• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
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• 2019.05a
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• pp.104-107
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• 2019

Modern people have abundant food and various forms of life compared to the past, but they have come to form an unhealthy diet, such as skipping breakfast and not eating in time in a busy life. When these eating habits are maintained for a long time, it leads to digestive trouble. The most easily occurring symptoms are called reflux esophagitis and dysphagia. Among them, dysphagia requires quick and accurate diagnosis as they develop into various forms of complications or are also identified as presymptoms of gastric and laryngeal cancers. The result of the diagnosis is still passively judged by the doctor and each of results are different depending on the doctor. The result of the diagnosis here means the severity. When they identify treatment or complications following the results of the diagnosis, the wrong diagnosis may lead to excessive or insufficient treatment. In this paper, to figure out the severity of dysphagia in the diagnosis of dysphagia, we studied the development of a program using the K-means algorithm in the processing of X-ray images for identifying residual food in epiglottic vallecula and pyriform sinus in the section leading to esophagus.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.596-603
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• 2021

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and diagnostic performance of ultrasound (US)-guided fine-needle aspiration cytology and core-needle biopsy (US-FNAC/CNB) for the diagnosis of laryngo-hypopharyngeal masses. Materials and Methods: This was a single-center prospective case series. From January 2018 to June 2019, we initially enrolled 40 patients with highly suspicious laryngo-hypopharyngeal masses on laryngoscopic examinations. Of these, 28 patients with the mass involving or abutting the pre-epiglottic, paraglottic, pyriform sinus, and/or subglottic regions were finally included. These patients underwent US examinations with/without subsequent US-FNAC/CNB under local anesthesia for evaluation of the laryngo-hypopharyngeal mass. Results: Of the 28 patients who underwent US examinations, a laryngo-hypopharyngeal mass was identified in 26 patients (92.9%). US-FNAC/CNB was performed successfully in 25 of these patients (96.2%), while the procedure failed to target the mass in 1 patient (3.8%). The performance of US caused minor subclinical hematoma in 2 patients (7.7%), but no major complications occurred. US-FNAC/CNB yielded conclusive results in 24 (96.0%) out of the 25 patients with a successful procedure, including 23 patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 1 patient with a benign mass. In one patient with atypical cells in US-FNAC, additional direct laryngoscopic biopsy (DLB) was required to confirm SCC. Among the 26 patients who received US-FNAC/CNB, the time from first visit to pathological diagnosis was 7.8 days. For 24 patients finally diagnosed with SCC, the time from first visit to the initiation of treatment was 25.2 days. The mean costs associated with US-FNAC/CNB was $272 under the Korean National Health Insurance Service System. Conclusion: US-FNAC/CNB for a laryngo-hypopharyngeal mass is technically feasible in selected patients, providing good diagnostic performance. This technique could be used as a first-line diagnostic modality by adopting appropriate indications to avoid general anesthesia and DLB-related complications.

• Clinical Endoscopy
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• v.56 no.5
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• pp.594-603
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• 2023

Background/Aims: The necessity for pharyngeal anesthesia during upper gastrointestinal endoscopy is controversial. This study aimed to compare the observation ability with and without pharyngeal anesthesia under midazolam sedation. Methods: This prospective, single-blinded, randomized study included 500 patients who underwent transoral upper gastrointestinal endoscopy under intravenous midazolam sedation. Patients were randomly allocated to pharyngeal anesthesia: PA+ or PA- groups (250 patients/group). The endoscopists obtained 10 images of the oropharynx and hypopharynx. The primary outcome was the non-inferiority of the PA- group in terms of the pharyngeal observation success rate. Results: The pharyngeal observation success rates in the pharyngeal anesthesia with and without (PA+ and PA-) groups were 84.0% and 72.0%, respectively. The PA- group was inferior (p=0.707, non-inferiority) to the PA+ group in terms of observable parts (8.33 vs. 8.86, p=0.006), time (67.2 vs. 58.2 seconds, p=0.001), and pain (1.21±2.37 vs. 0.68±1.78, p=0.004, 0-10 point visual analog scale). Suitable quality images of the posterior wall of the oropharynx, vocal fold, and pyriform sinus were inferior in the PA- group. Subgroup analysis showed a higher sedation level (Ramsay score ≥5) with almost no differences in the pharyngeal observation success rate between the groups. Conclusions: Non-pharyngeal anesthesia showed no non-inferiority in pharyngeal observation ability. Pharyngeal anesthesia may improve pharyngeal observation ability in the hypopharynx and reduce pain. However, deeper anesthesia may reduce this difference.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.561-566
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• 1999

