• Title/Summary/Keyword: surgical diseases

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Comparison of Factors Associated With Agitation Among Youngest-Old, Middle-Old, and Oldest-Old Hospitalized Patients Referred to the Psychiatric Department (정신건강의학과에 협진의뢰된 연소노인, 고령노인, 초고령노인 입원환자의 초조의 연관요인 비교)

  • Min-Suk Jang;Seo-Hyun Choi;Se-ri Maeng;Yang-Sik Kim;Jae-Nam Bae;Jeong-Seop Lee;Won-Hyoung Kim
    • Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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    • v.31 no.2
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    • pp.89-99
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    • 2023
  • Objectives : In this study, elderly hospitalized patients aged 65 years or older who were admitted to a university hospital and referred to the department of psychiatry were classified into youngest-old, middle-old, and oldest-old. It was conducted to find out what factors contribute to the agitation pattern by age group, whether there is a difference in the factors, and whether there is a difference in the severity of the agitation pattern. Methods : From July 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, the medical records of patients aged 65 years or older who were referred to the department of psychiatry were retrospectively reviewed. Age, gender, route of hospitalization, department of referral, reason for referral, treatment method, presence of internal and surgical diseases, and hematological test data were investigated. Results : There was a significant correlation with the RASS score in cases of surgery referral and high CRP levels for youngest-old aged 65 to 74 years, in cases of surgery referral, dementia and hyponatremia for middle-old aged 75 to 84 years, in case of dementia for oldest-old aged 85 years old or older. In addition, there were differences in the severity of agitation patterns between age groups. Conclusions : As the age group increases, the agitation of delirium patients becomes more severe, and various factors contributing to the agitation pattern also differ by age group. Therefore, when treating elderly patients with delirium, attention should be paid to factors that may affect agitation depending on age.

Facters Affecting Recurrence after Video-assisted Thoracic Surgery for the Treatment of Spontaneous Pneumothotax (자연기흉에 대한 비디오흉강경수술후 재발에 영향을 미치는 요인들)

  • 이송암;김광택;이일현;백만종;최영호;이인성;김형묵;김학제
    • Journal of Chest Surgery
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    • v.32 no.5
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    • pp.448-455
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    • 1999
  • Background: Recent developments in techniques of video-assisted thoracic surgery(VATS) and endoscopic equipment has expanded the application of video-assisted surgical procedures in the field of thoracic surgery. Especially, it will probably become the treatment of choice of spontaneous pneumothorax(SP). There is, however, a high recurrence rate, high cost, and paucity of long-term results. We report the results of postoperative follow-up and analyze perioperative parameters affected to recurrence, retrospectively. Material and Method: From march 1992 to march 1997, 276 patients with spontaneous pneumothorax underwent 292 VATS procedures. Conversion to open thoracotomy was necessitated in eight patients, and this patients excluded from the study. Result: The sex distribution was 249 males and 31 females. The mean age was 28.1 12.2 years(range, 15 to 69 years). Primary SP was 237cases(83.5%) and secondary SP was 47cases(16.5%). The major underlying lung diseases associated with secondary SP were tuberculosis 27cases(57.4%) and emphysema 8cases (38.3%). Operative indications included Ipsilateral recurrence 123(43.9%), persistent air-leak 53(18.9%), x-ray visible bleb 40(14.3%), tension 30(10.7%), contralateral recurrence 21(7.5%), uncomplicated first episode 8(2.9%), bilateral 3(1.1%), complicated episode 2(0.7%). Blebs were visualized in 247cases(87%) and 244cases(85.9%) performed stapled blebectomy. Early postoperative complications occurred in 33 cases(11.6%): 16 prolonged air-leak more than 5 days(four of them were required a second operation and found missed blebs); 5 bleeding; 5 empyema; 2 atelectasis; 1 wound infection. No deaths occured. The mean operative time was 52.8 23.1 minutes(range, 20 to 165 minutes). The mean d ration of chest tube drainage was 5.0 4.5 days(range, 2 to 37 days). The mean duration ofhospital stay was 8.2 5.5 days (range, 3 to 43days). At a mean follow-up 22.3 18.4 months(range, 1 to 65 months), 12 patients(4.2%) were lost to follow-up. There were 24 recurrences and seven patients underwent second operation and 6 patients(85.7%) were found the missed blebs. 12 perioperative parameters(age, sex, site, underlying disease, extent of collapse, operative indication, size of bleb, number of bleb, location of bleb, bleb management, pleural procedure, prolonged postoperative air-leak) were analyzed statistically to identify significant predictors of recurrence. The significant predictors of recurrence was the underlying disease[17.0%(8/47): 6.8%(16/237), p=0.038], prolonged postoperative air-leakage[37.5%(6/16): 6.7%(18/268), p=0.001], and pleural procedure [11.4%(19/167): 4.3%(5/117), p=0.034]. Blebectomy has less recurrence rate then non-blebectomy [8.2%(20/244) : 10.0%(4/40), p>0. 5]. However, this difference was not statistically significant(p=0.758). Conclusion: We conclude that it is important that we shoud careful finding of bleb during VATS due to reducing of recurrnece, and cases of no bleb identified and secondary spontaneous pneumothorax were indicated of pleurodectomy. VATS is a valid alternative to open procedure for the treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax with less pain, shorter hospital stay, more rapid return to work, high patient acceptance, less scar and exellent cosmetics. But, there is high recurrence rate and high cost, and than it is necessary to evaluate of long-term results for recurrence and to observate carefully during VATS.

