• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.739-742
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• 2013

A 52-year-old woman presented with lower back pain, progressive symmetrical paraparesis with sensory impairment, and sphincter disturbance. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the whole spine revealed multiple intradural extramedullary serpiginous-mass lesions in the subarachnoid space continuously from the prepontine to the anterior part of the medulla oblongata levels, C7, T2-T8, and T12 vertebral levels distally until the end of the theca sac and filling-in the right S1 neural foramen. Sparganosis was diagnosed by demonstration of the sparganum in histopathological sections of surgically resected tissues and also by the presence of serum IgG antibodies by ELISA. DNA was extracted from unstained tissue sections, and a partial fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene was amplified using a primer set specific for Spirometra spp. cox1. After sequencing of the PCR-amplicon and alignment of the nucleotide sequence data, the causative agent was identified as the larva of Spirometra erinaceieuropaei.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.112-114
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• 2013

Bilateral abducens nerve palsy related to ruptured aneurysm of the anterior communicating artery (ACoA) has only been reported in four patients. Three cases were treated by surgical clipping. No report has described the clinical course of the isolated bilateral abducens nerve palsy following ruptured ACoA aneurysm obliterated with coil. A 32-year-old man was transferred to our institution after three days of diplopia, dizziness and headache after the onset of a 5-minute generalized tonic-clonic seizure. Computed tomographic angiography revealed an aneurysm of the ACoA. Magnetic resonance imaging showed focal intraventricular hemorrhage without brain stem abnormalities including infarction or space-occupying lesion. Endovascular coil embolization was conducted to obliterate an aneurysmal sac followed by lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) drainage. Bilateral paresis of abducens nerve completely recovered 9 weeks after ictus. In conclusion, isolated bilateral abducens nerve palsy associated with ruptured ACoA aneurysm may be resolved successfully by coil embolization and lumbar CSF drainage without directly relieving cerebrospinal fluid pressure by opening Lillequist's membrane and prepontine cistern.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.12
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• pp.1422-1426
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• 2001

Neurenteric cysts are developmental cysts derived from embryonic endodermal layers. Fewer than 100 have been reported in which there were no associated bone or soft-tissue malformations and only six among those cases showed intramedullary location in the literatures. The authors report a 16-year-old young man with a thoracic intramedullary neurenteric cyst which presented with symptoms of axillary pain and paraparesis. The magnetic resonance imaging showed intramedullary mass extended from level of T3 to T7. There was no associated bone or soft-tissue anomaly. This cyst was partially excised and marupialized into subarachnoid space. The pathological findings were compatible with neurenteric cyst. Nine months later, the cyst recurred and at second operation, cyst wall was removed completely.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.88-90
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• 2010

Retroperitoneal hematoma (RH) due to radiologic intervention for an intracranial lesion is relatively rare, difficult to diagnose, and can be lifethreatening. We report a case of RH that developed in a patient on anticoagulant therapy following endovascular coiling of a ruptured anterior communicating artery (AcoA) aneurysm. An 82-year-old man presented with a 12-day history of headache. Computed tomography (CT) on admission demonstrated slight subarachnoid hemorrhage, and left carotid angiography revealed an AcoA aneurysm. The next day, the aneurysm was occluded with coils via the femoral approach under general anesthesia. The patient received a bolus of 5,000 units of heparin immediately following the procedure, and an infusion rate of 10,000 units/day was initiated. The patient gradually became hypotensive 25 hours after coiling. Abdominal CT showed a huge, high-density soft-tissue mass filling the right side of the retroperitoneum space. The patient eventually died of multiple organ failure five days after coiling. RH after interventional radiology for neurological disease is relatively rare and can be difficult to diagnose if consciousness is disturbed. This case demonstrates the importance of performing routine physical examinations, sequentially measuring the hematocrit and closely monitoring systemic blood pressures following interventional radiologic procedures in patients with abnormal mental status.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.107-109
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• 2018

An 8-year-old female Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) reared in a wetland center, died 2 h after sudden onset of astasia and dyspnea despite medical treatment. Gross examination of internal organs revealed 10 adult filarioid nematodes in the right ventricle of the heart and three between the left and right cerebral hemispheres. All nematodes were identified as Dirofilaria immitis by direct microscopy and polymerase chain reaction assay. Histopathological observation revealed multifocal hemorrhage in the cerebral subarachnoid space and focal necrosis with hemorrhage in the cerebellar parenchyma. Although rare, veterinarians should consider cerebral dirofilariasis as a differential diagnosis in unexplained neurological cases.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.355-358
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• 2013

Spinal extradural arachnoid cyst (SEAC) is a rare disease and uncommon cause of compressive myelopathy. The etiology remains still unclear. We experienced 2 cases of SEACs and reviewed the cases and previous literatures. A 59-year-old man complained of both leg radiating pain and paresthesia for 4 years. His MRI showed an extradural cyst from T12 to L3 and we performed cyst fenestration and repaired the dural defect with tailored laminectomy. Another 51-year-old female patient visited our clinical with left buttock pain and paresthesia for 3 years. A large extradural cyst was found at T1-L2 level on MRI and a communication between the cyst and subarachnoid space was illustrated by CT-myelography. We performed cyst fenestration with primary repair of dural defect. Both patients' symptoms gradually subsided and follow up images taken 1-2 months postoperatively showed nearly disappeared cysts. There has been no documented recurrence in these two cases so far. Tailored laminotomy with cyst fenestration can be a safe and effective alternative choice in treating SEACs compared to traditional complete resection of cyst wall with multi-level laminectomy.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.74-79
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• 1988

