• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
• /
• v.65 no.5
• /
• pp.710-718
• /
• 2022

Objective : Although endovascular treatment for intracranial aneurysms is considered effective and safe, its durability is still debated. Also, few studies have described angiographic follow-up plan after endovascular treatment of intracranial aneurysm, especially in ruptured cases. Hence, we report the long-term results of follow-up angiography protocol. Methods : Radiological records of 639 cases of coil embolization with ruptured aneurysms from March 2003 to December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who received treatment of a saccular aneurysm less than 7 mm resulted with near complete occlusion were included. Two hundred thirty-eight aneuryms which received the follow-up angiography at least once were enrolled. We classified four periods of follow-up as follows : post-treatment 1 year (defined as the first period), from 1 to 2 years (the second period), 2 to 5 years (the third period), and over 5 years (long-term). Results : We identified 14 cases (6.4%) of recurrence from 218 aneurysms in follow-up angiography in the first period. Among 143 aneurysms in the second period, five cases (3.5%) of recurrence were identified. There were no findings suspicious of recanalization in 97 patients in the third period. Of the total 238 cases, there were 19 recurrences, for a recurrence rate of 8.0%. Six (31.6%) out of 19 recurrences showed a tendency toward repeat recurrences even after additional treatment. Twenty-eight received long-term follow-up over 5 years and there was no recurrence. Conclusion : Most of the recurrence were found during the first and the second year. We suggest that at least one digital subtraction angiography examination may be necessary around post-treatment 2 years, especially in ruptured cases. If the angiographic results are favorable at 2 years post-treatment, long-term result should be favorable.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.85 no.1
• /
• pp.11-17
• /
• 2022

Background: In asthma, consistent control of chronic airway inflammation is crucial, and the use of asthma-controller medication has been emphasized. Our purpose in this study is to compare the incidence of acute exacerbation and healthcare costs related to the use of asthma-controller medication. Methods: By using data collected by the National Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, we compared one-year clinical outcomes and medical costs from July 2014 to June 2015 (follow-up period) between two groups of patients with asthma who received different prescriptions for recommended asthma-controller medication (inhaled corticosteroids or leukotriene receptor antagonists) at least once from July 2013 to June 2014 (assessment period). Results: There were 51,757 patients who satisfied our inclusion criteria. Among them, 13,702 patients (26.5%) were prescribed a recommended asthma-controller medication during the assessment period. In patients using a recommended asthma-controller medication, the frequency of acute exacerbations decreased in the follow-up period, from 2.7% to 1.1%. The total medical costs of the controller group decreased during the follow-up period compared to the assessment period, from $3,772,692 to $1,985,475. Only 50.9% of patients in the controller group used healthcare services in the follow-up period, and the use of asthma-controller medication decreased in the follow-up period. Conclusion: Overall, patients using a recommended asthma-controller medication showed decreased acute exacerbation and reduced total healthcare cost by half.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.27 no.3
• /
• pp.196-201
• /
• 1994

Endocardial cushion defect is a rare congenital heart disease. From September 1985, we experienced 20 cases of endocardial cushion defects and postoperative follow up was taken.We reviewed preoperative clinical data, echocardiography, cardiac cath data, operative method & time. After operation, we performed echocardiography and examined mitral valve function & integrity of patch closure sites. Postoperative follow up was taken regularly & follow up period was from 2 month to 91 months. Several postoperative complications were overcome with adequate treatment. There were 3 cases of early death and mortality rate was 15% [3/20].

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.625-636
• /
• 2007

Marginal tissue recession makes problems like esthetics, root caries, hypersensitivity and plaque accumulation. Request for root coverage is higer than ever, especially esthetic problems involved. So techniques for root coverage hav been developed. There are some kinds of surgical techniques using soft tissue for root coverage. For example, free gingival graft, kinds of pedicle flap, subepithelial connective tissue graft(SCTG), and so on. Subepithelial connective tissue graft has many advantage for root coverage, that is less pain on donor site, good blood supply for graft, and more esthetic result. For this reaseon, this case report was performed to evaluate the effect of root coverage using subepithelial connective tissue graft. Three patients has Miller's class I marginal tissue recession and one patients has Miller's class III marginal tissue recession. The following period is 36.5 month on average. The results are as follows: 1. Root coverage of 100% was obtained in 5 of 6 defects, and 80% was obtained in 1 of 6 defects, The mean root coverage was 96,6% in six cases on 4 patients. 2. The mean root coverage was 3.83mm and mean recession depth decreased from 4mm to 0.16mm. 3. The mean width of clinical attached gingiva increased from 1.5mm to 4mm. The mean width of gained attached gingiva after surgery was 2.5mm. 4. The mean follow up period was 36.5 months. The longest follow up period was 50 months and the shortest follow up period was 22 months. 5. The result that obtained by surgery was stable during follow up period. Within the above results, root coverage with SCTG is an effective procedure to cover marginal tissue recession defect with long term stability.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.21-30
• /
• 2001

