• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.743-744
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• 2012

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Precision Engineering Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.991-992
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• 2009

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.16-22
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• 2009

Objective : This study was designed to investigate automated pressure-controlled discography (APCD) findings, to calculate the elastance of intervertebral discs, and to assess the relationship between the calculated elastance and disc degeneration. Methods : APCD was performed in 19 patients. There were a total of 49 intervertebral discs treated. Following intradiscal puncture, a dye was constantly injected and the intradiscal pressure was continuously measured. The elastance of the intervertebral disc was defined as unit change in intradiscal pressure per fractional change in injected dye volume. Disc degeneration was graded using a modified Dallas discogram scale. Results : The mean elastance was 43.0${\pm}$9.6 psi/mL in Grade 0, 39.5${\pm}$8.3 psi/mL in Grade 1, 30.5${\pm}$22.3 psi/mL in Grade 2, 30.5${\pm}$22.3 psi/mL in Grade 3, 13.2${\pm}$8.3 psi/mL in Grade 4 and 6.9${\pm}$3.8 psi/mL in Grade 5. The elastance showed significant negative correlation with the degree of degeneration ($R^2$=0.529, P=0.000). Conclusion: APCD liberates the examiner from the data acquisition process during discography. This will likely improve the quality of data and the reliability of discography. Elastance could be used as an indicator of disc degeneration.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.88-94
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• 2007

Objective : The aim of this study is to investigate predictable risk factors for radiologic degeneration of adjacent segment after lumbar fusion and preoperative radiologic features of patients who underwent additional surgery with adjacent segment degeneration. Methods : Between January 1995 and December 2002, 201 patients who underwent lumbar fusion for degenerative conditions of lumbar spine were evaluated. We studied radiologic features, the method of operation, the length of fusion, age, sex, osteoporosis, and body mass index. Special attention was focused on, preoperative radiologic features of patients who required additional surgery were studied to detect risk factors for clinical deterioration. Results : Follow-up period ranged from 3 to 11 years. In our study, 61 [30%] patients developed adjacent segment degeneration, and 15 [7%] patients required additional surgery for neurologic deterioration. Age, the postoperative delay, facet volume, motion range, laminar inclination, facet tropism, and preexisting disc degeneration of adjacent segment considered as possible risk factors. Among these, laminar inclination and preexisting disc degeneration of adjacent segment were significantly correlated with clinical deterioration. Conclusion : The radiologic degeneration of adjacent segment after lumbar fusion can be predicted in terms of each preoperative radiologic factor, age and the postoperative delay. Laminar inclination and preexisting disc degeneration of adjacent segment have shown as strong risk factors for neurologic deterioration. Thus, careful consideration is warranted when these risk factors are present.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.465-475
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• 2014

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of workload on musculoskeletal degeneration. Background: It is important that workers maintain a health body for a long time as a measure of aging workers. In order do so, it is necessary to find out if workload can effect on musculoskeletal degeneration. Method: Epidemiological studies on workload or occupation and disc degeneration, osteoarthritis of knee were identified through database and bibliography searches. Results: Epidemiological studies showed that workload certainly effect on musculoskeletal degeneration. But we couldn't know which of individual factors and occupational factors further contribute to the musculoskeletal degeneration. And we could find that studies on workload and genetic factors were very few. In addition, there was also very few studies that it was possible interaction between individual factors as obesity and occupational factors as heavy manual lifting. Conclusion: Our reviews suggest that it need to conduct study between workload and genetic factors for musculoskeletal degeneration. This further study can identify attributable risk of workload for musculoskeletal degeneration, and contribute to the measure of aging workers. Application: This paper can help to establish research plan for the measure of aging workers.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.5
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• pp.586-593
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• 2019

Objective : To study risk factors of secondary lumbar discectomy (LD) for recurrent herniated lumbar disc (HLD) and identify methods to lower the rate of recurrence. Methods : Data from 160 patients who underwent primary LD were collected retrospectively. Demographic features, radiologic findings including Pfirrmann disc degeneration, and surgical information were analyzed to compare risks between revision and non-revision patients. Results : The revision rate was 15% (24 patients), and the mean follow-up was 28.3 months. HLD recurrence was not related to any demographic characteristics. Primary and secondary LD were most common at the L4-5 level, but the level of operation was not significantly associated with revision. Primary LD most commonly had a Pfirrmann disc degeneration grade of 3, followed by 4. For recurrent HLD, Pfirrmann grade 4 was most common and was statistically significant (p<0.05). A body mass index (BMI) over 30 was considered obese and was significantly related with HLD revision (p<0.05). Conclusion : Patients with high BMI or severe disc degeneration should be informed of HLD revision.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.237-243
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• 2014

