• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.51-54
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• 2010

A herniated intervertebral disc is the most common type of soft tissue mass lesion within the lumbar spinal canal. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a useful tool for the assessment of patients with lower back pain and radiating pain, especially intervertebral disc herniation. MRI findings of intervertebral disc herniation are typical. However, from time to time, despite an apparently classic history and typical MRI findings suggestive of disc herniation, surgical exploration fails to reveal any lesion of an intervertebral disc. Our patient underwent lumbar disc surgery with the preoperative diagnosis of lumbar disc herniation; however, nothing could be found during the surgical procedure, except a swollen nerve root.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.144-147
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• 2015

Recently, percutaneous epidural neuroplasty has become widely used to treat radicular pain caused by spinal stenosis or a herniated intervertebral disc. A 19-year-old female patient suffering from left radicular pain caused by an L4-L5 intervertebral disc herniation underwent percutaneous epidural neuroplasty of the left L5 nerve root using a Racz catheter. After the procedure, the patient complained of acute motor weakness in the right lower leg, on the opposite site to where the neuroplasty was conducted. Emergency surgery was performed, and swelling of the right L5 nerve root was discovered. The patient recovered her motor and sensory functions immediately after the surgery. Theoretically, the injection of a large volume of fluid in a patient with severe spinal stenosis during epidural neuroplasty can increase the pressure on the opposite side of the epidural space, which may cause injury of the opposite nerve by barotrauma from a closed compartment. Practitioners should be aware of this potential complication.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.30-33
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• 2013

Objective : To suggest a new useful diagnostic technique, principles of the selective excitation technique-magnetic resonance images (Proset-MRI), and to know the precise radiologic findings that can prove symptomatic foraminal and extraforaminal stenosis at L5-S1. Methods : Nineteen patients with symptomatic L5-S1 stenosis were checked by Proset-MRI. Four patients were performed decompressive surgery and 15 patients were performed selective nerve root block (SNRB) at L5. The pain scale of patients was checked by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores at the pre- and post-treatment state. Results : Proset-MRI findings of patients with symptomatic stenosis are root swelling (RS) and indentation. The comparisons with VAS scores had a meaningful statistical result at each RS (p<0.01) and indentation (p<0.01). However, the findings of RS combined with indentation lacked statistical significance (p=0.0249). In addition, according to a comparison with the treatment modalities, reducing of VAS scores had statistical meaningful significance in decompressive surgery cases (p<0.01), and also in SNRB cases (p<0.01) after a 3-month follow-up period. Conclusion : The three dimensional Proset-MRI is very useful and sensitive technique to diagnose the symptomatic foraminal and extraforaminal stenosis at L5-S1.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.18-25
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• 1975

The author has experienced 8 cases of periapical lesion which were very closed to adjacent root tip. To avoid damage on neighboring nerve and blood supply polyvinyl tube was inserted through buccal window leaving a little pathological changes in involved area. The results are as follows: 1. The purpose to maintain adjacent tooth vitality was achieved by means of intubation in the lesion. 2. Swelling and pain after operation was rather lesser than routine apical surgery, because of drainage. 3. The total treatment period seems longer than that of routine apical amputation.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.137-141
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• 2011

The extraction of an impacted third molar tooth is associated with many complications during the procedure and postoperative care. These complications include bleeding, swelling, pain, infection, as well as root fracture, proximal tooth injury, alveolar bone fracture, lingual nerve and inferior alveolar nerve injury etc. With the exception of a fractured root dislocation in the submandibular space, no direct submandibular gland injury related to extraction surgery has been reported until now. A 40 year old man visited the department of oromaxillofacial surgery at Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital for an extraction of the right mandible third molar. A partial third molar impaction was diagnosed by a clinical and radiographic examination. A surgical tooth extraction was practiced including buccal cortical bone osteotomy. During socket curettage, an encapsulated cyst-like lesion and a verified $3{\times}3\;cm$ neoplasm in the apically lingual direction were found during process of dissection. A biopsy confirmed that the neoplasm involved the submandibular gland and nerve trunk. This unusual anatomical organ injury during the surgical tooth extraction procedure is reported as a new complication during impacted third molar extraction.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.85 no.3
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• pp.607-617
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• 2024

