• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.441-446
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• 2012

Objective : Shunt-dependent chronic hydrocephalus (SDCH) is known to be a major complication associated with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). Old age is known to be one of numerous factors related to the development of SDCH. This study investigated whether postoperative cisternal drainage affects the incidence of SDCH and clinical outcome in elderly patients with aSAH. Methods : Fifty-nine patients participated in this study. All patients underwent aneurysmal clipping with cisternal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage. Clinical variables relevant to the study included age, sex, location of ruptured aneurysm, CT finding and clinical state on admission, clinical outcome, and CSF drainage. We first divided patients into two groups according to age (<70 years of age and ${\geq}70$ years of age) and compared the two groups. Secondly, we analyzed variables to find factors associated with SDCH in both groups (<70 years of age and ${\geq}70$ years of age). Results : Of 59 patients, SDCH was observed in 20 patients (33.9 %), who underwent shunt placement for treatment of hydrocephalus. Forty seven percent of cases of acute hydrocephalus developed SDCH. In the elderly group (${\geq}70$ years of age), the duration and amount of CSF drainage did not affect the development of chronic hydrocephalus. Conclusion : In elderly patients, although the incidence of SDCH was significantly higher, clinical outcome was acceptable. The duration and the amount of cisternal drainage did not seem to be related to subsequent development of chronic hydrocephalus within elderly patients aged 70 or older.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.84-90
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• 2000

Background and Purpose: Stroke in young adults is relatively uncommon. Only 3.7-14.4% of all strokes occur in patients aged 15-45 years. Stroke in young adults has more various and diverse possible causes than stroke in the elderly. We studied to gain further insight into both pathogenic and etiologic determinants in young adults with stroke. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 230 young patients aged 15-45 years who were admitted to the 2nd internal medicine department of Kyung Hee Oriental Medical Center with a diagnosis of stroke between May 1995 and May 1999. We analysed clinical features and diagnostic tests, such as brain imaging, cerebral angiography, echocardiography, 24 hours holter monitoring and other laboratory tests. Results : 1. Of 230 young patients with stroke aged 15-45 years(176 males(76.5%) and 54 females(23.5%)), 140 patients(60.9%) showed ischemic stroke and 90 patients(39.1 %) showed hemorragic stroke. 2. The most prevalent age group was from 40 to 45 years with 142 patients(61.7%) 3. The most frequent site of 140 ischemic stroke was MCA territory in 93 cases(66.4%) and Multiple, VA territory, PCA territory, ACA territory in order of frequency. 4. The most frequent site of 90 hemorrhagic stroke was basal galglia hemorrhage 57 cases(63.3%) and subcortical 13 cases(14.5%), pons, thalmus, subarachnoid, cerebellum in order of frequency. 5. The causes of hemorrhagic stroke were hypertension 49 cases(54.5%), arteriovenous malformation 7 cases(7.8%), ruptured aneurysm 4 cases(4.5%), angioma 3 cases(3.3%). 6. The risk factors of ischemic stroke were smoking, alcohol drinking, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, obesity, heart disease, history of CVA, diabetes mellitus, in order of frequency. 7. The comparison of risk factors between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke: hypertension was prevalent in hemorrhagic stroke, heart disease and history of CVA were prevalent in ischemic stroke. Conclusions: From the above results, we found that stroke in young adults had various possible causes. Young adults with stroke deserve an extensive but tailored evaluation which include angiography and echocardiography for diagnosis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.345-352
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• 2000

Objective : The purpose of this study was to compare computed tomographic angiography(CTA) with conventional cerebral angiography(CCA) and to assess usefulness of CTA in detection and anatomic definition of intracranial aneurysms of the circle of Willis in subarachnoid hemorrhage. Patients and Methods : Fifty consecutive patients with known or suspected intracranial saccular aneurysms underwent CTA with preoperative CCA from 1997 to 1999. Using surface shaded display post-processing technique, CTA was interpreted for the presence, location of aneurysms and anatomic features. The image obtained with CTA was then compared with CCA image. Results : In 47 patients, CCA revealed 57 cerebral aneurysms and CTA revealed 54 aneurysms. Two of the 57 cerebral aneurysms were located outside of the imaging volume of CTA and one case was misdiagnosed. The sensitivity of CTA was 94.7% and the specificity was 100%. The results obtained with CTA were, compared with the results obtained with CCA, equal in determining dome shape, direction and lobularity. However, CTA provided a 3-dimensional representation of aneurysmal lesion very useful for surgical planning. Moreover, CTA was useful for rapid and relatively noninvasive detection of aneurysms in the circle of Willis. Conclusion : CTA can be a diagnostic tool for the patients with acute subarachnoid hemorrhage due to a ruptured aneurysm of the circle of Willis and provides adequate anatomic detail for surgical planning, especially to complex cerebral aneurysms. However, we think CCA is necessary because of CTA limitations including its difficulty in detecting unusually located aneurysms(including those in cavernous sinus or distal artery) and combined vascular lesion (including arteriovenous malformation) and acquiring dynamic flow information.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.212-215
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• 2008

