Clinical Experiences and Selection of Accessory Devices for Pediatric Endoscopic Foreign Body Removal: A Retrospective Multicenter Study in Korea

Background@#Swallowing of foreign bodies (FBs) is the most common indication of therapeutic endoscopy in children. Endoscopic removal may be necessary depending on the type of FB, age of the child, and location of the FB. We attempted to analyze the characteristics of each device used for the endoscopic removal of FBs in children. @*Methods@#Medical records of the patient’s age, sex, weight, type, location, size, shape, type of device used for endoscopic removal, and endoscopic time were retrospectively collected. @*Results@#A total of 424 FB removal procedures were analyzed. The average age of the patients at the time of FB removal was 4.1 ± 3.7 years. Coins were the most common FBs (192, 45.3%). The most common locations of the FBs were the esophagus (45.7%) and the stomach (48.3%), respectively. For a total of 371 cases, forceps were used in 96 cases (25.9%) for esophageal FBs and in 25 cases for gastric FBs (6.7%), while nets were used in 250 cases (67.4%) for gastric FBs retrieval; the average durations of the procedures were 7.2 ± 7.4 minutes, 8.5 ± 7.2 minutes, and 5.7 ± 7.3 minutes, respectively (P = 0.003). The procedure time was significantly shorter, in the group of patients with low body weights, when nets were used than when forceps were used to remove gastric FBs (P = 0.001). @*Conclusion@#The endoscopic procedure duration, in low-weight children, was shorter when retrieval nets were used than that with forceps.

Noise Mapping and Removal in Complex-Valued Multi-Channel MRI via Optimal Shrinkage of Singular Values.

In magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), noise is a limiting factor for higher spatial resolution and a major cause of prolonged scan time, owing to the need for repeated scans. Improving the signal-to-noise ratio is therefore key to faster and higher-resolution MRI. Here we propose a method for mapping and reducing noise in MRI by leveraging the inherent redundancy in complex-valued multi-channel MRI data. Our method leverages a provably optimal strategy for shrinking the singular values of a data matrix, allowing it to outperform state-of-the-art methods such as Marchenko-Pastur PCA in noise reduction. Our method reduces the noise floor in brain diffusion MRI by 5-fold and remarkably improves the contrast of spiral lung 19F MRI. Our framework is fast and does not require training and hyper-parameter tuning, therefore providing a convenient means for improving SNR in MRI.

Soft tissue sarcoma in neurofibromatosis type 1: A rare case of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor of the skin

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) is a rare and often aggressive soft tissue sarcoma originating from the sheaths of peripheral nerves. Approximately 50% of MPNSTs occur in patients with neurofibromatosis (NF). These tumors often present as deep soft tissue lesions, arising from the nerve plexuses of the extremities or from the nerves extending from the trunk. They rarely occur in the skin, especially in patients with NF. Herein, we report our experience with an MPNST of the skin in a patient with NF.

Dosing study of esmolol for reducing hemodynamic changes during lightwand intubation

Background@#Lightwand is a convenient tool that can be used instead of a laryngoscope for intubation. Tracheal intubation causes direct stimulation of the larynx, drastically increasing hemodynamic values including blood pressure and heart rate. This study aims to identify the effect of different doses of esmolol on hemodynamic changes during lightwand intubation. @*Methods@#The study subjects included 140 patients who underwent general anesthesia for elective surgery. The patients were randomly divided into four groups (35 patients in each group). The ‘C’ group only received 20 ml of normal saline, while the ‘E0.5’, ‘E1’, and ‘E2’ groups received 20 ml of normal saline containing esmolol—0.5 mg/kg, 1 mg/kg, and 2 mg/kg, respectively, injected 2 min prior to intubation. The patients’ blood pressure, heart rate, and rate-pressure product were measured six times, before and after the intubation. @*Results@#The degree of heart rate elevation was suppressed in the E1 and E2 groups compared to the C group, and RPP after intubation significantly decreased in the E2 group compared to the C group. @*Conclusions@#1–2 mg/kg of a single esmolol injection prior to lightwand intubation effectively blunts heart rate elevation, and 2 mg/kg of esmolol injection blunts rate-pressure product elevation.

