• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• 제24권4호
• /
• pp.305-312
• /
• 2023

Objective: Chronic enteropathy associated with SLCO2A1 gene (CEAS) is a recently recognized disease. We aimed to evaluate the enterographic findings of CEAS. Materials and Methods: Altogether, 14 patients with CEAS were confirmed based on known SLCO2A1 mutations. They were registered in a multicenter Korean registry between July 2018 and July 2021. Nine of the patients (37.2 ± 13 years; all female) who underwent surgery-naïve-state computed tomography enterography (CTE) or magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) were identified. Two experienced radiologists reviewed 25 and 2 sets of CTE and MRE examinations, respectively, regarding the small bowel findings. Results: In initial evaluation, eight patients showed a total of 37 areas with mural abnormalities in the ileum on CTE, including 1-4 segments in six and > 10 segments in two patients. One patient showed unremarkable CTE. The involved segments were 10-85 mm (median, 20 mm) in length, 3-14 mm (median, 7 mm) in mural thickness, circumferential in 86.5% (32/37), and showed stratified enhancement in the enteric and portal phases in 91.9% (34/37) and 81.8% (9/11), respectively. Perienteric infiltration and prominent vasa recta were noted in 2.7% (1/37) and 13.5% (5/37), respectively. Bowel strictures were identified in six patients (66.7%), with a maximum upstream diameter of 31-48 mm. Two patients underwent surgery for strictures immediately after the initial enterography. Follow-up CTE and MRE in the remaining patients showed minimal-to-mild changes in the extent and thickness of the mural involvement for 17-138 months (median, 47.5 months) after initial enterography. Two patients required surgery for bowel stricture at 19 and 38 months of follow-up, respectively. Conclusion: CEAS of the small bowel typically manifested on enterography in varying numbers and lengths of abnormal ileal segments that showed circumferential mural thickening with layered enhancement without perienteric abnormalities. The lesions caused bowel strictures that required surgery in some patients.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• 제20권8호
• /
• pp.1300-1310
• /
• 2019

Objective: To measure the diagnostic accuracy of percutaneous transthoracic needle lung biopsies (PTNBs) on the basis of the intention-to-diagnose principle and identify risk factors for diagnostic failure of PTNBs in a multi-institutional setting. Materials and Methods: A total of 9384 initial PTNBs performed in 9239 patients (mean patient age, 65 years [range, 20-99 years]) from January 2010 to December 2014 were included. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of PTNBs for diagnosis of malignancy were measured. The proportion of diagnostic failures was measured, and their risk factors were identified. Results: The overall accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were 91.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], 90.6-91.7%), 92.5% (95% CI, 91.9-93.1%), 86.5% (95% CI, 85.0-87.9%), 99.2% (95% CI, 99.0-99.4%), and 84.3% (95% CI, 82.7-85.8%), respectively. The proportion of diagnostic failures was 8.9% (831 of 9384; 95% CI, 8.3-9.4%). The independent risk factors for diagnostic failures were lesions ≤ 1 cm in size (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.86; 95% CI, 1.23-2.81), lesion size 1.1-2 cm (1.75; 1.45-2.11), subsolid lesions (1.81; 1.32-2.49), use of fine needle aspiration only (2.43; 1.80-3.28), final diagnosis of benign lesions (2.18; 1.84-2.58), and final diagnosis of lymphomas (10.66; 6.21-18.30). Use of cone-beam CT (AOR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.13-0.75) and conventional CT-guidance (0.55; 0.32-0.94) reduced diagnostic failures. Conclusion: The accuracy of PTNB for diagnosis of malignancy was fairly high in our large-scale multi-institutional cohort. The identified risk factors for diagnostic failure may help reduce diagnostic failure and interpret the biopsy results.

