Balloon Kyphoplasty for the Treatment of Vertebral Compression Fractures / 대한통증학회지

BACKGROUND: Balloon kyphoplasty is the new technique that helps to decrease the pain and improve mobility as well as restore the vertebral body height and kyphotic curve in fractured vertebrae. We evaluated the outcome of balloon kyphoplasty in the reduction of vertebral body height, kyphotic curve and clinical improvement in the patients with painful vertebral compression fractures. METHODS: From July 2002 to February 2005, 84 levels of vertebral compression fractures in 66 patients were treated with balloon kyphoplasty. The assessment criteria were the changes over time in visual analogue scale (VAS) and mobility score. We evaluated the vertebral body height and kyphotic curve at preoperative 1 day and postoperative 1 day. RESULTS: Procedures were performed in 66 patients with a total of 84 affected vertebral bodies. The anterior wall height was restored in 74 / 84 (88%) levels with a mean increment of 2.9 mm, and the mid-vertebral body height was restored in 79 / 84 (94%) levels with a mean increment of 4.2 mm. Kyphosis correction was achieved in 60 / 84 (71.4%) from 10.1 degrees to 7.5 degrees. Pain intensity reduced by 60% in one day after operation and by 75-85% in later time. Mobility scores of all patients were improved immediately after the procedure. Cement leakage occurred in 3 levels but there was no clinical problem. CONCLUSIONS: Kyphoplasty is an efficient and safe treatment of painful vertebral compression fracture in pain relief, mobility improvement, and reduction of deformity.

Optimal Dose of Rocuronium for Rapid Tracheal Intubation under Sevoflurane Anesthesia / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: There are situations in anesthesia in which it may be desirable to achieve rapid tracheal intubation. Rapid tracheal intubation with rocuronium has been studied using a probability-based approach. But these studies used intravenous anesthetics for anesthetic induction. Therefore, we aimed to predict doses of rocuronium giving 90% and 95% probabilities of intubation within 60 seconds and to estimate their action durations using sevoflurane for anesthetic induction. METHODS: Anesthesia was induced in sixty patients with sevoflurane. Patients received randomly rocuronium, 0.0, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9 or 1.2 mg/kg (n = 12/dose). Laryngoscopy began 40 seconds later, aiming for intubation at 60 seconds, and conditions were graded as either perfect, acceptable or unacceptable, with the first two conditions being taken as successful intubation. Duration of action was accepted as time until a twitch height recovery of 15%. The dose versus the fraction of patients showing successful intubation was analyzed by logistic regression. Doses giving 90% and 95% (D90 and D95) probabilities of successful intubation were calculated. RESULTS: Of the 12 patients in each group (0.0, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9 or 1.2 mg/kg), intubation was successful in 4, 10, 12, 12 and 12 patients, respectively. The D90 and D95 doses were determined to be 0.34 and 0.43 mg/kg, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: After induction with sevoflurane, rocuronium at 0.43 mg/kg, gives a 95% probability of successful intubaton at 60 seconds.