• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.296-299
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• 2006

A 35-year-old woman, previously treated for systemic metastases from retroperitoneal yolk sac tumor, presented with progressive painful paraparesis. Preoperative images showed severe cord compression by the metastatic infiltration of the lumbar vertebrae and epidural mass as well as a huge retroperitoneal mass. While performing unremarkable surgery in prone position, the patient abruptly fell into hypoxic insults and circulatory arrest. Intraoperative pulmonary tumor embolism was deemed a cause of death. When planning operative procedure for this dangerous malignancy, scrupulous manipulation is mandated and the possibility of fatal pulmonary tumor embolism should also be addressed and fully discussed preoperatively.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.7-12
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• 2018

Patients who visit the emergency room with urinary stones have difficulty lying down in a supine position due to severe pain when performing the KUB test. The purpose of this study was to find methods to reduce the patients' pain and image distortion, and obtain medical images with high diagnostic values. After checking the standard classification of disease and cause of death, the target group consisted of 121 patients who had clearly distinguished stones from computed tomography. Patients with stones in the ureteralvesical junction were excluded. Qualitative image evaluation was performed by confirming the location of the stone in the computed tomography images. and evaluated the rate of visual discrimination of stones possible through KUB and abdominal plain X-ray. Quantitative image evaluation was performed on the KUB, abdominal plain X-ray images. The transverse process of the first lumbar vertebrae served as the standard point, and the length from this point to the lower part of the stone was measured. Results from looking at the rate of visual discrimination of stones possible through KUB and abdominal plain X-ray showed: 94 patients (77.6%) for KUB images and 91 patients (75.2%) for computed tomography images. The standard deviation for KUB and abdominal X-ray was 3 (2.4%). Comparing and analyzing the location from KUB images and abdominal plain X-ray images, the stone position was 10.1 mm in the kidney, 10.5 mm in the ureteropelvic junction, and 9.7 mm in the ureters. It was shown that the stone moved 10 mm on average with significant statistical difference (P<0.05). In cases where the pain is so severe that it is impossible to perform the test in the supine position, an alternative may be to check the stone position by performing a modified KUB test by having the patient stand in a vertical position. In the future, this will provide convenience to both the examiner and the patient when performing the examination, and it will contribute with its reproducibility.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.131-140
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• 2014

TMost of the medical images that are being used today are to confirm the existence of lesions. These kind of medical images can not only be used to confirm lesions but if we could use it for academic studies or for analysis and reference materials for surgical operations, it could offer great help in medical studies. Furthermore, we could reduce the number of errors in treatment through simulations in the surgical operations and treatments. In this paper, the necessary parts regarding the medical image visuals were extracted through the point cloud and by using the information obtained through it, it manufactures the necessary information for academic studies, diagnoses or operations. By designing and realizing the system which makes simulation possible with the manufactured information, the paper attempts to provide a more effective way to approach academic studies or giving appropriate diagnoses in the treatment of patients.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1998 no.11
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• pp.169-170
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• 1998

In this study, regional variation in vertebral bone density due to osteoporosis were investigated using a method that employs images from QCT. QCT images(1mm thick slices) of the first lumbar vertebra from a normal person (23/M, BMD=139.8mg/ml) and from an osteoporotic patient (54/F, BMD=82.0mg/ml) were obtained. Uniform settings (140kVp, 204mA) were used and images of 300 Hounsfield Unit or greater were selectied to filler out soft tissue interference. To assess the regional variation of the area fraction the vertebral body was divided into 3 layers and each layer contained 9 regions. Area faction was calculated based on image analysis data. Our results showed that the area fraction at the middle of the vertebra was quite lower than the endplate and peripheral regions, but the area fraction values from the osteoporotic patient were uniform throughout the entire height of the vertebral body, which indicates the significant drop of BMD had occurred near both end-plates due to the osteoporosis, especially at the peripheral regions. Our results suggest the susceptability of the vertebrae to compression fracture types in osteoporotic spine.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.111-115
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• 2007

