• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.298-304
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• 2009

Objectives : The aim of this study was to investigate the association of blood pressure levels with the common carotid artery intima-media thickness (CCA-IMT) and carotid plaques. Methods : Data were obtained from 2,635 subjects, aged 50 years and over, who participated in the Community Health Survey (a population-based, cross-sectional study) in Dong-gu, Gwangju city between 2007 and 2008. Participants were categorized into three groups according to blood pressure levels; normotensives (<120/80 mmHg), prehypertensives (120-139/80-89 mmHg), and hypertensives ($\geq$140/90 mmHg). Prehypertensives were further categorized as low prehypertensives (120-129/80-84 mmHg) and high prehypertensives (130-139/85-89 mmHg). Carotid intima-media thickness and plaques were evaluated with a high-resolution B-mode ultrasound. Statistical analyses were performed using chi-square test, ANOVA, and multiple logistic regression. Results : Prehypertensives had significantly greater maximal CCA-IMT values than normotensives, with a multivariate adjusted odds ratio of 1.78 (95% CI=1.36-2.32) for abnormal CCA-IMT (maximal CCA-IMT$\geq$1.0 mm), and 1.45 (95% CI=1.19-1.77) for carotid plaques. The multivariate adjusted odds ratio of low prehypertensives was 1.64 (95% CI=1.21-2.21) for abnormal CCA-IMT, and 1.30 (95% CI=1.04-1.63) for carotid plaques compared with normotensives. Subject with hypertension had higher frequency of abnormal CCA-IMT (odds ratio, 2.18; 95% CI=1.49-3.18), and carotid plaques (odds ratio, 1.98; 95% CI=1.46-2.67) compared with normotensives after adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusions : Our results indicate that there is a significant increase in the prevalence of carotid atherosclerosis in subjects with prehypertension (even in low prehypertensives) compared with normotensive subjects. Further studies are required to confirm the benefits and role of carotid ultrasonography in persons with prehypertension.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2016

Background: Moyamoya disease is characterized by a progressive stenosis or occlusion of the intracranial internal carotid artery and/or the proximal portion of the anterior cerebral artery and middle cerebral artery. Whether the onset time was childhood or adulthood, the bony carotid canal diameter might be different, but reflects the size of internal carotid artery passing through the bony carotid canal. In this study, we aimed to identify the relationship between bony carotid canal diameter and clinical manifestation. Methods: 146 consecutive patients diagnosed with moyamoya disease by brain imaging studies were included. We measured the diameter of a transverse portion of bony carotid canal on bone window of a brain computed tomography(CT) image. Patients were divided into two groups, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke according to clinical manifestation. As a result, 115 patients were included. The Suzuki stage was used as criteria for disease progression. Results: Bony carotid canal diameter was $3.6{\pm}0.5$ (right) and $3.6{\pm}0.4$ (left) in the hemorrhagic stroke group, and $3.7{\pm}0.4$ (right) and $3.6{\pm}0.4$ (left) in the ischemic stroke group. The bony carotid canal diameter of the moyamoya vessels (3.6 mm) was smaller than the diameter of non-moyamoya vessels (3.8 mm), significantly (p = 0.042). However, there was no difference in the collateral patterns and clinical manifestation in a comparison of both groups. Conclusions: In our study, there was no significant difference of clinical manifestations and collateral patterns depend on the bony carotid canal diameter in patients with moyamoya disease. These findings suggest that the clinical presentations of moyamoya disease are not related to the onset time of the disease.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.245-248
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• 1993

Recently we experienced a case of Takayasu`s arteritis involving the major aortic branches. A 30 year-old female patient admitted with the complaints of dizziness, visual disturbance, headache and tingling sensation of upper extremities. Aortogram revealed nearly complete obstruction of the origin site of both common carotid arteries and right vertebral artery, and irregular luminal narrowing of the origin site of innominate artery and left subclavian artery, but opacification of right subclavian artery and left vertebral artery. Successful surgical treatment was accomplished with a bypass from the ascending aorta to the left common carotid artery using a tube graft. The left subclavian artery and right axillary artery were revascularized distal to the stenosis with tube grafts that extended from the aortic graft. Postoperative complications were atelectasis, lymph leakage and left phrenic nerve palsy. She discharged uneventually at postoperative 22 days and most of symptoms were relieved.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.769-773
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• 2001

