Availability of Vertebroplasty Needle as Alternative Bone Biopsy Needle for the Spinal Lesions / 대한정형외과학회잡지

Fifty-eight patients were subjects in this study. The clinical diagnosis was the presumed osteoporotic spine fractures in 48 patients, infections in seven patients, and tumors in three patients. Image-intensifier-guided closed transpedicular needle biopsy with a vertebroplasty needle (11 gauge, 120-mm length needle with a stylet Luer lock syringe) for the thoracolumbar lesions were performed under local anesthesia. The overall results showed a high histological diagnostic yield: in the 48 osteoporotic fractures, 36 (75%) were confirmed to be osteoporotic bones. In the seven infectious lesions, the lesions were confirmed to be tuberculosis in five and pyogenic in two. In the three tumors one was a malignant lymphoma, while tumor tissues were not found in two cases. No biopsy associated complications were found. The image-intensifier-guided closed vertebroplasty needle biopsy is a safe and reliable procedure with high diagnostic accuracy and should be an integral part of managing the spinal pathology.

Effect of Congenital C4–5 Synostosis on Adjacent Mobile Segments: Radiographic Assessment

Methods@#Radiograms of the 11 study subjects (six men and five women), aged 22–90 years who visited the outpatients’ clinic for various neck complaints without trauma history were examined. C4–5 synostosis was an incidental finding in all the subjects. @*Results@#All the fused bodies were inwaisted and had anterior caudal breaking but no interior corporal flaring. Adjacent segment disease was not found in eight patients aged <40 years. Disk degeneration was found at C3–4 and C5–6 in three patients each and at C6–7 in two patients. Disk degeneration was limited to the adjacent segments. @*Conclusions@#Degenerative disk changes are associated with the natural aging process, and the corporal morphology of the fused vertebral becomes inwaisted similar to that in the single vertebrae.

Effect of Congenital C4–5 Synostosis on Adjacent Mobile Segments: Radiographic Assessment

Methods@#Radiograms of the 11 study subjects (six men and five women), aged 22–90 years who visited the outpatients’ clinic for various neck complaints without trauma history were examined. C4–5 synostosis was an incidental finding in all the subjects. @*Results@#All the fused bodies were inwaisted and had anterior caudal breaking but no interior corporal flaring. Adjacent segment disease was not found in eight patients aged <40 years. Disk degeneration was found at C3–4 and C5–6 in three patients each and at C6–7 in two patients. Disk degeneration was limited to the adjacent segments. @*Conclusions@#Degenerative disk changes are associated with the natural aging process, and the corporal morphology of the fused vertebral becomes inwaisted similar to that in the single vertebrae.

Pavlov’s Ratio of the Cervical Spine in a Korean Population: A Comparative Study by Age in Patients with Minor Trauma without Neurologic Symptoms

Background@#There are many studies on the vertebral body-to-canal ratio, the so-called Pavlov’s ratio of the cervical spine. However, there are no studies on its relation with age to clarify each bony component’s contribution to the spinal canal formation and its size. The aim of this study was to investigate differences and changes in the vertebral body-to-canal ratio according to age in an asymptomatic population. @*Methods@#This is a cross-sectional study of 280 asymptomatic individuals. A total of 140 men and 140 women representing each decade of life from the first to the seventh were included in this study. The anteroposterior length of the vertebral body and canal from C3 to C6 was measured on sagittal radiographs to calculate the vertebral body-to-canal ratio. @*Results@#The average Pavlov’s ratio was significantly larger (p < 0.001) in the first decade of life. The average Pavlov’s ratio of the individuals in the first decade of life was 1.09 between C3 and C6 (1.08 at C3, 1.07 at C4, 1.11 at C5, and 1.13 at C6; range, 0.78–1.51). There was no significant difference among the other decades of life. @*Conclusions@#We assessed the Pavlov’s ratio of the cervical spine in an asymptomatic population. It is our belief that the spinal canal size is the largest in the first decade of life, and the Pavlov’s ratio becomes almost fixed throughout life after maturity.

