• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.183-187
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• 2012

The use of fluoroscopy guidance together with the loss of resistance technique during epidural injections has been advocated lately; moreover, epidural injections in the absence of fluoroscopic guidance have a high rate of inaccurate needle-tip placement during the injections. However, the approach to the lower cervical and upper thoracic epidural space may be challenging due to its obscure lateral fluoroscopic views from overlying normal tissue structures. In this case, we report an alternative oblique C-arm fluoroscopy guided view approach to supplement the standard anterior-posterior and lateral fluoroscopic views to facilitate successful needle placement and precise anatomical localization of the epidural space.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.1074-1079
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• 2000

We report a case of pyogenic spondylitis on L2 and L3 with diffuse epidural abscess up to T4 to L3 and large psoas abscess. A forty-nine-year old male was presented with progressive back pain, left flank pain and ab-dominal distention, weakness of the both legs and voiding and defecation difficulty during last 2 months. Initially multiple coronal hemilaminectomies from T4 to T12 were done for the treatment of diffuse thoracic epidural ab-scess. Then second operation via left retroperitoneal approach was performed for lumbar spondylitis and psoas abscess on third day after initial operation. After removal and curettage of pyogenic psoas and epidural abscess and spondylitis (L2-L3), iliac bone grafting with Keneda instrumentation from L1 to L4 was done simultaneously. Postoperative course has been unevenful without recurrent infection. The literature on diffuse epidural and large psoas abscess with pyogenic spondylitis are reviewed and instrumentation for stabilization of pyogenic spondylitis is also discussed.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.148-152
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• 2015

The goal of cancer treatment is generally pain reduction and function recovery. However, drug therapy does not treat pain adequately in approximately 43% of patients, and the latter may have to undergo a nerve block or neurolysis. In the case reported here, a 42-year-old female patient with lung cancer (adenocarcinoma) developed paraplegia after receiving T8-10 and $11^{th}$ intercostal nerve neurolysis and T9-10 interlaminar epidural steroid injections. An MRI results revealed extensive swelling of the spinal cord between the T4 spinal cord and conus medullaris, and T5, 7-11, and L1 bone metastasis. Although steroid therapy was administered, the paraplegia did not improve.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.54 no.1
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• pp.65-67
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• 2013

Pneumorrhachis, which involves the entrapment of air or gas within the spinal canal, is a rare clinical entity, and the pathogenesis and etiologies of this uncommon entity are various and can present a diagnostic challenge. Usually, pneumorrhachis represents an asymptomatic epiphenomenon but it can produce symptoms associated with its underlying pathology. Here, we report a rare case of symptomatic epidural pneumorrhachis accompanying pneumothorax. Possible pathogenic mechanisms are discussed and a review of the literature is included.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.30 no.sup1
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• pp.144-148
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• 2001

We report a rare case of Brown-Sequard syndrome associated with Horner's syndrome in cervical epidural hematoma caused by a ruptured arteriovenous malformation. A 54-year-old man developed sudden sharp neck pain, radiating to the interscapular area. Within hours, left side hemiplegia and decreased tactile sense and loss of contralateral pain sense ensued. Emergency cervical magnetic resonance image showed an epidural hematoma over the cervico-thoracic junction. The hematoma was located in the left posterolateral area of the cervical spinal canal. Emergent decompressive laminectomy and an evacuation of the hematoma were performed. A tangled soft tissue mass found in the hematoma was proven to be an arteriovenous malformation. To the authors, knowledge, this might be the first case of a Brown-Sequard syndrome associated with Horner's syndrome caused by ruptured cervical epidural arteriovenous malformation.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.235-243
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• 1995

A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the effects, and side effects, of epidural analgesia for postoperative pain relief of 2,381 surgical patients who received general-epidural, or epidural anesthesia only. Anesthesia records, patients charts, and pain control records were reviewed and classified according to: age, sex, body weight, department, operation site, epidural puncture site, degree of pain relief by injection mode & epidural injectate, and side effects(including nausea, vomiting, pruritus, urinary retention and respiratory depression). The results were as follows: 1) From the total of 2,381 patients, there were 1,563(66%) female patients; 1.032(43%) patients were from Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2) Lower abdomen, thorax, lower extremity and upper abdomen in the operation site; and lumbar, upper, lower thoracic in puncture site were order of decreasing frequency. Length of epidural injection for pain relief averaged $1.72{\pm}1.02$ days. 3) Ninety three percent of the patients experienced mild or no pain in the postoperative course. Analgesic quality was not affected by the kind of epidural injectate. 4) Nausea occurred in 3.2% of all patients, vomiting in 1.1%, pruritus 0.9%, urinary retention 0.6%, respiratory depression 0.08%. 5) Frequency of nausea was higher with female patients compared to male patients(p<0.05). 6) Pruritus frequency was higher with male patients than female patients(p<0.05); and more frequent with patients who received epidural injection with morphine than patients who received epidural injection without morphine(p<0.01). 7) Urinary retention was higher in female patients, and more frequent with patients who had received epidural injection with morphine than epidural injection without morphine(p<0.05). 8) There were two cases of respiratory depression. The course of treatment consisted of: cessation of epidural infusion, then administration of oxygen and intravenous naloxone. We conclude that postoperative epidural analgesia with a combination of local anesthetics and opiate is and effective method for postoperative pain relief with low incidence of side effects. However, patients should be carefully evaluated as rare but severe complications of respiratory depression may ensue.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.54 no.3
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• pp.218-220
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• 2021