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Steroid Effect on the Brain Protection During OPen Heart Surgery Using Hypothermic Circulatory Arrest in the Rabbit Cardiopulmonary bypass Model (저체온순환정지법을 이용한 개심술시 스테로이드의 뇌보호 효과 - 토끼를 이용한 심폐바이패스 실험모델에서 -)

  • Kim, Won-Gon;Lim, Cheong;Moon, Hyun-Jong;Chun, Eui-Kyung;Chi, Je-Geun;Won, Tae-Hee;Lee, Young-Tak;Chee, Hyun-Keun;Kim, Jun-Woo
    • Journal of Chest Surgery
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    • v.30 no.5
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    • pp.471-478
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    • 1997
  • Introduction: The use of rabbits as a cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB) animal model is extremely dif%cult mainly due to technical problems. On the other hand, deep hypothermic circulatory arrest(CA) is used to facilitate surgical repair in a variety of cardiac diseases. Although steroids are generally known to be effective in the treatment of cerebral edema, the protective effects of steroids on the brain during CA are not conclusively established. Objectives of this study are twofold: the establishment of CPB technique in rabbits and the evaluation of preventive effect of steroid on the development of brain edema during CA. Material '||'&'||' Methods: Fifteen New Zealan white rabbits(average body weight 3.5kg) were divided into three experimental groups; control CA group(n=5), CA with Trendelenberg position group(n=5), and CA with Trendelenberg position + steroid(methylprednisolone 30 mglkg) administration group(n=5). After anesthetic induction and tracheostomy, a median sternotomy was performed. An aortic cannula(3.3mm) and a venous ncannula(14 Fr) were inserted, respectively in the ascending aorta and the right atrium. The CPB circuit consisted of a roller pump and a bubble oxygenator. Priming volume of the circuit was approximately 450m1 with 120" 150ml of blood. CPB was initiated at a flow rate of 80~85ml/kg/min, Ten min after the start of CPB, CA was established with duration of 40min at $20^{\circ}C$ of rectal temperature. After CA, CPB was restarted with 20min period of rewarming. Ten min after weaning, the animal was sacrif;cod. One-to-2g portions of the following tissues were rapidly d:ssected and water contents were examined and compared among gr ups: brain, cervical spinal cord, kidney, duodenum, lung, heart, liver, spleen, pancreas. stomach. Statistical significances were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric test. Results: CPB with CA was successfully performed in all cases. Flow rate of 60-100 mlfkgfmin was able to be maintained throughout CPB. During CPB, no significant metabolic acidosis was detected and aortic pressure ranged between 35-55 mmHg. After weaning from CPB, all hearts resumed normal beating spontaneously. There were no statistically significant differences in the water contents of tissues including brain among the three experimental groups. Conclusion: These results indicate (1) CPB can be reliably administered in rabbits if proper technique is used, (2) the effect of steroid on the protection of brain edema related to Trendelenburg position during CA is not established within the scope of this experiment.

