• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.68 no.3
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• pp.140-145
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• 2010

Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common clinical problem in the West that is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. The diagnostic modality has been changed since 2001. This study retrospectively reviewed the PE mortality with the aim of identifying the risk factors associated with mortality since the multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) was introduced. Methods: We analyzed 105 patients with acute PE proven by multidetector CT or ventilation perfusion scan. The primary outcome measure was the all-cause mortality at 3 months. The prognostic effect of the baseline factors on survival was assessed by multivariate analysis. Results: The main risk factors were prolonged immobilization, stroke, cancer and obesity. Forty nine percent of patients had 3 or more risk factors. The overall mortality at 3 months was 18.1%. Multivariate analysis revealed low diastolic blood pressure and the existence of cancer to be independent factors significantly associated with mortality. Forty two PE patients were examined for the coagulation inhibitors. Four of these patients had a protein C deficiency (9.5%), and 11 had a protein S deficiency (26%). Conclusion: PE is an important clinical problem with a high mortality rate. Close monitoring may be necessary in patients with the risk factors.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.17-30
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: To evaluate the impact of smoking in young adults on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and the clustering effect of behavioral risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and depression. Methods: A Korean nationwide population-based cohort of a total of 3,280,826 participants aged 20-39 years old who underwent 2 consecutive health examinations were included. They were followed up until the date of CVD (myocardial infarction [MI] or stroke), or December 2018 (median, 6 years). Results: Current smoking, early age of smoking initiation, and smoking intensity were associated with an increased risk of CVD incidence. Even after quitting smoking, the risk of MI was still high in quitters compared with non-smokers. Cigarette smoking, obesity, and depression were independently associated with a 1.3-1.7 times increased risk of CVD, and clustering of 2 or more of these behavioral risk factors was associated with a 2-3 times increased risk of CVD in young adults. Conclusions: In young adults, cigarette smoking was associated with the risk of CVD, and the clustering of 2 or more behavioral risk factors showed an additive risk of CVD.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.155-160
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• 2013

Objective : The introduction and development of the embolic protecting device (EPD) has resulted in a decreased rate of stroke after carotid artery stenting (CAS). The authors performed a retrospective study to investigate the risk factors for developing large emboli after CAS which can lead to ischemic events. Methods : A total of 35 consecutive patients who underwent CAS between January 2009 and March 2012 were included in this study. Patients were divided into two groups including those with small emboli (group A; grade 1, 2) and those with large emboli (group B; grade 3, 4). The size and number of emboli were assigned one of four grades (1=no clots, 2=1 or 2 small clots, 3=more than 3 small clots, 4=large clots) by microscopic observation of the EPD after CAS. We compared demographic characteristics, medical history, and angiographic findings of each group. Results : Thirty-five patients underwent CAS, and technical success was achieved in all cases. Twenty-three patients were included in group A and 12 patients in group B. Our results demonstrated that advanced age [odds ratio (OR) 1.24; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-1.52; p=0.044] and smoking (OR 42.06; CI 2.828-625.65, p=0.006) were independent risk factors for developing large emboli after CAS. Conclusion : In patients with carotid artery stenosis treated with CAS, advanced age and smoking increased the number and size of emboli. Although use of an EPD is controversial, it may be useful in CAS in patients with risk factors for large emboli in order to reduce the risk of ischemic events.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.79-84
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• 1998

Authors report a case of poststroke bipolar disorder that occurs much less frequently than poststroke depression(PSD). A MRI study performed to identify the etiology of a secondary manic episode in a patient with preceded PSD after left basal ganglia infarction revealed newly developed right basal ganglia infarction associated with poststroke bipolar disorder. It is interesting to note that (1) the temporal relationship was found between the occurrence of PSD after left hemisphere stroke and the occurrence of poststroke bipolar disorder following right hemisphere stroke, and that (2) the occurrence of PSD and the occurrence of poststroke bipolar disorder are associated with lesion location respectively. It has been reported that bipolar disorders were associated with subcortical lesions of the right hemisphere, whereas right-cortical lesions led to unipolar mania and that risk factors for mania included a family history of psychiatric disorders and mild subcortical atrophy. In this case, MR image shows subcortical lesions of the right hemisphere and mild subcortical atrophy. The investigation of the relationships among stroke lesion locations and potstroke mood disorders and risk factors for poststroke bipolar disorder may contribute to understanding the neurobiology of primary mood disorder. A clinical implication is that the risk of secondary bipolar disorder after cerebral infarction should be highlighted.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.160-167
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• 2015

