• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.226-229
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• 2004

We investigated the comparative effect with different frequency and duration time of electroacupuncture(EA) for suppression of pain. Inflammation was induced by an intraplantar injection of 1 % carrageenan into the right hind paw. Bilateral EA stimulation with 2 Hz, 15 Hz and 120 Hz were delivered at those acupoints corresponding to Zusanli and Sanyinjiao in man via the needles in carrageenan-injected rats. The paw and tail thermal hyperalgesia were measured in 30-minute intervals after carrageenan injection using hot plate and tail flick analgesia meter, respectively. The significant difference was found between the control and any of EA frequencies examined. Especially 2 Hz EA presented more effective inhibitory effects compared with other frequency of EA in tail flick latency. The hyperalgesia induced by carrageenan was strongly inhibited by 2 Hz EA from 5 min post and reached sufficient effects from 20 min post EA treatment. These results suggest that EA treatment might be a useful therapy for mitigation of inflammatory pain.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.159-163
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• 1995

Accidental high epidural block is a rare but serious complication. It can result from many factors, which include the volume and concentration of drug, posture, puncture site, age, pregnancy or intra-abdominal mass, and patients' height and weight. We had a case of accidental high epidural block recently. This is a case report which was confirmed by an epiduragram. A healthy 50-year-old woman with a huge uterine myoma was scheduled for a total abdominal hysterectomy under continous epidural analgesia. Epidural catheterization was carried out smoothly. However, an unexpected hypotension was noticed after an epidural injection of 2% lidocaine 25 ml. Thereafter, the patient was intubated and her respiration was controlled during the operation. Using the 5mg of ephedrine, her blood pressure and pulse were well maintained. The scheduled operation was carried out for one hour uneventfully, but after the operation, she felt paresthesia on her hands in the recovery room. To differentiate between the high epidural and the subdural blocks. We injected 5 ml of a water soluble Niopam 300 through the catheter postoperatively. It was observed on the epiduragram that the catheter was placed in the epidural space. It was suggested that the high epidural block was induced from the widespread diffusion through the narrowed epidural space due to the engorgement of the epidural venous plexus by the patient's huge uterine myoma.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.285-290
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• 1997

Horner's syndrome is a well-recognized complication of regional analgesia of neck and shoulder region, and not often a complication of lumbar or low thoracic epidural block. Recently we experienced right Horner's syndrome accompanying paralysis of right upper extremity following lumbar epidural block in for an obstetric patient. Epidurography and MRI was performed to clarify the cause of unilateral high epidural block and cervical sympathetic block. Radiologic study demonstrated a loop formation of the epidural catheter and tip of catheter was located in right anterior epidural spaced(L1-2). The initial epidurogram revealed unilateral spreading of dye in the cervical region in right epidural space. A second epidurogram, 10 minutes following, showed dye filling in left epidural space, however spread of dye in left side was limited to lumbar and low thoracic region. We concluded the most probable cause of this unilateral high epidural block was due to misplacement of the catheter into the anterior epidural space.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.281-284
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• 1997

Continuous epidural blockade is a widely accepted, useful technique for providing anesthesia and analgesia. But there have been several anecdotal reports of complications such as: abnormal position, knotting, shearing of the catheter, etc. We experienced a case of shearing of the end of an epidural catheter which was difficult to remove from epidural space of a 39-year-old patient. Ultrasonogram proved to be very effective to confirm the presence and position of the retained catheter. We surgically removed the retained catheter as it could potentially lead to infection of the epidural space. We advocate the ultrasonogram as an effective procedure to confirm and locate retained epidural catheter.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.92-99
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• 2002

Objectives : To investigate the role of Meridian flow on acupuncture effect, we observed the therapeutic effects of electroacupuncture (EA) after Meridian blocking with pressure in arthritic rats. Methods : To make reliable and local monoarthritis, $40{\;}{\mu}l$ complete Freund's adjuvant was injected into the tibio-tarsal joint. EA was applied on acupoint GB30 while 5 Pascal pressure was added to the middle of the Gall bladder Meridian around GB31 between acupoint GB30 and arthritic foci (ipsilateral meridian blocking: IB) or opposite part of IB (contralateral part blocking: CB). To observe the change of arthritis, extension and flexion pain scores and circumferential differences were evaluated once a week. Results : EA stimulation without blocking reduced arthritic pain significantly. IB abolished the acupuncture effects and there was no statistical difference with the arthritic control group, whereas the CB group still showed the therapeutic effects of acupuncture. Conclusions : This finding strongly supports that the Meridian blocking with local pressure reduced the therapeutic effect of EA.

• Research in Vestibular Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.170-174
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• 2018

Epidural anesthesia has significantly advanced in neuraxial anesthesia and analgesia. It is used for surgical anaesthesia and treatment of chronic pain. Hearing loss during or after epidural anesthesia is rare, and it is known to occur by the change of the intracranial pressure. Cerebrospinal fluid is connected with perilymph in the cochlear and vestibule that is important to hearing and balance. If the intracranial pressure is abruptly transferred to the inner ear, perilymph can be leak, that called perilymphatic fistula, dizziness, and hearing loss can occur suddenly. We report a 65-year-old woman who presented with acute onset dizziness and hearing loss during the epidural nerve block for back pain, wherein we speculated a possibility of perilymphatic fistula as the mechanism of hearing loss and dizziness. The mechanism of dizziness and hearing loss was suspected with perilymphatic fistula.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.136-142
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• 2021