• Clinical Endoscopy
• /
• 제56권1호
• /
• pp.107-113
• /
• 2023

Background/Aims: Immune checkpoint blockade has recently been reported to be effective in treating microsatellite instability (MSI)-high tumors. Therefore, sufficient sampling of histological specimens is necessary in cases of unresectable pancreatic cancer (UR-PC). This multicenter study investigated the efficacy of endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle biopsy (EUS-FNB) using a Franseen needle for MSI evaluation in patients with UR-PC. Methods: A total of 89 patients with UR-PC who underwent endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) or EUS-FNB using 22-G needles at three hospitals in Japan (2018-2021) were enrolled. Fifty-six of these patients (FNB 23 and FNA 33) were followed up or evaluated for MSI. Patient characteristics, UR-PC data, and procedural outcomes were compared between patients who underwent EUS-FNB and those who underwent EUS-FNA. Results: No significant difference in terms of sufficient tissue acquisition for histology was observed between patients who underwent EUS-FNB and those who underwent EUS-FNA. MSI evaluation was possible significantly more with tissue samples obtained using EUS-FNB than with tissue samples obtained using EUS-FNA (82.6% [19/23] vs. 45.5% [15/33], respectively; p<0.01). In the multivariate analysis, EUS-FNB was the only significant factor influencing the possibility of MSI evaluation. Conclusions: EUS-FNB using a Franseen needle is desirable for ensuring sufficient tissue acquisition for MSI evaluation.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• 제21권7호
• /
• pp.869-879
• /
• 2020

Objective: To evaluate the performance of a convolutional neural network (CNN) model that can automatically detect and classify rib fractures, and output structured reports from computed tomography (CT) images. Materials and Methods: This study included 1079 patients (median age, 55 years; men, 718) from three hospitals, between January 2011 and January 2019, who were divided into a monocentric training set (n = 876; median age, 55 years; men, 582), five multicenter/multiparameter validation sets (n = 173; median age, 59 years; men, 118) with different slice thicknesses and image pixels, and a normal control set (n = 30; median age, 53 years; men, 18). Three classifications (fresh, healing, and old fracture) combined with fracture location (corresponding CT layers) were detected automatically and delivered in a structured report. Precision, recall, and F1-score were selected as metrics to measure the optimum CNN model. Detection/diagnosis time, precision, and sensitivity were employed to compare the diagnostic efficiency of the structured report and that of experienced radiologists. Results: A total of 25054 annotations (fresh fracture, 10089; healing fracture, 10922; old fracture, 4043) were labelled for training (18584) and validation (6470). The detection efficiency was higher for fresh fractures and healing fractures than for old fractures (F1-scores, 0.849, 0.856, 0.770, respectively, p = 0.023 for each), and the robustness of the model was good in the five multicenter/multiparameter validation sets (all mean F1-scores > 0.8 except validation set 5 [512 x 512 pixels; F1-score = 0.757]). The precision of the five radiologists improved from 80.3% to 91.1%, and the sensitivity increased from 62.4% to 86.3% with artificial intelligence-assisted diagnosis. On average, the diagnosis time of the radiologists was reduced by 73.9 seconds. Conclusion: Our CNN model for automatic rib fracture detection could assist radiologists in improving diagnostic efficiency, reducing diagnosis time and radiologists' workload.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제87권2호
• /
• pp.176-184
• /
• 2024

