• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.144-150
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• 2014

Purpose : Intramedullary spinal lesions in the conus medullaris (CM), including tumors and vascular lesion, are rarely reported. We reported various MR features of intramedullary spinal cord lesions involving the CM including ependymoma, hemangioblastomas, dermoid cyst, ventriculus terminalis and spinal AVF and tried to discuss them for differential diagnosis. Materials and Methods: Six patients (male: female = 4:2, mean age = 44.3 year old) were enrolled from the clinical database of our institute from 2004 to 2010 and their radiological images and clinical symptoms were reviewed retrospectively. All patients had taken initial and postoperative MRI with contrast enhancement using gadopentate dimeglumine (Gd-DTPA). These images were analyzed by tumor size, location, signal intensity relative to the spinal cord, vascular flow voids, syrinx or cyst, edema and enhancement pattern. Results: Contrast enhancement was seen in all intramedullary masses. An eccentric enhancing nodule was noted in two hemangioblastomas and unusual peripheral rim enhancement with septation was seen in ventriculus terminalis. Patchy enhancement of the CM was observed in spinal arteriovenous fistula (AVF). Extensive cord edema adjacent to the intramedullary lesions was seen in four cases and syrinx was noted in three cases. Vascular signal voids were found in two hemangioblastomas and one spinal AVF. Conclusion: In evaluation of intramedullary spinal lesions in the CM, it is necessary to consider these unusual MR findings and discriminate various pathologies with prudence and caution.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.349-355
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• 2004

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with invasion of mediastinal structures is classified as stage IIIB, and has been considered surgically unresectable However, in a selected group of these patients, better results after surgical resection compared to non-surgical group have been reported. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of surgical resection in treatment of mediastinal T4 NSCLC. Material and Method: Among 1067 patients who underwent surgical intervention for non-small cell lung cancer from Aug 1987 to Dec 2001 in Korea cancer center hospital, 82 patients had an invasion of T4 mediastinal structures (7.7%). Resection was possible in 63patients (63/82 resectability 76.8%). Their medical records in Data Base were reviewed, and they were followed up completely until Jun 2002. Surgical results and prognostic factors of NSCLC invading mediastinal structures were evaluated retrospectively. Result Lung cancer was resected completely in 52 patients (63.4%, 52/82). Lung resection was lobectomy (or more) in 14, pneumonectomy in 49. The mediastinal structures invaded by primary tumor were great vessel (61.9%), heart (19%), vagus nerve (9.5%), esophagus (7.9%), and vertebral body (7.9%). Nodal status was N0 in 11, N1 in 24, and N2 in 28 (44.4%). Neoadjuvant therapy was done in 6 (9.5%, 5 chemotherapy, 1 radiotherapy), and adjuvant therapy was added in 44 (69.8%, 15 chemotherapy, 29 radiotherapy) in resection group (n=63). Complication was occurred in 23 (31.7%), and operative mortality was 9.5% in resection group. Median and 5 year overall survival including operative mortality was 18.1 months and 21.7% in resection group (n=63), 6.2months and 0% in exploration only group (n=19, p=.001), 39 months and 32.9% in N2 (-) resection group (n=35), and 8.8 months and 8.6% in N2 (+) resection group (n=28, p=.007). The difference of overall survival by mediastinal structure was not significant. Conclusion: The operative risk of NSCLC invading mediastinal structures was high but acceptable, and long-term result of resection was favorable in selected group. Aggressive resection is recommended in well selected pateints with good performace and especially N2 (-) NSCLC with mediastinal invasion.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.1210-1219
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• 2001

