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

Core needle biopsy is a complementary diagnostic method of fine needle aspiration for patients with thyroid nodules. The Task Force Committee of the Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology has developed recommendations for diagnosis of thyroid nodules and recurrent thyroid cancers using core needle biopsy. These recommendations are based on evidence from the current literature and expert consensus.
Advisory Committees ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Consensus ; Humans ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Nodule

BACKGROUND: Sleep is an essential restorative physiologic phenomenon. Impaired sleep results in significant negative effect to the health. Symptoms like sleep initiation difficulty, frequent awakening, severe snoring have related to poor sleep quality. We studied frequency and compared the characteristics of common sleep disorders at family practice. METHODS: We surveyed patients over 18 years of age and their guardians who visited 16 familial practices for 6 days. We investigated sleep characteristics, frequency of sleep disorder and associated factors by questionnaires and analyzed by frequency analysis, Spearman's correlation coefficient, multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: We enrolled 1,117 participants. Older participants were more likely to report early sleep onset and off time, short sleep duration. Mean number of awakening during a typical night is 1.69. Female complained difficulties in initiation and maintenance of sleep more than male. A total of 32.5% had these insomnia symptoms and related to hypertension, stroke, stress, arthralgia, depression, urological disorder. 31.1% had excessive daytime sleepiness, related to stress, arthralgia, depression. Loud snoring and gasp for breath showed positive correlation between male, high BMI. Disrupted sleep over 3 times was related to old age, female, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, stress, arthralgia, depression. Restless leg syndrome were high in elderly, high BMI, stress, arthralgia and depression. CONCLUSION: About one in three who visit in primary medical practice have sleep disorder symptoms like insomnia, daytime fatigue, snoring. 3% of them have gasp for breath, 8% have restless leg syndrome.
Aged ; Arthralgia ; Depression ; Family Practice ; Fatigue ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Leg ; Male ; Prevalence ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Snoring ; Stroke

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Several dietary factors, such as antioxidant vitamins, have potential roles in the development of obstructive lung diseases. However, the results of studies on the relationships between dietary factors and obstructive lung diseases are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to determine which nutrients are related to airway obstruction (AO) in the Korean population. METHODS: We used data obtained as part of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) in 2001. Analysis was restricted to 1,005 adults who were 18 years of age and older, who had two or more acceptable spirometry curves, and who had participated in the nutrition examination survey. AO was defined as the ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) to forced vital capacity (FVC) of less than 0.7. RESULTS: Of the 1,005 study subjects, 78 (7.8%) had AO. Statistically significant factors associated with AO were 55 years of age or older (p = 0.032), central obesity (p = 0.047), hypertension (p < 0.001), smoking of 20 pack-years or more (p < 0.001), low income (p < 0.001), and low dietary protein intake expressed as a ratio of protein to recommended dietary allowance for Koreans (p = 0.037). Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed four factors that were independently associated with AO: smoking of 20 pack-years or more (odds ratio [OR], 5.801; p < 0.001), hypertension (OR, 3.905; p < 0.001), low protein intake (OR, 0.992; p = 0.004), and low income (OR, 1.962; p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS: In the Korean NHANES, smoking, hypertension, and low income were related to AO. Among dietary factors, only low protein intake was associated with AO.
Adult ; Airway Obstruction/*epidemiology ; Antioxidants/administration & dosage ; Body Mass Index ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dietary Proteins/administration & dosage ; Female ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Malnutrition/*epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Minerals/administration & dosage ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity/epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Smoking/*epidemiology ; Spirometry ; Vital Capacity ; Vitamins/administration & dosage

Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP) is an immunologically mediated systemic vasculitis of small blood vessels that primarily involves the skin, gastrointestinal tract, joints and kidneys. HSP is a common vasculitic syndrome in children who, in most cases, achieve complete recovery. Pulmonary hemorrhage is a very rare manifestation of HSP. The authors present a case of a 46-year-old male presenting with pulmonary hemorrhage and renal involvement and the diagnosis of HSP. The patient responded to prednisolone therapy.
Blood Vessels ; Child ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Joints ; Kidney ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prednisolone ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch ; Skin ; Systemic Vasculitis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hearing improvement after CWD tympanomastoidectomy is another major goal of surgery after eradication of disease, especially in cases with intact stapes. The objective of this study is to compare the postoperative results of hearing gain and middle ear condition according to the types of ossiculoplasty described above. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Of patients who received CWD tympanomatoidectomy, 90 who had been followed up for more than 1 year after surgery were selected. We found 30 cases of classical tympanoplasty type III, 38 SC tympanoplasty cases, and 22 PORP tympanoplasty cases. Age and sex distribution, success rate of hearing improvement, mean of postoperative air-bone gap (ABG), rate of middle ear adhesion were analysed according to the type of surgery. RESULTS: At 3 months after surgery, success rates of hearing improvement were 37.0%, 51.4%, 57.1% for classical tympanoplasty type III, SC tympanoplasty, PORP tympanoplasty, respectively. Means of postoperative ABG in the above listed order were 25.1 dB, 19.4dB, 17.2 dB, respectively. Hearing results were statistically better in PORP tympanoplasty when compared with other groups (ANOVA with Duncan's multiple range test). At 1 year after surgery, success rates of hearing improvement were 21.1%, 35.5%, 64.7% in classical tympanoplasty type III, SC tympanoplasty, PORP tympanoplasty, respectively. Means of postoperative ABG in the above listed order were 29.1 dB, 20.3 dB, 16.7 dB, respectively. Hearing results were statistically better in PORP tympanoplasty compared with other groups (ANOVA with Duncan's multiple range test.). Rates of middle ear adhesion were 23.1%, 54.5% in classical tympanoplasty type III, tympanoplasty using strut, respectively. CONCLUSION: In cases with intact stapes in CWD tympanoplasty, we conclude that tympanoplasty using strut is more useful for hearing improvement and prevention of middle ear adhesion than classical tympanoplasty type III; for the strut material, we found PORP more effective than autologous materials.
Ear, Middle ; Hearing ; Humans ; Ossicular Prosthesis ; Sex Distribution ; Stapes ; Tympanoplasty

