Incidence of fistula after primary cleft palate repair: a 25-year assessment of one surgeon’s experience

Background@#Cleft lip and cleft palate are the most frequent congenital craniofacial deformities, with an incidence of approximately 1 per 700 people. Postoperative palatal fistula is one of the most significant long-term complications. This study investigated the incidence of postoperative palatal fistula and its predictive factors based on 25 years of experience at our hospital. @*Methods@#We retrospectively reviewed 636 consecutive palatal repairs performed between January 1996 and October 2020 by a single surgeon. Data from patients’ medical records regarding cleft palate repair were analyzed. The preoperative extent of the cleft was evaluated using the Veau classification system, and the cleft palate repair technique was chosen according to the extent of the cleft. SPSS version 25.0 was used for all statistical analyses, and exploratory univariate associations were investigated using the t-test. @*Results@#Fistulas occurred in 20 of the 636 patients; thus, the incidence of palatal fistula was 3.1%. The most common fistula location was the hard palate (9/20, 45%), followed by the junction of the hard and soft palate (6/20, 30%) and the soft palate (5/20, 25%). The cleft palate repair technique significantly predicted the incidence of palatal fistula following cleft palate repair (P=0.042). Fistula incidence was significantly higher in patients who underwent surgery using the Furlow double-opposing Z-plasty technique (12.1%) than in cases where the Busan modification (3.0%) or two-flap technique (2.0%) was used. @*Conclusions@#The overall incidence of palatal fistulas was 3.1% in this study. Moreover, the technique of cleft palate repair predicted fistula incidence.

Treatment Strategy for Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears

Recently, patients with shoulder pain have increased rapidly. Of all shoulder disorders, rotator cuff tears (RCTs) are most prevalent in the middle-aged and older adults, which is the primary reason for shoulder surgery in the population. Some authors have reported that up to 30% of total RCTs can be classified as irreparable due to the massive tear size and severe muscle atrophy. In this review article, we provide an overview of treatment methods for irreparable massive RCTs and discuss proper surgical strategies for RCTs that require operative management.

Role of Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug in Treatment of Extra-abdominal Desmoid Tumors

BACKGROUND: We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of patients who had been treated with meloxicam for the extra-abdominal desmoid tumors and evaluated the correlation between clinical outcome and clinic pathological variables. METHODS: Twenty patients treated with meloxicam were followed up every 3 to 6 months. Meloxicam administration was planned at 15 mg/day orally for 6 months. RESULTS: Of the 20 patients evaluated, according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria, there were five patients with partial response (25.0%), eight with stable disease (40.0%), and seven with tumor progression (35.0%). The cumulative probability of dropping out from our nonsurgical strategy using meloxicam was 35.0% at 1 year and 35.0% at 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: The present study suggests that conservative treatment would be a primary treatment option for this perplexing disease even though we were not able to determine that the use of a cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor would have an additional influence on the natural course of a desmoid tumor.

Improvement of Osteoporosis Medication after Multimodal Intervention in Patients with Hip Fracture: Prospective Multicenter Study

BACKGROUND: The authors had earlier conducted a retrospective cohort study from 2008 to 2011 in Jeju Island, among 945 hip fracture patients above 50 years of age. Of these 945 patients, 344 patients (36.4%) underwent a bone mineral density test and 218 patients (23.1%) received treatment for osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to determine whether a patient education program could improve osteoporosis management after hip fracture. The data of the previous study was used for comparison. METHODS: From November 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015, 190 patients above 50 years of age who were admitted for hip fractures at six different hospitals, were enrolled in the present study. During the hospitalization period, patients underwent education sessions and were provided brochures. Patients were evaluated for diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis at six months after discharge and were followed-up for at least a year. RESULTS: Of the 222 patients with hip fractures, 190 patients (37 men, 153 women) were enrolled at six hospitals in 2015. Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry was performed on 115 patients (60.5%) and 92 patients (48.4%) were prescribed medication for osteoporosis at the time of discharge. A total of 43.7% and 40.2% of the patients were found to be compliant with osteoporosis medication at 6 months and 12 months follow-up respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This interventional multicenter study demonstrated that a patient education program in patients with hip fractures can improve compliance to osteoporosis medication up to 12 months of follow-up.

Double-Layered Medial Meniscus / 대한정형외과학회잡지

We report on the case of double-layered medial meniscus, which was overlying anterior to mid portion of the medial meniscus. The upper accessory meniscus was connected to the anterior portion of the normal medial meniscus. And its periphery was connected to the joint capsule. The posterior portion of the upper accessory meniscus was connected to the joint capsule. This case demonstrates an interesting and rare anatomical abnormality of the medial meniscus. We report on the case with a review of the literature.