Objective : Symptomatic disc degeneration develops from inflammatory reactions in the annulus fibrosus (AF). Although inflammatory mediators during annular inflammation have been studied, the roles of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we evaluated the production of MMPs and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMPs) during annular inflammation using an in vitro co-culture system. We also examined the effect of notochordal cells on annular inflammation. Methods : Human AF (hAF) pellet was co-cultured for 48 hours with phorbol myristate acetate-stimulated macrophage-like THP-1 cells. hAF pellet and conditioned media (CM) from co-cultured cells were assayed for MMPs, TIMPs, and insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 levels using real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and enzyem-linked immunosorbent assay. To evaluate whether notochordal cells affected MMPs or TIMPs production on annular inflammation, hAF co-cultured with notochordal cells from adult New Zealand White rabbits, were assayed. Results : MMP-1, -3, -9; and TIMP-1 levels were significantly increased in CM of hAF co-cultured with macrophage-like cells compared with hAF alone, whereas TIMP-2 and IGF-1 levels were significantly decreased (p<0.05). After macrophage exposure, hAF produced significantly more MMP-1 and -3 and less TIMP-1 and -2. Interleukin-$1{\beta}$ stimulation enhanced MMP-1 and -3 levels, and significantly diminished TIMP-2 levels. Co-culturing with rabbit notochordal cells did not significantly influence MMPs and TIMPs production or COL1A2 gene expression. Conclusion : Our results indicate that macrophage-like cells evoke annular degeneration through the regulation of major degradative enzymes and their inhibitors, produced by hAF, suggesting that the selective regulation of these enzymes provides future targets for symptomatic disc degeneration therapy.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.455-467
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• 2000

The purpose of this study was to analyse the effects of disc degeneration on the biomechanical behaviors of the intervertebral disc in term of axial displacement, intradiscal pressure. disc bulge at the 1.4-1.5 functional spinal unit(FSU). The degeneration is divided 4 grade by initial intradiscal pressure: normal: 135kPa. mild: 107kPa. moderate: 47kPa, severe: 15kPa, The predicted results were follows: 1. The magnitude of the bulge is found to be maximum at the anterior, minimum at the postero-lateral portion. The bulge of lateral, postero-lateral is found to be maximum in severe grade. followed by moderate. mild, normal grade. 2. Tho displacement was increased with increasing compressive load in all four grades.'rho stiffness of disc was found to be reduced by progressing from normal to severe grade. 3. The intradiscal pressure was increased nearly linearly with increasing compressive load in normal and mild grade. But the increasing rate in moderate and severe grade was showed apparently different from nomal and mild grade. Specially, it was increased very slightly in severe grade. In conclusion, decreased intradiscal pressure resulted in increase of axial displacement and disc bulge with compressive load increasing. these may compromise the nerve root impingement or irritation. Therefore posture and activities must be focus to reduce compressive load applied on the back or disc.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.413-418
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• 2021

Purpose: To investigate the effect of facet tropism on the degeneration of facet joint and intervertebral disc in the cervical spine. Materials and Methods: From January 2017 to December 2018, cervical tropism of 100 patients at the C5/6 level was analyzed retrospectively. In computed tomography (CT), the orientation and tropism of the facet joint with respect to the sagittal, coronal, and horizontal planes were measured. Regression of the facet joint in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CT was assessed using a grading system. Intervertebral disc degeneration was assessed and divided into five grades on MRI. For the left and right asymmetry, a difference between two facet angles of less than 7° was classified as the control group, more than 7° was classified as the tropism group. Results: The mean age of the patients was 55.44±12.3 years (31-81 years) in the tropism group and 55.66±10.7 years (32-76 years) in the control group. In the tropism group, 32 were male and 18 were female. In the control group, 24 were male and 26 were female. Facet joint degeneration was identified in 24 patients (48.0%) in the tropism group and 14 patients (28.0%) in the control group, showing a significant difference. Intervertebral disc degeneration was identified in 29 patients (58.0%) in the tropism group and 17 patients (34.0%) in the control group, showing a significant difference. Multivariate revealed, tropism to be a factor that affected the facet joint and intervertebral disc degeneration. Conclusion: Facet joint and intervertebral disc degeneration occurred significantly in the tropism group, and tropism is a factor affecting the degeneration of facet joint and intervertebral disc in the C5/6 level.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.167-173
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• 2013

Objective : There are many cases in which degenerative changes are prevalent in both the cervical and lumbar spine, and the relation between both spinal degenerative findings of MRI is controversial. The authors analyzed the prevalence of abnormal findings on MRI, and suggested a model to explain the relationship between cervical and lumbar disc in asymptomatic Korean subjects. Methods : We performed 3 T MRI sagittal scans on 102 asymptomatic subjects (50 men and 52 women) who visited our hospital between the ages of 14 and 82 years (mean age 46.3 years). Scores pertaining to herniation (HN), annular fissure (AF), and nucleus degeneration (ND) were analyzed. The total scores for the cervical and lumbar spine were analyzed using correlation coefficients and multiple linear regression with various predictive parameters, including weight, height, sex, age, smoking, occupation, and sedentary fashion. Results : The correlation coefficients of HN, AF, and ND were 0.44, 0.50, and 0.59, respectively. We made the best model for relationship by using multiple linear regression. Conclusion : The results of the current study showed that there was a close relationship between the cervical score (CS) and lumbar score (LS). In addition, the correlation between CS and LS, as well as the LS value itself, can be altered by other explanatory variables. Although not absolute, there was also a linear relationship between degenerative changes of the cervical and lumbar spine. Based on these results, it can be inferred that degenerative changes of the lumbar spine will be useful in predicting the degree of cervical spine degeneration in an actual clinical setting.