Objective: Biliary decompression through bile drainage is a key treatment for common bile duct obstruction with cholangitis. However, the effectiveness of early interventions has not been studied sufficiently in Korea. This study investigated the effectiveness of fast-track biliary decompression. Methods: A group of patients diagnosed with common bile duct obstruction with cholangitis between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019, was reviewed retrospectively. We divided them into two groups: before and after the implementation of fast-track biliary decompression. The following items were analyzed in the two groups: time to intervention, number of hospital days, length of stay in the emergency department, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. Results: Between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2019, 418 patients were admitted for common bile duct obstruction, and a total of 369 patients were included in this study. Of these, 168 patients visited the hospital prior to implementation of the treatment, and 201 patients visited after implementation. The time to intervention was 6.1 (4.2-11.0) hours in the fast-track group, which was about 9 hours shorter than the other group (P<0.001). There was no statistical difference in the number of hospital days, emergency department length of stay, and ICU admissions (P=0.535, P=0.034, P=0.322). Conclusion The time to intervention was shortened significantly in the fast-track group. However, we did not observe a significant improvement in patient prognosis. It may be possible that the procedure time may need to be shortened for a better prognosis. This should be investigated in future studies.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Previous studies have reported a high rate of sustained virologic response (SVR) and a low rate of serious adverse events with the use of daclatasvir (DCV) and asunaprevir (ASV) combination therapy. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of DCV and ASV combination therapy for patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1b infection in real world. METHODS: We enrolled 278 patients (184 treatment-naïve patients) from five hospitals in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do. We evaluated the rates of rapid virologic response (RVR), end-of-treatment response (ETR), and SVR at 12 weeks after completion of treatment (SVR12). Furthermore, we investigated the rate of adverse events and predictive factors of SVR12 failure. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 59.5 ± 10.6 years, and 140 patients (50.2%) were men. Seventy-seven patients had cirrhosis. Baseline information regarding nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) sequences was available in 268 patients. Six patients presented with pretreatment NS5A resistance-associated variants. The RVR and the ETR rates were 96.6% (258/267) and 95.2% (223/232), respectively. The overall SVR12 rate was 91.6% (197/215). Adverse events occurred in 17 patients (7.9%). Six patients discontinued treatment because of liver enzyme elevation (n = 4) and severe nausea (n = 2). Among these, four achieved SVR12. Other adverse events observed were fatigue, headache, diarrhea, dizziness, loss of appetite, skin rash, and dyspnea. Univariate analysis did not show significant predictive factors of SVR12 failure. CONCLUSIONS DCV and ASV combination therapy showed high rates of RVR, ETR, and SVR12 in chronic HCV genotype 1b-infected patients in real world and was well tolerated without serious adverse events.

In order to verify exact dose distributions in the state-of-the-art radiation techniques, a newly designed three-dimensional dosimeter and technique has been took strongly into consideration. The main purpose of our study is to verify the optimized parameters of polymer gel as a real volumetric dosimeter in terms of the various study of MRI. We prepared a gel dosimeter by combing 8% of gelatin, 8% of MAA, and 10 mM of THPC. We used a Co-60 gamma-ray teletherapy unit and delivered doses of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 Gy to each polymer gel with a solid phantom. We used a fast spin-echo pulse to acquire the characterized T2 time of MRI. The signal noise ratio (SNR) of the head & neck coil was a relatively lower sensitivity than the body coil; therefore the dose uncertainty of head & neck coil would be lower than body coil's. But the dose uncertainty and resolution of the head & neck coil were superior to the body coil in this study. The TR time between 1,500 ms and 2,000 ms showed no significant difference in the dose resolution, but TR of 1,500 ms showed less dose uncertainty. For the slice thickness of 2.5 mm, less dose uncertainty of TE times was at 4 Gy, as well, it was the lowest result over 4 Gy at TE of 12 ms. The dose uncertainty was not critical up to 6 Gy, but the best dose resolution was obtained at 20 ms up to 8 Gy. The dose resolution shows the lowest value was over 20 ms and was an excellent result in the number of excitation (NEX) of three. The NEX of two was the highest dose resolution. We concluded that the better result of slice thickness versus NEX was related to the NEX increment and thin slice thickness.
Animals ; Comb and Wattles ; Gelatin ; Head ; Neck ; Noise ; Organophosphorus Compounds ; Polymers ; Uncertainty