Moyamoya disease is defined as the development of collateral pathways, associated with bilateral chronic progressive stenosis of the carotid fork. Persistent trigeminal artery is the vessel most frequently observed to persist into adult life among persistent carotid-basilar and carotid-vertebral anastomotic vessels. The authors present a man who had a sudden, severe headache and brain CT showed subarachnoid hemorrhage in left interpeduncular and prepontine cistern. Four-vessel angiogram revealed moyamoya disease associated with aneurysm arising from the junction of persistent trigeminal artery aneurysm and basilar artery. As a treatment, coil embolization was tried but it was failed because of anatomical difficulty of aneurysm. The aneurysm was successfully treated with clipping surgery 10 days later. To our knowledge, this is the first case being reported.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.180-185
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• 2022

Objective : Drug-eluting stents and balloons are occasionally used to reduce restenosis in medically intractable intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis. The authors aimed to determine whether such drugs can cause neurotoxicity due to local effects in a rat model. Methods : Intra-arterial catheters were placed in the right common carotid artery of rats. Mannitol was injected to transiently open the brain-blood barrier (BBB), followed by high-dose drug (paclitaxel and rapamycin) injection. The optimal time interval of transient BBB opening for maximal drug penetration was determined to be 10 minutes. Paclitaxel and rapamycin were intra-arterially administered in various doses. All the rats were neurologically evaluated, and their brain tissues were histologically examined. Results : Neither neurological deficits nor histological abnormalities were observed in all the rats. Conclusion : Paclitaxel and rapamycin did not cause neurotoxicity in a rat model with transient BBB opening.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.422-430
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• 2009

Background : Stroke is the second leading cause of death in Korea, following cancer. Stroke consists of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and ischemic stroke can be largely classified as atherothrombotic stroke or embolic stroke. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is an indicator of atherosclerosis used commonly as a screening test for abnormalities of the coronary artery. 24-hour ambulatory ECG is widely used to screen for underlying diseases that causes syncope, palpitation, arrhythmia, etc. Objectives : Since both carotid IMT and 24-hour ambulatory ECG are used to screen for cardiac problems, we endeavored to explore the correlation between carotid IMT and 24-hour ambulatory ECG of stroke patients. Methods : The records of ischemic stroke patients who were admitted to Kyunghee Medical Center Oriental Hospital ward from March 2006 to May 2009 were reviewed. 28 patients who had both carotid Doppler US and 24-hour ambulatory ECG test undertaken during their admission were analyzed. The relationship of abnormal ambulatory results and common carotid artery(CCA) IMT were statistically analyzed using Fisher's exact test and t-test. Results : The mean age of the abnormal ambulatory group was older than the normal group (74${\pm}$ 8.0 vs. 61${\pm}$12.1, p=0.0098). Although insignificant, the abnormal ambulatory group showed much thicker CCA-IMT than normal ambulatory group (2.l7${\pm}$ 1.16 vs. 1.51${\pm}$0.97. p=0.l389). Conclusion: No significant correlation was observed between abnormal ambulatory results and CCA-IMT. However, the difference in CCA-IMT between the two groups was too big to be ignored and further investigation with larger and better controlled trials are warranted.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.51-55
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• 2006

