Benefits of Surgeon-Performed Office-Based Ultrasonography / 대한이비인후과학회지

Background and Objectives@#The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits of ultrasonography performed by a surgeon rather than a radiologist.Subjects and Method This retrospective study enrolled 122 cases of ultrasonography performed by a head and neck surgeon and 116 cases of the same examination performed by a radiologist before surgery. The time intervals between the first visit and surgery were compared in both groups. @*Results@#The average waiting time for surgery after the first hospital visit was significantly reduced when a surgeon performed the ultrasound examination. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in sampling inadequacy rate on thyroid fine needle aspiration (FNA) between FNA performed by a head and neck surgeon and a radiologist. @*Conclusion@#Surgeons can utilize ultrasound as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool in an office-based setting. For patients, diagnosis and treatment provided by a single doctor will lead to more efficient outcomes.

Comparative Analysis About Clinical Manifestation and Prognostic Factors of Thyroid Follicular and Hurthle Cell Carcinoma / 대한이비인후과학회지

Background and Objectives@#Follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) is the second common thyroid cancer which comprises about 10% of differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Hurthle cell carcinoma (HCC) is a relatively rare disease that has been classified as a subtype of FTC. However, there have been insufficient reports about these two similar thyroid cancers in South Korea due to low incidences. This study aims to present clinical features and evaluate prognostic factors of FTC and HCC.Subjects and Method We reviewed data of 189 FTC and 12 HCC patients who underwent surgery in our center from January 2000 to December 2020. Variables such as clinical characteristics, surgical method, pathologic result, post-operative treatment, survival rate and prognostic factors were included in our study. @*Results@#As for age, 67.2% of patients in FTC group and 33.3% of patients in HCC group were older than 55 years-old (p=0.017). The average tumor sizes of FTC and HCC were 2.98 and 3.1 cm, respectively. The 10-year overall survival rates of FTC and HCC were 96.5% and 100%, respectively. The 10-year disease free survival rates of FTC and HCC were 89.1% and 91.7%, respectively. Subclassification (widely invasive: p=0.036) and initial distant metastasis (p<0.001) were significant prognostic factors in FTC. @*Conclusion@#This study will be helpful for diagnosis and treatment of FTC and HCC, which are relatively rare.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss of Suspected Autoimmune Etiology: Two Cases of Cogan’s Syndrome / 대한이비인후과학회지

Cogan’s syndrome is a rare inflammatory disease characterized by non-syphilitic keratitis and vestibulo-auditory symptoms including hearing loss, tinnitus, and vertigo. Although its precise pathogenesis is not known, Cogan’s syndrome is generally considered an autoimmune disease. This hypothesis is supported by the frequently successful remission of hearing loss after steroid administration and the association with other autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. Medical treatment of Cogan’s syndrome depends on disease severity and on how extensive the disease is. The involvement of inner ear pathology requires systemic corticosteroid therapy. In cases of treatment failure or the need for a corticosteroid-sparing effect, other immunosuppressive drugs can be used. We experienced two patients with typical Cogan’s syndrome, presenting bilateral progressive sensorineural hearing loss and dizziness with ocular involvement, which we have successfully treated with systemic steroid administration and immunosuppressive therapy.

Comparison of Usefulness of Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration and Core Needle Biopsy in Diagnosis of Cervical Lymphadenopathy / 대한이비인후과학회지

Background and Objectives@#The purpose of this study is to compare diagnostic outcome and safety of fine needle aspiration (FNA) and core needle biopsy (CNB) in patients with cervical lymphadenopathy. Subjects and Method This retrospective studies were conducted on 164 cases with cervical lymphadenopathy that had undergone FNA, and 44 cases that had undergone CNB. The cytopathological results from FNA and CNB were compared with the histopathological results confirmed by excisional biopsy in the nodes according to different sizes and radiological levels, respectively. Diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy were evaluated according to disease entities. @*Results@#FNA is more accurate than CNB in most of the sizes and at all cervical levels. However, there is no statistically significant difference between the results of the two tests. Sensitivity and NPV for diagnosis of malignant lymphoma are higher with FNA than with CNB. However, specificity and PPV for malignant lymphoma are higher with CNB than with FNA. Also CNB showed superior sensitivity, PPV and NPV for metastatic lymphadenopathy. @*Conclusion@#Although CNB is beneficial in reducing the false negative rate, it still has several limitations. Since CNB has no statistically significant advantage over FNA, FNA can be a good alternative method with less complication and high diagnostic value for lesions where CNB is difficult to perform.

