• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.149-154
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• 1989

Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) is a syndrome resulting from brain ischemia lasting less than 24 hours. The mechanisms of TIAs may be similar to those of cerebral embolism and thrombosis, and thus TIAs may be followed by cerebral infarction. Despite the availability of CT scanning, the diagnosis and management of TIAs continue to be difficult. Recently SPECT has been advocated as a diagnostic imaging modality. We performed Tc-99m-HMPAO regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) SPECT in 24 patients with the clinical diagnosis of TIAs to assess its ability to detect early changes of rCBF, and determine the diagnostic value. Ten men and fourteen women with an average of 51 years (range; 27-74 years) were included. All but 8 patients had normal brain CT prior to SPECT. The two patients had moderate degree of brain atrophy and the 6 patients nonspecific calcifications. Eighteen of the 24 patients had abnormal Tc-99m-HMPAO rCBF SPECT. Fifteen had unilateral involvement and the other three had bilateral involvements. Seventy-five percents of the defects were found in the left cerebral hemisphere. According to the distribution of the lesions (total number: 34 lesions), fourteen were in the parietal, eight in the temporal, and the remainders were elsewhere. Tc-99m-HMPAO rCBF SPECT is sensitive in detecting rCBF abnormalities in patients with TIAs, and represent the most accurate diagnostic tool available in the diagnosis of TIAs.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.159-163
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• 2006

Background: Despite the enormous amount of basic research on neuropathic pain, there is the lack of an objective diagnostic test for complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of cold stress thermography in the diagnosis of CRPS. Methods: The study involved 12 patients with CRPS type 1, according to the IASP criteria, who were compared with 15 normal healthy volunteers. All subjects underwent thermographic examination under baseline conditions at $21^{\circ}C$. A cold stress test (CST; $10^{\circ}C$ water for 1 minute) was then applied to both hands below the wrists, immediate, and after 10 and 20 minutes. Results: The temperature asymmetry between the patients with CRPS and the volunteers showed significant discrimination at the baseline and after a 20 minute recovery period from the CST. Among the study subjects having temperature asymmetry of both hands of less than $1^{\circ}C$ (8 out of 12 CRPS patients and 14 out of 15 volunteer), 7 (87.5%) of the 8 CRPS patients and 3 (21%) of the 14 volunteers showed a temperature difference of more than $1^{\circ}C$ after the 20 minute recovery period. The actual temperature values during the four periods did not discriminate between the patients with CRPS and the volunteers. Conclusions: Thermography, under the CST, could be a more objective test for the diagnosis of CRPS. A temperature asymmetry greater than $1^{\circ}C$ during the 20 minute recovery period following CST provides strong diagnostic information about CRPS, with both high sensitivity and specificity.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.33-38
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• 2009

Background: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is still difficult to diagnose in the field of chronic pain management. CRPS is diagnosed by purely clinical criteria based on the characteristic signs and symptoms, which have to be differentiated from similar pain conditions like posttraumatic neuropathic pain. Until now, there has been a lack of objective diagnostic tools to confirm the diagnosis of CRPS. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of a three phase bone scan (TBS) for making the diagnosis of CRPS. Methods: A total of 121 patients who had been diagnosed with CRPS were evaluated. All the patients were examined by performing a TBS as a part of the diagnostic work-up. A diffuse increased tracer uptake on the delayed image (phase III) was defined as a positive finding for CRPS. Results: Forty-one patients (33.9%) out of 121 showed the positive results on the TBS. The patients with a duration of pain of less than 24 months had a significantly higher positive result (43.4%) on the TBS than did the patients with duration of pain longer than 24 months (12.1%). Conclusions: A TBS could give a better objective result for diagnosing CRPS for patients with a shorter duration of pain and a TBS gives little information for the diagnosis of CRPS in patients with a duration of pain longer than 24 months.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.573-584
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• 2014

Objectives: This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of Korean Medicine on post-stroke patients with upper limb pain due to complex regional pain syndrome diagnosed by three-phase bone scan, digital infrared thermal imaging, and International Association for the Study of Pain diagnostic criteria Methods: To evaluate the effectiveness of the treatments, visual analogue scale, medical research council grade, Brunnstrom stage of motor recovery, modified Ashworth scale, and Korean modified Barthel index were used. Results: After Korean medical treatments like acupuncture, herb medication, bee-venom therapy and rehabilitation therapy for 4 weeks, upper limb pain was considerably less and function of upper limbs was improved. Conclusions: Korean medical treatments have some good effects on post-stroke patients with complex regional pain syndrome.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.301-303
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• 2014