Caudal narcotic analgesia was assesses after the injection of 3mg morphine diluted in 30ml (physiologic) saline into the sacral canal in 15 Patients after upper abdominal surgery, in 20 patients after lower abdominal surgery under general anesthesia, and in 20 patients after perianal surgery under caudal block. Pain relief was evaluated by the subsequent need for systemic analgesics. All eases had considerable relief from pain an4 the morphine was effective for 12 or more hours. There were no significant differances between pain relief of the upper abdominal and lower abdominal surgery group, upper abdominal and perianal surgery group, and lower abdominal and perianal surgery group (p>0.05, p>0.05, p>0.05). It is suggested that the morphine, which was administered into the sacral, cannal, reached the subarachnoid space and produced it's effect by direct action on the specific opiate receptors in the substantia gelatinosa of th.8 posterior horn cell of the spinal cord. Consequently, whether analgesia from epidural narcotics appears to be segmental in distribution or not is still in controversy.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.91-97
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• 1988

Herein is a review of eigthy six surgical cases from March to August, 1986 which recieved tetracaine hydrochloride spinal anesthesia. In an attempt to relieve postoperative pain, 0.5 mg morphine sulfate was administrated into the lumbar subarachnoid space. Pruritus, a side effect of intraspinal morphine, was explored in detail. The results were as follows : 1) The incidence of pruritus was 67.4%, 65.5% in man and 71.0% in woman. 2) The time of onset of pruritus was between 30 and 120 minutes with an average of 79.1 minutes. 3) Pruritus primary occurred on the face(87.9%), especially on the nasal, perinasal and periocular areas. Other sites included the scalp, neck, chest, abdomen, shoulder, hip, thigh, flank, and whole body. 4) The severity of pruritus was classified as mild and moderate, but 4 cases(6.9%) were regarded as severe and were treated with naloxone. 5) The duration of pruritus was from 15 minutes to 19 hours with an average of 4.7 hours. 6) There was no significant difference in the prevention of pruritus between the group recieving diphenhydramine and the one which received normal saline.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2007

Background: Anticonvulsants and antidepressants are adjuvant analgesic drugs that are used widely for treating chronic neuropathic pain syndromes. The combined analgesic effect of gabapentin and milnacipran was investigated with a rat neuropathic pain model. Methods: The rat neuropathic pain model was made by ligating the spinal nerves (L5 and L6). An intrathecal catheter was inserted into the subarachnoid space. Tactile allodynia was tested with the up-down method using von Frey hair. We determined the antiallodynic effect of intraperitoneal (I.P.) and intrathecal (I.T.) gabapentin. The combined effect of I.P. gabapentin (50 mg/kg) and milnacipran (0, 10 and 30 mg/kg) was investigated. Results: Intraperitoneal and intrathecal administration of gabapentin increased the threshold for tactile allodynia (the ED50 was 60.6 mg/kg and $45.5{\mu}g$, respectively). Co-administration of I.P. milnacipran increased the antiallodynic effect of I.P. gabapentin in a dose-dependent fashion. Conclusion: The combined administration of milnacipran and gabapentin may increase the total analgesic effect during treatment of neuropathic pain.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.75-78
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• 2014

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the clinical features of macrocephaly at birth in Korea using ultrasonography. Methods: We retrospectively investigated the medical records of full-term birth neonates in Cheil General Hospital & Women's Healthcare Center from January 2000 to June 2012. The following parameters were recorded and analyzed: gestational age, sex, birth weight, height, occipitofrontal circumference (OFC), physical examination, perinatal problems, and ultrasonography results. Macrocephaly was diagnosed when the OFC was greater than two standard deviations, based on the 2007 Korean National Growth Charts. Results: There were 75 neonates with macrocephaly at birth (52 boys and 23 girls), with a mean OFC of $38.1{\pm}0.49cm$. A comparison of the birth weight and height with the OFC value showed that height was correlated with OFC (r=0.35) but birth weight was not correlated with OFC (r=0.06). There were no remarkable findings in 56 cases (75%). Germinal matrix hemorrhage was identified in 10 cases (13%). An enlarged cerebrospinal fluid space was found in 5 cases (6.7%). There were 3 cases of mega-cisterna magna (4%), 1 case of ventriculomegaly, and 1 case of an enlarged interhemispheric space (6 mm) among these patients. In addition, a choroid plexus cyst was seen in 1 case. Mineralizing vasculopathy in both basal ganglia with no evidence of congenital infection was found in 2 cases and an asymptomatic subarachnoid hemorrhage was found in 1 case. Conclusion: Our results indicate that macrocephaly at birth has benign ultrasonography findings and shows a pattern of male dominance.