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Purpose@#This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of deltoid ligament repair on syndesmotic stabilization in patients with acute ankle fractures with ruptured deltoid and syndesmotic ligaments. @*Materials and Methods@#The medical records of 41 patients (41 ankles) who underwent surgery for Weber type B ankle fracture with ruptured deltoid and syndesmotic ligaments were retrospectively analyzed. The mean follow-up duration was 36 months (range 18~65 months). Patients were divided into two groups: those that underwent deltoid ligament repair (the deltoid group) and those who did not (the non-deltoid group). Both groups were also divided into two subgroups, namely, the D1/S1 group, which underwent syndesmotic screw fixation, or the D2/S2 group, which did not. Medial clear space (MCS), tibiofibular clear space (TFCS), anterior fibular line (AFL) ratio, and posterior fibular line (PFL) distance were measured, and visual analog scale (VAS), American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS), and Foot Function Index (FFI) scores were evaluated. @*Results@#TFCS changed significantly after surgery in the D2 and S1 groups (p=0.01, p=0.03, respectively). Subgroup MCSs, TFCSs, and AFL ratios were not significantly altered by surgery in the four subgroups (p=0.82, p=0.45, p=0.25, respectively). However, postoperative PFL distances were significantly different in the D2 and S1 groups and the S1 and S2 groups (p=0.02, p=0.02, respectively). Mean TFCS decreased significantly after surgery in the D2 and S1 groups. The postoperative VAS, AOFAS scores, and FFI were not significantly different between the subgroups (p=0.44, p=0.40, and p=0.46, respectively). @*Conclusion@#Deltoid ligament repair seemed to restore ankle stability without addressing syndesmosis in Weber type B ankle fractures with rupture of deltoid and syndesmotic ligaments.
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Generalized pustular psoriasis of pregnancy (GPPP), characterized by widespread sterile pustules and erythematous patches with systemic symptoms such as fever, is a rare form of pustular psoriasis. GPPP typically occurs in the third trimester of pregnancy and can be triggered by various factors such as infections, hypocalcemia, and drugs including N-butyl-scopolammonium bromide. We report a rare case of new-onset GPPP in a 33-yearold multigravida female at 17 weeks’ gestation, which occurred earlier than usual, after taking hydroxychloroquine for 3 weeks to treat systemic lupus erythematosus. She stopped her medications and was treated with systemic corticosteroid, but without improvement.Her medication was changed to systemic cyclosporine; her skin lesions improved, which completely resolved after delivery. This is the first case of GPPP developed following hydroxychloroquine use for systemic lupus erythematosus, which occurred earlier than usual and completely resolved after delivery. This case demonstrates that hydroxychloroquine can induce GPPP before the third trimester of pregnancy.
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Background/Aims@#Dual priming oligonucleotide-based multiplex polymerase chain reaction (DPO-PCR) has recently been used for both the detection of Helicobacter pylori and the identification of H. pylori 23S ribosomal RNA point mutations that cause clarithromycin resistance.The aim of this study was to investigate the duration of effective standard triple therapy in a clarithromycin susceptible group and of bismuth-based quadruple therapy in a resistant group based on DPO-PCR. @*Methods@#We retrospectively analyzed the electronic medical records of 184 patients who, between September 2019 and December 2020, received eradication therapy following detection of H. pylori, and the subsequent identification of the clarithromycin susceptibility of their H. pylori using DPO-PCR. Patients were treated with 7- or 14-day standard triple therapy in the clarithromycin susceptible group, whereas 7- or 14-day bismuth-based quadruple therapy in the clarithromycin resistance group. @*Results@#In the clarithromycin susceptible group, per-protocol analyses showed eradication rates of 87.5% (42/48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 77.1% to 95.8%) for 7-day therapy and 87.2% (41/47; 95% CI, 78.7% to 95.7%) for 14-day therapy (p=0.969). The eradication rates in the clarithromycin resistance group were 91.4% (32/35; 95% CI, 80.0% to 100.0%) for 7-day therapy and 90.3% (28/31; 95% CI, 77.4% to 100.0%) for 14-day therapy (p=0.876). There was no significant difference in the eradication rates, patient compliance, or rate of adverse events between the 7-and 14-day therapies for both groups. @*Conclusions@#Compared to the 14-day therapy, 7-day eradication therapy is sufficient after DPO-PCR-based clarithromycin susceptibility testing.
