• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.41-46
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• 2017

Purpose: To determine the incidence of post-concussion syndrome (PCS) in Korean patients after minor traumatic brain injury. Methods: We conducted an observational cohort study of a convenience sample of patients presenting to the emergency department of a major academic Korean hospital. Patients who visited the Emergency Department for head trauma were screened. A researcher questioned the subject regarding his or her symptoms. Subjects were contacted by phone approximately 2 weeks after their Emergency Department visit and questioned about subsequent symptoms and subsequent visits for medical care. Results: Only 8% of subjects reported any post-concussion symptoms. Only 0.4% had three or more symptoms which might have met criteria for PCS. The median peak onset of symptoms was 3 days after injury. Conclusion: The incidence of PCS is Korean patients is much lower than that documented for patients in the United States or other western countries. On the other hand, this study results could give an idea that mild trauma could also cause the PCS. Further study is needed to replicate this finding and investigate possible explanations for this difference.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.431-435
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• 2020

Pseudoaneurysm which is usually caused by high energy trauma or penetrating injury results in serious complications if the diagnosis is delayed. The authors experienced a 63-year-old patient who slipped on the stairs with simple contusion and skin laceration. But, he was finally diagnosed with pseudoaneurysm of tibioperoneal trunk of tibial artery on magnetic resonance imaging and 3-dimensional computed tomography angiogram performed in two weeks due to aggravation of the symptoms. To the best of my knowledge, pseudoaneurysm of tibio-peroneal trunk caused by minor blunt trauma has not been reported till now in Korea. So we report this case with a review of the relevant literature.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.101-105
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• 2007

Purpose: This study aimed to find any difference in the clinical or the anatomical findings of vertebral artery dissection (VAD) between the trauma and the non-trauma groups. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data and radiologic images of VAD patients. We compared data on symptoms, neurologic deficit, National institutes of health stroke scale (NIHSS) at admission, Rankin score (RS) at admission and discharge, and radiological findings including anatomical features, between the trauma and the non-trauma groups. Results: From January 1997 to May 2006, 42 patients were enrolled and 13 patients (31%) had a history of earlier trauma. Focal neurologic deficit (trauma group 11/13 vs. non-trauma group 11/29), cerebral stroke (10/13 vs. 9/29), and extradural lesions of dissection (6/13 vs. 3/28) were more common in the trauma group than non-trauma group (p=0.007, p=0.017, p=0.018, respectively) and NIHSS at admission and discharge were significantly higher (p=0.012, p=0.001, respectively). Dissecting aneurysms were less frequent in the trauma group (2/13 vs. 19/29, p=0.006). Subarachnoid hemorrhage and unfavorable prognostic value (Rankin score at discharge ${\geq}$ 2) showed no differences between the groups (p=0.540, p=0.267, respectively). Conclusion: In VAD patients after trauma, focal neurologic deficit due to ischemic stroke and a steno-occlusive pattern are more frequent than they are in non-trauma patients. The location of dissection was most frequent at the extradural vertebral artery in the trauma group. NIHSS was higher in the trauma groups but the incidence of an unfavorable prognostic value (RS ${\geq}$ 2) was not significantly different between the groups.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.96-100
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• 2003

Retrophayngeal hematomas frequently develop in patients who had cervical vertebra fracture. The hematoma develops in the space between buccopharyngeal fascia and prevertebral fascia. But it rarely causes severe airway obstruction. We recently treated a patient who had dyspnea and dysphagia due to a retropharyngeal hematoma without any significant trauma history. First, tracheostomy was performed to maintain the airway. Then, incision and drainage was done under suspension laryngoscope. This case shows the fact that a retropharyngeal hematoma can result in severe airway obstruction even after a minor trauma.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.380-384
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• 2022

Subdural hematoma in infants can be caused by abuse, and is thought to be more likely if subdural hematoma is associated with retinal hemorrhage and cerebral edema. In Japan, few doctors disagree that cases of subdural hematoma with retinal hemorrhage and cerebral edema with multiple findings on the body are more likely to have been caused by abuse rather than by household accident. On the other hand, in cases where there are no other significant physical findings, only subdural hematoma and retinal hemorrhage, there is a difference of opinion as to whether the injury was caused by an accident or abuse. The reason for this is that neurosurgeons in Japan promoted the concept that infants can develop subdural hematomas and retinal hemorrages due to minor trauma at home before the concept of abusive head trauma became known. In addition, the age distribution of subdural hematomas in Japan differs from that in other countries, with peaks at around 8 months, and the reason for this remains unclear. Therefore, the etiology of infant subdural hematoma in Japan needs to be investigated in greater detail.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.126-130
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• 2017

Purpose: Preventable Trauma Death Rate (PTDR) using Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS) has been most widely used as a quality indicator in South Korea. However, this method has a small number of deaths corresponding to the denominator. Therefore, it is difficult to check the change of quality improvement for annual mortality, and there is a disadvantage that variation is severe. Therefore, we attempted to improve the quality of the mortality evaluation by reducing the variation by applying the PARK Index (preventable major trauma death rate, PMTDR) which can increase the number of denominator significantly. And the Save score (S-score) was also examined as another quality indicator. Methods: In the PARK Index, the denominator is number of all patients who have survival probability (Ps) larger than 0.25. Numerator is the number of deaths among these. The PARK Index includes only patients with ISS >15. The S-score is calculated in the same way as the W-score, but the S-score includes only patients with ISS >15, which is a difference from the W-score. Results: PARK Index decreased annually and was 12.9 (37/287) in 2014, 9.6 (33/343) in 2015, and 7.3 (52/709) in 2016. S-score increased annually and was -0.29 in 2014, 4.21 in 2015, and 8.75 in 2016. Conclusions: PARK Index and S-score improved annually. This shows that both quality indicators are improving year by year. PARK Index (PMTDR) has 9.5-fold increase in denominator overall compared to PTDR by TRISS. The S-score used only ISS >15 patients as a denominator. Therefore, there is an advantage that the numerical value change is larger than the W-score. In addition, S-score is not affected by the ratio of major trauma patients to minor trauma patients.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.83-89
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• 2007

