• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제39권4호
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• pp.281-285
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• 2006

Objective : The tethered cord syndrome results in progressive neurological deficits. Although it may remain controversial, many physicians recommend definitive surgery to untether the cord as soon as this condition is identified. We retrospectively evaluate the pre-operative and post-operative course of 38 tethered cord patients with spinal dysraphism in an attempt to learn the natural history of the disease and to determine the effectiveness of the surgical treatment. Methods : The medical records, operation notes and radiographs were evaluated. The follow up period ranged from 4 months to 12 years with a mean follow-up of 28.6 months. Twenty-seven patients were younger than 15 years of age. Results : At presentation, 26 of the patients were asymptomatic. In three of 11 adult symptomatic patients, their neurological deficits worsened after trauma or exercise. Improvement of motor strength was documented in two out of 5 patients. Five of nine patients with bladder symptoms improved, however, none had a complete return of their bladder function. Conclusion : Childhood patients were less symptomatic than the adult patients. Adult patients showed progression of their symptoms that were not improved even after the operation in most of the cases. Asymptomatic tethered spinal cord can be symptomatic as time passes by and even at an old age. Future research should be focused on the operative methods to prevent the delayed deterioration after surgery, rather than on the usefulness of preventive surgery in asymptomatic patients.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• 제38권3호
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• pp.141-145
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• 2013

Objectives: Assessment of dental pain severity is very challenging in dentistry. Previous studies have suggested that elevated salivary alpha amylase may contribute to increased physical stresses. There is a close association between salivary alpha amylase and plasma norepinephrine under stressful physical conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between pain severity and salivary alpha amylase levels in patients with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six patients (20 females and 16 males) with severe tooth pain due to symptomatic irreversible pulpitis were selected. The visual analogue scale (VAS) score was used to assess the pain severity in each patient. Unstimulated whole saliva was collected, and the level of alpha amylase activity was assessed by the spectrophotometric method. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 13. Results: The level of alpha amylase was significantly increased in the saliva in association with pain severity assessed by VAS. The salivary alpha amylase was also elevated with increased age and in males. Conclusions: There was a significant correlation between the VAS pain scale and salivary alpha amylase level, which indicates this biomarker may be a good index for the objective assessment of pain intensity.

• 동의신경정신과학회지
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.315-324
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• 2018

Objectives: The objective of this case report was to investigate the effect of Korean medicine therapy on migraine patients with typical aura. Methods: Acupuncture and chuna manual therapy were applied to outpatients once in 1 to 2 weeks, a total of 9 times, for about 11 weeks. A patient was diagnosed with ganyang-toutong and taeeumin dry-heat symptomatic pattern. Herbal medicine (Chongsanggeontong-tang Gagambang (淸上?痛湯加減方)) was prescribed for 15 days up to the 3rd visit, then another herbal medicine (Yeoldahanso-tang (熱多寒少湯)) prescribed for 15 days up to the 6th visit. MSQol and MIDAS were used as a tool at the start and after 9th treatment. The intensity and frequency of headache, frequency of aura and neck pain were examined on every visit. Results: According to the results, Korean traditional medicine described above had effect on the intensity and frequency of headache, frequency of aura and neck pain as well as an increase in the figure of MSQoL from 62 to 81 and decrease of MIDAS Disability from 18 to 7, Duration from 60 to 30, Pain score from 8 to 2. Conclusions: Migraine with typical aura classified as ganyang-toutong and taeeumin dry-heat symptomatic pattern can be alleviated by Korean traditional medicine.