Background: Results of studies investigating the association between body mass index (BMI) and mortality in patients with coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) have been conflicting. Methods: This multicenter, retrospective observational study, conducted between January 2020 and August 2021, evaluated the impact of obesity on outcomes in patients with severe COVID-19 in a Korean national cohort. A total of 1,114 patients were enrolled from 22 tertiary referral hospitals or university-affiliated hospitals, of whom 1,099 were included in the analysis, excluding 15 with unavailable height and weight information. The effect(s) of BMI on patients with severe COVID-19 were analyzed. Results: According to the World Health Organization BMI classification, 59 patients were underweight, 541 were normal, 389 were overweight, and 110 were obese. The overall 28-day mortality rate was 15.3%, and there was no significant difference according to BMI. Univariate Cox analysis revealed that BMI was associated with 28-day mortality (hazard ratio, 0.96; p=0.045), but not in the multivariate analysis. Additionally, patients were divided into two groups based on BMI ≥25 kg/m² and underwent propensity score matching analysis, in which the two groups exhibited no significant difference in mortality at 28 days. The median (interquartile range) clinical frailty scale score at discharge was higher in nonobese patients (3 [3 to 5] vs. 4 [3 to 6], p<0.001). The proportion of frail patients at discharge was significantly higher in the nonobese group (28.1% vs. 46.8%, p<0.001). Conclusion: The obesity paradox was not evident in this cohort of patients with severe COVID-19. However, functional outcomes at discharge were better in the obese group.

• The Korean journal of internal medicine
• /
• 제39권3호
• /
• pp.501-512
• /
• 2024

Background/Aims: Optimal risk stratification based on simplified geriatric assessment to predict treatment-related toxicity and survival needs to be clarified in older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Methods: This multicenter prospective cohort study enrolled newly diagnosed patients with DLBCL (≥ 65 yr) between September 2015 and April 2018. A simplified geriatric assessment was performed at baseline using Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental ADL (IADL), and Charlson's Comorbidity Index (CCI). The primary endpoint was event-free survival (EFS). Results: The study included 249 patients, the median age was 74 years (range, 65-88), and 125 (50.2%) were female. In multivariable Cox analysis, ADL, IADL, CCI, and age were independent factors for EFS; an integrated geriatric score was derived and the patients stratified into three geriatric categories: fit (n = 162, 65.1%), intermediate-fit (n = 25, 10.0%), and frail (n = 62, 24.9%). The established geriatric model was significantly associated with EFS (fit vs. intermediate-fit, HR 2.61, p < 0.001; fit vs. frail, HR 4.61, p < 0.001) and outperformed each covariate alone or in combination. In 87 intermediate-fit or frail patients, the relative doxorubicin dose intensity (RDDI) ≥ 62.4% was significantly associated with worse EFS (HR, 2.15, 95% CI 1.30-3.53, p = 0.002). It was related with a higher incidence of grade ≥ 3 symptomatic non-hematologic toxicities (63.2% vs. 27.8%, p < 0.001) and earlier treatment discontinuation (34.5% vs. 8.0%, p < 0.001) in patients with RDDI ≥ 62.4% than in those with RDDI < 62.4%. Conclusions: This model integrating simplified geriatric assessment can risk-stratify older patients with DLBCL and identify those who are highly vulnerable to standard dose-intensity chemoimmunotherapy.

• International Journal of Heart Failure
• /
• 제6권3호
• /
• pp.129-136
• /
• 2024

Background and Objectives: Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of hospitalization and death worldwide. The Steady Movement with Innovating Leadership for Heart Failure (SMILE HF) aims to evaluate the clinical characteristics, management, hospital course, and long-term outcomes of patients hospitalized for acute HF in South Korea. Methods: This prospective, observational multicenter cohort study was conducted on consecutive patients hospitalized for acute HF in nine university hospitals since September 2019. Enrolment of 2000 patients should be completed in 2024, and follow-up is planned through 2025. Results: Interim analysis of 1,052 consecutive patients was performed to understand the baseline characteristics. The mean age was 69±15 years; 57.6% were male. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 39±15%. The prevalences of HF with reduced ejection fraction, HF with mildly reduced ejection fraction, and HF with preserved ejection fraction were 50.9%, 15.3%, and 29.2%. Ischemic cardiomyopathy (CMP) was the most common etiology (32%), followed by tachycardia-induced CMP (12.8%) and idiopathic dilated CMP (9.5%). The prescription rate of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blockers/angiotensin receptor/neprilysin inhibitor, beta-blockers, spironolactone, and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors at discharge were 76.8%, 66.5%, 50.0%, and 17.5%, respectively. The post-discharge 90-day mortality and readmission rates due to HF aggravation were 2.0% and 6.4%, respectively. Our analysis reveals the current state of acute HF in South Korea. Conclusions: Our interim analysis provides valuable insights into the clinical characteristics, management, and early outcomes of acute HF patients in South Korea, highlighting the current state and treatment patterns in this population.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
• /
• 제46권6호
• /
• pp.566-571
• /
• 2019