The genus Charitoprepes (Warren), a probable vagrant group of the family Crambidae is newly recorded for the first time from the Korean Peninsula, which was described based on C. lubricosa (Warren) from Jeju islands. Diagnosis and illustrations of detailed diagnostic characters, including genitalia are provided.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.209-211
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• 2015

An 8-year-old spayed female Maltese (2.5 kg of body weight) presented with the primary complaint of loud heart murmur and exercise intolerance. Diagnostic imaging revealed severe pulmonic stenosis (peak velocity 5.2 m/s) with right ventricular hypertrophy. The dog revisited after 2 years, at which time, diagnostic imaging revealed severe biventricular hypertrophy, dynamic left ventricular outflow tract obstruction, left atrial dilation and pulmonary hypertension with worsened pre-existing pulmonic stenosis. Postmortem investigation revealed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and regional myocardial infarction. The case was diagnosed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy secondary to severe right and left ventricular outflow tract obstruction.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.522-530
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• 1984

During a 12-month period, 31 patients underwent diagnostic and therapeutic thoracoscopy for previously undiagnosed thoracic diseases. In all patient, the diagnosis had been unobtainable by the usual diagnostic modalities of thoracentesis, closed pleural biopsy, bronchoscopy, or mediastinoscopy. The patients ranged from 4 years to 84 years old. One procedure was performed for mediastinal mass, 8 for parenchymal lesions, 21 for pleural diseases, and 1 for diaphragmatic disease. A correct diagnosis was obtained by thoracoscopy in 31 procedures for a 90% overall accuracy rate. There was no clinically significant morbidity in this series and no procedure-related mortality. Thoracoscopy, performed under intercostal nerve block and regional anesthesia, has proved to be a very attractive method of the diagnosis of thoracic disease.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 1998

Gated myocardial SPECT and attenuation correction gave birth to new insights into the pathophysiology of ischemic myocardial perfusion and function in clinical routine practice. Gated myocardial Tc-99m-compound SPECT improved diagnostic accuracy of coronary artery disease and enabled us to observe motion and thickening of myocardial walls as well as myocardial perfusion at the same time. Quantitative and qualitative assessment of myocardial performance and perfusion let us to understand the myocardial physiology in ischemia and infarction. In every patient who underwent gated perfusion SPECT, we will find ejection fraction, left ventricular volumes and regional wall motion. There are hopes to use gated TI-201 SPECT for the same purpose and to use gated SPECT for evaluation of wall motion and thickening at stress or immediate post-stress. Attenuation correction could improve diagnostic accuracy mainly by increasing normalcy ratio or performance of non-expert physicians. Both gated methods and attenuation correction improved specificity of non-expert physicians in diagnosing patients with moderate pretest likelihood. New imaging techniques will fill the desire of cardiologists to examine function and perfusion, and possibly metabolism in their clinical routine practice.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.75-81
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• 1995

To evaluate the diagnostic value of pulmonary perfusion scan, we obtained 99mTc MAA per-fusion lung scan from 25 cases of airway foreign bodies. The results were as follows. 1) Significant changes in blood gases were not observed after the establishment of regional hypoperfusion caused by airway foreign body. 2) Near total or total defect was noted on perfusion scan from most of the airway foreign body. 3) There was correspondance of findings of perfusion lung scan and duration of airway foreign body. 4) After the removal of airway foreign bodies, perfusion scan abnormalities were reversed in parallel with the recovery of pulmonary blood flow. We concluded that pulmonary perfusion scan may be valuable for detection of foreign body and reversible hypoperfusion.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.165-175
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• 2017

Nuclear medicine imaging is widely used in pain medicine. Low back pain is commonly encountered by physicians, with its prevalence from 49% to 70%. Computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are usually used to evaluate the cause of low back pain, however, these findings from these scans could also be observed in asymptomatic patients. Bone scintigraphy has an additional value in patients with low back pain. Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is defined as a painful disorder of the extremities, which is characterized by sensory, autonomic, vasomotor, and trophic disturbances. To assist the diagnosis of CRPS, three-phase bone scintigraphy is thought to be superior compared to other modalities, and could be used to rule out CRPS due to its high specificity. Studies regarding the effect of bone scintigraphy in patients with extremity pain have not been widely conducted. Ultrasound, CT and MRI are widely used imaging modalities for evaluating extremity pain. However, SPECT/CT has an additional role in assessing pain in the extremities.