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the skeletal relapse pattern of the mandibular prognathic patients after mandibular set back surgery by sagittal split ramus osteotomy. The horizontal and vertical position of the cephalometric points were measured before, after surgery and after one-year follow up period. The next, the positional change of the proximal and distal mandibular segment were evaluated respectively. The obtained results were as follows; 1. The horizontal and vertical position of Cd was not changed before and after surgery, and it was maintained its original position during the observation periods. 2. As the mandibular prognathism of the patients was severe before surgery, the more skeletal relapse tendency was observed during follow-up period(p<0.05). 3. As the horizontal positional change of the mandible which was obtained by mandibular set-back surgery was large, the more horizontal relapse tendency was observed during follow-up period(p<0.05). 4. The corpus axis angle decreased by sagittal split ramus osteotomy(p<0.01), but it was kept its reoriented position during follow-up period. 5. During the follow-up period after mandibular set-back by sagittal split ramus osteotomy, the forward relapse of mandible correlated with not only the forward rotation of the proximal segment but also the forward movement of the distal segment(p<0.05).

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• v.44 no.4
• /
• pp.324-331
• /
• 2017

Background Lipedema is a condition consisting of painful bilateral increases in subcutaneous fat and interstitial fluid in the limbs with secondary lymphedema and fibrosis during later stages. Combined decongestive therapy (CDT) is the standard of care in most countries. Since the introduction of tumescent technique, liposuction has been used as a surgical treatment option. The aim of this study was to determine the outcome of liposuction used as treatment for lipedema. Methods Twenty-five patients who received 72 liposuction procedures for the treatment of lipedema completed a standardized questionnaire. Lipedema-associated complaints and the need for CDT were assessed for the preoperative period and during 2 separate postoperative follow-ups using a visual analog scale and a composite CDT score. The mean follow-up times for the first postoperative follow-up and the second postoperative follow-up were 16 months and 37 months, respectively. Results Patients showed significant reductions in spontaneous pain, sensitivity to pressure, feeling of tension, bruising, cosmetic impairment, and general impairment to quality of life from the preoperative period to the first postoperative follow-up, and these results remained consistent until the second postoperative follow-up. A comparison of the preoperative period to the last postoperative follow-up, after 4 patients without full preoperative CDT were excluded from the analysis, indicated that the need for CDT was reduced significantly. An analysis of the different stages of the disease also indicated that better and more sustainable results could be achieved if patients were treated in earlier stages. Conclusions Liposuction is effective in the treatment of lipedema and leads to an improvement in quality of life and a decrease in the need for conservative therapy.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• v.25 no.9
• /
• pp.851-858
• /
• 2024

Objective: This study investigates the long-term efficacy and safety of ultrasound (US)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for treating locally recurrent papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 39 consecutive patients with 61 locally recurrent PTCs (14 males, 25 females; mean ± standard deviation age, 52.8 ± 16.7 years; range 21-92 years) who underwent US-guided RFA with curative intent between September 2008 and April 2012. A subgroup of 24 patients with 37 recurrent PTCs who had a follow-up of at least 10 years were analyzed separately. All patients were followed for changes in lesion size on US and thyroglobulin (Tg) levels at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after RFA, with follow-up every 6-12 months thereafter. Any complications were documented during the follow-up period. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were assessed using Kaplan-Meier estimates. Long-term outcomes were evaluated in patients with follow-up of at least 10 years. Results: The follow-up period ranged from 7 to 180 months (median 133 months). The RFS rates for the 39 patients at 3, 5, and 10 years were 86.8%, 75.5%, and 60.6%, respectively. Among the 24 patients with 37 recurrent PTCs followed for more than 10 years, the volume reduction rate was 99.9% (range 96%-100%), and the complete tumor disappearance rate was 91.9%. The mean serum Tg level also decreased significantly, from 2.66 ± 86.5 mIU/L before ablation to 0.43 ± 0.73 mIU/L (P < 0.001) at the final follow-up. In 14 (58.3%) of the 24 patients, Tg levels were undetectable (below 0.08 mIU/L) at the last follow-up. No life-threatening or delayed complications were observed during the 10-year follow-up period. Conclusion: The high RFS throughout the follow-up period, with efficacy and safety lasting beyond 10 years, supports US-guided RFA as a valuable option for local control of recurrent PTCs.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.21 no.4
• /
• pp.29-41
• /
• 1994

