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Validity of Peak Expiratory Flow for Assessing Reversible Airflow Obstruction (기류 가역성 평가에 있어서 최대호기유속 측정의 유용성)

  • Chol, Won-Il;Kwak, Jin-Ho;Kwon, Doo-Young;Han, Seung-Beom;Jeon, Young-June
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.48 no.4
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    • pp.522-529
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    • 2000
  • Backgrounds : Assessment of the presence and degree of reversibility of airflow obstruction is clinically important in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The measurement of peak expiratory flow(PEF) is a simple, fast, and cheap method to assess the severity of obstruction and its degree of reversibility. Assessing the reversibility of airflow obstruction by peak expiratory flow(PEF) measurements is practicable in general practice, but its usefulness has not been well investigated. We compared PEF and $FEV_1$ in assessing reversibility of airflow obstruction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma and developed a practical criterion for assessing the presence of reversibility in general practice. Methods : PEF measurements were performed (Spirometry) in 80 patients(aged 24-78) with a history of asthma or chronic obstructive lung disease before and after the inhalation of 200 g salbutamol. The change in PEF was compared with the change in forced expiratory volume in one second($FEV_1$). Reversible airflow obstruction was analyzed according to American Thoracic Society(ATS) criteria. Results : A 12% increase above the prebronchodilator value and a 200ml increase in either FVC or $FEV_1$ reversibility were observed in 45%(36) of the patients. Relative operating characteristic(ROC) analysis showed that an absolute improvement in PEF of 30 l/min gave optimal discrimination between patients with reversible and irreversible airflow obstruction(the sensitivity and specificity of an increase of 30 l/min in detecting a 12% increase above the prebronchodilator value and a 200ml increase in either FVC or $FEV_1$ were 72.2% and 72.7% respectively, with a positive predictive value of 68.4%). Conclusions : Absolute changes in PEF can be used to diagnose reversible airflow obstruction.

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Evaluating the Usefulness of the ICT Tuberculosis Test Kit for the Diagnosis of Tuberculosis (결핵 진단에서 ICT Tuberculosis Test Kit의 효용성)

  • Chang, Chul-Hun;Son, Han-Chul;Ryu, Ki-Chan;Park, Soon-Kew;Lee, Seon-Ho;Kim, Sung-Ryul;Park, Ki-Hyung;Kim, Woo-Seok;Koo, Kyong-Soo
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.46 no.4
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    • pp.473-480
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    • 1999
  • Background: Early diagnosis of tuberculosis is critical, especially in Korea, an area where tuberculosis is endemic. Because antibody responses to some membrane proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are not comparable, and the policy of BCG vaccination and the prevalence of tuberculosis are different from country to country, the usefulness of the serological diagnostic tests is questionable in Korea, even though they have been confirmed to be useful in other countries. In the specific context of Korea, we tried to evaluate the validity of the ICT Tuberculosis Test (ICT), a membrane-based antibody kit that purports to detect the 5 M. tuberculosis complex-specific antigens including 38-kDa protein. Method: 68 patients with tuberculosis were tested : 37 had no history of previous tuberculosis, and 31 were reactivated cases. The control group comprised 77 subjects : 25 healthy adults, 35 hospital workers with frequent contact with tuberculosis patients, and 17 in-patients with non-tuberculous respiratory diseases. Results: The diagnostic sensitivities of the ICT were 87% and 73% in patients with versus without previous history of tuberculosis, respectively. The sensitivities of smear-positive and smear-negative patient groups were 81% and 73%, respectively. Both of the two patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis tested positive through the ICT. The specificities of the ICT were 88%, 94%, and 94% in healthy adults, hospital workers, and non-tuberculous patients, respectively, with an overall specificity of 92%. Conclusion: It is suggested that when combined with traditional techniques, the ICT is an useful tool for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. The procedure is simple, easy to perform, rapid, and needs no equipment. It shows 73% sensitivity and 92% specificity for the diagnosis of tuberculosis.