Normal Korean Femoral Neck Anteversion, Acetabular Anteversion and Combined Anteversion Measured with Computed Tomography / 대한정형외과학회잡지

PURPOSE: The authors measured the anteversion of the femoral neck and acetabulum and the sum of the two values in normal Korean people by computed tomography. The authors examined the normal range of the values to analyze the difference in sex and sides as well as the relationship between the femoral neck and acetabular anteversion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The authors measured the anteversion of the femoral neck and acetabulum in 118 normal Korean adult males and 114 females aged between 21 and 49 on both the right and left sides by computed tomography and calculated the sum of anteversion. The authors analyzed the mean and standard deviation, and investigated the sex differences and side differences, as well as the relationship between the acetabular anteversion and femoral neck anteversion statistically. RESULTS: The anteversion of the acetabulum in males was 15.3°±6.1° on the right side and 15.3°±6.6° on the left side. The anteversion of the femoral neck in males was 5.3°±7.6° on the right side and 1.5°±9.2° on the left side according to the Hernandez et al. method. The anteversion of acetabulum in females was 16.8°±5.4° on the right side and 16.3°±5.8° on the left side. The anteversion of femoral neck in females was 10.3°±8.2° on the right side and 7.9°±8.2° on the left side according to Hernandez et al. method. No difference in acetabular anteversion, and a significant difference in the femoral neck anteversion on both the right and left sides were observed between males and females. No difference of acetabular anteversion was observed between the right and left sides, but a significant difference in femoral neck anteversion was noted between the right and left sides measured by either the Hernandez et al. method or Weiner et al. method. The Pearson coefficient revealed no correlation between the femoral neck anteversion and acetabular anteversion. CONCLUSION: No difference in the acetabular anteversion was observed, but there was a significant difference in femoral neck anteversion between males and females. A significant difference in femoral neck anteversion was observed between the right and left sides. No correlation was noted between the anteversion of the femoral neck and acetabulum.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Observations of the Conus Medullaris in a Korean Population

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study (level of evidence: level 3). PURPOSE: To study the anatomy of the conus medullaris in Koreans. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The anatomical position of the conus medullaris is well-documented in anatomy textbooks; however, the shape of the conus in the canal rarely described. Furthermore, to our knowledge, no study in Korea has not yet assessed the shape of the conus as well as its position in the canal via cadavaric dissection and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: MRI findings of 189 Korean patients aged 2–94 years (93 men and 94 women) were assessed. No subjects from other ethnicities were included. The method proposed by Arai and colleagues was used to assess the termination point and shape of the conus in the canal. The position of the intervertebral disc trisection of the vertebral body closest to the tip of the conus was recorded at the canal level. RESULTS: The tip of the conus medullaris was positioned from the upper T12 body to the L2–L3 disc, mostly in L1 bodies (52.4%), followed by the L2 bodies (22.5%), the L1–L2 disc, and the L2–L3 disc (1.1%). The shape of the conus was classified as type A in 74 (39.6%), type B in 58 (31%), and type C in 55 patients (29.4%). The conus did not terminate at the L3 body in any patient. In the first decade ones (five children) conus positioned rather lowly from L1 bodies to L2–L3 disc, and no type A conus shape, and mostly type B (80%). CONCLUSIONS: The conus medullaris was positioned mostly in the lower one-third of L1 and it in the first decades terminated lowly. No type A in the first decade one, and type B was mostly frequently formed which was followed by type C.

Outcomes of Revision Surgery Following Instrumented Posterolateral Fusion in Degenerative Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: A Comparative Analysis between Pseudarthrosis and Adjacent Segment Disease

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. PURPOSE: We examined the clinical and radiological outcomes of patients who received revision surgery for pseudarthrosis or adjacent segment disease (ASD) following decompression and instrumented posterolateral fusion (PLF). OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: At present, information regarding the outcomes of revision surgery for complications such as pseudarthrosis and ASD following instrumented PLF is limited. METHODS: This study examined 60 patients who received PLF for degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis and subsequently developed pseudarthrosis or ASD leading to revision surgery. Subjects were divided into a group of 21 patients who received revision surgery for pseudarthrosis (Group P) and a group of 39 patients who received revision surgery for ASD (Group A). Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the visual analogue scales for back pain (VAS-BP) and leg pain (VAS-LP), the Korean Oswestry disability index (K-ODI), and each patient's subjective satisfaction. Radiological outcomes were evaluated from the extent of bone union, and complications in the two groups were compared. RESULTS: VAS-LP at final follow-up was not statistically different between the two groups (p =0.353), although VAS-BP and K-ODI at final follow-up were significantly worse in Group P than in Group A (all p <0.05), and only 52% of the patients in Group P felt that their overall well-being had improved following revision surgery. Fusion rates after the first revision surgery were 71% (15/21) in Group P and 95% (37/39) in Group A (p =0.018). The rate of reoperation was significantly higher in Group P (29%) than in Group A (5%) (p =0.021) due to complications. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical and radiological outcomes were worse in patients who had received revision surgery for pseudarthrosis than in those who had revision surgery for ASD. Elderly patients should be carefully advised of the risks and benefits before planning revision surgery for pseudarthrosis.

