• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제30권sup2호
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• pp.235-241
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• 2001

Objective : Controversy exists which surgical treatment better in lumbar grade I spondylolisthesis, decompressive laminectomy with or without lumbar instrumentation. Methods : Out of Sixty-four patients with lumbar spondylolisthesis underwent surgery, 18 patients operated with decompressive laminectomy alone and 44 patients with decompession and lumbar instrument, during recent 5-years between January, 1994 and December, 1998. The author studied a long term follow-up in the above two groups to analyzing the overall clinical outcomes in each group and to determining the incidence of pos-toperative radiologic instability. Results : 1) Overall postoperative symptoms improvement were not so different in both groups. 2) Postoperative progressive subluxation is more common after decompressive laminectomy without instrumentation than with instrumentation group. 3) Overall clinical outcomes were slightly better in decompressive laminectomy without instrumentation than with instrumentation group but there was no significant difference. 4) Postoperative radiologic changes did not seem to influence the patient-reported clinical outcomes. 5) Postoperative complications is more common in decompressive laminectomy with instrumentation group than without instrumentation group. Conclusion : In the surgical management of grade I spondylolisthesis, the efficiency and superiority of surgical treatments requires the cost effectiveness and risk/benefit analysis of decompressive laminectomy with or without instrumentation. Therefore, Further detailed studies of long term follow up in a large number of patients in each group are needed for choice of best treatment.

• Translational and Clinical Pharmacology
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• 제26권3호
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• pp.118-127
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• 2018

The safety and efficacy of fimasartan have been evaluated through post-marketing surveillance in real world clinical practice. The multi-center, prospective, open-label and non-interventional study. A total of 3,945 patients (3,729 patients for safety assessment and 3,473 patients for efficacy assessment) were screened in patients with essential hypertension in 89 study centers from 9 September 2010 through 8 September 2016. Among the total patients, 2,893 patients (77.6%) were administered fimasartan for 24 weeks or longer and were classified as 'patients with long-term follow-up', and the additional safety and efficacy analysis were performed. The improvement was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) controlled to ${\leq}140mmHg$ or decreased SBP differences ${\geq}20mmHg$ after treatment or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) controlled to ${\leq}90mmHg$ or decreased DBP differences ${\geq}10mmHg$ after treatment. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) were reported in 3.8% patients; dizziness, and hypotension were the most frequently reported ADRs in total patients. The results of patients with long-term follow-up were comparable with total patients. The overall improvement rate in all efficacy assessment at the last visit was 87.1% (3,025/3,473 patients). The overall improvement rate of the patients with long-term follow-up was 88.9%. Fimasartan was well tolerated, with no new safety concerns identified and an effective treatment in the real world clinical practice for Korean patients with hypertension.

• Development and Reproduction
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• 제27권3호
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• pp.117-126
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• 2023

Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment option for obesity, but its effects on reproductive hormones are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the impact of bariatric surgery on estrogen and progesterone levels in women with obesity. This was a prospective study that included 87 women with obesity who underwent bariatric surgery and 87 control women with obesity who did not. Blood samples were collected at baseline and at 3-month and 6-month follow-up periods to measure reproductive hormones and Adiponectin as well as medical history and physical examination for endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The study found that sleeve gastrectomy significantly increased follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in the bariatric surgery group compared to the control group at 3 and 6-month follow-up. There was no significant difference in the mean levels of estrogen and progesterone between the two groups at the 3-month follow-up period. Bariatric surgery leads to significant weight loss in women with obesity, but it does not seem to have a significant impact on estrogen and progesterone levels in the short-term. Future studies with longer follow-up periods are needed to investigate the long-term effects of bariatric surgery on reproductive hormones.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제53권5호
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• pp.297-299
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• 2013

Supratentorial hemangioblastomas (HBs) are rare, and pituitary stalk HBs are extremely uncommon; therefore, pituitary stalk evaluation is often overlooked. Herein, we report the development of pituitary stalk HB over a 20-year period and the importance of regular long-term follow up for patients with HBs.