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The Effect of a Bypass Operation for Atherosclerotic Arterial Obstructive Disease at the Lower Extremity (동맥경화성 하지 동맥 폐색증에 대한 우회로 수술의 효과)

  • Choi, Won-Suk;Park, Jae-Min;Lee, Yang-Haeng;Han, Il-Yong;Jun, Hee-Jae;Yoon, Young-Chul;Hwang, Youn-Ho;Cho, Kwang-Hyun
    • Journal of Chest Surgery
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    • v.41 no.5
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    • pp.610-618
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    • 2008
  • Background: There are various treatment modalities for atherosclerotic arterial obstructive disease at the lower limbs, for example, conservative physical therapy, medication, operation etc. Yet it has been established that an arterial bypass operation is the most effective treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of arterial bypass operation within our experience and to determine the indicators of treatment. Material and Method: Ninety six patients received arterial bypass operation for atherosclerotic arterial obstructive disease from June 2002 to April 2006. We evaluated the feasibility of arterial bypass operation based on the improvement of symptoms and the ankle-brachial index (ABI) and the surgical outcomes, as based on the complications, the amputation rates and the patency rates. We also assessed the possible risk factors such as gender, age, a smoking history, co-morbidities, the anastomotic sites, the graft size and the graft type. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of the patients. The total mean follow-up period was $29.4{\pm}13.1$ months. Result: The mean age was $65.95{\pm}9.61$ and there were 88 male patients. The most common clinical manifestation was ischemic resting pain in the lower extremities. The underlying combined diseases were hypertension (61%), diabetes (43%), cardiac problems (35%) and smoking (91.7%). The most frequent site of arterial obstruction was the superficial femoral artery (44 cases, 40%). A femoropopliteal artery bypass operation with a Polytetrafluoroethylene(PTFE) synthetic graft was done in 44 cases (40%) and the great saphenous vein graft was used in 11 cases. The postoperative ABI increased significantly from $0.30{\pm}0.11$ preoperatively to $0.63{\pm}0.11$ (p<0.001) postoperatively. In 8 cases, amputations above the ankle level were necessary. The graft patency rates were 86.4% and 68.0% after 1 and 3 years, respectively. There were 29 cases (30.21%) of patency failure; the male gender, smokers and hypertension were significantly more frequent in the failure group. Of these, hypertension was the most powerful risk factor (p=0.042). Conclusion: The arterial bypass operation is an effective treatment modality for controlling the symptoms such as pain and claudication, and for preventing major amputations for the patients with atherosclerotic arterial obstructive disease. This study suggests quitting smoking, strict blood pressure control, selection of an appropriate graft, regular outpatient follow up and proper medication would offer higher patency rates and more favorable outcomes.

A Study on improvement of curriculum in Nursing (간호학 교과과정 개선을 위한 조사 연구)