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Diagnostic Value of Transbronchial Lung Biopsy -Including Diagnostic Yield According to Tumor-bronchus Relationship- (경기관지폐생검의 진단적 가치 -병변과 기관지의 관계에 따른 진단율을 포함한 연구-)

  • Kang, Tae-Kyong;Cha, Seung-Ick;Park, Jae-Yong;Chae, Sang-Chul;Kim, Chang-Ho;Jung, Tae-Hoon
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.48 no.4
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    • pp.438-447
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    • 2000
  • Background : Transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) is a relatively simple and convenient procedure to obtain lung tissue from a patient with diffuse or localized lesion on chest radiographs, whose disease cannot be diagnosed through routine tests. The authors tried to evaluate the diagnostic value of TBLB, especially, the concordance between CT scan and TBLB with respect to the location of the lesion and diagnostic yield according to tumor-bronchus relationship. Method : We reviewed the medical records, plain chest films, and chest CT scans of 278 patients who underwent TBLB at Kyungpook National University Hospital between January 1996 and June 1998. Results : One hundred and sixteen (41.7 %) patients were diagnosed by TBLB. Diagnostic yield of TBLB of malignant tumors tended to be higher than that of benign diseases (64.7% versus 53.9%, p=0.09). Of primary lung cancers, TBLB was more diagnostic in adenocarcinoma and small-cell carcinoma than other cell types (p<0.01) and, of benign diseases, more diagnostic in tuberculosis than in non-tuberculous diseases (p<0.05). There was no significant difference in the diagnostic rate according to the location of the tumor. The diagnostic rate tended to increase with the size of tumor (p=0.06). The diagnootic rate of TBLB did not differ according to the pattern of lesion in benign diseases. However, in malignant diseases TBLB was more diagnostic in diffuse/multiple nodular lesions than in localized lesions(p<0.05). According to the tumor-bronchus relationship, TBLB was more diagnootic in type I/II groups than in other types. CT scan and TBLB showed a strong correlation with respect to the localization of the lesion (r=0.994, p<0.01). Conclusion : The above results show that TBLB is useful in the diagnosis of lung disease. CT scan and TBLB showed a strong correlation in determining the location of the lesion. Diagnostic yield of TBLB is higher in lesions with 'bronchus sign' (type I and II). TBLB and other diagnootic methods such as transthoracic needle aspiration are expected to complement one another in the diagnosis of lung diseases.

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Clinical Features in Primary Mediastinal Tuberculous Lymphadenitis (조직학적으로 증명된 결핵성 림프절염에 대한 임상적 고찰)

  • Ahn, Chul-Min;Yoo, Kwang-Ha;Park, Kwang-Ju;Kim, Hyung-Joong;Kim, Sung-Kyu;Lee, Won-Young
    • Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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    • v.46 no.6
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    • pp.767-774
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    • 1999
  • Background : Tuberculous mediastinal lymphadenitis (TML) is a relatively commonly encountered in Korea. However, there were no datas available on TML without other combined tuberculous infections in Korea. We retrospectively analyzed clinical manifestations, radiologic findings, Chest CT scan findings, the duration of treatment, and follow up Chest CT scan findings of 23 cases who had only TML. Method : 23 cases from 1991 to 1997 with TML confirmed by biopsy and had no other combined tuberculous infections were studied retrospectively. Results : Of the 23 cases, 7 cases were male and 16 female. The male to female ratio was 1 : 2.4. Mean age was 31 years and the most prevalent age group was the 3rd decade(43%). The most common presenting symptoms were fever(39%) followed by no symptom, cough, swallowing difficulty, and chest discomfort. On simple chest X-ray, mediastinal enlargement were noted in 20 cases(90%). The most frequently involved site was the paratracheal node in 11 cases with the right to left side involvement ratio being 4.6 : 1. On chest CT scan, the most commonly enlarged node was the paratracheal node(33%) followed by the subcarinal(20%), hilar(13%), tracheobronchial (8%), subaortic(8%), supraclavicular(8%) and anterior. mediastinal nodes. 6 cases were dropt out due to incomplete follow up. Thirteen cases were treated with HERZ regimen and the mean duration of treatment was 14 months. Three cases were treated with second line drug regimens(Tarivid, Pyrazinamide, Streptomycin plus Ethambutol or Para-aminosalicylic acid) for 18 months. In HERZ groups, one case was recurred after 10 months later and retreatment was done by same HERZ regimen during 12 months. Follow up chest CT scan after completion of treatment were done in 13 cases and that revealed more than a 50% decrease in size in 77% of the cases and no interval change in 23% of the cases. Conclusion : In cases of TML without other combined tuberculous infection, the minimal duration of treatment was required 12 months by HERZ regimen and 18 months by a 2nd line regimen or more. Further studies will be needed to confirm the treatment duration for TML without other combined tuberculous infections.