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation of Intima-Media Thickness of common carotid artery(CCA-IMT) and The Second Derivative of Photoplethysmogram Waveforms(SDPTG). 38 subjects with acute ischemic stroke were recruited from the patients admitted to Dong-Eui Medical Center from the June 2013 to January 2014. We assessed 38 patient's SDPTG data and CCA-IMT data by B Mode ultrasonography. then 38 subjects were divided into two groups by the CCA-IMT difference; CCA-IMT 〈 0.8 mm group(n=11), CCA-IMT $$\geq_-$$ 0.8 mm group(n=27). We analyzed their characteristics, risk factor, blood test result, life style by CCA-IMT difference. As a result, Age, Hypertension were significantly higher in the CCA-IMT $$\geq_-$$ 0.8 mm group then in the CCA-IMT < 0.8 mm group. Regular exercise were significantly higher in the CCA-IMT < 0.8 mm group then in the CCA-IMT $$\geq_-$$ 0.8 mm group. The result of Multiple regression analysis on the factors affecting the CCA-IMT was hypertension, total cholesterol, age. and The result of Pearson's Correlation analysis on CCA-IMT and SDPTG is that e/a ratio, SDPTG AI were respectively and significantly correlated with CCA-IMT. According to the analysis, the Relationship between CCA-IMT and SDPTG in Ischemic Stroke Patients were founded. We suggest that further investigation with larger and better controlled trials of the Relationship between CCA-IMT and SDPTG could contribute to better understand the effects of risk factors on atherosclerosis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.462-469
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• 2022

Background: Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is used to treat carotid stenosis, which is associated with cerebral infarction and may result in neurologic deficits such as stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and local nerve injury. To decrease surgery-related complications and improve patient satisfaction with esthetic outcomes, efforts have been made to minimize incision size instead of using a standard longitudinal incision. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of 151 cases of CEA, of which 110 used conventional incisions and 41 used high mini-skin incisions (HMIs), from March 2015 to December 2021 at a single institution. Short-term (30-day) postoperative results were evaluated for rates of mortality, stroke, TIA, and cranial/cervical nerve injuries. Risk factors for nerve injury were also assessed. Results: The HMI group showed significantly (p<0.01) shorter operative and clamp times than the conventional group. The HMI group also had significantly shorter incision lengths (5.3±0.9 cm) than the conventional group (11.5±2.8 cm). The rates of stroke, TIA, and death at 30 days were not significantly different between the 2 groups. There was no significant difference in the rate of cranial and cervical nerve injuries, and all injuries were transient. A high lesion level (odds ratio [OR], 9.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.21-28.42; p<0.01) and the clamp time (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.03-1.12; p<0.01) were found to be risk factors for nerve injuries. Conclusion: Use of the HMI in CEA for carotid stenosis was advantageous for its shorter operative time, shorter internal carotid artery clamp time, reduced neurologic complications, and improved esthetics.

• Korean Circulation Journal
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• v.53 no.11
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• pp.758-771
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• 2023

Background and Objectives: Paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major potential cause of embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). However, identifying AF remains challenging because it occurs sporadically. Deep learning could be used to identify hidden AF based on the sinus rhythm (SR) electrocardiogram (ECG). We combined known AF risk factors and developed a deep learning algorithm (DLA) for predicting AF to optimize diagnostic performance in ESUS patients. Methods: A DLA was developed to identify AF using SR 12-lead ECG with the database consisting of AF patients and non-AF patients. The accuracy of the DLA was validated in 221 ESUS patients who underwent insertable cardiac monitor (ICM) insertion to identify AF. Results: A total of 44,085 ECGs from 12,666 patient were used for developing the DLA. The internal validation of the DLA revealed 0.862 (95% confidence interval, 0.850-0.873) area under the curve (AUC) in the receiver operating curve analysis. In external validation data from 221 ESUS patients, the diagnostic accuracy of DLA and AUC were 0.811 and 0.827, respectively, and DLA outperformed conventional predictive models, including CHARGE-AF, C2HEST, and HATCH. The combined model, comprising atrial ectopic burden, left atrial diameter and the DLA, showed excellent performance in AF prediction with AUC of 0.906. Conclusions: The DLA accurately identified paroxysmal AF using 12-lead SR ECG in patients with ESUS and outperformed the conventional models. The DLA model along with the traditional AF risk factors could be a useful tool to identify paroxysmal AF in ESUS patients.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.87-97
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• 2021