Introduction : The purpose of this study was to analyze the safety, pullout strength and radiographic characteristics of unicortical and bicortical screws of cervical facet within cadaveric specimens and evaluate the influence of level of training on the positioning of these screws. Methods : Twenty-one cadavers, mean 78.9 years of age, underwent bilateral placement of 3.5mm AO lateral mass screw from C3-C6(n=168) using a slight variation of the Magerl technique. Intraoperative imaging was not used. The right side(unicortical) utilized only 14mm screws(effective length of 11mm) while on the left side to determine the length of the screw after the ventral cortex had been drilled. Three spine surgeons(attending, fellow, chief resident) with varying levels of spine training performed the procedure on seven cadavers each. All spines were harvested and lateral radiographs were taken. Individual cervical vertebrae were carefully dissected and then axial radiographs were taken. The screws were evaluated clinically and radiographically for their safety. Screws were graded clinically for their safety with respect to the spinal cord, facet joint, nerve root and vertebral artery. The grades consisted of the following categories : "satisfactory", "at risk" and "direct injury". Each screw was also graded according to its zone placement. Screw position was quantified by measuring a sagittal angle from the lateral radiograph and an axial angle from the axial radiograph. Pull-out force was determined for all screws using a material testing machine. Results : Dissection revealed that fifteen screws on the left side actually had only unicortical and not bicortical purchase as intended. The majority of screws(92.8%) were satisfactory in terms of safety. There were no injuries to the spinal cord. On the right side(unicortical), 98.9% of the screws were "satisfactory" and on the left side(bicortical) 68.1% were "satisfactory". There was a 5.8% incidence of direct arterial injury and a 17.4% incidence of direct nerve root injury with the bicortical screws. There were no "direct injuries" with the unicortical screws for the nerve root or vertebral artery. The unicortical screws had a 21.4% incidence of direct injury of the facet joint, while the bicortical screws had a 21.7% incidence. The majority of "direct injury" of bicortical screws were placed by the surgeon with the least experience. The performance of the resident surgeon was significantly different from the attending or fellow(p<0.05) in terms of safety of the nerve root and vertebral artery. The attending's performance was significantly better than the resident or fellow(p<0.05) in terms of safety of the facet joint. There was no relationship between the safety of a screw and its zone placement. The axial deviation angle measured $23.5{\pm}6.6$ degrees and $19.8{\pm}7.9$ degrees for the unicortical and bicortical screws, respectively. The resident surgeon had a significantly lower angle than the attending or fellow(p<0.05). The sagittal angle measured $66.3{\pm}7.0$ degrees and $62.3{\pm}7.9$ degrees for the unicortical and bicortical screws, respectively. The attending had a significantly lower sagittal angle than the fellow or resident(p<0.05). Thirty-three screws that entered the facet joint were tested for pull-out strength but excluded from the data because they were not lateral mass screws per-se and had deviated substantially from the intended final trajectory. The mean pull-out force for all screws was $542.9{\pm}296.6N$. There was no statistically significant difference between the pull-out force for unicortical($519.9{\pm}286.9N$) and bicortical($565.2{\pm}306N$) screws. There was no significant difference in pull-out strengths with respect to zone placement. Conclusion : It is our belief that the risk associated with bicortical purchase mandates formal spine training if it is to be done safely and accurately. Unicortical screws are safer regardless of level of training. It is apparent that 14mm lateral mass screws placed in a supero-lateral trajectory in the adult cervical spine provide an equivalent strength with a much lower risk of injury than the longer bicortical screws placed in a similar orientation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.517-523
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• 1996

From May 1988 to June 1994, )73 patients underwent exploratory thoracotomy for resection of non- small cell lung cancer, and 48 patients staged pathologically as lIIB were analyzed. 74 lesions were involvement of great vessel (n=26), heart (n=5), ipsilateral lung metastasis(n=4), esophagus (n=4), carina(n=3), mediastinum (n=2), trachea(n=1), spine (n=1) and 13lourO seeding(A=15). N3 lesions were involved in 6 patients. Extended pulmonary resection with radical mediastinal node dissection was possible in 25 patients, and exploration only was performed in 23 patients. The most frequent cause of unresectability was pleural seeding. Postoperative morbidity was )2 % (8125) and mortality was 16 % (41 25) in resected group. The adjutant therapy was given to 37 patients. The 1 year and 3 year survival for resected group ncluding operative deaths was 57.2%, and 2).8 % (median 15 months), but 48.4%, and 0 % (median 7 months) for exploration only group (Log-Rank test, p : 0.17). Our results suggest that extended pulmonary resection might be helpful for carefully selected patients with 74 non-small cell lung cancer, but meticulous preoperative work-up for staging, especially to detect pleural seeding and Invasion to the irlediastinal structures is a prerequisite to avoid unnecessary thoracotomy.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1365-1371
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• 2000