  • 김애실
    • Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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    • v.4 no.2
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    • pp.1-16
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    • 1974
  • This Study involved the development of a survey form and the collection of data in an effort-to provide information which can be used in the improvement of nursing curricula. The data examined were the kinds courses currently being taught in the curricula of nursing education institutions throughout Korea, credits required for course completion, and year in-which courses are taken. For the purposes of this study, curricula were classified into college, nursing school and vocational school categories. Courses were directed into the 3 major categories of general education courses, supporting science courses and professional education course, and further subdirector as. follows: 1) General education (following the classification of Philip H. phoenix): a) Symbolics, b) Empirics, c) Aesthetics. 4) Synthetics, e) Ethics, f) Synoptic. 2) Supporting science: a) physical science, b) biological science, c) social science, d) behavioral science, e) Health science, f) Educations 3) Professional Education; a) basic courses, b) courses in each of the respective fields of nursing. Ⅰ. General Education aimed at developing the individual as a person and as a member of society is relatively strong in college curricula compared with the other two. a) Courses included in the category of symbolics included Korean language, English, German. Chines. Mathematics. Statics: Economics and Computer most college curricula included 20 credits. of courses in this sub-category, while nursing schools required 12 credits and vocational school 10 units. English ordinarily receives particularly heavy emphasis. b) Research methodology, Domestic affair and women & courtney was included under the category of empirics in the college curricula, nursing and vocational school do not offer this at all. c) Courses classified under aesthetics were physical education, drill, music, recreation and fine arts. Most college curricula had 4 credits in these areas, nursing school provided for 2 credits, and most vocational schools offered 10 units. d) Synoptic included leadership, interpersonal relationship, and communications, Most schools did not offer courses of this nature. e) The category of ethics included citizenship. 2 credits are provided in college curricula, while vocational schools require 4 units. Nursing schools do not offer these courses. f) Courses included under synoptic were Korean history, cultural history, philosophy, Logics, and religion. Most college curricular 5 credits in these areas, nursing schools 4 credits. and vocational schools 2 units. g) Only physical education was given every Year in college curricula and only English was given in nursing schools and vocational schools in every of the curriculum. Most of the other courses were given during the first year of the curriculum. Ⅱ. Supporting science courses are fundamental to the practice and application of nursing theory. a) Physical science course include physics, chemistry and natural science. most colleges and nursing schools provided for 2 credits of physical science courses in their curricula, while most vocational schools did not offer t me. b) Courses included under biological science were anatomy, physiologic, biology and biochemistry. Most college curricula provided for 15 credits of biological science, nursing schools for the most part provided for 11 credits, and most vocational schools provided for 8 units. c) Courses included under social science were sociology and anthropology. Most colleges provided for 1 credit in courses of this category, which most nursing schools provided for 2 creates Most vocational school did not provide courses of this type. d) Courses included under behavioral science were general and clinical psychology, developmental psychology. mental hygiene and guidance. Most schools did not provide for these courses. e) Courses included under health science included pharmacy and pharmacology, microbiology, pathology, nutrition and dietetics, parasitology, and Chinese medicine. Most college curricula provided for 11 credits, while most nursing schools provide for 12 credits, most part provided 20 units of medical courses. f) Courses included under education included educational psychology, principles of education, philosophy of education, history of education, social education, educational evaluation, educational curricula, class management, guidance techniques and school & community. Host college softer 3 credits in courses in this category, while nursing schools provide 8 credits and vocational schools provide for 6 units, 50% of the colleges prepare these students to qualify as regular teachers of the second level, while 91% of the nursing schools and 60% of the vocational schools prepare their of the vocational schools prepare their students to qualify as school nurse. g) The majority of colleges start supporting science courses in the first year and complete them by the second year. Nursing schools and vocational schools usually complete them in the first year. Ⅲ. Professional Education courses are designed to develop professional nursing knowledge, attitudes and skills in the students. a) Basic courses include social nursing, nursing ethics, history of nursing professional control, nursing administration, social medicine, social welfare, introductory nursing, advanced nursing, medical regulations, efficient nursing, nursing english and basic nursing, College curricula devoted 13 credits to these subjects, nursing schools 14 credits, and vocational schools 26 units indicating a severe difference in the scope of education provided. b) There was noticeable tendency for the colleges to take a unified approach to the branches of nursing. 60% of the schools had courses in public health nursing, 80% in pediatric nursing, 60% in obstetric nursing, 90% in psychiatric nursing and 80% in medical-surgical nursing. The greatest number of schools provided 48 crudites in all of these fields combined. in most of the nursing schools, 52 credits were provided for courses divided according to disease. in the vocational schools, unified courses are provided in public health nursing, child nursing, maternal nursing, psychiatric nursing and adult nursing. In addition, one unit is provided for one hour a week of practice. The total number of units provided in the greatest number of vocational schools is thus Ⅲ units double the number provided in nursing schools and colleges. c) In th leges, the second year is devoted mainly to basic nursing courses, while the third and fourth years are used for advanced nursing courses. In nursing schools and vocational schools, the first year deals primarily with basic nursing and the second and third years are used to cover advanced nursing courses. The study yielded the following conclusions. 1. Instructional goals should be established for each courses in line with the idea of nursing, and curriculum improvements should be made accordingly. 2. Course that fall under the synthetics category should be strengthened and ways should be sought to develop the ability to cooperate with those who work for human welfare and health. 3. The ability to solve problems on the basis of scientific principles and knowledge and understanding of man society should be fostered through a strengthening of courses dealing with physical sciences, social sciences and behavioral sciences and redistribution of courses emphasizing biological and health sciences. 4. There should be more balanced curricula with less emphasis on courses in the major There is a need to establish courses necessary for the individual nurse by doing away with courses centered around specific diseases and combining them in unified courses. In addition it is possible to develop skill in dealing with people by using the social setting in comprehensive training. The most efficient ratio of the study experience should be studied to provide more effective, interesting education Elective course should be initiated to insure a man flexible, responsive educational program. 5. The curriculum stipulated in the education law should be examined.

