• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.108-112
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• 1999

Background and Purpose : Involvement of supraclavicular Iymph nodes (SCL) is considered distant metastasis for thoracic esophageal carcinoma in AJCC staging system revised in 1997. We investigated significance of SCL involvement compared to other regional Iymph node involvement. Materials and Methods : Two-hundred eighty-nine patients with unresectable esophageal carcinoma were treated with radiation therapy from June of 1979 through December 1992. Of these patients, 25 were identified having SCL involvement. Survival rate and relapse patterns were compared with that of mediastinal and perigastric Iymph node positive patients to evaluate prognostic significance of SCL involvement. Results : Median survival for patients with SCL involvement was 7 months and 2- and 5-year overall survival rates were 12.0$\%$ and 4.0$\%$ respectably. Corresponding features for regional node positive patients were 9 month, 17.0$\%$ and 3.8$\%$. There was no significant difference between two groups. There was also no difference in patterns of recurrence. Conclusions : Results of this analysis showed that SCL involvement should be staged as nodal disease in contrast to present classification of metastatic disease.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.2
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• pp.108-116
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• 2023

Background: Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) has recently gained popularity as an adjunct to resuscitation of patients with traumatic shock. However, the effectiveness of REBOA is still debated because of inconsistent indications across centers and the lack of medical records. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness and feasibility of REBOA by analyzing clinical results from a single center. Methods: This study included 96 patients who underwent REBOA between August 2016 and September 2021 at a regional trauma center according to the center's treatment algorithm for traumatic shock. Medical records, including the time of the decision to conduct the REBOA procedure, time of operation, type of aortic occlusion, and clinical outcomes, were collected prospectively and analyzed retrospectively. Patients were classified by REBOA protocol (group 1, 2, or 3) and survival status (survivor or non-survivor) for analysis. Results: The overall success rate of the procedure was 97.9%, and the survival rate was 32.6%. In survivors, blood pressure was higher than in non-survivors both before the REBOA procedure (p=0.002) and after aortic occlusion (p=0.03). The total aortic occlusion time was significantly shorter (p=0.001) and the proportion of partial aortic occlusion was significantly higher (p=0.014) among the survivors. The non-survivors had more acidosis (p<0.001) and higher lactate concentrations (p<0.001) than the survivors. Conclusion: REBOA may be a feasible bridge therapy for resuscitation of patients with traumatic shock. Prompt and accurate decision-making to perform REBOA followed by damage control surgery could improve survival rates and clinical outcomes.

• 대한핵의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1990.04a
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• pp.182.1-182.1
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• 1990

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.1-32
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• 1992

The Canadian experience-universal government health insurance administeredby the ten provinces and two territories with some fiscal and policy variations-suggests the possibility of more effectve and efficient health care delivery system. The central purpose of the Canadian health in surance was to reduce and hopefully eliminate financial barriers to medical care. In this it succeeded. But it also produced varous kinds of unexpected side-effects on cost and quality. The Federal and Provincial Governments of Canada continue to exert theri efforts to ameliorate these problems. The lesson from Canada is that the health care revenue should be raised at the national level and managed at the regional level, and the regional healthcare financing organization has to take over the functions of the public health center. These alternatives is expected to make the Korean health care delivery system more efective and efficient, and to achieve health for all. This paper also discussed the policy agenda for implementing such alternatives in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.159-163
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• 2013