Extensive Multiple Morel-Lavallée Lesions: A Case Report

Morel-Lavallée is a rare lesion caused by post-traumatic soft tissue injury. It usually occurs around the greater trochanter, and it occurs very rarely in the lumbar region. It is often difficult to be diagnosed in the emergency room. Delayed diagnosis may result in the need for open surgery. The authors report a patient with extensive multiple Morel-Lavallée lesions in the thoracolumbar, buttock, and thigh after trauma and provide a literature review.

Brown-Séquard Syndrome and Cervical Vertebral Fractures after Blunt Cervical Trauma in a Traffic Accident - A Case Report -

STUDY DESIGN: Case report OBJECTIVES: To report a case of Brown-Séquard syndrome after blunt cervical trauma. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: Brown-Séquard syndrome is a rare disease characterized by hemisection of the spinal cord, and it shows the best prognosis of the various types of incomplete spinal cord injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A patient with Brown-Séquard syndrome that occurred after a traffic accident was followed up for 2 years and 6 months. RESULTS: We observed normal recovery of motor strength, but sensory impairment and deep tendon hyperreflexia remained. CONCLUSIONS: Brown-Séquard syndrome is known to have a good prognosis, but in this case, the neurological abnormality did not fully recover; therefore, we report this rare case and present a review of the literature.

Herpes Zoster Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome in a HIV-infected Patient: Case Report and Literature Review

According to current evidence, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients who have undergone treatment with antiretroviral therapy are at greater risk of developing herpes zoster, not when they are severely immunocompromised, but, paradoxically, when their immune system is recovering. This is a manifestation of the immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). Here we report on a case of IRIS, presented as herpes zoster in a HIV-infected patient after undergoing highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART).

Molluscum Contagiosum as a Skin Manifestation of Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome in an AIDS Patient Who Is Receiving HAART / 가정의학회지

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which restores specific immune responses, may paradoxically cause an inflammatory reaction known as immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS). We report a patient with acquired immune deficiency syndrome, who presented Molluscum contagiosum as IRIS after HAART, the first case in Korea.

Role of phospholipase A2 in hypoxia-induced renal cell injury

The present study was designed to assess the roles of PLA2 activation and arachidonic acid (AA) metabolites in hypoxia-induced renal cell injury. Hypoxia increased LDH release in a dose-dependent manner in rabbit renal cortical slices, and this increase was significant after 20-min hypoxia. The hypoxia-induced LDH release was prevented by amino acids, glycine and alanine, and extracellular acidosis (pH 6.0). Buffering intracellular Ca2+ by a chelator, but not omission of Ca2+ in the medium produced a significant reduction in hypoxia-induced LDH release. The effect of hypoxia was blocked by PLA2 inhibitors, mepacrine, butacaine, and dibucaine. A similar effect was observed by a 85-kD cPLA2 inhibitor AACOCF3. AA increased hypoxia-induced LDH release, and albumin, a fatty acid absorbent, prevented the LDH release, suggesting that free fatty acids are involved in hypoxia-induced cell injury. These results suggest that PLA2 activation and its metabolic products play important roles in pathogenesis of hypoxia-induced cell injury in rabbit renal cortical slices.

A Case Report of Primary Aldosteronism with Sustained Hypertension After Adrenalectomy

We experienced a case of primary aldosteronism due to adrenal adenoma. The patient was 45-year old female, whose main complaints were weakness, headache, and fatigue. By use of abdominal CT scan, ultrasonogram, adrenal angiogram and by result of clinical laboratory findings, we conculuded the diagnosis of adrenal adenoma, and confirmed it by surgical and pathologucal findigs. The clinical sympyoms disappeared after left adrenalectomy, and laboratory findings of renin, aldosterone, electrolutes were normalized but hypertension persisted, so she has been managed by antihypertensives.