Objectives : Spinal cord compression is a rare presentation of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma(NHL), occurring in 0.1% to 10.2% of patients. Primary spinal extradural NHL, i.e. occurring in the absence of any detectable extraspinal lymphoproliferative disorder, has a potentially favourable outcome if diagnosed and treated early. The authors describe two patients with a clinical picture of acute spinal cord compression as the first presentation of NHL. Methods : The patients were 48-year-old female and 27-year-old female. Both presented with back pain followed by acute paraparesis and voiding difficulty. One patient was diabetic. Plain radiographs of the spine were not specific. Thoracic spine magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) revealed evidence of extradural soft tissue mass extending multiple vertebral segments. Results : The patients underwent emergency laminectomy for decompression and tissue diagnosis. Histological and immunohistochemical study revealed B-cell lymphoma, intermediate grade in both patients. Postoperative staging did not reveal any additional lesions other than extradural manifestation of the malignant lymphoma. Surgery with additional chemotherapy and radiotherapy allowed the clinical improvement of both patients. Conclusion : The authors report two patients with a clinical picture of acute spinal cord compression as the first presentation of NHL, and stress that primary spinal epidural NHL should be a diagnostic consideration in the patient without prior history of malignancy who presents with a prodrome of back pain followed by a rapid neurological deterioration.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.102-109
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• 1992

Bone metastases represent an important and frequent clinical problem in patients with advanced cancers. Especially, painful bone metastases are common features in these patients. Radiotherapy is an effective tool for palliative aim of painful metastatic osseous lesions. Various treatment results have been previously reported. The present retrospective study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy of palliative irradiation on pain relief, with the goal of selecting appropriate irradiation dose schedule. Radiotherapy consisted of 5times a week with a various fractional dose between 180 and 400cGy. The response of pain relief and the survival time after completion of radiotherapy are related to total dose and most of the patients have shown a similar response by the end of radiotherapy. The higher dose and the more aggressive multimodality treatment, the better pain control and the longer survival time.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.1115-1122
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• 2023

This study aimed to present reasonable reception bandwidth application standards for the purpose of suppressing metal objects during MRI examinations. For this purpose, T2 contrast images were acquired using high-speed spin echo technology on a phantom made of screws for spinal surgery, and metal objects were detected. In addition, images were obtained by increasing the reception bandwidth from 100 Hz/PX to 800 Hz/PX by 100 Hz/PX. The metal artifacts were determined as the sum of the areas of the signal attenuation area and the signal accumulation area. In addition, Pearson correlation analysis was performed to analyze the pattern of metal artifacts according to imaging variables. As a result, the signal accumulation area did not change significantly as the reception bandwidth increased (p>0.05), but the signal loss area and the area of metal artifacts decreased as the reception bandwidth increased (p<0.05). Interestingly, the area of metal objects decreased to a maximum in the section where the reception bandwidth was increased from 100 Hz/PX to 200 Hz/PX, consistent with the section where the echo spacing was reduced to a maximum due to the increase in reception bandwidth. In addition, the correlation analysis results also showed that the eco spacing was more related to the signal attenuation area and the area of metal objects than to the reception bandwidth. Therefore, if the reception bandwidth is increased for the purpose of reducing metal objects, it is reasonable to set it based on a value that minimizes the echo spacing in consideration of image quality factors.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.393-399
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• 1994