• Clinics in Shoulder and Elbow
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.175-181
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• 2023

Background: Acromioclavicular (AC) osteoarthritis (OA) is a frequent pathology of the shoulder in elderly patients. Drug injection plays an important role in treatment of AC OA. Literature has demonstrated excellent short-term results regarding shoulder function and pain. However, mid- to long-term results are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a single intra-articular AC injection in patients with AC OA and to identify predictive factors for success. Methods: A retrospective study was performed to analyze success rate, shoulder function, and pain perception after a single intra-articular injection in patients with AC OA. Success was defined as the absence of reinterventions such as additional injection or surgery. Outcome measures were 1-year success rate and clinical outcome scores of Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for pain, Oxford Shoulder Score, and Subjective Shoulder Value. Results: Ninety-eight patients participated in this study. At a median final follow-up of 0.8 years (interquartile range, 0-6), 57 of these patients (58%) had undergone a reintervention. The 1-year success rate was 47% (95% confidence interval, 37%-57%), with NRS at rest as the sole factor significantly associated with success. Thirty patients not requiring reintervention reported significant improvement from baseline for all reported outcome measures at final follow-up. Conclusions: AC injections offer a 1-year success rate of 47%. The AC injection produces good mid- to long-term clinical outcomes regarding shoulder function, quality of life, and pain perception in one-third of patients. Further research is essential to analyze mid- to long-term outcomes of AC injections.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• 제13권4호
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• pp.476-490
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• 1991

Although various technical details of the surgical procedures have been improved, Skeletal relapse is the most noteworthy complication of orthognathic surgery. It seems to be an imbalance of the perioral muscular groups resulting from changes in the cavitas oris propria after surgery. Among other factors, it is widely known with the changes of tongue posture, as indicated by the hyoid position. Ten patients that had undergone mandibular setbacks by way of Modified Obwegeser method were evaluated retrospectively. The serial cephalometric films were taken preoperatively, immediately postoperatively, after removal of IMF, and at a subsequent long-term follow-up period. The cephalometric evaluation of tongue posture were based on stable craniofacial landmarks. The relation between the 2-dimensional changes of tongue posture and hyoid position and the relapse of mandibular setback are discussed. Anatomic changes that were found to accompany such setback are as follows. 1.There are 2 cases of relapse in 10 patients at long-term follow-up(20%) 2.The tongue was moved posteriorly and its size was reduced anteriorly and posteriorly at immediate postoperative change and then the mandible shifted slightly toward the preoperative position, but the long was adapted to its new environment due to changing the position of its posterior part, and also the hyoid that moved posterioly and inferiorly was stabilized sightly posteriorly than its original position. 3.On the distance change of the suprahyoid muscle, the distance of P-H, ST-H was increased at immediate postoperative change(p<0.01) and decreased at IMF period(p<0.001), but the distance of H-Me, H-Ge was slightly decreased at IMF and long-term period(p<0.05). 4.On the width change of the pharyngeal air way, the width of the upper part of the pharyngeal space was lightly contracted at IMF and long-term period(p<0.05). 5.On the relation between mandibular setback and tongue posture and hyoid position, the significant correlation was found between the changes of some parts of mandibular setback and those of tongue posture, and not found those of hyoid position.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• 제25권9호
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• pp.851-858
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• 2024

Objective: This study investigates the long-term efficacy and safety of ultrasound (US)-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for treating locally recurrent papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 39 consecutive patients with 61 locally recurrent PTCs (14 males, 25 females; mean ± standard deviation age, 52.8 ± 16.7 years; range 21-92 years) who underwent US-guided RFA with curative intent between September 2008 and April 2012. A subgroup of 24 patients with 37 recurrent PTCs who had a follow-up of at least 10 years were analyzed separately. All patients were followed for changes in lesion size on US and thyroglobulin (Tg) levels at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after RFA, with follow-up every 6-12 months thereafter. Any complications were documented during the follow-up period. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates were assessed using Kaplan-Meier estimates. Long-term outcomes were evaluated in patients with follow-up of at least 10 years. Results: The follow-up period ranged from 7 to 180 months (median 133 months). The RFS rates for the 39 patients at 3, 5, and 10 years were 86.8%, 75.5%, and 60.6%, respectively. Among the 24 patients with 37 recurrent PTCs followed for more than 10 years, the volume reduction rate was 99.9% (range 96%-100%), and the complete tumor disappearance rate was 91.9%. The mean serum Tg level also decreased significantly, from 2.66 ± 86.5 mIU/L before ablation to 0.43 ± 0.73 mIU/L (P < 0.001) at the final follow-up. In 14 (58.3%) of the 24 patients, Tg levels were undetectable (below 0.08 mIU/L) at the last follow-up. No life-threatening or delayed complications were observed during the 10-year follow-up period. Conclusion: The high RFS throughout the follow-up period, with efficacy and safety lasting beyond 10 years, supports US-guided RFA as a valuable option for local control of recurrent PTCs.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.40-45
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• 2009