Background: Selective diagnostic blocks of the medial branches of the dorsal primary ramus are usually performed under the guidance of fluoroscopic or computed tomography. Recently, however, ultrasound guidance has been suggested as an altemative method. In this study, the distances between the vertebral structures were measured and compared with the values measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the clinical feasibility of using ultrasound-guided block in Korean patients. Methods: Five male and 15 female patients were enrolled in this study. The target point of the medial branch block in our study was the groove at the base of the superior articular process, We measured the depth from the skin to the target point at the transverse process (d-TP) and to the most superficial point of the superior articular process (d-AP). Results: The d-TP and d-AP values measured under ultrasound guidance were concordant with the values measured using MRI. Conclusions: The images of the bony landmarks obtained under ultrasound examination could be useful for ultrasound-guided lumbar medial branch block.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.27-31
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• 2013

Background: Neuroplasty using a Racz catheter or epiduroscope and percutaneous endoscopic laser discectomy are performed as treatment for chronic refractory low back and/or lower extremity pain, but they are limited in that they cannot completely remove the causing pathology. Lately, epiduroscopic laser neural decompression (ELND) has been receiving attention as an alternative treatment, but there are insufficient reports of results. Hence we aimed to investigate and report the data in our hospital. Methods: Seventy-seven patients were selected who had received ELND via the anterior and posterior epidural approach through the pain clinic in our hospital from March 2011 to July 2012. Their medical records including age, diagnosis, epiduroscopic findings and degree of symptom relief were investigated. The degree of symptom relief following the procedure was categorized into 5 stages of very good (5), good (4), no change (3), bad (2), and very bad (1) at 2 weeks and 1 month after the procedure. Results: The subjects were 30 males and 47 females. Mean age was 54.6 for males and 59.6 for females, so the overall mean age was 58.1 years old, with the youngest being 23 and the oldest 88 years old. In epiduroscopic images of all patients, more than one situation of herniated disc, fibrous tissue and adhesion, or inflammation was observed. Sixty-seven patients (87.0%) showed symptom relief 2 weeks after the procedure and 63 patients (81.8%) showed relief after 1 month. Conclusions: ELND is considered to be an effective treatment alternative for chronic refractory low back and/or lower extremity pain, including lumbar disc herniation, lumbar spinal stenosis, and failed back surgery syndrome which cannot be alleviated with existing non-invasive conservative treatment.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.148-154
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• 2008

Pharmacotherapy was mainly used to treat osteoporosis. However, some researches showed that pharmacotherapy could induce unexpected adverse effects. Some studies showed that whole body vibration affected beneficially osteoporosis. This paper studied the effect of whole body vibration fur osteoporosis compared with the effect of pharmacotherapy. 10 female rats were used and allocated into 4 group, CON, SHAM, DRUG, and WBV. Rats except SHAM group were ovariectomised to induce osteoporosis. Rats in WBV group were stimulated in whole body vibration at magnitude of $1mm_{peak-peak}$ and frequency 45Hz, for 8 weeks (30 min/day, 5 days/week). Rat in DRGU group was orally administered the Actonel (0.58mg/Kg), for 8 weeks (5days/week). The $4^{th}$ lumbar in rats were scanned at a resolution of $35{\mu}m$ at baseline, before stimulation, and 8 weeks after stimulation by In-vivo micro computed tomography. For detecting and tracking changes of biomechanical characteristics (morphological and mechanical characteristics) in lumbar trabecuar bone of rats, structural parameters were measured and calculated from acquiring images and finite element analysis was performed. In the results, loss of quantity and change of structure of trabecular bone in WBV group were smaller than those in both CON and SHAM groups. In addition, mechanical strength in WBV group was stronger than that in both CON and SHAM groups. In contrast, biomechanical characteristics in WBV group were similar with those in DRUG group. These results showed that reasonable whole body vibration was likely to treat osteoporosis and be substituted partly for drug treatment.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.345-352
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• 2022

Background: Optimal needle depth in transforaminal epidural injection (TFEI) is determined by body measurements and is influenced by the needle entry angle. Physician can choose the appropriate needle length and perform the procedure more effectively if depth is predicted in advance. Methods: This retrospective study included patients with lumbosacral pain from a single university hospital. The skin depth from the target point was measured using magnetic resonance imaging transverse images. The depth was measured bilaterally for L4 and L5 TFEIs at 15°, 20°, and 25° oblique angles from the spinous process. Results: A total of 4,632 measurements of 386 patients were included. The lengths of the left and right TFEI at the same level and oblique angle were assessed, and no statistical differences were identified. Therefore, linear regression analysis was performed for bilateral L4 and L5 TFEIs. The R-squared values of height and weight combined were higher than the height, weight, and body mass index (BMI). The following equation was established: Depth (mm) = a - b (height, cm) + c (weight, kg). Based on the equation, maximal BMI capable with a 23G, 3.5-inch, Quincke-type point spinal needle was presented for three different angles (15°, 20°, and 25°) at lumbar levels L4 and L5. Conclusions: The maximal BMI that derived from the formulated equation is listed on the table, which can help in preparations for morbid obesity. If a patient has bigger BMI than the one in the table, the clinician should prepare longer needle than the usual spinal needle.