Purpose : The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on the lower extremity function of stroke patients. Methods : Domestic data were gathered from studies that conducted clinical trials associated with transcranial direct current stimulation and its impact on lower extremity function of stroke patients. A total of 592 studies published between 2012 and 2020 were identified, with 7 studies satisfying the inclusion data. The studies consisted of patient, intervention, comparison, and outcome (PICO) data. The search outcomes were items associated with muscle activity, balance, muscle strength and walking ability. Cochrane risk of bias (ROB) was used to evaluate the quality of 3 randomized control trials. The quality of 4 non-randomized control trials was evaluated using risk of bias assessment tool for non-randomized studies (RoBANS). Effect sizes in this study were computed as the corrected standard mean difference (SMD). A random-effect model was used to analyze the effect size because of the high heterogeneity among the studies. Egger's regression and 'trim-and-fill' tests were carried out to analyze the publishing bias. Results : The following factors had a large total effect size (Hedges's g=2.10, 95 %CI=1.54~2.66) involving transcranial direct current stimulation on stroke patients: muscle activity (Hedges's g=2.38, 95 %CI=1.08~3.68), balance (Hedges's g4=2.41, 95 %CI=1.33~3.60), walking ability (Hedges's g=1.54, 95 %CI=0.49~2.59), and muscle strength (Hedges's g=2.45, 95 % CI: 0.85~4.05). Egger's regression test showed that the publishing bias had statistically significant differences but 'trim-and-fill' test showed that there was still statistical difference. Conclusion : This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation on the lower extremity in terms of muscle activity, balance, walking ability, and muscle strength in stroke patients. However, due to the low quality of studies and high heterogeneity factors, the results of our study should be interpreted cautiously.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 2006

The Sasang constitutional medicine classifies the mankind into four constitutional types according to the individual psychological and physical traits. Differences in the Sasang constitutional medicine may be explained by the genetic factors. In order to determine the association of Sasang constitutional classification and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) in genetic susceptibility to ischemic stroke, we classified the four constitutional types in ischemic stroke patients (n = 125) and the healthy control subjects (n = 107), and genotyped for IL-1Ra polymorphism by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. The distribution of the $IL1RN^*1/IL1RN^*2$ genotype in the ischemic stroke patients was significantly different from the healthy controls (OR = 6.09; P =0.0134). And the prevalence of $IL1RN^*1/IL1RN^*2$ genotype was increased in Taeum-in ischemic stroke patients, as compared to Taeum-in healthy controls (OR = 14.71; P = 0.0144). These results suggest that $IL1RN^*1/IL1RN^*2$ genotype in Taeum-in might be associated with the increasing risk for ischemic stroke. Furthermore, this relationship could provide the basis for a new approach in the investigation of the etiology of ischemic stroke.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.492-496
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• 2011

Objective : Direct revascularization surgery is regarded as the most effective method of treatment of adults with moyamoya disease. These patients, however, have a higher risk of perioperative ischemic complications than do patients with atherosclerotic stroke, and are at risk for ischemic complications in the hemisphere contralateral to the one operated on. We investigated the incidence and risk factors for ischemic stroke in the contralateral hemisphere after surgical treatment of adults with moyamoya disease. Methods : We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and results of neuroimaging studies on 79 hemispheres of 73 consecutive patients with adult moyamoya disease ($mean{\pm}SD$ age, $37.96{\pm}11.27$ years; range, 18-62 years) who underwent direct bypass surgery over 6 years. Results : Ischemic complications occurred in 4 of 79 (5.1%) contralateral hemispheres, one with Suzuki stage 3 and three with Suzuki stage 4. Three patients showed posterior cerebral artery (PCA) involvement by moyamoya vessels. Advanced stage of moyamoya disease (Suzuki stages 4/5/6; $p$=0.001), PCA involvement ($p$=0.001) and postoperative hypotension (mean arterial blood pressure <80% of preoperative mean arterial blood pressure) on the first ($p$<0.0001) and second ($p$=0.003) days after surgery were significantly correlated with postoperative contralateral ischemic complications. Conclusion : In patients with advanced moyamoya disease and involvement of the PCA, intentional hypotension can result in ischemic stroke in the hemisphere contralateral to the one operated on. Careful control of perioperative blood pressure is crucial for good surgical results.