Effect of esmolol and lidocaine on agitation in awake phase of anesthesia among children: a double-blind, randomized clinical study / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Sevoflurane is widely used to anesthetize children because of its rapid action with minimal irritation of the airways. However, there is a high risk of agitation after emergence from anesthesia. Strabismus surgery, in particular, can trigger agitation because patients have their eyes covered in the postoperative period. The aim of this study was to determine whether or not esmolol and lidocaine could decrease emergence agitation in children.@*METHODS@#Eighty-four patients aged 3 to 9 years undergoing strabismus surgery were randomly assigned to a control group (saline only), a group that received intravenous lidocaine 1.5 mg/kg, and a group that received intravenous esmolol 0.5 mg/kg and lidocaine 1.5 mg/kg. Agitation was measured using the objective pain score, Cole 5-point score, and Richmond Agitation Sedation Scale score at the end of surgery, on arrival in the recovery room, and 10 and 30 min after arrival.@*RESULTS@#The group that received the combination of esmolol and lidocaine showed lower OPS and RASS scores than the other two groups when patients awoke from anesthesia (OPS = 0 (0-4), RASS = -4 [(-5)-1]) and were transferred to the recovery room (OPS = 0 (0-8), RASS = -1 [(-5)-3]) (P  0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#When pediatric strabismus surgery is accompanied by sevoflurane anesthesia, an intravenous injection of esmolol and lidocaine could alleviate agitation until arrival in the recovery room.@*TRIAL REGISTRATION@#Clinical Research Information Service, No. KCT0002925; https://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/en/search/search_result_st01.jsp?seq=11532.

Cardiac Tamponade during Endovascular Repair of Thoracic Aortic Dissection

Endovascular aortic repair is often performed for the treatment of aortic disease because of less invasiveness and fewer complications. Cardiac tamponade is a fatal disease that can lead to death if not treated properly. Cardiac puncture by rigid guide wire used in endovascular aortic repair may cause cardiac tamponade. Rapid diagnosis and treatment are needed when cardiac tamponade occurs. Confirmation of the cardiac tamponade can be accomplished with echocardiography. Continuous echocardiography should be monitor for detection of cardiac complications during endovascular aortic repair.

Case Reports on the Effect of Stellate Ganglion Block in Patient with Postherpetic Neuralgia Accompanied by Itching

Herpes zoster is a disease that involves reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus and induces pain by injuring the nerve ganglia. We present the case of a 52-year-old woman without a notable medical history. She complained of painful itches that were causatively associated with infiltration to the ophthalmic nerve of the trigeminal nerve. Furthermore, the patient did not positively respond to antiviral agents, analgesics, and anticonvulsants. However, after inducing a stellate ganglion block, her Visual Analog Scale for pain and itching reduced from a scale of 8 to 2.

A case of intramuscular xanthelasma palpebrarum found during blepharoplasty

Xanthelasma palpebrarum is the most common cutaneous xanthoma found on the medial side of the eyelid. The typical lesion is usually a flat and yellowish plaque on the skin. However, we report on a unique case of intramuscular xanthoma found during blepharoplasty for the correction of ptosis. A 53-year-old male patient visited our department with a complaint of a ptotic eyelid. He was concerned about the cosmetic appearance and the uncomfortable feeling while opening his eyes, and wanted these problems to be solved. A yellowish plaque of about 0.3 × 0.3 cm in size was found in the orbicularis oculi muscle during the surgery. The lesion was excised and xanthelasma was confirmed with biopsy. We have found this specific case of xanthelasma palpebrarum in the only muscle. Therefore, a careful approach to clinical and histologic examination and imaging is required for patients with these lesions.

