• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.27 no.3 s.47
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• pp.627-651
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• 1994

In this study, literature review was done to examine and compare the current status and problems of different evaluation approaches toward permanent impairment in Korea. Alternatives and improvements in the current approaches in Korea were suggested. Series of cases were also examined to compare different approaches applied to the real cases, using 105 cases from a hospital data and another 207 cases from a insurance company data. The main findings of the literature review are as follows; 1. The current evaluation methods of permanent impairment in Korea are grouped into two categories, grading and rating. Gradings of impairments are expressly specified in 17 various statutes. 2. In Grading methods, the rigid system of 74 different grades has been adopted uniformally for the convenience of administration, which may not be, appropriate or valid from medical and scientifical aspect. 3. The adventage of McBride method is assessment of occupational disability rate. However the classified compensable occupations are only 280 and limited to manufacturing industries in 1960s'of U.S.A., which is not appropriate to current Korean circumstances. Especially, the job list does not include managerial officers or mental workers. 4. AMA Guides is the scientific and reasonable method for the assessment of physical impairment rate. However compensation and reparation of impairment case is difficult because this method cannot assess the disability rate according to occupation, age, etc. The results of cases comparative study are as follows: 5. The physical Impairment could be compared in 167 out of total 312 cases, and for the cases of complex impairment, McBride method underestimate physical impairment rate compared with AM A method. 6. When disability late was assessed, occupation was considered the compensation of only 85 cases, and age was used in only 21 cases. This was because occupation and age compensation in McBride method are unreasonable. 7. The most Ideal alternative is to assess physical impairment according to AMA method and then to develop a compensation method appropriate for the circumstances of Korea society.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2007

Pain is one of the most common causes of disability and work loss. However, patients with chronic pain have not been regarded as impaired persons in the Republic of Korea because of a lack of objective findings in those patients and difficulties in validating their genuine suffering and quantitative evaluation of pain. Here, the difficulties in the evaluation of impairment in chronic pain patients are discussed. In addition, guidelines for rating impairment in chronic pain patients, which are under development by the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences, are introduced.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.19 no.2 s.20
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• pp.263-272
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• 1986

During the 8 months from October 1985 to May 1986, the survey was performed on 211 leprosy patients over fifty years old, settled in the four villages of Iksan county, North of Chulla province. In that obserbation, we investigated the frequency and the degree of impairments according to sex, age, and anatomical location by the 'guides to the evaluation of permanent impairment'. The noticeable findings were made as follows: 1) Frequency of impairment by anatomical location was significantly higher in hand than eye and foot (p<0.01). 2) Frequency of impairment was significantly increased in eye according as age increase (p<0.01). 3) The degree of impairments of all patients was the highest in hand as 28.7%. 4) By the kinds of impairment, the flextion and the amputation were most common in hand and foot, and loss of central vision was common symptom in eye. 5) The degree of impairments of 211 leprosy patients was shown as 44.1% and increased according as age increase.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.94-99
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• 2008

Although neonatal hypoglycemia is a common metabolic abnormality in newborn infants, brain injuries resulting from isolated neonatal hypoglycemia are rare. Many infants who are hypoglycemic do not exhibit clinical manifestations, while other infants are symptomatic and at risk for permanent brain damage. There is no disagreement that hypoglycemia can cause neonatal encephalopathy and result in permanent brain injury. Occipital brain injury associated with neonatal hypoglycemia can result in long-term disability, epilepsy, and visual impairment. Infants should receive ongoing developmental and visual surveillance for lateonset epilepsy, and visual or cognitive impairment. We report two cases of newborn infants with abnormal visual evoked potentials (VEP) caused by neonatal hypoglycemic encephalopathy.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2015

Objective : The aims of this study were to investigate the quantitative relationship between pituitary macroadenoma size and degree of visual impairment, and assess visual improvement after surgical resection of the tumor. Methods : The medical records of patients with pituitary adenoma, who had undergone trans-sphenoidal adenectomy between January 2009 and January 2011, were reviewed. Patients underwent an ocular examination and brain MRI before and after surgery. The visual impairment score (VIS) was derived by combining the scores of best-corrected visual acuity and visual field. The relationship between VIS and tumor size/tumor type/position of the optic chiasm was assessed. Results : Seventy-eight patients were included (41 male, 37 female). Thirty-two (41%) patients experienced blurred vision or visual field defect as an initial symptom. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that tumors <2.2 cm tended to cause minimal or no visual impairment. Statistical analysis showed that 1) poor preoperative vision is related to tumor size, displacement of the optic chiasm in the sagittal view on MRI and optic atrophy, and 2) poorer visual prognosis is associated with greater preoperative VIS. In multivariate analysis the only factor significantly related to VIS improvement was increasing pituitary adenoma size, which predicted decreased improvement. Conclusion : Results from this study show that pituitary adenomas larger than 2 cm cause defects in vision while adenomas 2 cm or smaller do not cause significant visual impairment. Patients with a large macroadenoma or giant adenoma should undergo surgical resection as soon as possible to prevent permanent visual loss.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.173-179
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• 2022