PURPOSE: To evaluate the incidence and clinical features of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in Korea. METHODS: Web-based (www.armd-nova.or.kr) registration was conducted for AMD patients aged 50 or more who were newly diagnosed by retinal specialists in Korea from August 20, 2005 to August 20, 2006. Patient data including ophthalmologic examination, fundus photography, fluorescein angiogram and/or indocyanin green angiogram (ICG), past medical history, behavioral habit, combined systemic diseases were up-loaded. RESULTS: Among finally enrolled 1,141 newly diagnosed AMD patients, 690 patients (60.5%) were male and 451 patients (39.5%) were female. The average age of AMD patients was 69.7+/-8.0. Early AMD was observed in 190 patients and 951 patients had late AMD. Classic choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) was observed in 18.6% of exudative AMD patients and 63.4 % had occult CNVM. Subfoveal CNVM was observed in 80.4% of the patients with CNVM. Among the 580 exudative AMD eyes that performed indocyanin green angiography (ICG), 184 eyes (31.7%) had polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and 36 eyes (6.2%) showed retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP). Age, male gender, smoking, diabetes and hypertension significantly increased the risk of the AMD among Koreans. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the low rate of participation by retinal specialists, definite incidence of AMD was not obtainable. However, the estimated 1-year AMD incidence in the Pusan area of Korea is at least 0.4%. In contrast to Western people, 31.7% of exudative AMD cases were revealed to be PCV and 6.2% were revealed to be RAP. This discrepancy between ethnic groups should be considered in the diagnosis and treatment modality selection of Korean AMD patients.
Aged ; Angiography ; Choroid ; Ethnic Groups ; Eye ; Female ; Fluorescein ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Korea ; Macular Degeneration ; Male ; Membranes ; Photography ; Retinaldehyde ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Specialization

PURPOSE: Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a new operation technique that utilizes natural orifices of the patient's body with the intention to puncture hollow viscera in order to insert an endoscope into a peritoneal cavity for incisionless surgery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety and feasibility of endoscopic cecectomy through the rectum in one dog and the vagina in another dog. METHODS: This study was performed in two beagle dogs for rectal and vaginal approaches. A five-milimeter trocar was inserted into the abdominal cavity by the Hasson method and intra-abdominal pressure was maintained at 5 mmHg with CO2. After pneumoperitoneum was accomplished, the rectum or vagina was incised with a needle knife and a one-channel gastric endoscope was inserted into the abdominal cavity. Counter-traction was performed using a laparoscopic grasper introduced via the 5 mm trocar in the umbilicus. The cecum was dissected from the base by using a needle knife with the aid of laparoscopic counter-traction. The resected cecum was retrieved through the anus or vagina without pouch bag. The incised rectum was closed by using 90-degree endoclips whereas the incised vagina was not repaired. RESULTS: Cecectomies were successfully performed with both transrectal and transvaginal routes. Both cases had no complication and recovered from surgery uneventfully. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic cecectomy with hybrid NOTES are feasible and safe. With the improvement of surgical experiences and further instrumental development, NOTES can be one option for human intestinal surgery.
Abdominal Cavity ; Anal Canal ; Animals ; Cecum ; Chimera ; Dogs ; Endoscopes ; Humans ; Intention ; Models, Animal ; Natural Orifice Endoscopic Surgery ; Needles ; Peritoneal Cavity ; Pneumoperitoneum ; Punctures ; Rectum ; Surgical Instruments ; Umbilicus ; Vagina ; Viscera

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Well differentiated rectal carcinoid tumors which are less than 1cm in diameter can be treated by endoscopic resection. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of endoscopic resection in treating small sized rectal carcinoids. METHODS: Medical records of 30 rectal carcinoid cases treated by endoscopic resection in Yonsei University College of Medicine, Severance Hospital between January 1995 and March 2007 were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Mean age was 49.7 years and male to female ratio was 1:0.88. Mean size of tumor was 6.29+/-3.06 mm and 25 out of 30 patients (83.3%) had tumors of diameter less than 10 mm. Twenty-two out of 30 patients treated by conventional polypectomy, 6 by endoscopic mucosal resection using a transparent cap (EMR-C) and 2 by endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). Histological examination revealed that 9 patients had resection margin positive for tumor; 7 (31.8%) were in polypectomy group, 1 (16.7%) in EMR-C group, and 1 (50%) in ESD group (p=0.868). Five patients underwent transanal excision to remove residual tumor. No residual tumor was found in additionally resected tissue. Mean follow-up duration was 19. 3 months (range 0-122), and there were no recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic resection is an effective method in the treatment of small rectal carcinoids. However, long-term outcome remains to be elucidated by a large scaled prospective study.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoid Tumor/pathology/*surgery/therapy ; Demography ; *Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; *Microsurgery ; Middle Aged ; Rectal Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery/therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

