• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.73-79
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• 2015

Background: Alprostadil and sildenafil are known vasodilators used independently to improve flap survival in animal models. In this study, we investigate whether these agents act synergistically to decrease flap necrosis in rat models. Methods: After acclimation period, 4 groups of 10 male white rats were given a modified McFarlane skin flap. The postoperative treatment included saline control (Group A), sildenafil citrate-only (Group B), alprostadil-only (Group C), and both sildenafil and alprostadil (Group D). The flaps were observed on postoperative days 1, 3, 5 and 7. The animals were euthenized on postoperative day 7, and the flaps were evaluated for inflammation and neovascularization. Results: At each observation, the mean necrotic index was significantly lower for all three treatment groups (Groups A, B, C) and was the lowest for the combined treatment group. On histologic evaluations, combined treatment was associated with decreased inflammation and increased capillary vessel formation, when compared with control group. Conclusion: Both sildenafil-only and alprostadil treatments were independently associated with increased flap survival rate. Sildenafil citrate and alprostadil had a synergistic effect in increasing flap survival rate.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.215-224
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was done to evaluate the combination effects of capsicum plaster at the Korean hand acupuncture points K-D2 with prophylactic antiemetic on Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting (PONV). Methods: An experimental research design (a randomized, a double-blinded, and a placebo-control procedure) was used. The participants were female patients undergoing gynecologic laparoscopy; the control group (n=34) received intravenous prophylactic ramosetron 0.3mg, while the experimental group (n=34) had Korean Hand Therapy additionally. In the experimental group, capsicum plaster was applied at K-D2 of both 2nd and 4th fingers by means of Korean Hand Therapy for a period of 30 minutes before the induction of anesthesia and removed 8 hours after the laparoscopy. Results: The occurrence of nausea, nausea intensity and need for rescue with antiemetic in the experimental group was significantly less than in the control group 2 hours after surgery. Conclusion: Results of the study show capsicum plaster at K-D2 is an effective method for reducing PONV in spite of the low occurrence of PONV because of the prophylactic antiemetic medication.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.466-471
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• 2012

Objective : The aim of this study was to devise an objective clustering method for magnetoencephalography (MEG) interictal spike sources, and to identify the prognostic value of the new clustering method in adult epilepsy patients with cortical dysplasia (CD). Methods : We retrospectively analyzed 25 adult patients with histologically proven CD, who underwent MEG examination and surgical resection for intractable epilepsy. The mean postoperative follow-up period was 3.1 years. A hierarchical clustering method was adopted for MEG interictal spike source clustering. Clustered sources were then tested for their prognostic value toward surgical outcome. Results : Postoperative seizure outcome was Engel class I in 6 (24%), class II in 3 (12%), class III in 12 (48%), and class IV in 4 (16%) patients. With respect to MEG spike clustering, 12 of 25 (48%) patients showed 1 cluster, 2 (8%) showed 2 or more clusters within the same lobe, 10 (40%) showed 2 or more clusters in a different lobe, and 1 (4%) patient had only scattered spikes with no clustering. Patients who showed focal clustering achieved better surgical outcome than distributed cases (p=0.017). Conclusion : This is the first study that introduces an objective method to classify the distribution of MEG interictal spike sources. By using a hierarchical clustering method, we found that the presence of focal clustered spikes predicts a better postoperative outcome in epilepsy patients with CD.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.187-194
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• 1981

Cardiac surgery is generally followed by a period of routine ventilator support. When the patient seems hemodynamically stable and relatively alert following surgery, respiratory adequacy is tested by the weaning trial. In this study, physiological and clinical prediction of postoperative respiratory adequacy, including values of pulmonary function tests, were examined in an attempt to identity those few variables which predicted the outcome of the ventilator weaning trial following surgery. Our series comprised 27 patients who underwent elective open intracardiac operations at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, from October 1979 to July, 1980. The pulmonary function tests performed on all patients included the following; forced vital capacity [FVC], forced expiratory volume [FEV1.0], forced expiratory flow [FEF 25--75~], residual volume [RV], and functional residual capacity [FRC], measured with a helium dilution technique. Of our 27 patients, 8 were successfully weaned within 20 hours of operation. All patients with cyanotic heart diseases or acquired heart diseases were unsuccessfully weaned. The bypass time in the successful weaning group was shorter in the mean value [82.8 minutes]than in the unsuccessful weaning group [120.5 minutes]. There was a relatively significant difference in the mean values for the two groups in arterial pressure, bleeding amounts and FiO2 among the postoperative monitoring variables, and in forced vital capacity [FVC]. The postoperative clinical assessments appeared vague but corresponded reasonably well to appraisal of success in weaning, especially in variables of cough and self-respiration efforts.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.184-189
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• 1983

