• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.35-43
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• 2014

Objective : To report a case of cervical block vertebra with neck pain successfully treated with conservative Korean Traditional Medicine treatment with Thoracic Chuna Manipulation. Methods : A patient diagnosed with block vertebra was treated with Thoracic Chuna manipulation, acupuncture, pharmacoacupuncture, and herbal medicine. Numeric Rating Scale(NRS) and Neck Disability Index(NDI) scores were collected before and after treatment for comparison. Results : There was a significant decrease in NRS and NDI scores. The mean NRS score decreased from 8 to 1, and NDI from 50 to 8. Conclusion : Conservative Korean Traditional Medicine treatment appears to be effective for treatment of cervical block vertebra.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.16-18
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• 2018

Delayed esophageal rupture due to blunt injury is not new. However, rupture due to suspected barotrauma is very rare. We describe a case of esophageal rupture in a male 24-year-old patient after diving in shallow waters. The patient was quadriplegic and could not experience the typical chest pain related to rupture and resulting mediastinitis. The rupture was discovered 4 days after emergency decompressive laminectomy and fusion for his cervical spine. The rupture was evidently caused by barotrauma and was discovered four days after admission. He underwent primary closure and pericardial flap as a life-saving procedure.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.264-267
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• 2011

A 50-year-old man presented bilateral hypesthesia on and below the T6 dermatome and paresthesia. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed an intraspinal extradural tumor, which located from the 6th thoracic vertebral body to the upper margin of the 7th vertebral body, continuing dumbbell-like through the intervertebral foramen into the right middle thorax suggesting a neurogenic tumor (neurofibroma or neurilemmoma). With the patient in a prone position, we exposed and excised the tumor via a one stage posterior approach through a hemi-laminictomy of T6. Histologic examination showed a grade 1 meningothelial meningioma, according to the World Health Organization classification. Initially, we assumed the mass was a schwannoma because of its location and dumbbell shape. However, the tumor was actually a meningioma. Postoperatively, hypesthesia resolved completely and motor power of the leg gradually full recovered. A postoperative MRI revealed no evidence of residual tumor.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.381-387
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• 2017

Purpose: Although some studies indicate that the Sorensen test may not be used to examine back muscles such as the erector spinae, alternatives to the back-extension test are rarely suggested. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate an effective way to stimulate the erector spinae muscles by adding a component of trunk rotation and lateral bending to general back extensions. Methods: A total of 18 healthy, physically active participants performed simple trunk extension, extension with trunk rotation, and extension with lateral bending. Surface electromyography responses of the latissimus dorsi, thoracic, and lumbar levels of the erector spinae; the gluteus maximus; and the biceps femoris muscles were investigated during these 3 conditions of modified back extension tests. Results: The simple trunk extension exercise caused significant increases in activity of the gluteus maximus and biceps femoris muscles as compared to the extension with rotation and lateral bending exercises. The extension with trunk rotation exercise showed significantly greater activation in the thoracic and lumbar levels of the erector spinae and in the latissimus dorsi as compared to the other exercises. The index measuring subjective difficulty was significantly lower in the simple trunk extension exercise as compared to the extension with trunk rotation and extension with lateral bending exercises. Conclusion: The present study suggests that extension with trunk rotation has the advantage of stimulating the para-spinal muscles, while simple trunk extension may not be adequate to selectively simulate the para-spinal muscles but may be appropriate for examining global trunk extensors.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.296-298
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• 2006

Droopy shoulder syndrome (DSS) is a rare disease, characterized by drooping shoulders, which stretches the brachial plexus, and causes pain, but without any signs of neurological impairment. These patients suffer from pain in the neck, shoulders, arms and hands, which result in long, graceful, swan necks, low-set shoulders, and horizontal or down sloping clavicles. No abnormalities in the vascular, neurological or electrical findings have also been known. The T1 and/or T2 bodies can be seen in the lateral view in a radiological study of the cervical spine. In the majority of cases, conservative treatments, such as postural correction and shoulder girdle strengthening exercise, are commonly recommended. However, DSS may be misdiagnosed as severe thoracic outlet syndrome or herniated cervical disc disease, leading to unnecessary and hazardous invasive treatments. The presented case was consistent with DSS, and was treated with stellate ganglion block, trigger point injection, and shoulder girdle strengthening exercise.

• The Academic Congress of Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society
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• 2009.03a
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• pp.208-208
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• 2009

Eleven shoulders (9 patients) with refractory scapulothoracic dysfunction were treated with scapulothoracic arthrodesis between 2000 and 2006. Refractory shoulder dysfunction included facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy in five shoulders (3 patients), refractory scapular winging with long thoracic nerve palsy in one shoulder, scapular winging caused by serratus anterior palsy with trapezius dysfunction in one shoulder, post-surgical thoracic outlet syndrome due to medial clavicle resection in two shoulders, refractory scapular winging with spinal accessory nerve injury in one shoulder, and chronic trapezius rupture caused by cervical spine surgery in one shoulder. The mean active flexion was improved from 82 degrees preoperatively to 112 degrees postoperatively. The mean Constant score was improved from 27.2 points to 68.0 points. Two shoulders (1 patient) that had facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy had broken wires due to nonunion, and one patient had a reactive pulmonary effusion. In ten of the eleven shoulders, the patients were satisfied with their results. The scapulothoracic arthrodesis can cause significant pain relief and functional improvement in refractory scapulothoracic and/or shoulder dysfunction. By selecting patients that present with appropriate indications, and using experienced surgical technique through complete preoperative evaluation, we can diminish the complication rate and make good clinical outcomes.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.414-421
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• 1982