Objective : Cerebral hyperperfusion syndrome (CHS) is a serious complication after carotid endarterectomy (CEA). However, the prevalence of CHS has decreased as techniques have improved. This study evaluates the role of strict blood pressure (BP) control for the prevention of CHS. Methods : All 18 patients who received CEA from February 2009 through November 2012 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients were routinely managed in an intensive care unit by a same protocol. The cerebral perfusion state was evaluated on the basis of the regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) study by perfusion computed tomography (pCT) and mean velocity by transcranial doppler (TCD). BP was strictly controlled (<140/90 mm Hg) for 7 days. When either post-CEA hyperperfusion (>100% increase in the rCBF by pCT or in the mean velocity by TCD compared with preoperative values) or CHS was detected, BP was maintained below 120/80 mm Hg. Results : TCD and pCT data on the patients were analyzed. Ipsilateral rCBF was significantly increased after CEA in the pCT (p=0.049). Post-CEA hyperperfusion was observed in 3 patients (18.7%) in the pCT and 2 patients (12.5%) in the TCD study. No patients developed clinical CHS for one month after CEA. Furthermore, no patients developed additional neurological deficits related to postoperative cerebrovascular complications. Conclusion : Intensive care with strict BP control (<140/90 mm Hg) achieved a low prevalence of post-CEA hyperperfusion and prevented CHS. This study suggests that intensive care with strict BP control can prevent the prevalence of post-CEA CHS.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.179-184
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• 2016

Background: Recently, ultrasound has been commonly used. Ultrasound-guided interscalene brachial plexus block (IBPB) by posterior approach is more commonly used because anterior approach has been reported to have the risk of phrenic nerve injury. However, posterior approach also has the risk of causing nerve injury because there are risks of encountering dorsal scapular nerve (DSN) and long thoracic nerve (LTN). Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of encountering DSN and LTN during ultrasound-guided IBPB by posterior approach. Methods: A total of 70 patients who were scheduled for shoulder surgery were enrolled in this study. After deciding insertion site with ultrasound, awake ultrasound-guided IBPB with nerve stimulator by posterior approach was performed. Incidence of muscle twitches (rhomboids, levator scapulae, and serratus anterior muscles) and current intensity immediately before muscle twitches disappeared were recorded. Results: Of the total 70 cases, DSN was encountered in 44 cases (62.8%) and LTN was encountered in 15 cases (21.4%). Both nerves were encountered in 10 cases (14.3%). Neither was encountered in 21 cases (30.4%). The average current measured immediately before the disappearance of muscle twitches was 0.44 mA and 0.50 mA at DSN and LTN, respectively. Conclusions: Physicians should be cautious on the risk of injury related to the anatomical structures of nerves, including DSN and LTN, during ultrasound-guided IBPB by posterior approach. Nerve stimulator could be another option for a safer intervention. Moreover, if there is a motor response, it is recommended to select another way to secure better safety.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.197-201
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• 2016

Background: The purpose of the study was to compare the degree of degeneration of the articular and bursal layers of delaminated supraspinatus tendons based on histological examination. Methods: Fifty-four patients with a full-thickness rotator cuff tear were included in the study. Tendon specimens were harvested during arthroscopic rotator cuff repair from the lateral torn edges of the articular and bursal layers of the delaminated tear. Harvested samples were stained with H&E dye and evaluated based on a semi-quantitative grading scale. Results: There were no significant differences in the seven histological characteristics of tendon degeneration: fiber structure, fiber arrangement, round nuclei, regional variations in cellularity, vascularity, collagen stainability, and hyalinization between the articular and bursal layers of the delaminated rotator cuff tear (all p>0.05). Total degeneration scores of articular and bursal sides were $13.1{\pm}3.85$ points and $13.2{\pm}3.42$ points, respectively, and were not significantly different (p=0.958). Conclusions: The study demonstrates that tendon degeneration was similar in the articular and bursal sides of the delaminated full-thickness rotator cuff tear, suggesting that degeneration would be a main etiology for the rotator cuff tear not only in the articular side but also in the bursal side. Considering potential disadvantages of subacromial decompression, this study tentatively suggests routine use of subacromial decompression as well as the need for halting or recovery from rotator cuff degeneration for better rotator cuff repair.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.63-71
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• 2023