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Epidemiology and Clinical Manifestations of $Henoch-Sch\"{o}nlein$ Purpura in Children (소아 $Henoch-Sch\"{o}nlein$ 자반증의 역학 및 임상양상)

  • Kim Se-Hun;Lee Chong-Guk
    • Childhood Kidney Diseases
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    • v.7 no.2
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    • pp.166-173
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    • 2003
  • Purpose : The cause and pathogenesis of $Henoch-Sch\"{o}nlein$ purpura has been studied for many years but the results are disappointing. Recently the hypothesis that abnormalities involving the glycosylation of the hinge region of immunoglobulin Al(IgAl) may have an important role in the pathogenesis of $Henoch-Sch\"{o}nlein$ purpura is being approved. $Henoch-Sch\"{o}nlein$ purpura is the most common vasculitis Ihat affects children and the prognosis is good. But if kidney invovement occurs, the course may be chronic and troublesome. So we evaluated children with $Henoch-Sch\"{o}nlein$ purpura especially from the point of epidemiology and clinical manifestations. Methods : Investigation of 124 children who were diagnosed with $Henoch-Sch\"{o}nlein$ purpura at Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital from December 1999 to July 2003 was performed retrospectively through chart review. Efforts were made to get informations about the profile, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, progress of the disease and recurrence rate of patients. Results : The patients were 69 boys and 55 girls, with a mean age of $6.1{\pm}2.7$ years at the time of data collection. The male to female ratio was 1.25 : 1. The occurrence rate was much higher in autumn(from September to November, 31.5%) and winter(from December to February, 28.2%) than in spring and summer, with a peak in November. Joint involvement was shown in 66.9% of patients mostly on the foot/ankle(75.9%), knee(39.8%). Seventy(56.5%) out of 124 patients had abdominal pain and 10 patients(8.1%) showed bloody stools. Renal involvement was observed in 24 patients(19.4%) after 21.1 days on the average. IgA was elevated in 10 of 21 patients(47.6%). $C_3$ and $C_4$ levels were normal in 40 of 49 patients (81.7%) and 47 of 48 patients(97.9%), respectively Antistreptolysin-O(ASO) titer was elevated over 250 Todd units in 29 of 62 Patients(46.8%). Mycoplasma antibody titer was elevated in 21 of 49 patients(42.9%) equal or greater than 1:80. Radiologic studies were peformed in 23 patients. Seven patients(30.4%) showed bowel wall thickening and one of them received intestinal resection and anastomosis operation due to terminal ileum necrosis. Eighty four patients took steroid 1.4 mg/kg/day in average. Recurrence rate was 2.5 in 37 patients(29.8%). Conclusion : $Henoch-Sch\"{o}nlein$ purpura in childhood appears most in about 6 years of age. The occurrence rate is much higher in autumn and winter relatively. Diagnosis can be made through the perspective history taking and the inspection of clinical manifestations, but the laboratory findings are not of great help. A small portion of the patients might show abdominal pain or arthritis before purpura develops, therfore various diagnosis can be made. Radiologic evaluation should be performed to avoid surgical complications in cases accompanying abdominal pain, and long term follow up should be needed especially in patients suffering from kidney involvement. In about 30% of the patients $Henoch-Sch\"{o}nlein$ purpura would recur. Steroid can be used safely without side effects.

