 17-year-old male presented with decreased visual acuity of the right eye, and showed serous elevation, subretinal hemorrhage, telangiectasis and thick premacular membrane upon fundus examination. Upon diagnosis with Coats' disease, the telangiectatic area was treated with argon laser photocoagulation. Two weeks later, the premacular membrane was peeled off spontaneously and the decrease of macular thickness was verified by optical coherence tomography (OCT). The patient's visual acuity was improved to 1.0. CONCLUSIONS: The visual acuity of the patient with Coats' disease was improved by spontaneous peeling of the premacular membrane after photocoagulation.
Adolescent ; Argon ; Eye ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Light Coagulation ; Male ; Membranes ; Telangiectasis ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Visual Acuity