Suk-Jeon Oh

Objective : Transpedicular screw fixation has some disadvantages such as postoperative back pain through wide muscle dissection, long operative time, and cephalad adjacent segmental degeneration (ASD). The purposes of this study are investigation and comparison of radiological and clinical results between interspinous fusion device (IFD) and pedicle screw. Methods : From Jan. 2008 to Aug. 2009, 40 patients underwent spinal fusion with IFD combined with posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). I

Objective : This study was aimed to identify the incidence and risk factors of vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) colonization in neurosurgical practice of field, with particular attention to intensive care unit (ICU). Methods : This retrospective study was carried out on the Neurosurgical ICU (NICU), during the period from January. 2005 to December. 2007, in 414 consecutive patients who had been admitted to the NICU. Demographics and known risk factors were retrieved and assessed by statis

Objective : Bilateral C1-2 transarticular screw fixation (TAF) with interspinous wiring has been the best treatment for atlantoaxial instability (AAI). However, several factors may disturb satisfactory placement of bilateral screws. This study evaluates the usefulness of unilateral TAF when bilateral TAF is not available. Methods : Between January 2003 and December 2007, TAF was performed in 54 patients with AAI. Preoperative studies including cervical x-ray, three dimensional computed tomogram,

Telomerase adds telomeric repeats to the ends of telomeres to compensate for their progressive loss. A favorable prognosis is associated with low or no telomerase in some tumors. The authors investigated whether telomerase activity is associated with survival of patients with brain tumors. Sixty-two consecutive patients with brain tumors underwent surgery, and their surgical specimens were investigated. The patients were pathologically categorized as group I (aggressive group) and group II (non-

Objective : Contrary to some clinical belief, there were quite a few studies regarding animal models of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in vivo suggesting that prior use of statins may improve outcome after ICH. This study reports the effect of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase inhibitor, simvastatin given before experimental ICH. Methods : Fifty-one rats were subjected to collagenase-induced ICH, subdivided in 3 groups according to simvastatin treatment modality, and beh

Objective : Lumbar spinal stenosis is increasingly recognized as a common cause of low back pain in elderly patients. Conservative treatment has been initially applied to elderly patients, however, surgical treatment is sometimes indispensable to relieve severe pain. We retrospectively examine the age-related effects on the surgical risk, and results following general anesthesia and operative procedure in geriatric patients for two different age groups of at least 65years old. Methods : Consecut

Objective：The authors studied the feasibility of 3-Dimensional computed tomographic angiography(3-D CTA) in early surgery for poor grade patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH), therefore intended to verify the eligibility of this diagnostic tool in these special clinical settings. Methods：During the period between July 1997 and December 2000, we studied 31 patients diagnosed as aneurysmal SAH that were classified as the Hunt-Hess grade IV or V and Fisher group III or IV. As the c

Objective：To evaluate the efficiencies, shortcomings and complications of intraventricular(IVT) vancomycin instillation for controlling the postcraniotomy ventriculitis, the authors retrospectively studied clinical, radiological and microbiological profiles of such patients. Methods：We reviewed medical records and radiological findings of eleven patients with postcraniotomy ventriculitis managed between 1995 and 1999. External ventricular drainage(EVD) was performed for the purpose of retrievi

Objective : Cerebral edema develops in the brain tumors by loosening of the endothelial tight junction. Tight junction(TJ) proteins, such as occludin and claudin bind adjacent cells tightly. Authors examine the expression rate of occludin in human brain tumors to evaluate the effect of altered expression of occludin on cerebral edema. Methods : Seventy surgical specimens stored at -70。C were used. It included 14 astrocytic tumors, 27 meningiomas, 12 scwannomas, 7 pituitary adenomas, 6 hemangiobl

Coexistence of an intracerebral vascular malformation and a brain tumor is an infrequent occurrence. Seven such cases have been reported in the literatures. We report a case of coexistence of arteriovenous malformation and pleomorphic xanthoastrocytoma. A 29-year-old woman was admitted with presentation of headache for 20 days. MR images showed an intra-axial mass in the right lateral ventricle, which was coexisted with arteriovenous malformation in the right frontal region. Pathological finding

Objective：The authors report a retrospective analysis of the clinical effect of dorsal root entry zone (DREZ) lesioning for neuropathic intractable pain. Methods：Fourteen patients who underwent dorsal root entry zone lesioning for various types of pain between September 1995 and August 2001 were evaluated retrospectively. Eleven male and three female patients whose ages ranging from 35 to 70 were studied. According to causes of intractable pain, patients were divided into paraplegic pain(7 pati

Atlantoaxial subluxation causing spinal cord compression at the craniovertebral junction may develop in patients with rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis. There have been only a few reports of atlantoaxial subluxation in patients with psoriatic arthritis in the world. The authors report a case of psoriatic arthritis with atlantoaxial subluxation accompaning periodontoid pannus formation. This 53-year-old man with a 3-year history of psoriatic skin lesion presented with nuchal pain and myelopathy.

Abstract Phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) is a primary enzyme in phenylalanine metabolism, dysfunction of which leads to the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU). Several missense mutations in the PAH gene are associated with PKU due to toxic accumulation of phenylalanine in the blood and urine. The appropriate PAH protein level in cells is regulated by E3 ligases and deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs). In this study, we identified USP43 as a negative regulator of PAH protein stability. We demon

Objective：The authors report the various factors which correlated with the intraoperative rupture during aneurysm surgery. Methods：Retrospective study was done in patients who had been perfomed aneurysmal neck clipping by same surgeon from January 1998 to May 2000. A total of 121 patients were operated by using the microsurgical technique of aneurysmal neck clipping and intraoperative ruptures occurred during dissection in 19 cases and aneurysmal neck clipping in 12 cases. In this study, the in

We present a case of acute subarachnoid hemorrhage in a 64-year-old male with sudden onset of left ophthalmoplegia. Cerebral angiography demonstrated a 10mm elongated aneurysmal sac which arose from the left internal carotid-anterior choroidal artery junction. The pterional approach was performed as an early surgery for aneurysm clipping. At operative field, the anterior choroidal artery aneurysm which directed posteromedially and compressed the origin of left oculomotor nerve was confirmed. And