Purpose: End-stage ankle arthritis is frequently combined with ankle-hindfoot deformity or ankle instability and therefore additional surgical procedures are often required when performing total ankle arthroplasty. We report the short term clinical and radiographic results of the total ankle arthroplasty with/without the combined adjunctive surgical procedures. Materials and Methods: The study is based on the 17 ankles (16 patients) of end-stage ankle arthritis that were treated with $HINTEGRA^{(R)}$ Total ankle prosthesis (Newdeal, Lyons, France) total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) from 2004 to 2007 with at least 12 months follow-up. The combined adjunctive procedures as well as the VAS pain score, AOFAS score, radiographic measurements and patient satisfactions were evaluated. Results: Average follow-up period was 29 months (13${\sim}$55 months), and the age was average 62 years (39${\sim}$75 years) old. Among total of 17 ankles, varus deformity and lateral ankle instability were found in 4 cases and 3 cases respectively. Twenty additional procedures such as Achilles triple hemisection (9), calcaneal displacement osteotomy (4) and lateral ankle ligament reconstruction (3) were performed in adjunct to TAA in 13 ankles. VAS pain score improved from preoperative average 8.4 (7${\sim}$10) to 2.0 (0${\sim}$5) and the AOFAS functional score improved from 41.8 points (13${\sim}$71 points) to 90.6 (77${\sim}$100 points) at final follow-up. Ninety-four percent of the patients were satisfied with the surgery. Conclusion: We confirmed that many adjunctive combined surgical procedures are often necessary in addressing the end-stage ankle arthritis (74%) with total ankle arthroplasty. We also achieved quite good clinical and radiographic short term results, although the long term follow-up study with larger number of cases are needed in the future.

• Health Policy and Management
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• 제30권4호
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• pp.522-530
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• 2020

Background: In 2008, Korea implemented a new type of social insurance known as "long-term care insurance". We examined the association between ownership of long-term care facilities and the incidence of pressure ulcers after the implementation of "long-term care insurance". This study is a population-based retrospective cohort study from 2006 to 2013. Methods: We used medical claims data from the Korean National Health Insurance Corporate Elderly Cohort Database from 2006 to 2013. These data comprise a nationally representative sample. To avoid confounders, only patients admitted to one long-term care facility and who stayed for >70% of the follow-up time were included; as a result, 3,107 individuals were enrolled. The main independent variable was the operating entity of the long-term care facility (local government, corporate bodies, and private for-profit owners), and the dependent variable was the 1-year incidence of pressure-ulcers. Survival analysis (Cox proportional hazard model) was used as an analysis method. Results: Compared to patients admitted to local government long-term care facilities, patients admitted to private long-term care facilities had a significantly higher 1-year risk of pressure ulcers (hazard ratio [HR], 1.94; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.29-2.91); the risk was especially high among patients who were cognitively dependent (HR, 2.34; 95% CI, 1.25-4.37). Conclusion: Patients admitted to private for-profit long-term care facilities were more likely to have pressure ulcers compared to those in local government and corporate body long-term care facilities. Appropriate assessment tools and publicly available information, as well as more restricted legal requirements, are needed to improve the care quality and outcomes of patients in long-term care facilities.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제34권9호
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• pp.692-697
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• 2001

Background: The left main coronary artery surgical angioplasty has become the choice of surgical procedure in isolated LM disease. We have performed 22 cases of LMCA surgical angioplasy since 1996. We report the immediate and long term result of the surgical angioplasty with their postoperative angiography. Material and Method: Between July 1994 and October 2000, 22 patients(11 men and 11 women) were subjected to surgical patch angioplasty of the LMCA, 1 patient had an additional angioplasty performed on the proximal right coronary artery. The LMCA was approached anteriorly with or without transection of the main pulmonary artery(21 cases), and in a patient who had undergone an aortic valve replacement, LMCA was approached superiorly with transection of the ascending aorta. Additional grafting was required in 5 cases. The on-lay patch was used with autologous pericardium in 6 cases and bovine pericardium in 16 cases. Result: There was no operative mortality. There was 30~50% stenosis of the anastomosis site in 3 cases at the postop. coronary angiography. Coronary angiography was reperformed in 5 cases between 5th months and 15th months postoperatively. There was 40~60% stenosis of the anastomosis site in 2 cases. There was one death at 42nd months postoperatively but the cause was unknown. No patient complained of angina with a mean follow up of 48.$\pm$22.5 months. Conclusion: There were only several coronary angiographic results in long term follow-up but we had relatively good clinical results for LMCA surgical angioplasty in the immediate and long term. The excellence of LMCA surgical angioplasty needs the result of the long term follow-up.