ABSTRACT
Background@#Although pregnant or lactating women have been recognized to be predisposed to de Quervain’s tenosynovitis (DQT), there is a lack of epidemiologic evidence. The purpose of this study was to estimate the nationwide incidence of pregnancy-related DQT (PRDQT) and to analyze risk factors using the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) database. @*Methods@#A retrospective epidemiologic study of pregnant women in South Korea from 2013 to 2017 was conducted using the NHI claims database. Using corresponding diagnostic codes, we identified women diagnosed with DQT during pregnancy or the postpartum period. We calculated the cumulative incidence and analyzed risk factors such as demographics, pregnancy type, delivery method, gestational complications, and comorbidities using multivariate logistic regression analysis. @*Results@#Between 2013 and 2017, 34,342 patients with PRDQT were identified among 1,601,501 pregnant women, representing a cumulative incidence of approximately 2.1%. Age ≥ 30 years, multiple gestation, cesarean delivery, hypertensive disorders in pregnancy, and underlying rheumatoid arthritis were all identified as significant risk factors for the occurrence of PRDQT, whereas diabetic disorders in pregnancy and underlying diabetes mellitus were not. @*Conclusions@#In South Korea, PRDQT was found to affect approximately 2.1 out of 100 pregnant women between 2013 and 2017. The incidence and risk factors identified in this study can be used for clinical consultations and prediction, as well as for development of national health policies.
ABSTRACT
Objectives@#The aim of this study was to analyze the usefulness of functional myelography in patients with a mismatch between symptoms and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings.Summary of Literature Review: Functional myelography was a widely-used diagnostic tool decades ago, although it has been considered to be an old-fashioned technique since MRI was invented. Despite its invasiveness, functional myelography can be a useful method, with advantages in axial loading situations in symptomatic patients and its dynamic element at the point of imaging. @*Materials and Methods@#From May 2017 to December 2018, 141 patients who underwent MRI, functional myelography, and surgical treatment were included, and the MRI and functional myelography results were compared. The independent-samples t-test and chi-square test were used to compare parameters, surgical results, and diagnoses using both methods between the matched and mismatched groups. The Fisher exact test was used for post hoc testing. @*Results@#Ten patients (7.1%) had different diagnoses based on MRI and functional myelography. All of these patients’ symptoms matched the functional myelography results, and the patients had non-significantly different visual analogue scale scores for pain in both groups. The diagnoses made by MRI showed statistically significant differences, all of which were negative, in the mismatched group, but the patients did not show a significant difference when diagnosed by functional myelography. We performed surgical treatment according to the functional myelography results, and the patients’ symptoms were relieved, without a statistically significant difference. @*Conclusions@#In patients with a mismatch between symptoms and MRI findings, functional myelography can be a useful additional diagnostic tool.