Purpose: Adjuvant treatment for craniopharyngioma after surgery is controversial. Adjuvant external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) can increase the risk of long-term sequelae. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is used to reduce treatment-related toxicity.In this study, we compared the treatment outcomes and toxicities of adjuvant therapies for craniopharyngioma. Materials and Methods: We analyzed patients who underwent craniopharyngioma tumor removal between 2000 and 2017. Of the 153 patients, 27 and 20 received adjuvant fractionated EBRT and SRS, respectively. We compared the local control (LC), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival between groups that received adjuvant fractionated EBRT, SRS, and surveillance. Results: The median follow-up period was 77.7 months. For SRS and surveillance, the 10-year LC was 57.2% and 57.4%, respectively. No local progression was observed after adjuvant fractionated EBRT. One patient in the adjuvant fractionated EBRT group died owing to glioma 94 months after receiving radiotherapy (10-year PFS: 80%). The 10-year PFS was 43.6% and 50.7% in the SRS and surveillance groups, respectively. The treatment outcomes significantly differed according to adjuvant treatment in nongross total resection (GTR) patients. Additional treatment-related toxicity was comparable in the adjuvant fractionated EBRT and other groups. Conclusion Adjuvant fractionated EBRT could be effective in controlling local failure, especially in patients with non-GTR, while maintaining acceptable treatment-related toxicity.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify independent risk factors for middle ear barotrauma (MEB) symptoms in patients undergoing monoplace hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Materials and Methods: We analyzed data from a single-center study involving 296 patients who received monoplace HBOT.Through multivariable logistic regression analysis, we examined the relationship between various factors and the occurrence of MEB to identify significant independent risk factors. Results: The multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that an altered mental state was associated with increased odds of MEB occurrence [odds ratio (OR) 2.50; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13–5.51]. Furthermore, patients in the emergency treatment group for HBOT, as defined by the national health insurance in Korea, were found to be 6.75 times more likely to experience MEB (95% CI: 1.33–34.20). Conclusion This study identified altered mental status and classification in the emergency treatment group for monoplace HBOT as independent risk factors for MEB. These findings can aid in developing safer protocols for monoplace HBOT chamber operations.

Purpose: Adjuvant treatment for craniopharyngioma after surgery is controversial. Adjuvant external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) can increase the risk of long-term sequelae. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is used to reduce treatment-related toxicity.In this study, we compared the treatment outcomes and toxicities of adjuvant therapies for craniopharyngioma. Materials and Methods: We analyzed patients who underwent craniopharyngioma tumor removal between 2000 and 2017. Of the 153 patients, 27 and 20 received adjuvant fractionated EBRT and SRS, respectively. We compared the local control (LC), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival between groups that received adjuvant fractionated EBRT, SRS, and surveillance. Results: The median follow-up period was 77.7 months. For SRS and surveillance, the 10-year LC was 57.2% and 57.4%, respectively. No local progression was observed after adjuvant fractionated EBRT. One patient in the adjuvant fractionated EBRT group died owing to glioma 94 months after receiving radiotherapy (10-year PFS: 80%). The 10-year PFS was 43.6% and 50.7% in the SRS and surveillance groups, respectively. The treatment outcomes significantly differed according to adjuvant treatment in nongross total resection (GTR) patients. Additional treatment-related toxicity was comparable in the adjuvant fractionated EBRT and other groups. Conclusion Adjuvant fractionated EBRT could be effective in controlling local failure, especially in patients with non-GTR, while maintaining acceptable treatment-related toxicity.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify independent risk factors for middle ear barotrauma (MEB) symptoms in patients undergoing monoplace hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Materials and Methods: We analyzed data from a single-center study involving 296 patients who received monoplace HBOT.Through multivariable logistic regression analysis, we examined the relationship between various factors and the occurrence of MEB to identify significant independent risk factors. Results: The multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that an altered mental state was associated with increased odds of MEB occurrence [odds ratio (OR) 2.50; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.13–5.51]. Furthermore, patients in the emergency treatment group for HBOT, as defined by the national health insurance in Korea, were found to be 6.75 times more likely to experience MEB (95% CI: 1.33–34.20). Conclusion This study identified altered mental status and classification in the emergency treatment group for monoplace HBOT as independent risk factors for MEB. These findings can aid in developing safer protocols for monoplace HBOT chamber operations.