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The Future Prospect of the Studies on the Objectification of Sasang Constitution (사상체질진단(四象體質診斷)의 객관화(客觀化) 연구(硏究)에 대한 현황(現況) 및 전망(展望))

  • Song, Il-byung
    • Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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    • v.10 no.1
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    • pp.1-11
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    • 1998
  • Constitution means to combine the function into the body. It also includes the genetic factor and the environmental factor. Sasang Constitutional Medicine has the organized and unique ideas of the theory and the practice. So it is widly used in korea. But It has a problem to be popular. That's the objectification of Sasang constitution. There are so many studies to classify Sasang constitution analytic and objectively. I try to classify the studies to identify Sasang constitution objectively and check the problems. 1. The morphologic studies of Sasang Constitution are dividied into the figure and the face-speech through the morphologics and the phonetics. We need to standardize and make a simple method through computer software. 2. The study of the mind is used by the questionnaire about the telent, the character, and the greed each constitution. Recently QSCC II computer software is made and is used at many clinics in Korea. We need to recheck children and Taeyangin. 3. The symptom and the disease are subjective. So the study of them is usually used by some diagnostic equipments. But these have to be revaluated on the view of Oriental Medicine and Sasang Constitutional Medicine and try to study the objectification of Sasang constitution. And then we must try to objectify Sasang constitutional disease. 4. Disease and symptoms have to be studied much more about the mechanism and the relation. The study of medicine was done the way of the homeopathy using EAV. But that had some problems. So it should depend on the new science.

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Toward a Social Sciences Methodology for Electronic Survey Research on the Internet or Personal Computer check (사회과학 연구에 있어 인터넷 및 상업용 통신망을 이용한 전자설문 조사방법의 활용)

  • Hong Yong-Gee;Lee Hong-Gee;Chae Su-Kyung
    • Management & Information Systems Review
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    • v.3
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    • pp.287-316
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    • 1999
  • Cyberspace permits us to more beyond traditional face-to-face, mail and telephone surveys, yet still to examine basic issues regarding the quality of data collection: sampling, questionnaire design, survey distribution, means of response, and database creation. This article address each of these issues by contrasting and comparing traditional survey methods(Paper-and-Pencil) with Internet or Personal Computer networks-mediated (Screen-and-Keyboard) survey methods also introduces researchers to this revolutionary and innovative tool and outlines a variety of practical methods for using the Internet or Personal Computer Networks. The revolution in telecommunications technology has fostered the rapid growth of the Internet all over the world. The Internet is a massive global network and comprising many national and international networks of interconnected computers. The Internet or Personal Computer Networks could be the comprehensive interactive tool that will facilitate the development of the skills. The Internet or Personal Computer Networks provides a virtual frontier to expand our access to information and to increase our knowledge and understanding of public opinion, political behavior, social trends and lifestyles through survey research. Comparable to other technological advancements, the Internet or Personal Computer Networks presents opportunities that will impact significantly on the process and quality of survey research now and in the twenty-first century. There are trade-offs between traditional and the Internet or Personal Computer Networks survey. The Internet or Personal Computer Networks is an important channel for obtaining information for target participants. The cost savings in time, efforts, and material were substantial. The use of the Internet or Personal Computer Networks survey tool will increase the quality of research environment. There are several limitations to the Internet or Personal Computer Network survey approach. It requires the researcher to be familiar with Internet navigation and E-mail, it is essential for this process. The use of Listserv and Newsgroup result in a biased sample of the population of corporate trainers. However, it is this group that participates in technology and is in the fore front of shaping the new organizations of interest, and therefore it consists of appropriate participants. If this survey method becomes popular and is too frequently used, potential respondents may become as annoyed with E-mail as the sometimes are with mail survey and junk mail. Being a member of the Listserv of Newsgroup may moderate that reaction. There is a need to determine efficient, effective ways for the researcher to strip identifiers from E-mail, so that respondents remain anonymous, while simultaneously blocking a respondent from responding to a particular survey instrument more than once. The optimum process would be on that is initiated by the researcher : simple, fast and inexpensive to administer and has credibility with respondents. This would protect the legitimacy of the sample and anonymity. Creating attractive Internet or Personal Computer Networks survey formats that build on the strengths of standardized structures but also capitalize on the dynamic and interactive capability of the medium. Without such innovations in survey design, it is difficult to imagine why potential survey respondents would use their time to answer questions. More must be done to create diverse and exciting ways of building an credibility between respondents and researchers on the Internet or Personal Computer Networks. We believe that the future of much exciting research is based in the Electronic survey research. The ability to communicate across distance, time, and national boundaries offers great possibilities for studying the ways in which technology and technological discourse are shaped. used, and disseminated ; the many recent doctoral dissertations that treat some aspect of electronic survey research testify to the increase focus on the Internet or Personal Computer Networks. Thus, scholars should begin a serious conversation about the methodological issues of conducting research In cyberspace. Of all the disciplines, Internet or Personal Computer Networks, emphasis on the relationship between technology and human communication, should take the lead in considering research in the cyberspace.