The simultaneous incidence of infective endocarditis and cervical spondylitis with an epidural abscess is rare, and quadriplegia as a complication after cardiac surgery is very rare. We recently observed quadriplegia after mitral valve replacement in an infective endocarditis patient with cervical spine spondylitis. With early symptom detection, immediate examination, and prompt surgical treatment, the patient successfully recovered without neurological symptoms.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.245-248
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• 2009

Ossification of the yellow ligament (OYL) is a pathologic condition that causes spinal stenosis, which is a form of ectopic ossification. OYL causes compressive myelopathy and radiculopathy. Although the pathogenesis of OYL is still unclear, diffuse mechanical stresses and degenerative changes caused by extreme ranges of motion may be related to the development of OYL in young sportsmen. Here we report an interesting case of thoracic radiculopathy due to OYL in a 35-year-old male amateur judo player who was successfully treated with continuous thoracic patient controlled epidural analgesia and epidural adhesiolysis.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.125-131
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• 2018

Background: The thoracic transforaminal epidural block (TTFEB) is usually performed to treat herpes zoster or postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Especially, multiple segmental involvements and approximate contrast medium spread range, according to volume, help to choose the proper drug volume in the transforaminal epidural block. This study investigated the contrast medium spread patterns of 1-ml to 3-ml TTFEBs. Methods: A total of 26 patients with herpes zoster or PHN were enrolled in this study. All participants received 1 ml, 2 ml, or 3 ml of contrast medium. Results were divided into Groups A, B and C based on the volume (1, 2, or 3 ml), with n = 26 for each group. After the injection of contrast medium, the spread levels were estimated in both the lateral and anteroposterior (AP) images using fluoroscopy. Results: The cephalad spread of contrast medium in the lateral image as expressed by the median (interquartile range) was 2.00 levels (1.00-2.00) for Group A, 2.50 (2.00-3.00) for Group B, and 3.00 (2.00-4.00) for Group C. The caudal spread level of contrast medium was 1.00 (1.00-2.00) for Group A, 2.00 (2.00-3.00) for Group B, and 2.00 (2.00-3.00) for Group C. There was ventral and dorsal spread of the 3-ml contrast medium injection in 88% (23/26) of cases in the lateral image. Conclusions: Injection of 3 ml of contrast medium through the foramina spread 6 levels in a cephalocaudal direction. Spread patterns revealed a cephalad preference. TTFEB resulted in dorsal and ventral spread in a high percentage of cases. This procedure may be useful for transferring drugs to the dorsal and ventral roots.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.191-198
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• 2018

Background: Patient-controlled epidural analgesia (PCEA) is known to provide good postoperative analgesia in many types of surgery including laparoscopic surgery. However, no study has compared PCEA with patient-controlled intravascular analgesia (PCIA) in laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LARP). In this study, the efficacy and side effects of PCEA and PCIA after LARP were compared. Methods: Forty patients undergoing LARP were randomly divided into two groups: 1) a PCEA group, treated with 0.2% ropivacaine 3 ml and 0.1 mg morphine in the bolus; and 2) a PCIA group, treated with oxycodone 1 mg and nefopam 1 mg in the bolus. After the operation, a blinded observer assessed estimated blood loss (EBL), added a dose of rocuronium, performed transfusion, and added analgesics. The numeric rating scale (NRS), infused PCA dose, and side effects were assessed at 1, 6, 24, and 48 h. Results: EBL, added rocuronium, and added analgesics in the PCEA group were less than those in the PCIA group. There were no significant differences in side-effects after the operation between the two groups. Patients were more satisfied with PCEA than with PCIA. The NRS and accumulated PCA count were lower in PCEA group. Conclusions: Combined thoracic epidural anesthesia could induce less blood loss during operations. PCEA showed better postoperative analgesia and greater patient satisfaction than PCIA. Thus, PCEA may be a more useful analgesic method than PICA after LARP.