Junghoon Lee

Kyphoplasty (KP) has been widely used to treat vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). However, the issue of new VCFs after KP remains controversial. Identification of risk factors for new VCF after KP may help prevent their occurrence in patients. This study aimed to retrospectively determine the major risk factors for new VCF after KP, including those associated with osteoporosis drugs used after kyphoplasty. We reviewed 117 patients who underwent single-level KP. During the follow-up period o

Kyphoplasty (KP) is an effective method for treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). Although the bipedicular approach is considered the main treatment approach, the unipedicular approach has also been shown to be effective. This study aimed to retrospectively compare the radiological and clinical outcomes of unipedicular and bipedicular KP in the treatment of single-level OVCFs.In total, 96 patients with single-level OVCF who received KP were divided into 2 groups: the uni

OBJECTIVE: Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) based on a liquid-based preparation is a safe and valuable diagnostic tool. However, due to unfamiliarity with this method and the considerably altered morphology that is associated with it, diagnosing renal cell carcinoma (RCC) from this type of preparation remains a challenge for cytopathologists. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytomorphological characteristics of SurePath™ (SP)-based preparations compared with conventional smear (CS

Vertebroplasty (VP) effectively treats vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). However, the issue of secondary new VCFs (SNVCFs) after VP is yet to be addressed. Therefore, identification of risk factors for SNVCFs after VP may aid the development of strategies to minimize SNVCF risk. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate risk factors for SNVCFs after VP, including those associated with the type of anti-osteoporotic treatment administered after VP. Data from 128 patients who underwent sin

Left ventricular aneurysm (LVA) and false aneurysm are complications of acute myocardial infarction, trauma, and cardiac surgery. Left ventricular false aneurysm (LVFA) is a particularly catastrophic complication owing to its high propensity for rupture. Surgical resection should be considered for LVFA occurring within three months after myocardial infarction or development of congestive heart failure. In this report, we describe a case of acute heart failure with LVA and LVFA occurring in stage

Preoperative cytologic diagnosis of solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma (SEP) presents a challenge to cytopathologists because this tumor rarely occurs as a primary thyroid malignant neoplasm. In this report, we provide the first description of liquid-based cytomorphologic findings of SEP observed on fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) of the thyroid. A 56-year-old woman with a history of Hashimoto thyroiditis presented with a growing nodule in the thyroid. The liquid-based preparation obtaine

New developments in spinal cord stimulation (SCS) have improved the treatment of patients with chronic pain. Although the overall safety of modern SCS has been established, there are no published reports regarding safety considerations when implanting a burst-mode spinal cord stimulator in patients with permanent cardiac pacemakers (PCPs). An 80-year-old man with a complete atrioventricular block implanted with a PCP was considered as a candidate for burst-mode SCS due to well-established posthe

Abstract Background and objectives Patient-controlled analgesia often involves combinations of multiple drugs. This study aimed to determine the stability of drug mixtures commonly used for intravenous patient-controlled analgesia. Materials and methods We examined four of the most commonly used drug combinations in intravenous patient-controlled analgesia at our institution. Mixtures contained fentanyl (400 μg), either oxycodone (10 mg) or hydromorphone (4 mg), nefopam (20 mg), and either ondan

Background: Cervical interlaminar epidural steroid injection (CIESI) is increasingly used as an interventional treatment for pain originating from the cervical spine. However, serious neurological complications may occur during CIESI because of direct nerve damage following inappropriate needle placement. Case report: A 35-year-old woman presented with posterior neck pain radiating to the left upper arm. Cervical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed left C6 nerve impingement. CIESI under fl

Continuous epidural analgesia (CEA) using local anesthetics is frequently used to control herpes zoster pain and prevent postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). However, few studies have been conducted to determine the efficacy of epidural drugs administered as CEA to manage PHN. This retrospective study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of CEA with ropivacaine alone or with ropivacaine and fentanyl for controlling pain caused by PHN.We reviewed the medical records of 71 patients. We studied 2 gr

Continuous epidural block (CEB) is a popular clinical method for controlling postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). However, the long-term effects of CEB on PHN have not yet been established. This study aimed to confirm the clinical efficacy of epidural electrical stimulation catheters in CEB to manage PHN.Patients were classified into 2 groups: those with subacute PHN, between 30 and 180 days after the onset of the rash; and those with chronic PHN, over 180 days after the onset of the rash. On the basis

Although epithelioid blue nevus (EBN) is a rare variant of blue nevus that was first reported in patients with Carney complex, which encompasses cardiac and cutaneous myxomas, spotty skin pigmentation, endocrine overactivity, and psammomatous melanotic schwannomas [1], it has been also documented in the absence of such clinical features [2]. Histological characteristics of EBN are variably pigmented, large epithelioid melanocytes with vesicular nuclei and prominent eosinophilic nucleoli and a sm

Although limited by lack of blinding, small study size and inclusion of pilot study data, this study suggests epidural electric stimulation improves the success rate of subsequent labor analgesia.

BACKGROUND: Continuous epidural infusions are commonly used in clinical settings to reduce the likelihood of transition to postherpetic neuralgia via pain control. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of conventional continuous epidural infusion to that of continuous epidural infusion in which the catheter is guided by electric stimulation to areas with neurological damage for the treatment of zoster-related pain and prevention of postherpetic neuralgia. METHODS: We analyzed the

Background and Objectives: Schmorl’s nodes (SNs), formed by the herniation of intervertebral discs into adjacent vertebral bodies, are generally asymptomatic and do not require treatment. However, certain types of SNs can cause intractable back pain. Case Presentation: A 63-year-old man presented to our hospital with back pain after a fall 1 month prior. Physical examination revealed back pain that worsened with movement and paraspinal tenderness. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed immed