Between 1958 and 1982, 70 patients have undergone pericardiectomy for constrictive pericarditis at the Thoracic Department of Seoul National University Hosp. 58 males and 12 females, with an average age of 27 years [ranging 3 to 60 years], of which 55% were between 10 and 30 years old, were treated. Eight patients died, of whom 4 were in the immediate postoperative period, less that 24 hours after operation. The cause of death was myocardial failure in 3 patients and hypotension during operation in one patient. The remaining four deaths occurred between the fifth and eighteenth postoperative day, and the causes of death varied: bilateral phrenic nerves injury, congestive heart failure, dissemination of tuberculosis, and cardiac arrest. Two patients suffered from congestive heart failure pre-and postoperatively due to the associated valvular heart disease. There were 8 wound infections on which resulted in perichondritis of costal cartilages requiring segmental resection 2 months later. There was one postoperative bleeding requiring immediate reopening for bleeding control. Tuberculosis was confirmed as the cause of constrictive carditis in 27 patients [39%]. Acute pyogenic pericarditis was precursor in 8 patients [11%]. In 2 patients [2.9%], the constrictive pericarditis developed following OHS. Both suffered from congestive heart failure postoperatively due to the residual valvular heart disease. In the others, the cause of the constrictive pericarditis was considered idiopathic or non-specific inflammation.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.194-197
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• 1989

Epidural morphine provides excellent analgesia for the management of postoperative pain, but nausea and vomiting are a commonly reported side effect. Scopolamine, a belladona alkaloid, is an effective antiemetic when nausea is induced by morphine. Transdermal scopolamine patches have the advantage of delivering a constant low dosage of the drug over a prolonged period. To evaluate the efficacy of prophylacitic transdermal scopolamine in reducing nausea or vomiting associated with postoperative epidural morphine analgesia, I studied 60 healthy adult patients. The patients were divided into 3 groups, each group consisting of 20 patients. Group 1; no scopolamine for control Group 2; transdermal scopolamine placebo patch Group 3; transdermal scopolamine patch All patients were anesthetized by epidural injection of 2% lidocaine 15 ml and 0.5% bupivacaine 10 ml with morphine 4 mg. A Comparison with the control group, the placebo group, and Group 3, indicated, that the transdermal scopolamine reduced the incidence of nausea or vomiting associated with postoperative epidural morphine analgesia (group 1; 35%, group 2; 25%, group 3; 10%). However there were no statistically significant differences between groups at a level of p>0.05.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.188-196
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• 2018

Objectives: This study is to report the clinical effectiveness of the complex Korean medicine therapy on a postoperative endometriosis patient's hypoestrogenic side effects who is treated with GnRH-agonist injection. Methods: The patient in this case was diagnosed with endometriosis and has been treated with GnRH-a injection after laparoscopic operation. The patient complained hot flash and sweating mainly after GnRH-a treatment. The patient received complex Korean medicine therapy during 10 days admission period. The clinical effects were evaluated through KI (Kupperman's Index) and SF-36 (36 item Short Form Health Survey). Results: After the complex Korean medicine therapy, the various clinical symptoms including hot flash and sweating were improved. Also, the quality of life was enhanced. Conclusions: This case report shows that the complex Korean medicine therapy was effective for treating hypoestrogenic side effects occurred after GnRH-a treatment in postoperative endometriosis patient.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.11-17
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• 1995