The purposes of this study are (a)to investigate the effect of follow-up on the increase of response rate;(b)to analyze the effect of follow-up on the statistics by predetermined response rates ; therefore, (c)to describe the importance of high response rate and to suggest methods in order to increase response rate in mail survey. Telephone directory of Seoul was utilized as a sampling frame, and modified Total Design Method(TDM) was applied to collect the data. The results are summarized as follows. 1. Final response rate was 76.5% by 2 follow-ups. 2. The first follow-up with telephone call had a significant effect on increase of response rate. As a result, follow-up by postcard in TDM could be omitted in this method. 3. The second follow-up by registered mail did not have a significant effect. Therefore, use of this procedure is depending upon such research situtations as importance of high response rate and cost available. 4. Follow-ups helped to make collected sample highly representative. 5. Most questionnaires were arrived on the first half of data collection period in each follow-up. 6. Most of questionnaires were collected for 10 weeks. Accumulated responses could be fitted by exponential and logistic curve, simultaneously. The fitted curve suggested that eventually limited number of questionnaires by arrived. So, if researchers want higher response rate, they have to conduct more follow-ups. 7. Statistics in the predetermined response rate were not changed significantly. But replications are needed to generalize this result.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.16 no.6
• /
• pp.2507-2513
• /
• 2015

Background: Serum vitamin D status can affect the prognosis of breast cancer patients. Our aim was to determine the association between alterations in the 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] status during follow-up and the prognosis of breast cancer patients. Additionally, we evaluated the association between the 25(OH)D status at the time of diagnosis and the prognosis using a detailed age and stage categorization. Materials and Methods: Four hundred and sixty-nine Korean breast cancer patients were included. We collected patient clinicopathological data, including their serum 25(OH)D concentration at diagnosis and at the annual follow-up until 4 years after diagnosis. The patients were divided according to their 25(OH)D status at diagnosis into a deficient (<20 ng/ml) and a non-deficient (${\geq}20ng/ml$) group. At follow-up, patients were categorized into the four following groups according to 25(OH)D status alterations: persistently deficient, improved, deteriorated and persistently non-deficient. Results: At diagnosis, 118 patients were classified into the deficient group and 351 into the non-deficient group. After a median follow-up period of $85.8{\pm}31.0$ months, the patients with advanced-stage disease or an older age in the non-deficient group showed a significantly better survival compared with the deficient group. Furthermore, at the 1-year follow-up of 25(OH)D status, the persistently non-deficient group and the improved group had better survival compared with the other two groups. Conclusions: Our results suggest that maintaining an optimal 25(OH)D status at diagnosis and during the 1-year follow-up period is important for improving breast cancer patient survival.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.49 no.5
• /
• pp.344-349
• /
• 2016

Background: Monocusp reconstruction with a transannular patch (TAP) results in early improvement because it relieves residual volume hypertension during the immediate postoperative period. However, few reports have assessed the long-term surgical outcomes of this procedure. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the mid-term surgical outcomes of tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) repair using monocusp reconstruction with a TAP. Methods: Between March 2000 and March 2009, 36 patients with a TOF received a TAP. A TAP with monocusp reconstruction (group I) was used in 25 patients and a TAP without monocusp reconstruction (group II) was used in 11 patients. We evaluated hemodynamic parameters using echocardiography during the follow-up period in both groups. Results: At the most recent follow-up echocardiography (mean follow-up, 8.2 years), the mean pulmonary valve velocities of the patients in group I and group II were $2.1{\pm}1.0m/sec$ and $0.9{\pm}0.9m/sec$, respectively (p=0.001). Although the incidence of grade 3-4 pulmonary regurgitation (PR) was not significantly different between the two groups (group I: 16 patients, 64.0%; group II: 7 patients, 70.0%; p=0.735) during the follow-up period, the interval between the treatment and the incidence of PR aggravation was longer in group I than in group II (group I: $6.5{\pm}3.4years$; group II: $3.8{\pm}2.2years$; p=0.037). Conclusion: Monocusp reconstruction with a TAP prolonged the interval between the initial treatment and grade 3-4 PR aggravation. Patients who received a TAP with monocusp reconstruction to repair TOF were not to progress to pulmonary stenosis during the follow-up period as those who received a TAP without monocusp reconstruction.