Age-Related Incidence of Cervical Spondylosis in Residents of Jeju Island

STUDY DESIGN: Cervical spine radiograms of 460 Jeju islanders. PURPOSE: To investigate the age-matched incidences and severity of the cervical disc degeneration and associated pathologic findings. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: Several related studies on the incidences of disc and Luschka's and facet joint degeneration have provided some basic data for clinicians. METHODS: Cervical radiographs of 460 (220 males and 240 females) patients in their fourth to ninth decade were analyzed. Ninety patients in their third decade were excluded because of absence of spondylotic findings. RESULTS: Overall incidence of cervical spondylosis was 47.8% (220 of 460 patients). The percentile incidences of spondylosis in the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth decade was 13.2% (10 of 76 patients), 34.6% (37 of 107 patients), 58.9% (66 of 112 patients), 58.8% (50 of 85 patients), 70.3% (45 of 64 patients) and 75.0% (12 of 16 patients), respectively. The percentile incidences of one, two, three, four and five level spondylosis among 220 spondylosis patients was 45.5% (n=100), 34.1% (n=75), 15.0% (n=33), 4.5% (n=10), and 0.9% (n=2). Severity of disc degeneration ranged from ± to ++++, and was ± in 6.0% (24 segments), + in 49.6% (198 segments), ++ in 35.3% (141 segments), +++ in 9.0% (36 segments) and ++++ in 0.25% (one segment). Spurs and anterior ligament ossicle formed at the spondylotic segments, mostly at C4~6. The rate of posterior corporal spurs formation was very low. Olisthesis and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament were rarely combined with spondylosis. Cervical lordotic curve decreased gradually according to the progress of severity of spondylosis. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of cervical spondylosis and number of spondylotic segments increase, and degeneration gradually becomes more severe with age.

Ulnar Neuropathy Caused by a Schwannoma in the Guyon's Cannal / 대한정형외과학회잡지

Guyon's canal syndrome is a compression neuropathy of the ulnar nerve entrapment at the wrist. Compression of the ulnar nerve at the wrist by a ganglion, lipomas, diseases of the ulnar artery, fractures of the hamate and trauma is a common etiological factor. We report on a rare case of ulnar neuropathy caused by a schwannoma at the level of Guyon's canal.

Recurrent Acute Pericarditis Induced by 5-aminosalicylates in a Patient with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is an idiopathic chronic inflammation of the intestines. IBD treatment may require anti-inflammatory agents such as sulfasalazine or 5-aminosalicylate (5-ASA) and immunomodulators to control the symptoms. However, these agents have a variety of common adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting, skin rash, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and infections. Moreover, rare side effects such as nephrotic syndrome, pneumonitis, and pericarditis can occur. A 21-year-old male was admitted to the hospital due to acute chest pain, fever, and sweating. The patient had a history of Crohn's disease and had been taking mesalazine for 3 weeks. Chest x-ray, echocardiography, and clinical manifestations revealed that the patient had acute pericarditis. However, we did not recognize the relationship between these findings and 5-ASA at that time. Two years later, the patient took 5-ASA again, and similar symptoms occurred, which led us to confirm that he suffered from pericarditis induced by this drug. We report a case of acute recurrent pericarditis that developed after taking 5-ASA for IBD treatment with a review of the literature.

Efficacy of Duoderm(R) CGF in Split-thickness Skin Graft Donor Site Management

PURPOSE: The optimal treatment of the split-thickness skin graft donor sites remains an unresolved issue. The donor sites have been treated with various and plenty of dressing techniques and materials. Medifoam(R) is a polyurethane foam dressing material and this is widely used in treatment of burn wounds and split-thickness skin graft donor sites. But sometimes there are exudates collections or hematomas on the surface of donor sites and these would delay the wound healing. We have performed a prospective study to evaluate the efficacy of Duoderm(R) CGF for removing the exudates or hematomas from donor sites. METHODS: This prospective study is based on 10 patients who had undergone split-thickness skin graft and had severe exudates or hematoma collections on donor sites from September 2010 to February 2011. All cases were harvested with same dermatome, and thickness is between 0.005 and 0.010 inch. We applied Duoderm(R) CGF to remove on postoperative day 3 in almost cases. We compared no problem area and exudates or hematomas existing area with complete healing day. RESULTS: The mean compete healing day of two areas were 8.6 and 10.0 days. The difference between no problem area and exudates or hematomas existing area was 1.4 days. There was no infection or inflammation on donor sites after using Duoderm(R) CGF. CONCLUSION: Duoderm(R) CGF dressing is a safe and effective management to remove exudates collections or hematomas on the surface of split-thickness skin graft donor sites during treatment.

A Study on Middle-Aged People's Preparation for Old Age Life and Their Perception of Long-term Care Facilities

PURPOSE: The study was to get basic data on the well-being of middle-aged people concerning their preparation for their upcoming old age and their quality of life. METHODS: The subjects were 440 people aged between 40 and 59 living in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. RESULTS: First, physical preparation for old age was affected by religion, children, health, monthly income, and economical status, and these factors were shown statistically significant. Emotional preparation and spiritual preparation were also related to the above-mentioned factors. Secondly, in the subjects' mental picture, a nursing home was a place for the aged without anyone who is going to take care of them and without abilities to care of themselves. Preference for nursing home was based on two factors, i.e., nursing and treatment care, and the cost was about one million won per month. Also they wanted that the government should pay a certain amount for private users. CONCLUSION: Therefore, people should lead a life of good health-related habits along with economical preparation for their old age.

Clinical evaluation of hemochromatosis with end-stage renal disease / 대한내과학회지

Hemochromatosis is almost always a consequence of treatment for anemia in long term hemodialysis patients who have undergone frequent blood transfusions and iron therapy. Clinically, iron overload may be a serious problem for some maintenance hemodialysis patients and it may be manifested as organ dysfunctions. So, it is important to diagnose iron overload early and restrict blood transfusions and the administration of iron agents in these patients. We recently experienced one case of suspected primary hemochromatosis in a long term hemodialysis patient, and we evaluated the patient by checking the serum ferritin level and performing liver biopsy. Treatment with desferrioxamine was started with recombinant erythropoietin. We report on this case with a brief review of the literature.