Purpose: Oral and facial sensation is affected by various factors, including trauma and disease. This study assessed the clinical profile of patients diagnosed with sensory dysfunction and investigated their sensory perception using simple qualitative sensory tests. Methods: Based on a retrospective review of the medical records, we analyzed a total of 68 trigeminal nerve branches associated with sensory dysfunction in 52 subjects. We analyzed the frequency and etiology of sensory dysfunction, and the frequency of different types of sensory perception in response to qualitative sensory testing using tactile and pin-prick stimuli. Results: The inferior alveolar nerve branch was the most frequently involved in sensory dysfunction (88.5%). Third molar extraction (36.5%) and implant surgery (36.5%) were the most frequent etiological factors associated with sensory dysfunction. Hypoesthesia was the most frequent sensory response to tactile stimuli (60.3%). Pin-prick stimuli elicited hyperalgesia, hypoalgesia, and analgesia in 32.4%, 27.9%, and 36.8%, respectively. A significant association was found between the two kinds of stimuli (p=0.260). Conclusions: Sensory dysfunction frequently occurs in the branches of the trigeminal nerve, including the inferior alveolar nerve, mainly due to trauma associated with dental treatment. Simple qualitative sensory testing can be conveniently used to screen sensory dysfunction in patients with altered sensation involving oral and facial regions.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.42-48
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• 2018

INTRODUCTION The most commonly impacted tooth is the third molar. An impacted third molar can ultimately cause acute pain, infection, tumors, cysts, caries, periodontal disease, and loss of adjacent teeth. Local anesthesia is employed for removing the third molar. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 or 1:200,000 epinephrine for surgical extraction of bilateral impacted mandibular third molars. METHODS Sixty-five healthy participants underwent surgical extraction of bilateral impacted mandibular third molars in two separate visits while under local anesthesia with 2% lidocaine with different epinephrine concentration (1:80,000 or 1:200,000) in a double-blind, randomized, crossover trial. Visual analogue scale pain scores obtained immediately after surgical extraction were primarily evaluated for the two groups receiving different epinephrine concentrations. Visual analogue scale pain scores obtained 2, 4, and 6 h after administering an anesthetic, onset and duration of analgesia, onset of pain, intraoperative bleeding, operator's and participant's overall satisfaction, drug dosage, and hemodynamic parameters were evaluated for the two groups. RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in any measurements except hemodynamic factors (P > .05). Changes in systolic blood pressure and heart rate following anesthetic administration were significantly greater in the group receiving 1:80,000 epinephrine than in that receiving 1:200,000 epinephrine ($P{\leq}01$). CONCLUSION The difference in epinephrine concentration between 1:80,000 and 1:200,000 in 2% lidocaine liquid does not affect the medical efficacy of the anesthetic. Furthermore, 2% lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine has better safety with regard to hemodynamic parameters than 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 epinephrine. Therefore, we suggest using 2% lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine rather than 2% lidocaine with 1:80,000 epinephrine for surgical extraction of impacted mandibular third molars in hemodynamically unstable patients.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.7-11
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• 2014

The present study compared the postoperative analgesic effects of ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve block with infiltration of local anesthetics (bupivacaine) into the wound in children after inguinal hernia repair. Ninety children below 7 years old who were scheduled elective inguinal hernia repair were randomly allocated into one of three groups. The patients in nerve block (NB) group, ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve block was done with 0.5 mL/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine. The patients in infiltration of local anesthetics (LI) group, 0.5 mL/kg of 0.25% bupivacaine was infiltrated into the wound after surgery. The patients in control group were allocated as a Control group. Postoperative pain was assessed at 1, 3, 5, and 24 hours after operation with FLACC scale and additional analgesic consumption were counted. The three groups were not significantly different in age, sex, body weight, and duration of operation. Pain scores at 1 hour and 3 hours after operation were significantly higher in Control group than in NB group and LI group (p<0.01), whereas there were no difference between NB group and LI group. The rescue analgesics administration was significantly higher in Control group (n=11) than in NB group (n=6) and LI group (n=7) (p<0.05). There were 2 cases of transient femoral nerve palsy in NB group. Both of ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve block and infiltration of local anesthetics into the wound provided effective postoperative analgesia in early postoperative period following inguinal hernia repair in children. But no difference between the two methods. Technically, infiltration of local anesthetics into the wound was easier and safer than ilioinguinal and iliohypogastric nerve block.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.242-248
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• 1994

Postherpetic neuralgia is frequently painful, incapacitating, mood depressing, and sometimes lifelong. We investigated the influence of duration from eruption to nerve blocks in conjunction with patients age on analgesic and preventive effect for postherpetic neuralgia. We retrospectively evaluated 50 outpatient medical records for the above T4 dermatome. Patients had been referred to pain clinic and were treated over 2weeks from Jan. 1988 to Dec. 1993. Fifty patients were divided into 4 groups as follows: Group I (a): less than 4weeks from eruption to nerve block and younger than 65 years old. Group I (b): less than 4weeks from eruption to nerve block and older than 65 years old. Group II (a): more than 4weeks from eruption to nerve block and younger than 65 years old. Group II(b): more than 4weeks from eruption to nerve block and older than 65 years old. Mean number of stellate ganglion blocks were 29.7. Tramadol, amitriptyline, nicardipine were most commonly prescribed. Group I (a): had the most improvement rate(77.8%) as compared with other group(46.6, 52.7, 56.0%). Number of patients who complained of severe pain (VAS > 5) were 0, 3(39%), 2(15.4%), 5(30%) in I (a), I (b), II (a), II (b) group respectively. In conclusion, analgesic effect was best in cases of patients younger than 65 years old whose treatment were started within 4 weeks of eruption. Patients older than 65 yrs, analgesic effect did not vary on the timing of treatment.