Disabilities can emerge due to traumatic spinal fractures. In terms of sacrococcygeal spine, because of its unique anatomic structure with minimal movement, the possibility for it to have a disability is relatively low. In Korea, unlike most disability criteria, private insurance companies acknowledge angular deformities caused by vertebral fractures as disabilities according to their degree, so there were several cases where patients required compensation, arguing angular deformity caused by sacrococcygeal fracture, which in some cases led to legal conflicts. Except the Act Welfare of Persons with Disabilities which recognizes only severe angular deformity affecting internal organs as disability and the industrial accident disability evaluation which does not recognize coccygeal fracture as disability but rarely recognizes sacral vertebra deformity equivalent to compressive deformation, there is little or no case where angular deformity is recognized as disability. Given the impairment evaluation standards in social insurance, McBride system, American Medical Association (AMA) guides, and newly proposed standards by the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences (KAMS), the most contentious point in the general terms and conditions of private insurance is spinal deformity. To overcome controversy over disability evaluation, the private insurance sector is now applying criteria for axial skeleton to sacrococcygeal vertebrae through revision of standards. Under these circumstances, it is fair to recognize sacrococcygeal fracture as impairment in terms of the pelvis only when the fracture leaves serious deformity and neurological symptoms with clear relevancy. Though it may not be easy to develop accurate disability evaluation standards, improvement is necessary to remove any irrationalities and make the standards as objective as possible.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1993.10a
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• pp.95-96
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• 1993

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.159-163
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• 2012

Most children with epilepsy are of normal intelligence. However, a significant subset will have temporary or permanent cognitive impairment. Factors that affect cognitive function are myriad and include the underlying neuropathology of the epilepsy, seizures, epileptiform discharges, psychosocial problems, age at seizure onset, duration of epilepsy, and side effects associated with antiepileptic drugs. This review article discusses cognitive function in children with idiopathic epilepsy and the effects of antiepileptic drugs on cognitive function in children.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.185-190
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• 1995

Transient and permanent hypocalcemia after various types of thyroidectomy are well-known complications, and are more common after bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy for Graves' disease. However, their causative mechanisms are not well explained. Four hundred thirty patients with Graves' disease who underwent bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy from January 1983 through December 1992 were analyzed to determine the incidence and risk factors for the development of postthyroidectomy hypocalcemia. Of the 430 patients underwent bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy, symptomatic transient and permanent hypocalcemia developed in 24.2 % (104/430) and 0.5 % (2/430), respectively. With analysis of potential risk factors, the increase in incidence of the postthyroidectomy hypocalcemia was found to be statistically related to the larger thyroid gland, the larger amount of blood loss during thyroidectomy, the smaller remnant thyroid tissue, the higher levels of serum alkaline phosphatase and TBII titers. Our data suggest that impairment of parathyroid gland blood supply, degree of thyrotoxic osteodystrophy and autoimmune process of each patient are regarded as main mechanisms of postthyroidectomy hypocalcemia in patients with Graves' disease.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.5-8
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• 2001

Background and Objectives： Complications arising from endotracheal intubation are uncommon but, when they do occur, can be significant. Placement of an endotracheal tube frequently results in trauma to the underlying laryngeal and tracheal tissue, although the trauma is usually reversible. Occasionally, these changes can be of a more permanent nature and result in severe impairment of the airway and/or voice. It is proposed that a common factor-gastroesophageal reflux-might be responsible. This study was performed in order to develop the animal model of LPRD using rats and investigated that LPRD could produce significant damage to larynx especially vocal cords. Materials and Methods : The each four rats were used in the experiment and control study. Each was anesthetized and larynx was exposed and injured in the unilateral aritenoid. Injured site was contact with normal saline(control group) and synthetic gastric juice(experimental group). The larynx was examined after 7days in normal environment. Results : All was survived in the control group and two was survived in the experimental group. In the control group, some inflammation cells was found but in the experimental group, granulation was found. Conclusion : We developed animal model of LPRD using rat and thought LPRD may Play an important role in the development of permanent laryngeal injury.