• 대한정형외과학회지
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• 제55권2호
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• pp.183-187
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• 2020

신경초 낭종은 임상적으로 흔히 관찰되기는 하나 그 중에 약 1%만이 증상을 야기한다. 특히 증상을 일으키는 경추부 신경초 낭종은 매우 드물어 5예의 문헌보고만 있을 뿐이며 치료에 대한 원칙 또한 정립되어 있지 않다. 경추부 신경병증을 호소하는 환자에서 다른 명확한 압박의 원인 없이 경추부 신경초 낭종이 발견되었을 경우에 신경초 낭종은 경추부 신경근병증의 원인으로 고려할 수 있다. 이러한 경추부 신경초 낭종은 수술적 치료 이전에 비수술적 보존적 치료를 먼저 고려할 수 있다. 저자들은 40세 여자환자에서 경구 스테로이드 복용 및 경추간공 경막외 스테로이드 주사를 통하여 증상을 일으키는 경추부 신경초 낭종의 효과적 치료를 경험한 바, 이를 문헌 고찰과 함께 살펴보고자 한다.

• Journal of Dental Anesthesia and Pain Medicine
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.39-47
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• 2022

Background: This was a randomized controlled clinical trial that aimed to evaluate the anesthetic efficacy of 2% lidocaine combined with different concentrations of epinephrine (plain, 1:200,000 and 1:80,000) during endodontic treatment of maxillary molars with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Methods: The trial included 144 adult patients who were randomly allocated to three treatment groups. All patients received buccal-plus-palatal infiltration. After 10 min, pulp sensibility testing was performed using an electric pulp test (EPT). If a tooth responded positively, anesthesia was considered to have failed. In the case of a negative EPT response, endodontic access was initiated under rubber dam isolation. The success of anesthesia was defined as having a pain score less than 55 on the Heft Parker visual analog scale (HP VAS), which was categorized as 'no pain' or 'faint/weak/mild' pain on the HP VAS. Baseline pre-injection and post-injection maximum heart rates were recorded. The Pearson chi-square test was used to analyze the anesthetic success rates at 5% significance. Results: Plain 2% lidocaine and 2% lidocaine with 1:200,000 epinephrine and 1:80,000 epinephrine had anesthetic success rates of 18.75%, 72.9%, and 82.3%, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated significant differences between the groups (P < 0.001, 𝛘² = 47.5, df = 2). The maximum heart rate increase was seen with 2% lidocaine solution with epinephrine. Conclusion: Adding epinephrine to 2% lidocaine significantly improves its anesthetic success rates during the root canal treatment of maxillary molars with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.37.1-37.10
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• 2024

Importance: The portal vein to aorta (PV/Ao) ratio is used to assess the clinical significance of extrahepatic portosystemic shunt (EHPSS). Previous studies using computed tomography (CT) were conducted in dogs but not in cats. Objective: This study aimed to establish normal reference values for PV indices (PV/Ao ratio and PV diameter) in cats and determine the usefulness of these for predicting symptomatic EHPSS. Methods: This study included 95 dogs and 114 cats that underwent abdominal CT. The canine normal (CN) group included dogs without EHPSS. The cats were classified into feline normal (FN, 88/114), feline asymptomatic (FA, 16/114), and feline symptomatic (FS, 10/114) groups. The PV and Ao diameters were measured in axial cross-sections. Results: The group FN had a higher PV/Ao ratio than the group CN (p < 0.001). Within the feline groups, the PV indices were in the order FN > FA > FS (both p < 0.001). The mean PV diameter and PV/Ao ratio for group FN were 5.23±0.77 mm and 1.46±0.19, respectively. The cutoff values between groups FN and FS were 4.115 mm for PV diameter (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 97.7%) and 1.170 for PV/Ao ratio (90%, 92.1%). The cutoff values between group FA and FS were 3.835 mm (90%, 93.8%) and 1.010 (70%, 100%), respectively. Conclusions and Relevance: The results demonstrated significant differences in PV indices between dogs and cats. In cats, the PV/Ao ratio demonstrated high diagnostic performance for symptomatic EHPSS. The PV diameter also performed well, in contrast to dogs.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제23권8호
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• pp.821-827
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• 2022