Background: It is not easy to surgically correct caustic pharyngeal strictures and a lot of effort is required to restore normal swallowing after the surgery. The authors reviewed the course in patients who underwent pharyngocolostomy. Material and Method: From August 1995 to March 1998, 6 patients with caustic stricture underwent esophageal reconstruction surgery. The time of injury to the replacement of the esophagus was from 3 months to 2 years and 4 months. The left colon was used in all patients. The surgical route was used under the sternum in 5 patients and through the esophageal hiatus in 1 patient. In the cervical anastomoses, the cervical pharyngocolic anastomosis was performed on the left pyriform sinus after a partial resection of the thyroid cartilage in 3 patients and on the posterolateral aspect of the inferior pharyngeal constrictor in 3 patients. Result: Postoperative complications consisted of a dysphagia in 3 patients and left vocal cord palsy in 1 patient. There was no cervical anastomotic stricture. Revisional procedures consisted of an esophageal dilation and free jejunal graft in 1 patient, supraglottic scar band resection in 1 patient, and colonic mucosal resection in 1 patient. Swallowing training was required in the 3 patients with dysphagia. Restoration of normal swallowing was obtained in all patients between the 9th and the 303rd day. Conclusion: Pharyngocolostomy is a satisfactory method of treatment for patients with intractable caustic stricture. Pharyngocolojejunostomy is an effective alternative for esophagocologastrostomy in cases where gastric outlets are involved.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.200-205
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• 2007

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyze the post operative outcome of reconstruction with using the stomach after performing total pharyngolaryngoesophagectomy in patients with hypopharyngeal cancer or cervical esophageal cancer. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 23 patients who underwent gastric pull up for esophageal substitution at the Department of Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, between January 1991 and December 2006. All the patients had transhiatal esophagectomy performed without thoracotomy. Results: There were seventeen males and six females with a median age of 58.1 years (range: 40-70 years). 19 cases were hypopharyngeal cancer, 13 cases had cancer in the pyriform sinus, 15 cases had cancer in the postcricoid area and one case had cancer in the glottic area. The rest were cervical esophageal cancers. The pathologic result was squamous cell carcinoma in all cases. The median total follow-up period was 33 months (range: 1-62 months) and there were two (8.6%) postoperative deaths: one was due to carotid rupture and the other was due to hepatic failure with liver metastasis. The complications were leakage in 1 patient (4.4%), pneumothorax in 1 patient (4.4%) and pneumonia in 1 patient (4.4%). Conclusion: The use of stomach for esophageal reconstruction has many benefits for treating hypopharyngeal cancer or cervical esophageal cancer, So, we made sure there was a sufficient length for the anastomosis after pharyngolaryngoesophagectomy and a rich blood supply from the stomach. There was a low incidence of the leakage at the anastomotic site, along with a low incidence of stenosis and bleeding.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.46-53
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• 1998

Background: Hypopharyngeal cancer represents about one-third the incidence of laryngeal cancer which is the most common cancer in head and neck area. Although there have been numerous reports regarding its clinical and statistical characteristics, more precise and ample data should be collected and analyzed in this country. Objectives: This study was designed to evaluate the pattern and patient's profile of the hypopharyngeal cancer, and we reviewed the treatment outcomes to search for an index of treatment modalities. Materials and Methods: The authors retrospectively analyzed 73 cases of hypopharyngeal cancer treated at Yonsei Medical Center during the 10-year period from 1985 to 1994. Five-year survival rate was calculated according to the primary site, clinical stage and treatment modality. Results: The incidence was predominated in male by 9 to 1 and peak incidence was 6th and 7th decades. Pyriform sinus was the main primary site(80.8%) followed by posterior hypopharyngeal wall(13.7%) and postcricoid area(5.5%). Advanced stage cancers(87.7%) were more common than early stage cancers. Radiotherapy(60.3%) was the most commonly used as primary treatment modality. Neck node metastasis was early occurred even in early stage cancers(61.5%), and overall rate of neck node metastasis was 69.9%. All surgical cases received procedures more than total laryngectomy and partial pharyngectomy. The most common cause of death was primary failure(81.5%) and it was highest in radiotherapy group. Five-year survival rate was significantly high in surgery group(90.9%). The overall 5-year survival rate of hypopharyngeal cancer was 30.3%. Conclusion: High index of suspicion should be required for early diagnosis. Also, surgery may be recommended for the primary treatment modality in advanced stage cancers.