Correlation of NUF2 Overexpression with Poorer Patient Survival in Multiple Cancers / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Purpose@#NUF2 has been implicated in multiple cancers recently, suggesting NUF2 may play a role in the common tumorigenesis process. In this study, we aim to perform comprehensive meta-analysis of NUF2 expression in the cancer types included in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). @*Materials and Methods@#RNA-sequencing data in 31 cancer types in the TCGA data and 11 independent datasets were used to examine NUF2 expression. Silencing NUF2 using targeting shRNAs in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines was used to evaluate NUF2’s role in HCC in vitro and in vivo. @*Results@#NUF2 up-regulation is significantly observed in 23 out of the 31 cancer types in the TCGA datasets and validated in 13 major cancer types using 11 independent datasets. NUF2 overexpression was clinically important as high NUF2 was significantly associated with tumor stages in eight different cancers. High NUF2 was also associated with significantly poorer patient overall survival and disease-free survival in eight and six cancers, respectively. We proceeded to validate NUF2 overexpression and its negative association with overall survival at the protein level in an independent cohort of 40 HCC patients. Compared to the non-targeting controls, NUF2 knockdown cells showed significantly reduced ability to grow, migrate into a scratch wound and invade the 8 μm porous membrane in vitro. Moreover, NUF2 knockdown cells also formed significantly smaller tumors than control cells in mouse xenograft assays in vivo. @*Conclusion@#NUF2 up-regulation is a common feature of many cancers. The prognostic potential and functional impact of NUF2 up-regulation warrant further studies.

Expanding transcatheter aortic valve replacement into uncharted indications

Since the first-in-man transcatheter delivery of an aortic valve prosthesis in 2002, the landscape of aortic stenosis therapeutics has shifted dramatically. While initially restricted to non-surgical cases, progressive advances in transcatheter aortic valve replacement and our understanding of its safety and efficacy have expanded its use in intermediate and possibly low surgical risk patients. In this review, we explore the past, present, and future of transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

Impact of surgical case order on perioperative outcomes for robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy

Since its introduction, there have been many refinements in the technique and implementation of robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy [RARP]. However, it is unclear whether operative outcomes are influenced by surgical case order. We evaluated the effect of case order on perioperative outcomes for RARP within a large health maintenance organization. We conducted a retrospective review of RARP cases performed at our institution from September 2008 to December 2010 using a single robotic platform. Case order was determined from surgical schedules each day and surgeries were grouped into 1[st], 2[nd] and 3[rd] round cases. Fourth round cases [n = 1] were excluded from analysis. We compared clinicopathological variables including operative time, estimated blood loss [EBL], surgical margin rates and complication rates between groups. Of the 1018 RARP cases in this cohort, 476 [47%] were performed as 1[st] round cases, 398 [39%] 2[nd] round cases and 144 [14%] 3[rd] round cases by a total of 18 surgeons. Mean operative time was shorter as cases were performed later in the day [213 min vs. 209 min vs. 180 min, P < 0.0001] and similarly, EBL also decreased with surgical order [136 mL vs. 134 mL vs. 103 mL, P = 0.01]. Transfusion rates, surgical margin rates and complication rates did not significantly differ between groups. Patients undergoing RARP later in the day were much more likely to have a hospital stay of 2 or more days than earlier cases [10% vs. 11% vs. 32%, P = 0.01]. Surgical case order may influence perioperative outcomes for RARP with decreased operative times and increased length of hospital stay associated with later cases. These findings indicate that select perioperative factors may improve with ascending case order as the surgical team "warms up" during the day. In addition, 3[rd] round cases can increase hospital costs associated with increased lengths of hospital stay. Knowledge of these differences may assist in surgical planning to improve outcomes and limit costs