Purpose Recent studies have demonstrated the usefulness of diffusion-weighted MR neurography (DW MRN) for assessing nerve roots. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of DW MRN with a unidirectional motion-probing gradient (MPG) for the lumbar nerve roots at 1.5T MR. Materials and Methods Sixty-four lumbar spine MRI scans with DW MRN using anteroposterior unidirectional MPG were retrospectively analyzed. Any changes in the 512 lumbar spinal nerve roots from L3 to S1 were evaluated using T2-weighted imaging (T2WI), contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging (CE T1WI), and DW MRN, with agreement and correlation analysis. Results T2WI revealed compression of 78 nerve roots, and CE T1WI revealed 52 instances of nerve root enhancement. Sixty-seven nerve roots showed swelling and hyperintensity on DW MRN. A total of 42 nerve roots showed changes in the CE T1WI and DW MRN sequences. Moderate to substantial agreement and moderate positive correlation were observed between DW MRN and CE T1WI, as well as DW MRN and T2WI (κ = 0.59-0.65, ρ = 0.600-0.653). Conclusion DW MRN with unidirectional anteroposterior MPG can help evaluate neuritisrelated changes in spinal nerve roots and could serve as a sequence capable of complementing or substituting gadolinium CE imaging.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.1120-1126
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• 2001

Objective : The development of magnetic resonance neurography(MRN) has made it possible to produce highresolution images of peripheral nerves themselves, as well as associated intraneural and extraneural lesions. We evaluated the clinical application and utility of high-resolution MRN techniques for the diagnosis and treatment of a variety of peripheral nerve disorder(PND)s. Material and Method : MRN images were obtained using T1-weighted spin echo, T2-weighted fast spin echo with fat suppression, and short tau inversion recovery(STIR) fast spin-echo pulse sequences. Fifteen patients were studied, three with brachial plexus tumors, five with chronic entrapment syndromes, and seven with traumatic peripheral lesions. Ten patients underwent surgery. Results : In MRN with STIR sequences of axial and coronal imagings, signals of the peripheral nerves with various lesions were detected as fairly bright signals and were discerned from signals of the uninvolved nerves. Increased signal with proximal swelling and distal flattening of the median nerve were seen in all patients of carpal tunnel syndrome. Among the eight patients with brachial plexus injury or tumors, T2-weighted MRN showed increased signal intensity in involved roots in five, enhanced mass lesions in three, and traumatic pseudomeningocele in three. Other associated MRI findings were adjacent bony signal change, neuroma, root adhesion and denervated muscle atophy with signal change. Conclusion : MRN with high-resolution imaging can be useful in the preoperative evaluation and surgical planning in patients with peripheral nerve lesions.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.65 no.3
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• pp.479-488
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• 2022

Objective : The surgical management of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) caused by petrous apex meningioma (PAM) is still a challenge because of the lesion's deep location and the surrounding complex structures. The authors describe the intradural anterior transpetrosal approach (ATPA) and its effect on the treatment of TN secondary to PAM. Methods : A retrospective analysis of 15 patients with TN secondary to PAM who underwent surgery via the intradural ATPA was conducted. The key techniques, which included drilling off the petrosal apex (PA) and opening the upper wall of Meckel's cave (MC), are described in detail. Results : Total removal of the tumor and complete pain relief (Barrow Neurological Institute I) were achieved in all 15 patients without significant morbidity. Five patients developed new facial numbness postoperatively, which disappeared within three months after surgery. The postoperative magnetic resonance imaging showed temporal lobe swelling in three patients, but no clinical symptoms. One patient had cerebrospinal fluid leakage and was managed with bed rest and temporary lumbar drainage. One patient had an intracranial infection and was treated with antibiotics. By the last follow up, no patients had pain relapse or/and tumor recurrence. It is worth noting that the vascular compression at the root of the trigeminal nerve was found in one patient during the operation. Conclusion : Our experience suggests that drilling off the PA and opening the upper wall of the MC are key elements for a good outcome of the treatment of TN secondary to PAM. The intradural ATPA has the advantages for both tumor resection and pain relief.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.261-266
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• 2009

This study aim to disclose a possible mechanism for the neuronal cell death induced by peripheral nerve injury following a spinal nerve ligation (SNL) as a neuropathic pain model. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (270~290 g) were used for this study. Pain threshold was evaluated for their response to mechanical (von Frey hairs) stimuli 1, 3, and 7 days after a tight ligation of L5 ventral ramus. In control group, the small ganglion cells were strongly stained with routine toluidine blue (TB), whereas the large ganglion cells showed a little bit weak stainity. Each large ganglion cell is surrounded by perineuronal satellite cells. In experimental groups, small ganglion cells showing apparent degenerative changes increased on 1 day, and showed a peak in degenerative cell number at 3 days group, and decreased gradually at 7 days group. We also found a small number of large-sized ganglion cells showing mild degenerative changes. However their satellite cells ware relatively intact with no typical findings throughout this experiment. Under the electron microscope, small ganglion cells showed various stage and typical features of the dark degeneration including mitochondrial swelling.