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Background@#This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of three-column reconstruction of the lower leg using a singlebarrel contralateral vascularized fibular graft (VFG), medial locking plate, and the ipsilateral fibula for the repair of large tibial defects after tumor resection. @*Methods@#In this retrospective study, we reviewed 12 patients who underwent three-column reconstruction using a single-barrel contralateral VFG, medial locking plate, and the ipsilateral fibula between June 1996 and May 2020. These patients had large tibial bone defects following tumor resection. The mean age of the patients was 26.3 years (range, 11–63 years), and 7 of them were women. The mean follow-up period was 104.8 months (range, 26–284 months). The mean size of the tibial bone defect after tumor resection was 17.8 cm (range, 11–26.8 cm). The clinical and radiological outcomes were evaluated at the final follow-up. @*Results@#All patients survived beyond the final follow-up without recurrence of the primary bone tumor. The mean time from reconstruction to bony union at both host-graft junctions was 12.9 months (range, 4–36 months). The mean Musculoskeletal Tumor Society score was 82.3% (range, 60%–97%). All tibial defects were reconstructed with adequate bone healing. There were 4 cases of stress fracture and graft failure; these were resolved by using longer plates and more screws. All patients were ambulatory without assistance and showed no permanent complications. @*Conclusions@#Large tibial defects that occur after tumoral resection can be effectively reconstructed by three-column reconstruction using a medial locking plate, an inlay single-barrel VFG harvested from the contralateral side, and the intact ipsilateral fibula.This technique permits early weight-bearing before fibular hypertrophy and bony union.
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Background/Aims@#Intragastric balloon (IGB) is the only available endoscopic bariatric and metabolic therapy in Korea. End-ball (Endalis) has the longest history of clinical use among the IGBs available in Korea. However, little clinical data on this system have been reported. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of End-ball in Korea. @*Methods@#We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients who underwent IGB insertion (End-ball) from 2013 to 2019. Demographic and anthropometric data were collected. The efficacy and safety of IGB treatment were analyzed. @*Results@#In total, 80 patients were included. Mean age was 33.7 years and 83.8% were female. Initial body mass index was 34.48±4.69 kg/m2. Body mass index reduction was 3.72±2.63 kg/m2 at the time of IGB removal. Percent of total body weight loss (%TBWL) was 10.76%±6.76%. Percentage excess body weight loss was 43.67%±27.59%. Most adverse events were minor, and 71.4% of participants showed nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain. @*Conclusions@#IGB treatment showed good efficacy and safety profile in Korean patients with obesity. In terms of %TBWL and percentage excess body weight loss, the efficacy was similar to that in the Western population.
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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder characterized by upper airway obstruction during sleep. To reduce the morbidity of OSA, sleep specialists have explored various methods of managing the condition, including manifold positive airway pressure (PAP) techniques and surgical procedures. Nasal obstruction can cause significant discomfort during sleep, and it is likely that improving nasal obstruction would enhance the quality of life and PAP compliance of OSA patients. Many reliable studies have offered evidence to support this assumption. However, few comprehensive guidelines for managing OSA through nasal surgery encompass all this evidence. In order to address this gap, the Korean Society of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (KORL-HNS) and the Korean Society of Sleep and Breathing designated a guideline development group (GDG) to develop recommendations for nasal surgery in OSA patients. Several databases, including OVID Medline, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and KoreaMed, were searched to identify all relevant papers using a predefined search strategy. The types of nasal surgery included septoplasty, turbinate surgery, nasal valve surgery, septorhinoplasty, and endoscopic sinus surgery. When insufficient evidence was found, the GDG sought expert opinions and attempted to fill the evidence gap. Evidence-based recommendations for practice were ranked according to the American College of Physicians’ grading system. The GDG developed 10 key action statements with supporting text to support them. Three statements are ranked as strong recommendations, three are only recommendations, and four can be considered options. The GDG hopes that this clinical practice guideline will help physicians make optimal decisions when caring for OSA patients. Conversely, the statements in this guideline are not intended to limit or restrict physicians’ care based on their experience and assessment of individual patients.