200 patients admitted to the Chest Surgery Department of Jeonbug National University Hospital from January, 1974 to December, 1981 were analyzed clinically. The ratio of male to female was 7: 1, which showed male predominance. Distribution of patients according to age disclosed that over half [62%] of the patients was social age between 20 and 49 years. The most common cause of chest trauma was traffic accident [39%], and the next were stab wound, fall down [17.5%], and hit [8.5%] in decreasing order. Common lesions due to chest trauma were as follows; rib fracture [51%], hemopneumothorax, hemothorax, and pneumothorax in decreasing number. The most common cause of rib fracture was traffic accident [50%] and the associated organ injuries were long bone fracture, head injury, spine and pelvic bone fracture, spleen rupture, and liver laceration. Hemothorax, pneumothorax, and hemopneumothorax were treated with insertion of thoracic catheter in 90 cases, pure thoracentesis in 11 cases, and emergency thoracotomy in 11 cases. In flail chest, 6 patients were treated by intramedullary insertion of Kirschner`s wire and the results were good. The incidence of complication was 17%, including atelectasis [11 cases], pyothorax, fibrothorax, pneumonia, and acute respiratory failure. Four patients were died [2%], and the causes were acute respiratory failure in 2 cases, spinal cord injury in one case and head injury in one case.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.163-167
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• 2001

Objective : Percutaneous vertebroplasty has recently been introduced as an interesting therapeutic alternative for the treatment of thoracolumbar vertebral body fractures in elderly persons with osteoporosis. The authors present the early results of this method. Method and Material : From July 1999 to April 2000, percutaneous transpedicular technique was used in 20 patients (2 men and 18 women) whose mean age was 67.5 years old(range 59-79) with painful vertebral compression(22) and burst(2) fractures. The interval between fracture and vertebroplasty ranged 1 day to 4 months. The procedure involved percutaneous puncture of the injured vertebra via transpedicular approach under fluoroscopic guidance, followed by injection of polymethylmetacrylate(PMMA) into the vertebral body through a disposable 11-guage Jamshidi needle. Result : The most common cause of fracture was slip down and the most frequent injured level was the twelfth thoracic spine. The procedure was technically successful bilaterally in 18 patients(9 thoracic and 15 lumbar spines) with an average injection amount of 7.7ml PMMA in each level. Seventeen(94.4%) patients reported significant pain relief immediately after treatment. Two leaks of PMMA were detected with postoperative CT in spinal epidural space and extravertebral soft tissue without clinical symptoms. Conclusion : Although this study represents the early results, percutaneous vertebroplasty seems to be valuable tool in the treatment of painful osteoporotic vertebral body fractures in elderly, providing acute pain relief and early mobilization.

• Clinical Pain
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.39-42
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• 2021

A 29-year-old woman had 1-month history of back pain radiating into lower extremities, motor weakness, and sensory abnormalities in both lower extremities. Contrast-enhanced spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a homogeneously enhancing mass at the T12~L1 and several intradural enhancing nodular lesions at L2~S1. Tumor resection surgery was performed and following histological examination showed that the tumor satisfied the diagnostic criteria for atypical choroid plexus papilloma (CPP). To find primary tumor sites, contrast-enhanced brain MRI, whole spine MRI, and PET-CT were carried out and additional lesions were detected at the fourth ventricle, right cerebellum, and upper thoracic spinal cord. This is a very rare case of metastatic atypical CPP that involves brain, upper thoracic spinal cord, and cauda equina with initial manifestation of radicular symptoms without clinical signs of primary brain lesion.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.624-628
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• 1998

Postpneumonectomy syndrome is a rare and delayed complication of left pneumonectomy in most patients with normal mediastinal vascular anatomy. This syndrome is characterized by dyspnea and recurrent pulmonary infection in the remaining right lung that typically occur within the first postoperative year. The condition is believed to be secondary to postsurgical changes that include a marked shift of the mediastinum to the left, clockwise rotation of the heart and great vessels, and herniation of the right lung into the left anterior thorax. These changes lead to compression of the trachea or right main bronchus among the thoracic spine and the right pulmonary artery. We report a case of postpneumonectomy syndrome in 15 year-old girl that followed by left pneumonectomy for bronchiectasis 6 years ago. We have inserted an expandable prosthesis in the left thoracic cavity posterior to the heart. After implantation of an expandable prosthesis, an anatomic reposition of the shifted mediastinum was achieved, which resulted in instantaneous and sustained relief. The post-operative course was uneventful and the patient was followed in OPD from after discharge to now.