• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.21-25
• /
• 2016

Purpose: Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a chronic pain condition involving the oral and perioral regions, often characterized by a burning sensation and pain in elderly patients. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of pharmacological agents for the treatment of BMS patients through a retrospective chart review. Methods: We enrolled 61 BMS subjects (57 females, 4 males; $66.4{\pm}10.9$ years of age) from among consecutive patients treated pharmacologically from January 2014 to June 2015 at Chonnam National University Dental Hospital. Patients with secondary BMS associated with local factors were excluded. The treatment period, number of pharmacological agents tried, and effectiveness of the drugs administered to each subject were analyzed. Results: The mean treatment period for the management of BMS was 2.5 months. More than three agents were tried to control BMS symptoms in 17 subjects (27.9%); two agents were used in 10 subjects (16.4%), and a single agent in 24 subjects (39.3%). Clonazepam was prescribed most frequently and was effective at relieving symptoms in 30 of 39 subjects (76.9%). Paroxetine was moderately effective, relieving symptoms in 7 of 17 subjects (41.2%). Some of the subjects benefited from tricyclic antidepressants, gabapentin, and lipoic acid. A topical local anesthetic used to supplement other systemic agents had ameliorating effects in four of six subjects. Conclusions: Within the study limitations, clonazepam was the most effective drug and antidepressants were efficacious in some subjects for relieving the symptoms of BMS. These pharmacological agents could be considered as first-line drugs for the management of BMS.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.205-218
• /
• 2021

Background: Korean medicine treatment was assessed in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) according to subgroups of: sex, age, cause of knee OA, body mass index, hospitalization period, history, OA compartment, phenotype, and comorbidity. Methods: A retrospective review was performed of 122 inpatients who were admitted to the Hospital of Korean Medicine for Korean medicine treatment of knee pain, and were diagnosed with knee OA based on magnetic resonance imaging findings. Analysis of patient subgroups (sex, age, cause of knee OA, body mass index, hospitalization period, history, OA compartment, phenotype, and comorbidity) was carried out and treatments including acupuncture, cupping, pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine, chuna therapy, medicinal steaming therapy, manual therapy, and extracorporeal shock wave therapy were listed. The numeric rating scale (NRS), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), and 5-level EuroQol- 5 Dimension (EQ-5D-5L) scores were measured before and after treatment to assess the effects of treatment on pain and quality of life. Results: Seventeen males and 105 females were included in this study. Most patients were in their 60s. In the total study population, NRS, WOMAC, and EQ-5D-5L scores were improved statistically significant when comparing before and after treatment. The NRS and WOMAC scores improved statistically significant in the medial, patellofemoral, medial + patellofemoral, medial + lateral + patellofemoral compartment. Conclusion: Korean medicine treatment significantly reduced pain, stiffness, and physical dysfunction, and improved the quality of life of patients with knee OA, suggesting that it may be an effective alternative to the current conservative treatments.

• Journal of Clinical Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.204-211
• /
• 2018

Background and Objectives : Unilateral maxillary sinus lesions are relatively common but may occur in variety of causes. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment are needed. The aim of this study is to review patients with unilateral maxillary sinus lesion who underwent surgical treatment and to analyze causes and characteristics of unilateral maxillary sinus lesions with literature review. Materials and Methods : A retrospective chart analysis was completed on 318 patients with unilateral maxillary sinus lesions who underwent surgical treatment from January, 2008 through May, 2018. Clinical history and data such as age, sex, symptoms of initial, radiologic and dental finding, operation type were collected from medical record. Results : Patients mean age was 50.7 years with slight male gender dominance. Most common type was sinusitis (42.7%), followed by odontogenic sinusitis (22.3%) and fungal ball (19.5%). In particular, the most common cause of odontogenic sinusitis was post dental surgery such as implant. Middle meatal antrostomy (90.9%) was accounted for a great part of surgery underwent to patients. Patients complained of post nasal discharge (62.9%), nasal obstruction (40.9%) and odor smell(35.2%) most commonly. Periapical lucency (35.8%) was the most common in CT finding followed by implant perforation (17.3%) and oroantral fistula (12.3%) in odontogenic sinusitis. Conclusions : Unilateral maxillary sinus lesions are relatively common, but they are increasing recently with dental procedures such as implant surgery, and serious adverse effects due to malignant tumors or improper treatment may occur, so accurate diagnosis and treatment are needed.