Myxoid Solitary Fibrous Tumor on the Scalp

Myxoid solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is very rare soft tissue neoplasm. It is microscopically composed of spindle cells which is individually separated by delicate band of collagen fibers. And this tumor cells are immunohisto-chemistrically highlighted by CD34. Myxoid SFT has indolent clinical course and a good prognosis, so it is important to make a diagnosis because of its morphological similarities to myxoid spindle cell neoplasms that have different prognoses and treatment. We report the case of a 20-year-old female with a myxoid SFT found in the left temporo-parietal scalp. This case report appears to be the first reported scalp occurrence of this rare tumor.

Effect of intraperitoneal CO₂ concentration on postoperative pain after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

PURPOSE: This study set out to identify the association between the intraperitoneal CO₂ concentrations and postoperative pain by dividing the participants into a control group and 2 experimental groups receiving irrigation (1 L and 2 L), and directly measuring their intraperitoneal CO₂ concentrations with a CO₂ gas detector. METHODS: A total of 101 patients, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification I and II patients aged 18–65 years were enrolled in the study. Group 1 did not receive irrigation with normal saline, while groups 2 and 3 were administered irrigation with 1 L and 2 L of normal saline, respectively, after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Intraperitoneal CO₂ concentrations were measured with a CO₂ gas detector through the port, and postoperative pain was assessed on a visual analogue scale at 6, 12, and 24 hours after surgery. RESULTS: The intraperitoneal CO₂ concentrations were 1,016.0 ± 960.3 ppm in group 1, 524.5 ± 383.2 ppm in group 2, and 362.2 ± 293.6 ppm in group 3, showing significantly lower concentrations in groups 2 and 3. Postoperative pain was significantly lower in group 3 at 6 hours after surgery, and in groups 2 and 3 at 12 hours after the surgery. However, there was no significant difference between the 3 groups in postoperative pain 24 hours after the surgery. CONCLUSION: This study found a causal relationship between the amount of normal saline used for irrigation and the intraperitoneal CO₂ concentrations in that irrigation with normal saline reduces pain on the day of the surgery.

The Effect of Different Oxygen Flow Rates via Nasal Cannula in Recovery Room after Pectus Excavatum by the Nuss Procedure

OBJECTIVE: In pectus excavatum patients, Nuss procedure provides excellent cosmetic results, but it cause hypoxemia and hypercarbia by the reduction of alveolar ventilation due to severe thorax expansion and pain after operation. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of different oxygen flow rates via a nasal cannula in recovery room after correction of pectus excavatum by Nuss procedure. METHODS: Forty patients (3–12 years old) undergoing pectus excavatum repair were randomly assigned and divided into two groups. Patients were given 200 mL/kg/min flow of 100% oxygen (group 1) and 100 mL/kg/min flow of oxygen (group 2) via nasal cannula in the recovery room. Arterial blood gas analysis and peripheral oxygen saturation were measured at arrival and after 5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes in the recovery room. RESULTS: In group 1 compared with group 2, decrease of PaCO2 (partial pressure of CO2 in arterial blood) accumulation was observed in 5, 10, and 15 minutes. Arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2) difference was not significant between the group. But, in comparison within groups, PaO2 level was significantly higher at 5, 10, 15, and 30 minutes than just after arrival at the recovery room. In both group, heart rate and systolic blood pressure were no significant difference. CONCLUSION: We recommend that 200 mL/kg/min flow of 100% oxygen should be administered to patients who were taken Nuss procedure for prevention of hypoxemia and hypercarbia in recovery rooms.

Radial Artery Occlusion after Transradial Artery Cannulation

Percutaneous arterial catheterization is a widely used technique for continuous hemodynamic monitoring and arterial blood gas analysis. There are various complications such as hemorrhage, hematoma, infection, and thrombosis. We performed a catheterization procedure to confirm that the lateral circulation of the radial artery was sufficient. The arterial blood pressure waveform was damped after catheterization. Immediately after removal of the catheter, ultrasonography and Doppler were used to confirm the formation of total thrombus in the radial artery. A thrombus was found in the radial artery and disappeared at 3 days postoperatively.