Purpose: This research was performed to determine which clinical signs and symptoms of brain injury are sensitive indicators of skull fracture (SF) and intracranial injury (ICI) in head injured children. Methods: We conducted a prospective study of minor head trauma in children younger than 2 years of age for a 1-year period. Skull radiographs, brain computed tomography (CT), and data forms, including mechanism of injury, symptoms, physical findings, and hospital course, were completed for each child. Results: Of 137 study subjects, 17 (12.4%) had SF/ICI. Falls were the most common mechanism of injury, and heights of fall above 1 meter were associated with incidence of SF/ICI (p<0.05). Scalp abnormalities were not associated with incidence of SF/ICI. As for clinical symptoms, lethargy and a grouping of features (irritability & vomiting) were associated with incidence of SF/ICI (p<0.05). The incidence of seizure, loss of consciousness, vomiting, irritability, and scalp abnormality did not differ significantly between those with normal radiologic findings and those with SF/ICI. Among asymptomatic patients, 11 (14.5%) patients had SF/ICI, and among patients with normal scalp findings, 9 (12.7%) patients had SF/ICI. Conclusion: Clinical signs and symptoms, except for lethargy and a grouping of features (irritability & vomiting), were not sensitive predictors of SF/ICI. Nevertheless, SF/ICI occurred among normal children. In such a case, a liberal policy of CT scanning is warranted.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.87-97
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• 2021

Purpose: This study examined emergency medical service (EMS) transportation patterns for adult trauma patients before and after establishing a level 1 regional trauma center (RTC) and to evaluate the transportation approach after prehospital severity screening. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of trauma patients aged ≥18 years admitted via EMS to the emergency department or a level 1 RTC, 1 year before to 3 years after RTC establishment. Patients with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) in the patient registration system were selected. Analyses were performed to determine transportation pattern changes by comparing patients pre- and post-RTC establishment and by yearly comparisons over the 4-year study period using the Mann-Whitney U test and chi-square test. Results: Overall, 3,587 patients were included. The mean ISS was higher in the post-RTC group (n=2,693; 10.63±8.90, median 9.00) than in the pre-RTC group (n=894; 9.44±8.20, median 8.00; p<0.001). The mean transportation distance (9.84±13.71, median 5.80 vs. 13.12±16.15 km, median 6.00; p<0.001) was longer in the post-RTC group than in the pre-RTC group. Furthermore, proportionally fewer patients were transported from an area in the same city as the RTC after establishment (86.1% vs. 78.3%; p<0.001). Yearly comparisons revealed a gradually increasing trend in the hospital death rate (ptrend=0.031). Conclusions: After establishing a level 1 RTC, the EMS transportation of severe trauma patients increased gradually along with the long-distance transportation of minor trauma patients. Therefore, improved prehospital EMS trauma severity assessments and level 1 RTC involvement in patient classification in the prehospital phase are necessary.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.99-102
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• 2023

Acute rupture of the tibialis anterior tendon is rare, but the diagnosis is often delayed when it occurs. Acute rupture of the tibialis anterior tendon is often caused by minor trauma or it occurs spontaneously. Therefore, the diagnosis is more likely to be delayed. Among ruptures of the tibialis anterior tendon, longitudinal ruptures are less common and difficult to diagnose. Thus far, there are no reports of ruptures of the tibialis anterior tendon caused by direct trauma in Korea. This paper reports a case of chronic longitudinal tear of the tibialis anterior tendon caused by trauma in a 50-year-old male patient with no specific history of the disease, along with a review of the relevant literature.

• The Academic Congress of Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society
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• 2009.03a
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• pp.21-21
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• 2009

There are some patients who have traumatic anterior shoulder instability due to minor injuries like overhead activities. The purpose of this study was to clarify characteristic features of traumatic anterior shoulder instability due to minor injuries. According to the mechanism of injury in an initial dislocation, 83 shoulders that underwent the stabilizing surgery for traumatic anterior shoulder instability were divided into two groups. Traumatic group included patients who suffered from a fall or a direct injury. Minor injury group included patients who suffered from the other injury like overhead activity. General joint laxity, range of motion and laxity under anesthesia, and intraarticular findings were compared between two groups. The morphology of superior and middle glenohumeral ligaments, Bankart lesion, Hill-Sachs lesion, and partial articular surface tendon avulsion lesion were observed in arthroscopy. Minor injury group consisted of 19 shoulders with 8 males, 11 females and the mean age of 22.5 years. Traumatic group consisted of 64 shoulders with 52 males, 7 females and the mean age of 24.3 years. Female in minor injury group was significantly more than that in traumatic group. There was no difference in general joint laxity and intraarticular findings between two groups. Range of external rotation in injured side in minor injury group was significantly more than that in traumatic group. Inferior laxity in both sides in minor injury group was more than that in traumatic group. In conclusion, the traumatic anterior shoulder instability due to minor injuries might incline to occur the shoulder in female and with inferior laxity of shoulder.