Objective: To determine the anatomical characteristics of the petrous ridge and trigeminal nerve in trigeminal neuralgia (TN) without neurovascular compression (NVC). Materials and Methods: From May 2017 to March 2021, 66 patients (49 female and 17 male; mean age ± standard deviation [SD], 56.8 ± 13.3 years) with TN without NVC and 57 controls (46 female and 11 male; 52.0 ± 15.6 years) were enrolled. The angle of the petrous ridge (APR) and angle of the trigeminal nerve (ATN) were measured using magnetic resonance imaging with a high-resolution three-dimensional T2 sequence. Data on the symptomatic side were compared with those on the asymptomatic side in patients and with the mean measurements of the bilateral sides in controls. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was conducted to evaluate the performance of APR and ATN in distinguishing TN patients from controls. Results: In TN patients without NVC, the mean ± standard deviation (SD) of APR on the symptomatic side (98.40° ± 19.75°) was significantly smaller than that of the asymptomatic side (105.59° ± 22.45°, p = 0.019) and controls (108.44° ± 15.98°, p = 0.003). The mean ATN ± SD on the symptomatic side (144.41° ± 8.92°) was significantly smaller than that of the asymptomatic side (149.67° ± 8.09°, p = 0.003) and controls (150.45° ± 8.48°, p = 0.001). The area under the ROC curve for distinguishing TN patients from controls was 0.673 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.579-0.758) for APR and 0.700 (CI: 0.607-0.782) for ATN. The sensitivity and specificity using the diagnostic cutoff yielding the highest Youden index were 81.8% (54/66) and 49.1% (28/57), respectively, for APR (with a cutoff score of 94.30°) and 65.2% (43/66) and 66.7% (38/57), respectively, for ATN (cutoff score, 148.25°). Conclusion: In patients with TN without NVC, APR and ATN were smaller than those in controls, which may explain the potential cause of TN and provide additional information for diagnosis.

• Hip & pelvis
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.6-14
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• 2023

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine correlation between the spinopelvic parameters in sitting and standing positions (sacral slope [SS], lumbar lordosis [LL], spinopelvic tilt [SPT], pelvic incidence [PI], and pelvic femoral angle [PFA]), with hip function assessed using the modified Harris hip scores (mHHs) in patients with symptomatic femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) at diagnosis. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study of 52 patients diagnosed with symptomatic FAI was conducted. Evaluation of the spinopelvic complex in terms of SS, LL, SPT, PI and PFA was performed using lateral radiographs of the pelvis and lumbosacral spine in standing and sitting positions. Assessment of hip function at diagnosis was performed using the mHHs. Calculation of spinopelvic mobility was based on the difference (Δ) between measurements performed in standing and sitting position. Results: The median time of pain evolution was 11 months (interquartile range [IQR], 5-24 months) with a median mHHs of 66.0 points (IQR, 46.0-73.0) at diagnosis. The mean change of LL, SS, SPT, and PFA was 20.9±11.2°, 14.2±8.6°, 15.5±9.0°, and 70.7±9.5°, respectively. No statistically significant correlation was observed between spinopelvic parameters and the mHHs (P>0.05). Conclusion: Radiological parameters of the spinopelvic complex did not show correlation with hip function at the time of diagnosis in patients with symptomatic FAI. Conduct of further studies will be required in the effort to understand the effect of the spinopelvic complex and its compensatory mechanics, primarily between the hip and spine, in patients with FAI before and after hip arthroscopy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제50권6호
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• pp.556-564
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• 2007