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Primer Evaluation for the Detection of Toxigenic Microcystis by PCR (독소 생성 Microcystis 검출을 위한 PCR primer의 평가)

  • 이현경;김준호;유순애;안태석;김치경;이동훈
    • Korean Journal of Microbiology
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    • v.39 no.3
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    • pp.166-174
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    • 2003
  • Microcystin produced by cyanobacteria in surface waters, such as eutrophic lake and river, is a kind of serious environmental problems due to its toxicity to human and wild animals. Microcystin is synthesized nonribosomally by the large modular multi-functional enzyme complex known as microcystin synthetase encoded by the mcy gene cluster. Amplification of mcy genes by PCR from cultures and environmental samples is a simple and efficient method to detect the toxigenic Microcystis. In order to evaluate primers designed to detect toxic microcystin-producing strains, 17 cyanobacterial strains and 20 environmental samples were examined by PCR with 7 pairs of primers. Some microcystin-producing cyanobacteria were not detected with FAA-RAA, TOX4F-TOX4R and FP-RP primers. The fragment of unexpected size was amplified with NSZW2-NSZW1 primers in Microcystis strains isolated from the lakes in Korea. TOX1P-TOX1F primers failed in amplification of toxin-producing strains. Only MSF-MSR and TOX2P- TOX2F primers amplified the fragments of mcy genes from 11 strains of microcystin-producing Microcystis. The water samples taken from 20 lakes in Korea were analyzed by PCR using each of the primers. In all the water samples, cyanobacteria capable of producing microcystin were detected by the PCR with TOX2P-TOX2F primers. These results indicate that TOX2P-TOX2F primers are better than the other primers for detection of microcystin-producing Microcystis strains in Korea. The nucleotide sequences of mcy gene in Microcystis aeruginosa NIER10010 suggest genetic diversity of Korean isolates.

Ultrasonographic Utility for Arthroscopic Examination of Knee (슬관절 관절경 검사 시 초음파 검사의 유용성)

  • Byun, Ki-Yong;Rhee, Kwang-Jin;Kim, Kyung-Cheon;Kim, Dong-Kyu;Kim, Bo-Kun
    • The Journal of Korean Orthopaedic Ultrasound Society
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    • v.2 no.1
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    • pp.18-23
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    • 2009
  • Purpose: To evaluate the relationship between the real pathology & abnormal finding found by ultrasonography. Without an MRI test being done beforehand, an arthroscopy is done after an ultrasonography to show abnormal lesions during a knee abnormality. Materials and Methods: The subjects were 42 patients out of 49 cases, excluding those with rheumatoid arthritis, septic arthritis and patients suspected with a ligament tear, which were examined by ultrasonography alone before receiving a knee arthroscopy in our hospital from July 2007 to July 2008. In every case, a physical examination, simple X-ray and knee ultrasonography was done. An arthroscopy was performed when there was ultrasonographic abnormal finding. Before the procedure, a MRI test was not performed and when abnormal findings were found by an arthroscopy, an appropriate surgery was done. Results: During the ultrasonographic examination, there were various sized effusions in the suprapatellar pouch. Also, in addition there were eleven cases of medial meniscus abnormalities, sixteen cases of lateral meniscus abnormalities, and two cases of cystic lesions. Throughout the arthroscopic examination, there were 14 cases of medial meniscus abnormalities, 20 cases of lateral meniscus abnormalities, 15 cases of cartilage damages, 9 cases of medial pathologic plica, 2 cases of intra-articular loose bodies, 5 cases of chondromalacia, 2 cases of cyst, and 2 cases of synovitis. When an effusion abnormality was found by the ultrasonography in a suprapatellar pouch, there was a 100% probability of knee pathology. When a medial meniscus abnormality was found with an ultrasonography, there was a 90.9% probability of a real pathology. When a lateral meniscus abnormality was found there was 81.2% probability of a real pathology. Ultrasonography was 100% accurate when it came to cystic lesions. Conclusion: Knee ultrasonography performed before an arthroscopy seems to be a very useful examination method when suspecting intra-articular lesions.