A Case of Endoscopically Treated Laryngopharyngitis Resulting from Clinostomum complanatum Infection / 대한소화기학회지

A 46-year-old woman visited our hospital presenting throat pain and globus sensation. The symptoms occurred seven days after eating raw perch and mullet. An endoscopy under sedation showed a fluke―with an approximate length of 4.8 mm and width of 1.5 mm―on the left aryepiglottic fold, with active motility on the mucosa. It was extracted from the larynx using biopsy forceps and was identified as Clinostomum complanatum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the second reported case of human infection with Clinostomum complanatum diagnosed and treated by an endoscopy in Korea. Endoscopy is a useful tool in the diagnosis and treatment of patients at risk for parasitic infections complaining of throat pain.

Morphologic changes in the spinal cord following intrathecal palonosetron-HCl injection in rats

BACKGROUND: Intravenous palonosetron-HCl, a second-generation antagonist of selective serotonin type 3 (5-HT3) receptors, can prevent chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV). 5-HT3 receptors are abundant in the lower brainstem and the substantia gelatinosa of the spinal cord, which provides a theoretical rationale for neuraxial administration of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists for CINV, PONV, and opioid-induced nausea and vomiting. However, there are no reports of neuraxial administration of palonosetron-HCl. Before neuraxial administration of a drug is accepted for clinical use, its safety must be proven. This study was conducted to determine whether neuraxial administration of palonosetron-HCl produces neurologic injury. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats under general anesthesia were catheterized intrathecally and the catheter tip was advanced caudally to the L1 vertebra. After 7 days, 20 µl of normal saline (N group, n = 6) or 20 µl (1 µg) of palonosetron-HCl (P group, n = 6) were injected intrathecally once per day for 2 weeks. Neurotoxic changes were evaluated by light microscopy (LM) and electron microscopy (EM) of the spinal cord. Behavioral changes were also evaluated in both groups. RESULTS: One of the N group rats and three of the P group rats demonstrated abnormal behavior during intrathecal drug injection, but otherwise their behavior was normal. The spinal cords of the N group did not have any abnormal findings by LM or EM. The spinal cords of the P group had multiple vacuoles in the white matter by LM, especially in the dorsal funiculus, and EM revealed myelin, axonal, and mitochondrial swelling. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that chronic intrathecal administration of palonosetron-HCl produced microscopic morphologic changes in the spinal cords of rats.

Optimizing Outcomes in the Reconstruction of Postburn Scar Hand Deformities

PURPOSE: Reconstruction of severe postburn hand deformities with flexion or extension contractures with finger webbing deformities, large hypertrophic scars of dorsal hand are frequently encountered problems in burn hand surgery. To obtain the good results after correction of various type of postburn scar hand deformities, we have used the sophisticated reconstructive procedures such as scar contracture release, skin graft, and use of acellular dermal matrix (ADM). We report reliability and usefulness of these novel updated procedures according the type of postburn hand deformities, and reviewed the literatures. METHODS: We had 82 postburn hand deformities. Among them we selected 7 patients of severe postburn hand deformities, which had different affected sites involving over 1/3 of hand. To reconstruct the finger flexion contractures, the scar contracture release and full thickness skin graft was most frequently performed. For correction of finger webbing deformities, the 5 flap Z-plasty for 1(st) web, dorsal and volar interposition flap for 2, 3 and 4 web, FTSG were used. The diffuse hypertrophic scar of dorsum of hand was reconstructed with total excision of scars, skin coverage with one piece of medium thickness STSG, and postoperative clenched hand position. The postburn palmar contractures was reconstructed with extensive contracture release followed by resurfacing with ADM (AlloDerm™) and thin STSG. The severe postburn abduction contractures of wrist was treated by total excision of scars, ADM (CGDerm™), and thin STSG. RESULTS: After 1 month to 1.6 years follow up, relatively satisfactory results were obtained in all patients. As complications, 1 case of recurrent palmar contractures, which was reconstructed with ADM (AlloDerm™) with thin STSG, were noticed. CONCLUSION: The postburn finger flexion contractures could be managed by the scar contractures release and FTSG. This method is very safe and reliable. For reconstruction of postburn finger webbing deformities, it is mandatory to use 5-flap Z-plasty for 1(st) webbing deformities, and dorsal and volar interposition flap for 2, 3 and 4(th) webbing deformities concomitantly with resurfacing with FTSG. The diffuse hypertrophic scars of dorsum of hand was managed by total excision of scars, resurfacing with one large piece of over medium thickness STSG, and postoperative clenched hand position. After release of scar contractures of hand, acellular dermal matrix (ADM) with thin STSG can be used in case of deficient FTSG donor site.