Objective : Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most common injuries in patients with multiple trauma, and it associates with high post-traumatic mortality and morbidity. A trauma center was established to provide optimal treatment for patients with severe trauma. This study aimed to compare the treatment outcomes of patients with severe TBI between non-trauma and trauma centers based on data from the Korean Neuro-Trauma Data Bank System (KNTDBS). Methods : From January 2018 to June 2021, 1122 patients were enrolled in the KNTDBS study. Among them, 253 patients from non-traumatic centers and 253 from trauma centers were matched using propensity score analysis. We evaluated baseline characteristics, the time required from injury to hospital arrival, surgery-related factors, neuromonitoring, and outcomes. Results : The time from injury to hospital arrival was shorter in the non-trauma centers (110.2 vs. 176.1 minutes, p=0.012). The operation time was shorter in the trauma centers (156.7 vs. 128.1 minutes, p=0.003). Neuromonitoring was performed in nine patients (3.6%) in the non-trauma centers and 67 patients (26.5%) in the trauma centers (p<0.001). Mortality rates were lower in trauma centers than in non-trauma centers (58.5% vs. 47.0%, p=0.014). The average Glasgow coma scale (GCS) at discharge was higher in the trauma centers (4.3 vs. 5.7, p=0.011). For the Glasgow outcome scale-extended (GOSE) at discharge, the favorable outcome (GOSE 5-8) was 17.4% in the non-trauma centers and 27.3% in the trauma centers (p=0.014). Conclusion : This study showed lower mortality rates, higher GCS scores at discharge, and higher rates of favorable outcomes in trauma centers than in non-trauma centers. The regional trauma medical system seems to have a positive impact in treating patients with severe TBI.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1131-1141
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• 2023

Objective: Cortical iron deposition has recently been shown to occur in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we aimed to evaluate how cortical gray matter iron, measured using quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM), differs in the clinical cognitive impairment spectrum. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 73 participants (mean age ± standard deviation, 66.7 ± 7.6 years; 52 females and 21 males) with normal cognition (NC), 158 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 48 patients with AD dementia. The participants underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging using a three-dimensional multi-dynamic multi-echo sequence on a 3-T scanner. We employed a deep neural network (QSMnet+) and used automatic segmentation software based on FreeSurfer v6.0 to extract anatomical labels and volumes of interest in the cortex. We used analysis of covariance to investigate the differences in susceptibility among the clinical diagnostic groups in each brain region. Multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to study the association between susceptibility values and cognitive scores including the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Results: Among the three groups, the frontal (P < 0.001), temporal (P = 0.004), parietal (P = 0.001), occipital (P < 0.001), and cingulate cortices (P < 0.001) showed a higher mean susceptibility in patients with MCI and AD than in NC subjects. In the combined MCI and AD group, the mean susceptibility in the cingulate cortex (β = -216.21, P = 0.019) and insular cortex (β = -276.65, P = 0.001) were significant independent predictors of MMSE scores after correcting for age, sex, education, regional volume, and APOE4 carrier status. Conclusion: Iron deposition in the cortex, as measured by QSMnet+, was higher in patients with AD and MCI than in NC participants. Iron deposition in the cingulate and insular cortices may be an early imaging marker of cognitive impairment related neurodegeneration.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.289-295
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• 2020

This study investigated the feasibility of establishing a college of medicine in the western region of Chungnam to fill the gap in the medical doctor in charge of essential medical care in the region. Currently, the level of medical services in Chungnam is low compared to provinces across the country and in particular, 7 cities and towns, which account for 760,000 people, one-third of Chungnam's population, are located in the western regions of Chungnam. Because of this, in the event of an emergency patients, it is necessary to travel to Cheonan, Daejeon, Seoul, etc. where the regional emergency medical center is located for more than 1 hour and 30 minutes. In the case of critically ill and emergency patients transfer, it is a situation that misses the golden time and causes valuable loss of life. In order to improve the medical environment in the western region of Chungnam and improve the lives of residents in vulnerable areas of medical services, it is believed that establishing a college of medicine in the western region of Chungnam is essential.