Background and Objectives: The Korean Organ Transplant Registry (KOTRY) provided data for this third official report on adult heart transplantation (HT), including information from 709 recipients. Methods: Data from HTs performed at seven major centers in Korea between March 2014 and December 2020 were analyzed, focusing on immunosuppression, acute rejection, cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), post-transplant survival, and mechanical circulatory support (MCS) usage. Results: The median ages of the recipients and donors were 56.0 and 43.0 years, respectively.Cardiomyopathy and ischemic heart disease were the most common preceding conditions for HT. A significant portion of patients underwent HT at waiting list status 1 and 0. In the multivariate analysis, a predicted heart mass mismatch was associated with a higher risk of 1-year mortality. Patients over 70 years old had a significantly increased risk of 6-year mortality. The risk of CAV was higher for male donors and donors older than 45 years. Acute rejection was more likely in patients with panel reactive antibody levels above 80%, while statin use was associated with a reduced risk. The employment of left ventricular assist device as a bridge to transplantation increased from 2.17% to 22.4%. Pre-transplant extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation was associated with worse post-transplant survival. Conclusions In this third KOTRY report, we analyzed changes in the characteristics of adult HT recipients and donors and their impact on post-transplant outcomes. The most notable discovery was the increased use of MCS before HT and their impact on post-transplant outcomes.

Purpose: Common bile duct (CBD) stone recurrence after laparoscopic CBD exploration (LCBDE) is relatively common. No studies have been conducted evaluating the safety and feasibility of re-do LCBDE in the treatment of recurrent CBD stones. Methods: This single-center retrospective study reviewed 340 consecutive patients who underwent LCBDE for CBD stones between January 2004 and December 2020. Patients with pancreatobiliary malignancies and those who underwent other surgical procedures were excluded. Results: Of the 340 included patients, 45 experienced a recurrence after a mean follow-up period of 24.2 months. Of them, 18 underwent re-do LCBDE, 20 underwent endoscopic intervention, 2 underwent radiologic intervention, and 5 underwent observation. Re-do LCBDE and initial LCBDE showed similar surgical outcomes in terms of operative time (113.1 minutes vs. 107.5 minutes, P = 0.515), estimated blood loss (42.5 mL vs. 49.1 mL, P = 0.661), open conversion rate (2.9% vs. 0%, P = 0.461), postoperative complication (15.3% vs. 22.2%, P = 0.430), and postoperative hospital stay (6.5 days vs. 6.4 days, P = 0.921). Comparing re-do LCBDE and nonsurgical treatment (endoscopic or radiologic), no statistically significant differences were noted in posttreatment complication (22.2% vs. 13.6%, P = 0.477), hospital stay (6.4 days vs.7.3 days, P = 0.607), and recurrence (50.0% vs. 36.4%, P = 0.385). The clearance rate was higher in the re-do LCBDE group than in the nonsurgical group (100% vs. 81.8%, P = 0.057). Conclusion Compared to initial LCBDE and endoscopic or radiological treatments, re-do LCBDE for recurrent CBD stones is a treatment option worth considering in selected patients.

Purpose: Inotuzumab ozogamicin (INO) has demonstrated a safe bridging role to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients with relapsed or refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (R/R B-ALL). How‑ ever, hepatic veno-occlusive disease/sinusoidal obstruction syndrome (VOD/SOS) is frequently observed. This study aimed to identify significant features of INO-associated VOD/SOS. Methods: We reviewed seven cases of hepatic VOD/SOS that developed either during INO salvage or after alloge‑ neic HSCT following INO-induced complete remission (CR). Diagnosis and severity grading of VOD/SOS were based on the revised criteria from the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Defibrotide was used to treat severe to very severe cases. Results: Four patients developed VOD/SOS during INO salvage therapy (at 21 and 36 days post-INO1, 77 days postINO3, and 21 days post-INO5), while three were diagnosed at 2, 5, and 10 days post-HSCT following INO-induced CR.Doppler ultrasonography revealed preserved portal vein flow (range 10.2–26.0 cm/sec) and normal hepatic artery resistive index (RI, range 0.56–0.74) in all but one patient (RI 0.83). Despite this, all patients presented with massive ascites and progressively elevated total bilirubin levels. All cases were classified as severe to very severe; six were treated with defibrotide and one underwent liver transplantation. Most patients ultimately died owing to VOD/SOS progression. Conclusion Post-INO VOD/SOS manifested as two different clinical settings and was characterized by preserved portal vein flow, which complicated diagnosis. Despite timely defibrotide administration, clinical outcomes were poor.These findings emphasize the need for vigilance and potential consideration of prophylactic strategies for prevention of INO-associated VOD/SOS.