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The Evaluation of Non-Coplanar Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy for Brain stereotactic radiosurgery (뇌 정위적 방사선수술 시 Non-Coplanar Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy의 유용성 평가)

  • Lee, Doo Sang;Kang, Hyo Seok;Choi, Byoung Joon;Park, Sang Jun;Jung, Da Ee;Lee, Geon Ho;Ahn, Min Woo;Jeon, Myeong Soo
    • The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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    • v.30 no.1_2
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    • pp.9-16
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    • 2018
  • Purpose : Brain Stereotactic Radiosurgery can treat non-invasive diseases with high rates of complications due to surgical operations. However, brain stereotactic radiosurgery may be accompanied by radiation induced side effects such as fractionation radiation therapy because it uses radiation. The effects of Coplanar Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy(C-VMAT) and Non-Coplanar Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy(NC-VMAT) on surrounding normal tissues were analyzed in order to reduce the side effects caused fractionation radiation therapy such as head and neck. But, brain stereotactic radiosurgery these contents were not analyzed. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of NC-VMAT by comparing and analyzing C-VMAT and NC-VMAT in patients who underwent brain stereotactic radiosurgery. Methods and materials : With C-VMAT and NC-VMAT, 13 treatment plans for brain stereotactic radiosurgery were established. The Planning Target Volume ranged from a minimum of 0.78 cc to a maximum of 12.26 cc, Prescription doses were prescribed between 15 and 24 Gy. Treatment machine was TrueBeam STx (Varian Medical Systems, USA). The energy used in the treatment plan was 6 MV Flattening Filter Free (6FFF) X-ray. The C-VMAT treatment plan used a half 2 arc or full 2 arc treatment plan, and the NC-VMAT treatment plan used 3 to 7 Arc 40 to 190 degrees. The angle of the couch was planned to be 3-7 angles. Results : The mean value of the maximum dose was $105.1{\pm}1.37%$ in C-VMAT and $105.8{\pm}1.71%$ in NC-VMAT. Conformity index of C-VMAT was $1.08{\pm}0.08$ and homogeneity index was $1.03{\pm}0.01$. Conformity index of NC-VMAT was $1.17{\pm}0.1$ and homogeneity index was $1.04{\pm}0.01$. $V_2$, $V_8$, $V_{12}$, $V_{18}$, $V_{24}$ of the brain were $176{\pm}149.36cc$, $31.50{\pm}25.03cc$, $16.53{\pm}12.63cc$, $8.60{\pm}6.87cc$ and $4.03{\pm}3.43cc$ in the C-VMAT and $135.55{\pm}115.93cc$, $24.34{\pm}17.68cc$, $14.74{\pm}10.97cc$, $8.55{\pm}6.79cc$, $4.23{\pm}3.48cc$. Conclusions : The maximum dose, conformity index, and homogeneity index showed no significant difference between C-VMAT and NC-VMAT. $V_2$ to $V_{18}$ of the brain showed a difference of at least 0.5 % to 48 %. $V_{19}$ to $V_{24}$ of the brain showed a difference of at least 0.4 % to 4.8 %. When we compare the mean value of $V_{12}$ that Radione-crosis begins to generate, NC-VMAT has about 12.2 % less amount than C-VMAT. These results suggest that if NC-VMAT is used, the volume of $V_2$ to $V_{18}$ can be reduced, which can reduce Radionecrosis.

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The Location of Medical Facilities and Its Inhabitants' Efficient Utilization in Kwangju City (광주시(光州市) 의료시설(醫療施設)의 입지(立地)와 주민(住民)의 효율적(效率的) 이용(利用))