PURPOSE: Chlormadinone acetate (CMA) therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) may lower the serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) level. However, little is known about the effect of CMA on the total or free serum PSA levels of PSA. Such information would be important since PSA testing is useful for prostate cancer screening. Thus, we prospectively studied the effect of CMA therapy on the total and free serum PSA levels. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) and BPH who were aged over 50 years were treated with 50mg CMA for 6 months. Men with a PSA level greater than 10ng/ml were excluded to reduce the likelihood of including cases of occult prostate cancer. Those with suspicious findings on the digital rectal examination and serum PSA testing were biopsied to rule out prostate cancer. alpha- blocking agents were permitted to treat the men with LUTS. Serum levels of the total and free PSA were measured at the study baseline and after approximately 3 and 6 months. The prostate volume (PV) was assessed by transrectal ultrasonography. RESULTS: The analysis included 170 patients with a mean age of 67.9 years, a baseline PV of 47.3ml and a baseline total PSA of 4.1ng/ml. The total PSA levels declined from 4.1ng/ml at baseline to 2.0ng/ml after 6 months of treatment (50.7% decrease, p<0.01). The mean percent free PSA (21% to 22% at baseline) was not significantly altered by CMA treatment. The PSA levels and PV at baseline did not affect the rate of decline of PSA. CONCLUSIONS: The total PSA serum levels decreased by an average of 50% during CMA therapy, but the percent free PSA did not change significantly. This information is potentially useful in the interpretation of the PSA data that's used for early detection of prostate cancer in the men receiving CMA.
Chlormadinone Acetate* ; Digital Rectal Examination ; Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Prospective Studies ; Prostate* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen* ; Prostatic Hyperplasia* ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Ultrasonography

To report cases of metastasectomy for metastatic gynecologic malignancies, we reviewed the medical records of all patients who have undergone metastasectomy for metastatic gynecologic malignancies in Center for Uterine Cancer from June 2001 to October 2002. Six patients were identified with median age of 55 years (range 52-66 years). The metastatic sites and primary sites were as follows: 3 liver metastasis from ovary; 1 abdominal wall metastasis from uterus (endometrial cancer), 1 brain metastasis from ovary, 1 lung metastasis from uterus (sarcoma). The median disease free interval was 48 months (range 10 months-13 years). There was no perioperative mortality. Postoperative morbidity was tolerable with 1 case of bile leakage. In three patients with hepatectomy, one patient was dead of disease after 15 months, one patient is alive with disease at 20 months of follow up, one patient have no evidence of recurrence at 7 months follow up. The patient with brain metastasis was dead due to lung metastsis after 9 months later postoperatively. Remaining two patients with abdominal wall and lung metastasis have no evidence of tumor recurrence at 4, 7 months follow up respectively. Metastasectomy for metastatic gynecologic malignancies can be performed safely and may help prolong survival in carefully selected patients.
Abdominal Wall ; Bile ; Brain ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Liver ; Lung ; Medical Records ; Metastasectomy ; Mortality ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovary ; Recurrence ; Uterine Neoplasms ; Uterus

PURPOSE: Mediastinal staging of non-small cell lung cancer can be markedly improved by FDG-PET scan, but the problem of false staging of mediastinal nodes by PET scan in non-small cell lung cancer has not yet been overcome. The aim of this study was to identify the mechanism underlying the false staging of mediastinal nodes by FDG-PET in the case of non-small cell lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To evaluate the factors determining the FDG uptake in mediastinal nodes, FDG-PET was performed preoperatively, and mediastinal dissection with pulmonary resection was performed in 62 patients with NSCLC. GLUT-1 expression was studied by immunohistochemistry of the mediastinal nodes (n=111, true positive 31, true negative 41, false positive 27, false negative 12) using the anti-GLUT-1 antibody. The size, percentage of tumor (tumor ratio), labeling index (rate of stained tumor), staining intensity of the tumor, level of follicular hyperplasia, and staining intensity of the follicle center in the mediastinal node were also studied. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in size among the 4 nodal groups (TP, TN, FP, FN), nor in the tumor ratio of the metastatic nodes between the TP and FN groups. The labeling index and staining intensity of the TP group were higher than those of the FN group (Mann-Whitney test, p=.001, p=.007) in the case of the metastatic nodes. The level of follicular hyperplasia of the FP group was higher than that of the TN group in the case of the non-metastatic nodes (p=.000). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that in mediastinal staging of non-small cell lung cancer by FDG-PET, the FN node is associated with low uptake of FDG due to low expression of GLUT-1, and that the FP node is associated with a high level of follicular hyperplasia as a result of there being a reactive change to an inflammatory and/or immune reaction. This is the first report on the mechanism underlying the false results that are sometimes obtained, and which constitute a major problem in the clinical application of FDG-PET to the mediastinal staging of non-small cell lung cancer.
Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Glucose Transport Proteins, Facilitative ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Immunohistochemistry ; Positron-Emission Tomography

No abstract available.
Carbon*