• The Journal of Korean Society for Radiation Therapy
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.79-86
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• 2015

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to determine the proper treatment time of stereotactic body radiation therapy for spine metastasis cancer by using the image guidance system of CyberKnife(Accuray Incorporated, USA) which is able to correct movements of patients during the treatment. Materials and Methods : Fifty seven spine metastasis cancer patients who have stereotactic body radiation therapy of CyberKnife participate, 8 of them with cervical spine cancer, 26 of them with thoracic spine cancer, and 23 of them with lumbar spine cancer. X-ray images acquired during the treatment were classified by treatment site. From the starting point of treatment, motion tendency of patients is analyzed in each section which is divided into every 5 minutes. Results : In case of cervical spine, there is sudden increase of variation in 15 minutes after the treatment starts in rotational direction. In case of thoracic spine, there is no significantly variable section. However, variation increases gradually with the passage of time so that it is assumed that noticeable value comes up in approximately 40 minutes. In case of lumbar spine, sharp increase of variation is seen in 20 minutes in translational and rotational direction. Conclusion : Without having corrections during the treatment, proper treatment time is considered as less than 15 minutes for cervical spine, 40 minutes for thoracic spine, and 20 minutes for lumbar spine. If treatment time is longer than these duration, additional patient alignments are required or PTV margin should be enlarged.

• Asian Spine Journal
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.1060-1068
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• 2018

Study Design: Retrospective study. Purpose: Lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration is an important cause of low back pain. Overview of Literature: Spinal fusion is often reported to have a good course for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). However, many studies have reported that adjacent segment degeneration is accelerated after lumbar spinal fusion. Radiography is a simple method used to evaluate the orientation of the vertebral column. magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the method most often used to specifically evaluate intervertebral disc degeneration. The Pfirrmann classification is a well-known method used to evaluate degenerative lumbar disease. After spinal fusion, an increase in stress, excess mobility, increased intra-disc pressure, and posterior displacement of the axis of motion have been observed in the adjacent segments. Methods: we retrospectively secured and analyzed the data of 15 patients (four boys and 11 girls) with AIS who underwent a spinal fusion surgery. We studied the full-length view of the spine (anterior-posterior and lateral) from the X-ray and MRI obtained from all patients before surgery. Postoperatively, another full-length spine X-ray and lumbosacral MRI were obtained from all participants. Then, pelvic tilt, sacral slope, curve correction, and fused and free segments before and after surgery were calculated based on X-ray studies. MRI images were used to estimate the degree to which intervertebral discs were degenerated using Pfirrmann grading system. Pfirrmann grade before and after surgery were compared with Wilcoxon signed rank test. While analyzing the contribution of potential risk factors for the post-spinal fusion Pfirrmann grade of disc degeneration, we used generalized linear models with robust standard error estimates to account for intraclass correlation that may have been present between discs of the same patient. Results: The mean age of the participant was 14 years, and the mean curvature before and after surgery were 67.8 and 23.8, respectively (p<0.05). During the median follow-up of 5 years, the mean degree of the disc degeneration significantly increased in all patients after surgery (p<0.05) with a Pfirrmann grade of 1 and 2.8 in the L2-L3 before and after surgery, respectively. The corresponding figures at L3-L4, L4-L5, and L5-S1 levels were 1.28 and 2.43, 1.07 and 2.35, and 1 and 2.33, respectively. The lower was the number of free discs below the fusion level, the higher was the Pfirrmann grade of degeneration (p<0.001). Conversely, the higher was the number of the discs fused together, the higher was the Pfirrmann grade. Conclusions: we observed that the disc degeneration aggravated after spinal fusion for scoliosis. While the degree of degeneration as measured by Pfirrmann grade was directly correlated by the number of fused segments, it was negatively correlated with the number of discs that remained free below the lowermost level of the fusion.