  • Jeon, Kyung-Sook
    • Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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    • v.3 no.2
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    • pp.163-193
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    • 1997
  • Medical services are a fundamental and essential service in all urban areas. The location and accessibility of medical service facilities and institutions are critical to the diagnosis, control and prevention of illness and disease. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of a study on the location of medical facilities in Kwangju and the utilization of these facilities by the inhabitants. The following information is a summary of the findings: (1) Korea, like many countries, is now witnessing an increase in the age of its population as a result of higher living standards and better medical services. Korea is also experiencing a rapid increase in health care costs. To ensure easy access to medical consultation, diagnosis and treatment by individuals, the hierarchical efficient location of medical facilities, low medical costs, equalized medical services, preventive medical care is important. (2) In Korea, the quality of medical services has improved significantly as evident by the increased number of medical facilities and medical personnel. However, there is still a need for not only quantitative improvements but also for a more equitable distribution of and location of medical services. (3) There are 503 medical facilities in Kwangju each with a need to service 2,556 people. This is below the national average of 1,498 inhabitants per facility. The higher locational quotient and satisfactory population per medical facility showed at the civic center. On the other hand, problem regions such as the traditional residential area in Buk-Gu, Moo-deung mountain area and the outer areas of west Kwangju still maintain rural characteristics. (4) In the study area there are 86 general medicine clinics which provide basic medical services. i. e. one clinic per every 14,949 residents. As a basic service, its higher locational quotient showed in the residential area. The lower population concentration per clinic was found in the civic center and in the former town center, Songjeong-dong. In recently build residential areas and in the civic center, the lack of general medicine clinics is not a serious medical services issue because of the surplus of medical specialists in Korea. People are inclined to seek a consultation with a specialist in specific fields rather than consult a general practitioner. As a result of this phenomenon, there are 81 internal medicine facilities. Of these, 32.1% provide services to people who are not referred by a primary care physician but who self-diagnose then choose a medical facility specializing in what they believe to be their health problem. Areas in the city, called dongs, without any internal facilities make up 50% of the total 101 dongs. (5) There are 78 surgical facilities within the area, and there is little difference at the locational appearance from internal medicine facilities. There are also 71 pediatric health clinics for people under 15 years of age in this area, represents one clinic per 5,063 people. On the quantitative aspect, this is a positive situation. Accessibility is the most important facility choice factor, so it should be evenly located in proportion to demander distribution. However, 61% of 102 dongs have no pediatric clinics because of the uneven location. (6) There are 43 obstetrical and gynecological clinics in Kwangju, and the number of residents being served per clinic is 15,063. These services need to be given regularly so it should increase the numbers. There are 37 ENT clinics in the study area with the lower concentration in Dong-gu (32.4%) making no locational differences by dong. There are 23 dermatology clinics with the largest concentration in Dong-Gu. There are 17 ophthalmic clinics concentrated in the residential area because of the primary function of this type of specialization. (7) The use of general medicine clinics, internal medicine clinics, pediatric clinics, ENT clinics by the inhabitants indicate a trend toward primary or routine medical services. Obstetrics and gynecology clinics are used on a regular basis. In choosing a general medicine clinic, internal medicine clinic, pediatric clinic, and a ENT clinic, accessibility is the key factor while choice of a general hospital, surgery clinic, or an obstetrics and gynecology clinic, thes faith and trust in the medical practitioner is the priority consideration. (8) I considered the efficient use of medical facilities in the aspect of locational and management and suggest the following: First, primary care facilities should be evenly distributed in every area. In Kwangju, the number of medical facilities is the lowest among the six largest cities in Korea. Moreover, they are concentrated in Dong-gu and in newly developed areas. The desired number of medical facilities should be within 30 minutes of each person's home. For regional development there is a need to develop a plan to balance, for example, taxes and funds supporting personnel, equipment and facilities. Secondly, medical services should be co-ordinated to ensure consistent, appropriate, quality services. Primary medical facilities should take charge of out-patient activities, and every effort should be made to standardize and equalize equipment and facility resources and to ensure ongoing development and training in the primary services field. A few specialty medical facilities and general hospitals should establish a priority service for incurable and terminally ill patients. (9) The management scheme for the inhabitants' efficient use of medical service is as follows: The first task is to efficiently manage medical facilities and related services. Higher quality of medical services can be accomplished within the rapidly changing medical environment. A network of social, administrative and medical organizations within an area should be established to promote information gathering and sharing strategies to better assist the community. Statistics and trends on the rate or occurrence of diseases, births, deaths, medical and environment conditions of the poor or estranged people should be maintained and monitored. The second task is to increase resources in the area of disease prevention and health promotion. Currently the focus is on the treatment and care of individuals with illness or disease. A strong emphasis should also be placed on promoting prevention of illness and injury within the community through not only public health offices but also via medical service facilities. Home medical care should be established and medical testing centers should be located as an ordinary service level. Also, reduced medical costs for the physically handicapped, cardiac patients, and mentally ill or handicapped patients should be considered.

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