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated how diabetes mellitus (DM) and depressive symptoms are related, and differed in terms of coping strategies. In addition, we compared those findings with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS: 80 DM patients, 45 RA patients and 77 healthy subjects completed the Beck depression inventory (BDI) and the Korean version of the ways of coping checklist. RESULTS: BDI scores of depressed DM patients were significantly higher than healthy subjects (p<0.01) but not significantly with depressed RA patients. Both scores of active (p<0.01) and passive coping (p<0.05) in DM patients were significantly lower than healthy subjects (p<0.01), and the scores of wishful thinking of DM patients were significantly lower than RA patients (p<0.01). BDI scores of DM patients were significantly correlated with the number of complications and the scores of problem-focused coping (p<0.05). In the hierarchical regression analysis, even after controlling for clinical characteristics, coping strategies altogether could account for 31.0% of the variance of the depressive symptoms in DM patients significantly (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: DM patients showed significantly higher depression rate than healthy subjects but not than RA patients. In DM patients, insufficient coping strategies could explain substantial portions of depressive symptoms. Therefore, enhancing healthier coping strategies in addition to prevent medical complications might lessen depressive symptoms experienced by DM patients.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Checklist ; Depression* ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Humans ; Thinking

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated how diabetes mellitus (DM) and depressive symptoms are related, and differed in terms of coping strategies. In addition, we compared those findings with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. METHODS: 80 DM patients, 45 RA patients and 77 healthy subjects completed the Beck depression inventory (BDI) and the Korean version of the ways of coping checklist. RESULTS: BDI scores of depressed DM patients were significantly higher than healthy subjects (p<0.01) but not significantly with depressed RA patients. Both scores of active (p<0.01) and passive coping (p<0.05) in DM patients were significantly lower than healthy subjects (p<0.01), and the scores of wishful thinking of DM patients were significantly lower than RA patients (p<0.01). BDI scores of DM patients were significantly correlated with the number of complications and the scores of problem-focused coping (p<0.05). In the hierarchical regression analysis, even after controlling for clinical characteristics, coping strategies altogether could account for 31.0% of the variance of the depressive symptoms in DM patients significantly (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: DM patients showed significantly higher depression rate than healthy subjects but not than RA patients. In DM patients, insufficient coping strategies could explain substantial portions of depressive symptoms. Therefore, enhancing healthier coping strategies in addition to prevent medical complications might lessen depressive symptoms experienced by DM patients.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Checklist ; Depression* ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Humans ; Thinking

Intranasal corticosteroid injection has been used for the control of allergic rhinitis or polypoid inflammation of the nasal cavity. Transient or permanent visual loss after therapeutic intranasal injection of corticosteroid is an extremely rare but well-known disease. In this report, we present a 54-year-old male patient with chronic sinusitis with nasal polyposis who had right visual loss after bilateral intranasal triamcinolone injection. Clinical examination and fluorescent angiography revealed vascular occlusions, which involved multiple small branches of right retinal circulations. Full recovery of vision occurred 3 months after the onset of the symptom. Extreme care should be exercised to avoid visiual complication when intranasal corticosteroid injection is performed.
Angiography ; Blindness* ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasal Cavity ; Retinaldehyde ; Rhinitis ; Sinusitis ; Triamcinolone

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The success rate of endoscopic endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) is not satisfactory enough compared to that of external approach because the newly made ostium is easily obstructed due to granulation tissue formed around the small ostium. The objective of this study is to describe a new technique of an endoscopic DCR which minimizes the stenosis of neo-ostium and to report its success rate. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Twenty patients who had undergone endoscopic DCR with the diagnosis of proximal nasolacrimal duct obstruction were investigated retrospectively. All procedures were done by the same surgeon. The surgical technique includes elevation of mucosal flap, full sac exposure using diamond drill, and design of mucosal flap to cover the denuded bone and approximate with opened sac mucosa. Postoperative symptom improvement and endoscopic finding of the neo-ostium were evaluated. The mean duration of follow-up was 8 months. RESULTS: Ninety percent success rate was noted without any serious complications. Obstruction of the neo-ostium with granulation tissue was observed in two patients. CONCLUSION: Endoscopic DCR using mucosal flap after full sac exposure gives satisfactory success rate without any serious complications.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Dacryocystorhinostomy* ; Diagnosis ; Diamond ; Endoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Granulation Tissue ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasal Mucosa ; Nasolacrimal Duct ; Retrospective Studies