Spinal cord compression, an oncologic emergency, is a rare complication of hematologic malignancy Our experience was obtained with a series 32 Patients following retrospective analysis for assessing the role of radiation therapy and identifying the prognostic factors affecting on treatment outcome. Diagnosis was usually made by means of radiologic study such as myelography or computerized tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and neurologic examination. Five cases were diagnosed by subjective symptom only with high index of suspicion. In 31 cases, the treatment consisted in radiation therapy alone and the remained one patient had laminectomy before radiation therapy because of diagnostic doubts. Total treatment doses ranged from 800 cGy to 4000 cGy with median of 2000 cGy. Initially large fraction size more than 250 cGy were used in 13 patients with rapidly progressed neurologic deficit. The clinical parameters considered in evaluating the response to treatment were backache, motor-sensory performance and sphincter function. Half of all patients showed good response. Partial response and no response were noted in $37.5\%$ and $12.5\%$, respectively. Our results showed higher response rate than those of other solid tumor series. The degree of neurologic deficit at that time of diagnosis was the most important predictor of treatment outcome. The elapsed time from development of symptoms to start of treatment was significantly affected on the outcome. But histology of primary tumor total dose and use of initial large fraction size were not significantly affect on the outcome. These results confirmed the value of early diagnosis and treatment especially in radiosensitive hematologic malignancy.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.14 no.7
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• pp.975-980
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• 2020

Cervical neural foraminal stenosis is a very common spinal disease that affects a relatively large number of people of all ages. However, since imaging methods that quantitatively provide neural foraminal stenosis are lacking, this study attempts to present quantitative measurement results by reconstructing 3D computed tomography images. Using a 3D reconstruction software, the surrounding bones were removed, including the spinous process, transverse process, and lamina of the cervical spine so that the neural foramen were well observed. Using Image J, a region of interest including the neural foramen area of the 3D image was set, and the number of pixels of the neural foramen area was measured. The neural foramen area was calculated by multiplying the number of measured pixels by the pixel size. In order to measure the widest area of the neural foramen, it was measured between 40-50 degrees in the opposite direction and 15-20 degrees toward the head. The measured cervical neural foramen area showed consistent measurement values. The largest measured area of the right neural foramen C5-6 was 12.21 ㎟, and after 2 years, the area was measured to be 9.95 ㎟, indicating that 18% stenosis had progressed. Since 3D reconstruction using axial CT scan images, no additional radiation exposure is required, and the area of stenosis can be objectively presented. In addition, it is good to explain to patients with neural stenosis while viewing 3D images, and it is considered a good method to be used in the evaluation of the progression of stenosis and post-operative evaluation.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.311-317
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• 1991

Ten patients with deep muscle-invading bladder carcinoma (clinical stages T3a to T4b) who were not candidates for cystectomy were treated with combined modality treatment with transurethral resection, cisplatin chemotherapy and pelvic irradiation from 1989 through 1990, and were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were not candidates for cystectomy because the tumors were judged unresectable or they were not fit for a radical cystectomy. Of the patients 5 had clinical stage T3a, 3 stage T3b and 2 stage T4b disease. The minimum follow-up was 16 months. The complete response rate is 60$\%$ for all patients. The complete responses were achieved in 4 of 5(80$\%$) with stage cT3a, in 2 of 3(67$\%$)with stage cT3b and in none of 2(0$\%$) with stage cT4b. The partial responses were achieved in 2, so an overall response rate was 80$\%$. All six patients with grade I or II transitional cell carcinoma showed complete responses. Four patients with higher grade tumors showed partial responses in 2 and no response in 2, and all died of their bladder cancer. Six patients who showed complete responses after treatment are alive and only one of them showed a local recurrence 10 months after treatment. Distant metastases developed in 3 patients: lungs in 2(cT4b) of those who were never locally free of disease and spine in 1 patient (cT3b) among those with a partial response. Two patients died of metastases to lungs. During the follow-up diarrhea occurred in one which was improved after conservative treatment. On the basis of this analysis it is suggested that combined modality treatment seems to be a tolerable regimen and can be offered with a relatively high probability of success and conservation of bladder function in those with less advanced tumors by clinical stage and low grade.