Fourty-three infants underwent intracardiac repairs within the first 12 months of life. Mean age was 7 months and mean weight was 6.7 kg. A quarter of them were below 5 kg. Overall mortality including complex anomalies was 17.9%. Thirty-four infants with a ventricular septal defect[VSD were treated. Three infants[8.8% died in the early postoperative period, but only one[3.7% of the infants without having associated lesions was dead. VSD was repaired either by the incision on the right atrium, pulmonary artery, or right ventricle. Postoperative right bundle branch block[RBBB occurrence were different according to the approach: 30.8 % in pulmonary arteriotomy, 37.5 % in atriotomy, and 42.8 % in ventriculotomy. Surgically induced heart block did not occur in any patient, but 10 had temporary arrhythmia, and 11 patients were under temporary pacing from one day to 4 days without any persisting rhythm disturbances. Pulmonary hypertension was present in 29 infants preoperatively, and seven of them developed postoperative elevation of the pressure. Infants complicated with pulmonary hypertensive crisis were managed successfully. Inotropics were necessary in 55.8 % of the infants and vasodilators in 37.2 %. Platelet transfusion were needed in 10 cases who required 272 ml in average, but one who died from sepsis consumed 5,370cc of platelets. And we discuss complications and causes of deaths.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.317-324
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• 2018

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the long-term survival outcomes and prognostic factors that affect the clinical outcomes of patients who underwent surgery and postoperative radiotherapy for major salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 44 patients who underwent surgery followed by radiotherapy for primary MEC of the major salivary glands between 1991 and 2014. The median follow-up period was 9.8 years (range, 0.8 to 23.8 years). Results: The overall outcomes at 5 and 10 years were 81.5% and 78.0% for overall survival (OS), 86.2% and 83.4% for disease-free survival, 90.6% and 87.6% for locoregional recurrence-free survival, and both 90.5% for distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS). Histologic grade was the only independent predictor of OS (low vs. intermediate vs. high; hazard ratio = 3.699; p = 0.041) in multivariate analysis. A poorer survival was observed among patients with high-grade tumors compared with those with non-high-grade tumors (5-year OS, 37.5% vs. 91.7%, p < 0.001; 5-year DMFS, 46.9% vs. 100%, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Surgery and postoperative radiotherapy resulted in excellent survival outcomes for patients with major salivary gland MEC. However, high-grade tumors contributed to poor DMFS and OS. Additional aggressive strategies for improving survival outcomes should be developed for high-grade MEC.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.356-361
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• 1983

Pulmonary tuberculosis is still one of unsolved problems in Korea due to increased number of far-advanced and drug-resistant patients, who have poor pulmonary function. We have analyzed 1332 operated Gases during the period of 1958-1981. Annual incidence of the disease decreased from 110 [1960] to 21 [1980]. The ratio between male and female was 7:3 and the age of peak incidence was in the 3rd and 4th decades. Recently, patients below the age of 20 years were slightly decreased, but above 50 years were slightly increased. The patients consisted of far-advanced case in 60% and moderately-advanced in 39% in 1980, as compared with 40% and 59% correspondingly in 1965. Preoperative sputum positively decreased from 91% [1958-1963] to 43.8% [ 1974-1981 ]. Medically treated patients for more than 3 years increased from 16% [1958-1963] to 51% [1974-1981]. From the view of surgical indication, totally destroyed hung increased from 27% [1958-1963] to 4396 [1974-1981 ]. Therefore, pneumonectomy occupied 53.8% of total surgical management recently. Mode of surgical treatment showed that thoracoplasty [33%], resection [57%] in 1958-1963 and thoracoplasty [2%], resection [98%] in 1974-1981. As Semb`s thoracoplasty was the first choice of treatment until 1960, thereafter resection became the choice. Postoperative mortality increased from 1.6-2.096 to 396 recently as well as morbidity. It was mainly due to increased number of poor pulmonary function and postoperative spread of disease. On the basis of our experience, far-advanced and drug-resistant patients increased in number recently, whose pulmonary function was poor. So postoperative mortality and morbidity increased. Proper surgical intervention should be considered before the appearance of resistance for all chemotherapeutic drugs.