• Neurospine
• /
• v.15 no.4
• /
• pp.383-387
• /
• 2018

Objective: Lower back pain (LBP) is a worldwide health problem, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a common modality used to aid in its diagnosis. Although specific guidelines for assessing the necessity of MRI usage exist, the use of MRI as the initial imaging method for LBP seems to be more common than necessary in general practice. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 313 patients who had undergone MRI of the lumbosacral spine during 2014-2015. We recorded and compared various factors, including age, sex, body mass index, current smoking status, race, symptoms, MRI findings, and progression to surgery within the next year. All rates were compared according to whether the MRI results showed radiographically significant findings (MRI-positive) or not (MRI-negative) using the chi-square or Fisher exact tests (if the expected cell count was <5). All analyses were performed using SAS version 9.4. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the rates of each symptom between the MRI-positive and MRI-negative groups, which accounted for 58.5% (183 of 313) and 41.5% (130 of 313) of the MRIs, respectively. The difference in the rate of surgery in the next year (18% among MRI-positive patients and 8.5% among MRI-negative patients) was found to be statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Based on our findings, 41.5% of patients underwent lumbar MRI unnecessarily and 81% of patients with positive MRIs did not have surgery within the next year. Further physician training is needed to avoid unnecessary investigations and expenditures.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.87-91
• /
• 2020

Background: The incidence of skin cancer, which is primarily caused by exposure to ultraviolet radiation, has steadily increased in recent years. The authors of the present study sought to investigate changes in the epidemiology of skin cancer by conducting a retrospective review of patients diagnosed with skin cancer who received related care at a single medical institution. Methods: The present study included patients who were diagnosed with skin cancer and received treatment at Gyeongsang National University Hospital from 2008 to 2018. The site and type of skin cancer, the number of patients with skin cancer each year, the sex and sex ratio of the patients, and changes in patients' age at first diagnosis were examined through retrospective chart reviews. Results: The number of patients with skin cancer significantly increased, but statistically significant changes were not found in patients' sex, skin cancer sites, or the types of skin cancer. However, patients' age at the first diagnosis of skin cancer showed a statistically significant decrease starting in 2015. Conclusion: In this study, the number of patients with skin cancer increased over time. However, patients' age at first diagnosis has decreased since 2015. Therefore, younger patients should take care to prevent skin cancer, and further research on the causes of skin cancer in younger patients is needed.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.563-571
• /
• 2021

Objectives: This pilot study aimed to confirm the possibility of applying our design to the main study, a retrospective medical record analysis of the diseases which have most frequently been treated with collaborations of Korean and Western medicine, and to identify what corrections and statistical models are needed to conduct the main study. Methods: Data were collected from a case report form developed for patients who received treatment in the medical institutions. Appropriate statistical techniques, like Propensity Score (PS) and Generalized Estimation Equation (GEE) models, were used to compare the indicators of collaboration and non-collaboration groups for patients in comparable diseases. Results: Using PS matching for each M and S disease group, the indicators were compared by balancing the collaboration and non-collaboration group, and the GEE models compared indicators between groups in each disease over follow-up. Through this process we identified two limitations, insufficient samples and a large deviation of the follow-up period. Conclusion: This pilot study confirmed that the study design and case report form are applicable. The main study will be conducted by collecting sufficient samples and reflecting deviation of follow-up period.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.533-542
• /
• 2006

Purpose: The purposes of this study were to investigate medical records and to develop care records for management of patients with chest pain in the emergency department. Method: Retrospective review of the 42 medical chart of patients presented to the emergency department with chest pain were used. The collected data were analyzed with a frequency of items in the medical records. Results: In a frequency analysis of recorded items for doctors' chest pain assessment during history taking, the history/risk factors was the highest rank. The following ranks were 'commenced with when/timing, extra symptoms, place, nature, stay/radiate, alleviate/aggravate, intensity' in sequence. In a frequency of recorded items in nurse's progress notes according to nursing actions, the 'checking/monitoring' was the highest rank. The following ranks were 'performing, administering/injecting, referring/arranging, testing, preparing/catheterizing, teaching/informing' in sequence. Chest pain care records for the emergency department was designed, based upon data analysis and literature review. Conclusion: The designed records can be a rapid and effective approach tool for assessment and recording of patients with chest pain. Further research is necessary for evaluating the designed chest pain care records.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
• /
• v.22 no.2
• /
• pp.125-135
• /
• 2022