Detecting voluntary gait intention of chronic stroke patients towards top-down gait rehabilitation using EEG.

One of the recent trends in gait rehabilitation is to incorporate bio-signals, such as electromyography (EMG) or electroencephalography (EEG), for facilitating neuroplasticity, i.e. top-down approach. In this study, we investigated decoding stroke patients' gait intention through a wireless EEG system. To overcome patient-specific EEG patterns due to impaired cerebral cortices, common spatial patterns (CSP) was employed. We demonstrated that CSP filter can be used to maximize the EEG signal variance-ratio of gait and standing conditions. Finally, linear discriminant analysis (LDA) classification was conducted, whereby the average accuracy of 73.2% and the average delay of 0.13 s were achieved for 3 chronic stroke patients. Additionally, we also found out that the inverse CSP matrix topography of stroke patients' EEG showed good agreement with the patients' paretic side.

Chikungunya Virus Infection after Traveling to Surinam, South America / 대한내과학회지

Chikungunya infection is caused by an arbovirus transmitted by the Aedes mosquito. A 19-year-old man who had traveled to the Republic of Surinam to perform volunteer work complained of a fever, arthralgia, articular stiffness, and a skin rash on both the arm and trunk. Chikungunya fever was diagnosed using a Chikungunya virus specific IgM antibody in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using blood samples obtained during follow-up visits. In this report, we describe a case of imported Chikungunya fever that presented with arthralgia and a skin rash, with islands of normal skin, that occurred following travel to Surinam, South America.

Expression of neurotrophic factors in injured spinal cord after transplantation of human-umbilical cord blood stem cells in rats

We induced percutaneous spinal cord injuries (SCI) using a balloon catheter in 45 rats and transplanted human umbilical cord blood derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) at the injury site. Locomotor function was significantly improved in hUCB-MSCs transplanted groups. Quantitative ELISA of extract from entire injured spinal cord showed increased expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3). Our results show that treatment of SCI with hUCB-MSCs can improve locomotor functions, and suggest that increased levels of BDNF, NGF and NT-3 in the injured spinal cord were the main therapeutic effect.

Erratum: Efficacy of noninvasive pulse co-oximetry as compared to invasive laboratory-based hemoglobin measurement during spinal anesthesia

We have corrected the subject area.

A comparison of oxycodone and fentanyl in intravenous patient-controlled analgesia after laparoscopic hysterectomy / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: We planned to compare the effect of intravenous oxycodone and fentanyl on post-operative pain after laparoscopic hysterectomy. METHODS: We examined 60 patients were randomized to postoperative pain treatment with either oxycodone (n = 30, Group O) or fentanyl (n = 30, Group F). The patients received 10 mg oxycodone/100 microg fentanyl with ketorolac 30 mg before the end of anesthesia and then continued with patient-controlled analgesia for 48 h postoperatively. RESULTS: The accumulated oxycodone consumption was less than fentanyl during 8, 24 and 48 h postoperatively. Numeric rating score of Group O showed significantly lower than that of Group F during 30 min, 2, 4, 8 and 24 h postoperatively. The incidences of adverse reactions were similar in the two groups, though the incidence of nausea was higher in the Group O during the 24 and 48 h postoperative period. CONCLUSIONS: Oxycodone IV-PCA was more advantageous than fentanyl IV-PCA for laparoscopic hysterectomy in view of accumulated oxycodone consumption, pain control and cost beneficial effect. However, patient satisfaction was not good in the group O compared to group F.