목 적 : 본 연구에서는 현증 천식 환자의 BHR에는 기도 염증이 중요한 요인으로 작용하기 때문에 ${\beta}_2$-아드레날린 수용체 유전자와의 연관성이 나타나지 않지만, 청소년기 천식 관해 상태에서 지속되는 BHR에는 상대적으로 유전적인 영향이 강하기 때문에 ${\beta}_2$-아드레날린 수용체 유전자와의 연관성이 나타날 것이라는 가설을 세우고, 이를 검증해 보고자 하였다. 방 법 : 장기간 천식 관해 상태(최근 2년간 천식 증상이 없고 치료가 필요 없었던 경우)에서 BHR이 지속되는 청소년 202명(천식 관해군), 현증 천식 청소년 182명(현증 천식군), 정상군 200명을 대상으로, 메타콜린 기관지 유발검사와 피부단자시험을 시행하였으며 혈청 총 IgE를 측정하였다. ${\beta}_2$-아드레날린 수용체 유전자의 일배체형 분석을 위해 아미노산 16번과 27번을 포함하고 있는 ${\beta}_2$-아드레날린 수용체 유전자 부위를 polymerase chain reaction(PCR)으로 증폭한 뒤, 16번 유전형은 allele specific PCR, 27번 유전형은 PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) 방법으로 분석하였다. 결 과 : Gly 동형접합자(homozygote)의 빈도는 정상군에서 14.5%, 현증 천식군에서 18.1%, 천식 관해군에서 24.2%로 증가하는 경향이 관찰되었으며(P=0.01), 현증 천식군과 정상군 사이에서는 차이가 없었지만 천식 관해군과 정상군 사이에서는 유의한 차이가 관찰되었다(P=0.01). Gly16-Gln27 일배체형 빈도는 정상군에서 36.5%, 현증 천식군에서 40.4%, 천식 관해군에서 44.6%로 증가하는 경향이 관찰되었으며(P=0.02), 현증 천식군과 정상군 사이에서는 차이가 없었지만 천식 관해군과 정상군 사이에서는 유의한 차이가 관찰되었다(P=0.02). 천식 관해군에서 Gly16-Gln27 일배체형의 수가 증가함에 따라 $PC_{20}$ 기하 평균값이 유의한 차이를 보임으로써(P=0.02) Gly16-Gln27 일배체형과 $PC_{20}$ 사이의 연관성이 관찰되었으나 현증 천식군에서는 이러한 연관성이 관찰되지 않았다. 결 론 : ${\beta}_2$-아드레날린 수용체 유전자가 BHR을 유발하는 유전자적 배경을 가지면서 천식 질병을 조절하는 역할을 하고 있음을 시사한다.

• 대한척추외과학회지
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.147-153
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• 2018

연구 계획: 후향적 사례분석 목적: 보존적 치료에 반응하지 않는 증후성 쉬모를 결절에서 신경절 이후 신경차단술의 임상 결과를 후향적으로 평가하고자 하였다. 선행 연구문헌의 요약: 쉬모를 결절은 대부분 우연히 발견되는 무증상의 추체내 병변으로 알려져 있으나, 때로 중증의 축성요통의 원인이며, 삶의 질에 상당한 영향을 미친다고 보고되고 있다. 증후성 쉬모를 결절에 대한 치료법에 대해서 아직까지 명확한 합의는 없다. 대상 및 방법: 2015년 10월부터 2017년 10월까지 4주간 약물치료, 침상안정 및 물리치료 등의 보존적 치료에 반응하지 않으면서, 자기공명영상 검사 상증후성 쉬모를 결절로 진단된 총 21명의 환자를 대상으로 신경절 이후 신경차단술을 시행하였다. 시술 후 4시간, 4주, 8주, 3개월 및 6개월에 시각 통증 척도(VAS)와 Oswestry disability index (ODI)를 통해 효과적인 통증 완화(시술 전 대비 50% 이상의 요통 호전) 및 기능 척도의 호전을 평가하였다. 결과: 증후성 쉬모를 결절은 제 2-3요추 부위에서 호발 하였으며, 상부 종판에 비해 하부 종판의 침범이 많이 관찰되었다. 총 21명의 환자 중 18명의 환자에서(85.7%) 효과적인 통증 완화를 보였으며, 추시 기간 내 재 악화 소견은 관찰되지 않았다. 전체 추시 기간 동안 시술 전 대비 VAS는 유의하게 호전되었다(p<0.05). 전례에서 시술 후 합병증은 보고되지 않았다. 결론: 보존적 치료에 반응하지 않는 증후성 쉬모를 소결절에서 신경절 이후 신경차단술은 통증 호전을 위한 좋은 비침습적 치료법 중 하나이다.