Background In Western nations, hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) typically affects the apocrine gland-bearing skin of people of African origin, women, smokers, and individuals with obesity. The clinical characteristics of HS in Korea and Japan, however, are reportedly different from those in the West. We therefore hypothesized that wet earwax is associated with HS because most East Asian people are genetically predisposed to produce dry earwax. Methods The medical charts of 53 Japanese patients with HS were reviewed retrospectively. Results Unlike the results of surveys conducted in Western nations, most of our patients were men (72%), whose buttocks were the most commonly affected site. Apocrine gland-bearing areas, such as the axilla, were affected less often. The proportion of HS patients with wet earwax was 51%, which was substantially higher than that found in the general Japanese population. Moreover, when patients with gluteal HS were excluded, the proportion of patients with wet earwax became even higher (68%). Conclusions Although the etiology of HS is unknown, our survey indicated that HS in apocrine gland-bearing skin, such as the axillary and anogenital areas, may be associated with wet earwax. As this study was conducted in a limited clinical setting, a nationwide, multicenter survey is warranted to clarify the clinical characteristics of HS in Japan.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• 제9권2호
• /
• pp.39-45
• /
• 2009

국내에서 조기위암에 대한 내시경절제술은 잘 선택된 환자에서 적용시 매우 좋은 성적을 보이는 치료법으로 중요한 치료로 자리를 잡았다. 그러나 내시경절제술의 적응증, 최선의 치료 술기, 합병증의 예방과 치료 및 추적관찰 등의 분야에서 아직 명확히 확립되지 못한 부분이 있다. 최근 국내에서 조기위암 내시경절제술에 대한 대규모의 다기관 연구의 성적들이 보고되지 시작하였다. 내시경 점막 절제술이 최소 침습 시술이고 수술과 달리 시술 후 장기 보존이 가능해 환자의 삶의 질이 우수하다는 점, 최근 내시경 시술과 기기의 발전으로 인해 절제 가능한 병변의 크기에 제한이 없어지고 있다는 점 등을 고려할 때 내시경 점막 절제술은 국내에서 조기 위암 치료의 중요한 치료 수단으로서 그 역할이 점차 확대될 것으로 기대된다. 본고에서는 조기위암 내시경 절제술에 대한 최근 국내 결과를 요약하고 향후 발전방향에 대하여 살펴보고자 한다.

• 대한후두음성언어의학회지
• /
• 제30권2호
• /
• pp.82-86
• /
• 2019

In the field of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, botulinum toxins are widely used for the treatment of spasmodic dysphonia and vocal tremors. Recently, the applications of botulinum toxin have gradually expanded with time, to include vocal fold granuloma, mutational falsetto, bilateral vocal cord paralysis, and chemical reduction for arytenoid dislocation as an adjunctive modality. According to a nation-wide multicenter study conducted by the Korean Society of Laryngology, Phoniatrics and Logopedics for treatment modality of contact granuloma, among the various treatment modalities, botulinum toxin injection showed the highest response rate and lowest recurrence rate in both primary and refractory cases. Therefore, botulinum toxin could be reserved as a second-line treatment for contact granuloma in which the first treatment was not effective, but also could be used as a first-line treatment depending on the patient's and institution's situation. For recalcitrant nodules, injection of botulinum toxin into the bilateral thyroarytenoid muscle will reduce glottal contact force and result in a forceful chemical voice rest. In special situations, botulinum toxin injection could be one of the alternative treatment options for recalcitrant vocal nodules.