Objectives: A restrospective chart review were conducted to investigate the overall weight loss effect of the integrated Korean medicine treatment on obese patients (body mass index [BMI] ≥25 kg/m²) in Korean medicine clinic and analyze the difference in the effect according to lifestyle behaviors. Methods: The medical records of 43 obese patients were retrospectively analyzed including body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, and body composition who received integrated Korean medicine treatment for 4 weeks at 24 Korean medicine clinics in Daejeon metropolitan city. All outcome measures were evaluated again 8 weeks after the end of treatment at week 12 for follow-up. EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D), the Korean version of the obesity-related quality of life scale (KOQOL) and patient's satisfaction were also evaluated. The analysis was divided according to the treatment period and observation period, and subgroup analysis was performed according to drinking and exercise habits. Results: Body weight, body fat, waist circumference, hip circumference, body fat were significantly reduced at week 4 and week 12. Theses weight reduction effects were significantly greater within treatment period (0 to 4 week) than observation period (4 to 12 week). Especially in the non-exercise group, the changes in body fat mass and body fat percent showed a significant difference between the treatment period and the observation period. KOQOL were also significantly improved at 12 week, but not in EQ-5D. No severe adverse events were observed. Conclusions: The integrated Korean medicine treatment could be effective to treat obesity including weight loss. It is necessary to prevent additional weight regain through regular exercise even after Korean medicine treatment.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.25 no.2
• /
• pp.135-153
• /
• 2015

Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of inpatients who were admitted to Korean medicine hospital due to low back pain. Methods The current study was designed as a retrospective chart review to investigate descriptive characteristics of LBP patients. The clinical records of 601 patients who were hospitalized for treatment of LBP in Cheonan Korean Medicine Hospital, Daejeon University from 1st, January, 2013 to 31th, December, 2013 were analyzed. Results 1. Most frequently given diagnosis was sprain and strain of lumbar (45.93%). 2. Female outnumbered male patients in all disease groups except fracture of lumbar spine. 3. In distribution according to age, sprain and strain of lumbar, HNP of L-spine and lumbago with sciatica were most frequent at 30s, fracture of lumbar spine was most frequent at 50s and spinal stenosis was most frequent at 70s. 4. The most frequently motive for low back pain was traffic accident (35.4%) 5. Patients with no related medical history were 76.95% 6. 0~1week interval between onset and visit to Korean Medicine Hospital was most frequent in all disease groups. 7. 50.85% of patients went through treatment at medical institutions before the admitting to Korean Medicine Hospital. 8. The average admission days of female was higher than male's. And age goes up, average duration of admission was longer. 9. In most (74.59%) of the patients, symptoms were more than improved. 10. Most frequently prescribed examination was X-ray (65.13%). 11. Most frequently prescribed herb medicine was whal-lak-tang (Huoluo-tang). Conclusions In most (74.59%) of the patients, symptoms were more than improved, especially in sprain and strain of lumbar and lumbago with sciatica. But Patients with a local hospital statistic is not be representative of the incidence of the population. In order to obtain more accurate statistics, it is necessary to compare analysis collect statistics from other medical hospitals.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.18 no.4
• /
• pp.570-577
• /
• 2017

The purpose of this study was to provide a basis for the development of a health insurance payment system by exploring inpatient hospice & palliative care activities in a long-term care hospital by occupational personnel. The contents and frequency of inpatient hospice-palliative care activities were obtained retrospectively from the chart review of 12 terminally ill patients who died during the 6 months before their deaths. According to their occupational personnel, doctors were doing blood transfusion, family counseling, and medication guidance. Nurses' main activities were airway suction, oxygen supply, EKG monitoring, observing patient's status, helping medication and tube feeding. Other workers' activities are as follows: social workers were applying individualized programs, physical therapists were doing electrostimulation, nutritionists were giving nutrition evaluation and meal rounding, and careworkers were assisting with meals and nutrition. Although certain nursing activities, like emotional support, were performed by nurses, the hospice-palliative activities from doctors, social workers and physical therapists were largely unavailable for terminally ill patients in a long-term care hospital. And some terminally ill patients were receiving too intensive and invasive medical cares for end end-of-life care. The results highlight the importance of valid measures of hospice-palliative care quality and the need for establishing an adequate reimbursement system for ensuring and improving end-of-life care.