Background: A cervical transforaminal steroid injection is an effective therapeutic modality for radiculopathy of a herniated cervical disc or a cervical foraminal stenosis. However, there is some debate regarding the safety of the transforaminal approach under C-arm guidance compared with the posterior interlaminar approach. We report a new technique for cervical transforaminal steroid injection guided by MDCT. Methods: Patients presenting with radiating pain on their shoulder or arm were diagnosed using CT or MRI of a cervical herniated disc or a foraminal stenosis. Each patient whose symptoms were compatible with the image scan was enrolled in this study. They received a cervical transforaminal steroid injection under CT guidance, and the effectiveness and complications of this technique were evaluated over a 2-month period. Results: According to the CT scan, none of the participants had an internal jugular vein or a carotid artery invasion during the procedure. No vertebral artery injection was noted, and no patient developed a hematoma after the injection. The VAS score had improved significantly by 2, 4 and 8 weeks after the injection. Conclusions: While a conventional C-arm guided cervical transforaminal steroid injection does not appear to differentiate between the major vessels and structures in images, a CT guided approach is a more useful and safer technique for the precise placement of a needle.

• Proceedings of the KSMRM Conference
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• 1996.10a
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• pp.19-19
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• 1996

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.284-288
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• 2009

Objective : Our retrospective study aimed to determine whether 16-slice computerized tomography (CT) angiography optimized sharp kernel is suitable for the evaluation of visibility, luminal patency and re-stenosis of intracranial stents in comparison with conventional angiography. Methods : Fifteen patients with symptomatic intracranial stenotic lesions underwent balloon expandable stent deployment of these lesions (10 middle cerebral arteries, 2 intracranial vertebral arteries, and 3 intracranial internal carotid arteries). CT angiography follow-up ranged from 6 to 15 months (mean follow-up, 8 months) after implantation of intracranial stents and conventional angiography was confirmed within 2 days. Curved multiplanar reformations with maximal intensity projection (MIP) with optimal window settings for assessment of lumen of intracranial stents were evaluated for visible lumen diameter, stent patency (contrast distal to the stent as an indirect sign), and re-stenosis by two experienced radiologists who blinded to the reports from the conventional angiography. Results : All of stents deployed into symptomatic stenotic lesions. All stents were classified as patent and no re-stenosis, which was correlated with results of conventional angiography. Parts of the stent lumen could be visualized in all cases. On average, 57% of the stent lumen diameter was visible using optimized sharp kernel. Significant improvement of lumen visualization (22%, p<0.01) was observed using the optimized sharp kernel compared with the standard sharp kernel. Inter-observer agreements on the measurement of lumen diameter and density were judged as good, respectively (p<0.05). Conclusion : Sixteen-slice CT using the optimized sharp kernel may provide a useful information for evaluation of lumen diameter patency, and re-stenosis of intracranial stents.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.18-25
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• 2016

Purpose: Radiotherapy of the neck is known to cause carotid artery stenosis. We compared the carotid artery dose received between volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and conventional fixed-field intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) plans in patients with early glottic cancer. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one early glottic cancer patients who previously underwent definitive radiotherapy were selected for this study. For each patient, double arc VMAT, 8-field IMRT, 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), and lateral parallel-opposed photon field radiotherapy (LPRT) plans were created. The 3DCRT plan was generated using lateral parallel-opposed photon fields plus an anterior photon field. VMAT and IMRT treatment plan optimization was performed under standardized conditions to obtain adequate target volume coverage and spare the carotid artery. Dose-volume specifications for the VMAT, IMRT, 3DCRT, and LPRT plans were calculated with radiotherapy planning system. Monitor units (MUs) and delivery time were measured to evaluate treatment efficiency. Results: Target volume coverage and homogeneity results were comparable between VMAT and IMRT; however, VMAT was superior to IMRT for carotid artery dose sparing. The mean dose to the carotid arteries in double arc VMAT was reduced by 6.8% compared to fixed-field IMRT (p < 0.001). The MUs for VMAT and IMRT were not significantly different (p = 0.089). VMAT allowed an approximately two-fold reduction in treatment delivery time in comparison to IMRT (3 to 5 minutes vs. 5 to 10 minutes). Conclusion: VMAT resulted in a lower carotid artery dose compared to conventional fixed-field IMRT, and maintained good target coverage in patients with early glottic cancer.