Rectus sheath hematoma (RSH) is a rare condition that's caused by a sudden disruption of the deep epigastric vessels or direct damage to the rectus abdominis muscle. This condition is associated with old age, childbirth, abdominal surgery, severe cough, severe sneezing, anticoagulation therapy and/or coagulation disorders. RSH is characterized by abdominal pain and an abdominal mass, so that this is often misdiagnosed as a surgical condition such as appendicitis, intraabdominal abscess, torsion of the ovary and ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm; this can lead to unnecessary surgery. Thus, we have to be cautious not to miss RSH when a patient with predisposing factors is suffered from abdominal pain and an abdominal mass. We report here on a case of rectus sheath hematoma that was induced by severe cough in a patient who was taking warfarin.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.122-126
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• 2001

A non-traumatic, spontaneous hemothorax is rare. The most common causes are coagulopathy, due to anticoagulation treatment, and cancers with a metastasis to the pleural surface. Other unusual causes include thoracic endometriosis, ruptured aortic aneurysm, pulmonary arterio-venous malformation, coagulopathy, Osler-Rendeu-Weber syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome et cetera. A type 1 neurofibromatosis(Von Recklinghausen's disease) is an autosomal dominant disease that is characterized by multiple skin tumors(neurofibroma) and abnormal skin pigmentation(caf$\acute{e}$-au-lait spots). Some are accompanied by vasculopathy, and are present with a spontaneous hemothorax. Such cases are unusual but fatal. We have recently experienced a case where a young male patient with neurofibromatosis initially presented with hypovolemic shock due to a spontaneous hemothorax. Later, aortography revealed that the cause of the hemothorax was a rupture of a pseudoaneurysm of the right internal mammary artery and as a result, an embolization was performed. Here we report this case with a review of the appropriate literature.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.1065-1071
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• 2001

Object : This study was conducted to evaluate whether short-term intravenous infusion of tranexamic acid (AMCA) was able to improve the management outcome by preventing rebleeding without increasing vasospasm and hydrocephalus associated with the long-term administration of this agent in the patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH) who were planned for the early surgery. Methods : During the period from June, 1996 to May, 1998, 137 patients admitted within 3 days of their SAH and planned for early surgical intervention were subject to study population. Of these, 60 patients who had been treated with AMCA were classified as AMCA treated group and 77 patients without AMCA treatment as AMCA untreated group. Initially, prognostic factors for rebleeding, vasospasm, hydrocephalus and outcome following SAH including age, sex, clinical grade, CT grade, site of ruptured aneurysms, admission day after SAH, surgery day after SAH, number of aneurysms and hypertension history, were analyzed and compared between AMCA treated group and untreated group. Secondly, the incidence of rebleeding, symptomatic vasospasm and hydrocephalus were compared between the two groups. Also, the management outcome of the patients was compared between the two groups. Results : There were no significant differences in prognostic factors between the two groups. The rebleeding rate was 0% in the AMCA treated group whereas the rate was 7.8% in the untreated group. This difference was statistically significant. The incidences of symptomatic vasospasm and hydrocephalus were found not to be significantly different between the two groups. Of the treated group, 31.7% of patients developed hydrocephalus compared to 32.5% of those at the untreated group. Fourteen(23.3%) patients in treated group developed symptomatic vasospasm and 6 of them(10%) suffered stroke whereas incidences of these in untreated group were 25.9% and 11.7%, respectively. The AMCA treated group showed more favorable outcome than that of untreated group. There was no case of death by rebleeding in the AMCA treated group while one of the main causes of death in the untreated group was rebleeding. Conclusion : Short-term high-dose AMCA administration is considered beneficial in improving outcome and diminishing the risk of rebleeding in the patients who suffer from an aneurysmal SAH prior to early surgical intervention.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.8
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• pp.752-759
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• 1997

Profound hypothermia protects . cerebral function during total circulatory arrest(TCA) in the surgical treatment of a variety of cardiac and aortic diseases. Despite its importance, there is no ideal technique to monitor the brain injury from ischemia. Since 1994, we have developed compressed spectral array(CSA) of electroencephalography(EEG) and monitored cerebral activity to reduce ischemic injury. The purposes of this study are to analyse the efficacy of CSA and to establish objective criteria to consistently identify the safe level of temperature and arrest time. We studied 6 patients with aortic dissection(AD, n=3) or aortic arch aneurysm(n=3, ruptured in 2). Body temperatures from rectum and esophagus and the EEG were monitored continuously during cooling and rewarming period. TCA with cerebral ischemia was performed in 3 patients and TCA with selective cerebral perfusion was performed in 3 patients. Total ischemic time was 30, 36 and 56 minutes respectively for TCA group and selective perfusion time was 41, 56 and 92 minutes respectively for selective perfusion group. The rectal temperatures for flat EEG were between 16.1 and 22. $1^{\circ}C$ (mean: 18.4 $\pm$ 2.0): the esophageal temperatures between 12.7 and $16.4^{\circ}C$ (mean $14.7\pm1.6).$ The temperatures at which EEG reappeared $5~15.4^{\circ}C$ for esophagus. There was no neurological defic t and no surgical mortality in this series. In summary, the electrical cerebral activity Teappeared within 23 minutes at the temperature less than $16^{\circ}C$ for rectum. It seemed that $15^{\circ}C$ of esophageal temperature was not safe for 20 minutes of TCA and continuous monitoring the EEG with CSA to identify the electrocerebral silence was useful.