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Analyzing animation techniques used in webtoons and their potential issues (웹툰 연출의 애니메이션 기법활용과 문제점 분석)

  • Kim, Yu-mi
    • Cartoon and Animation Studies
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    • s.46
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    • pp.85-106
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    • 2017
  • With the media's shift into the digital era in the 2000s, comic book publishers attempted a transition into the new medium by establishing a distribution structure using internet networks. But that effort shied from escaping the parallel-page reading structure of traditional comics. On the other hand, webtoons are showing divers changes by redesigning the structure of traditional sequential art media; they tend to separate and allot spaces according to the vertical scroll reading method of the internet browser and include animations, sound effects and background music. This trend is also in accordance with the preferences of modern readers. Modern society has complicated social structures with the development of various media; the public is therefore exposed to different stimuli and shows characteristics of differentiated perceptions. In other words, webtoons display more relevant and entertaining characteristics by inserting sounds and using moving texts and characters in specific frames, while traditional comics require an appreciation of withdrawal and immersion like other published media. Motions in webtoons are partially applied for dramatic tension or to create an effective expression of action. For example, hand-drawn animation is adopted to express motions by dividing motion images into many layers. Sounds are also utilized, such as background music with episode-related lyrics, melodies, ambient sounds and motion-related sound effects. In addition, webtoons provide readers with new amusement by giving tactile stimuli via the vibration of a smart phone. As stated above, the vertical direction, time-based nature of animation motions and tactile stimuli used in webtoons are differentiated from published comics. However, webtoons' utilization of innovative techniques hasn't yet reached its full potential. In addition to the fact that the software used for webtoon effects is operationally complex, this is a transitional phenomenon since there is still a lack of technical understanding of animation and sound application amongst the general public. For example, a sound might be programmed to play when a specific frame scrolls into view on the monitor, but the frame may be scrolled faster or slower than the author intended; in this case, sound can end before or after a reader sees the whole image. The motion of each frame is also programmed to start in a similar fashion. Therefore, a reader's scroll speed is related to the motion's speed. For this reason, motions might miss the intended timing and be unnatural because they are played out of context. Also, finished sound effects can disturb the concentration of readers. These problems come from a shortage of continuity; to solve these, naturally activated consecutive sounds or animations, like the simple rotation of joints when a character moves, is required.

Skeletal maturation associated with the fourth cervical vertebra and menarcheal timing (제4경추의 형태와 초경을 통한 성숙지표에 관한 연구)

  • Lee, Kyu-Hong;Hwang, Yong-In;Kim, Yoon-Ji;Baek, Seung-Hak;Cha, Kyung-Suk;Park, Yang-Ho
    • The korean journal of orthodontics
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    • v.38 no.1
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    • pp.52-59
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    • 2008
  • Objective: This study analyzed the morphologic changes of the fourth cervical vertebra body to determine the skeletal age of orthodontic patients during growth. Methods: Eighty-one female patients aged from 11 to 14 who had cephalograms taken on the same day were examined. The subjects were divided into three groups depending on the depth of the concavity of the lower border of the fourth cervical vertebra (Group A: less than 1.05 mm, Group B: 1.05 - 2.07 mm, Group C: greater than 2.07 mm). Menarcheal timing, SMI stage, length, width and ratio of length and width of the fourth cervical vertebra body were analyzed and the following results were obtained. Results: The average SMI stage of group A, B and C were $5.67{\pm}2.57,\;8.73{\pm}2.41,\;and\;10.00{\pm}1.47$, respectively. Length, width, ratio of length and width, and SMI stage were greater in group B than group A and in group C than group B. Mean menarcheal timing was $11.64{\pm}0.92$ years. Concavity depth, length, width, ratio of length and width showed a significant positive correlation with SMI stage, especially with the concavity depth. Conclusion: The results of this study propose a simple method for determining the timing of orthopedic treatment by measuring the concavity depth of the fourth cervical vertebra on the cephalogram.