Background/Aims: The study investigated the incidence, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of chronic antibiotic-refractory pouchitis (CARP) in Korean patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Methods: This single-center retrospective study included patients with UC who underwent total proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis at the Asan Medical Center in Korea between January 1987 and December 2022. The primary outcomes were endoscopic remission and pouch failure. The Cox’s proportional hazard model was used to identify the risk factors for CARP. Results: The clinical data of 232 patients were analyzed. The most common cause of surgery was steroid refractoriness (50.9%), followed by dysplasia/colorectal cancer (26.7%). Among 74 patients (31.9%) with chronic pouchitis (CP), 31 (13.4%) had CARP, and 43 (18.5%) had chronic antibiotic-dependent pouchitis (CADP). The most frequent endoscopic phenotype was focal inflammation of the pouch (CP, 47.3%; CARP, 35.5%; CADP, 55.8%). Patients with CARP were less likely to use concomitant probiotics than patients with CADP (29.0% vs 72.1%, p<0.01). The endoscopic remission rate of CP, CARP, and CADP was 14.9%, 9.7%, and 18.6%, respectively.The pouch failure rate associated with CP, CARP, and CADP was 13.5%, 16.1%, and 11.6%, respectively. Current smoking status (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.27 to 6.90; p=0.01) and previous use of biologics/small molecules (aHR, 2.40; 95% CI, 1.05 to 5.53; p=0.04) were significantly associated with CARP development. Conclusions UC patients who were current smokers and previously used biologics/small molecules had a higher risk of developing CARP. Concomitant use of probiotics was less likely to be associated with CARP development.

Background: Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) represents a devastating and growing global threat, calling for new antibiotic treatments. In Korea, the challenge of treating CRAB is compounded by high nosocomial acquisition rates and limited availability of novel antibiotics. Minocycline, a semisynthetic tetracycline derivative, has been proposed as a therapeutic option for CRAB infections. Nonsusceptibility to minocycline may occur through the efflux pump, TetB. The prevalence of tetB in A. baumannii has increased, along with higher minocycline minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs). We aimed to evaluate minocycline susceptibility rates in clinical strains of CRAB, and the association between tetB carriage and minocycline susceptibility across different genotypes. Materials and Methods: Representative CRAB blood isolates were collected from Asan Medical Center, Seoul.Minocycline susceptibility was assessed using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) breakpoint (≤4 mg/L) and the proposed pharmacokinetics (PK)/pharmacodynamics (PD) breakpoint (≤1 mg/L). Tigecycline was used as a comparator, and its susceptibility breakpoint for Enterobacterales defined by EUCAST was applied (≤0.5 mg/L).The presence of tetB was detected by PCR, and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was performed using seven housekeeping genes. Results: Of the 160 CRAB blood isolates, 83.8% were susceptible to minocycline by the CLSI criteria, and 50.6% were PK-PD susceptible by the PK-PD criteria. The minocycline minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC)50 /MIC90 was 1/8 mg/L. tetB was present in 49% of isolates and was associated with a higher minocycline MIC (MIC50/90 2/8 mg/L vs. 1/2 mg/L). No clear correlation was observed between tetB positivity and tigecycline MIC. Nine MLSTs were identified, with significant differences in tetB carriage rates between the major sequence types. Notably, ST191, associated with non-tetB carriage and greater susceptibility to minocycline, declined over the study period (P=0.004), while ST451, associated with tetB carriage, increased. Conclusion tetB was present in 49% of CRAB isolates and was associated with higher MICs and non-susceptibility by both CLSI and PK-PD criteria. However, absence of tetB was not a reliable predictor of minocycline PK-PD susceptibility. Additionally, shifts over time towards genotypes with reduced minocycline susceptibility were observed. Further research is needed to correlate these findings with clinical outcomes and identify additional resistance mechanisms.

Background: and Purpose Treatments for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) such as eculizumab, ravulizumab, satralizumab, and inebilizumab have significantly advanced relapse prevention, but they remain expensive. Rituximab is an off-label yet popular alternative that offers a cost-effective solution, but its real-world efficacy needs better quantification for guiding the application of newer approved NMOSD treatments (ANTs). This study aimed to determine real-world rituximab failure rates to anticipate the demand for ANTs and aid in resource allocation. Methods: We conducted a nationwide retrospective study involving 605 aquaporin-4-antibody-positive NMOSD patients from 22 centers in South Korea that assessed the efficacy and safety of rituximab over a median follow-up of 47 months. Results: The 605 patients treated with rituximab included 525 (87%) who received continuous therapy throughout the follow-up period (median=47 months, interquartile range=15–87 months). During this period, 117 patients (19%) experienced at least 1 relapse. Notably, 68 of these patients (11% of the total cohort) experienced multiple relapses or at least 1 severe relapse.Additionally, 2% of the patients discontinued rituximab due to adverse events, which included severe infusion reactions, neutropenia, and infections. Conclusions This study has confirmed the efficacy of rituximab in treating NMOSD, as evidenced by an 87% continuation rate among patients over a 4-year follow-up period. Nevertheless, the occurrence of at least one relapse in 19% of the cohort, including 11% who experienced multiple or severe relapses, and a 2% discontinuation rate due to adverse events highlight the urgent need for alternative therapeutic options.