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Purpose@#Outcome analysis of urachal cancer (UraC) is limited due to the scarcity of cases and different staging methods compared to urothelial bladder cancer (UroBC). We attempted to assess survival outcomes of UraC and compare to UroBC after stage-matched analyses. @*Materials and Methods@#Total 203 UraC patients from a multicenter database and 373 UroBC patients in single institution from 2000 to 2018 were enrolled (median follow-up, 32 months). Sheldon stage conversion to corresponding TNM staging for UraC was conducted for head-to-head comparison to UroBC. Perioperative clinical variables and pathological results were recorded. Stage-matched analyses for survival by stage were conducted. @*Results@#UraC patients were younger (mean age, 54 vs. 67 years; p < 0.001), with 163 patients (80.3%) receiving partial cystectomy and 23 patients (11.3%) radical cystectomy. UraC was more likely to harbor ≥ pT3a tumors (78.8% vs. 41.8%). While 5-year recurrence-free survival, cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival were comparable between two groups (63.4%, 67%, and 62.1% in UraC and 61.5%, 75.9%, and 67.8% in UroBC, respectively), generally favorable prognosis for UraC in lower stages (pT1-2) but unfavorable outcomes in higher stages (pT4) compared to UroBC was observed, although only 5-year CSS in ≥ pT4 showed statistical significance (p=0.028). Body mass index (hazard ratio [HR], 0.929), diabetes mellitus (HR, 1.921), pathologic T category (HR, 3.846), and lymphovascular invasion (HR, 1.993) were predictors of CSS for all patients. @*Conclusion@#Despite differing histology, UraC has comparable prognosis to UroBC with relatively favorable outcome in low stages but worse prognosis in higher stages. The presented system may be useful for future grading and risk stratification of UraC.
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Background@#Implant-based immediate breast reconstruction surgery with nipple-sparing mastectomy has recently been favored by patients. However, in patients who do not wish to undergo balancing procedures, it is difficult to select the appropriate implant size, making it challenging to achieve a symmetrical breast shape. Therefore, this study investigated the differences in breast asymmetry and other complications in patients who underwent a two-stage procedure or direct-to-implant (DTI) breast reconstruction to determine whether the two-stage procedure can produce more favorable outcomes. @*Methods@#The participants of this study were patients who underwent immediate two-stage breast reconstruction or DTI breast reconstruction from May 2018 to April 2022, did not receive postoperative radiotherapy, and did not wish to undergo any balancing procedures. An acellular dermal matrix was used for breast reconstruction in all patients, and a single reconstructive surgeon performed all the operations. Statistical significance was set at P<0.05. @*Results@#No significant differences in complications were found between the patients who underwent DTI breast reconstruction and those who underwent two-stage breast reconstruction. In the two-stage breast reconstruction group, breast volume asymmetry was observed in 18.4% (seven patients), which was significantly lower than the percentage of 44.7% (17 patients) observed in the DTI group. @*Conclusions@#Breast asymmetry was observed in a significant proportion of the patients in both groups. However, because breast volume asymmetry was more common in the DTI group than in the two-stage breast reconstruction group, two-stage breast reconstruction may be a favorable method for patients who do not wish to undergo balancing procedures.
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Purpose@#The prognostic significance and treatment of lateral pelvic lymph node metastasis (mLPLN) in rectal cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) are not well understood. In this study, we evaluated the impact of mLPLN identified in imaging modality on outcomes. @*Methods@#Between January 2008 and December 2016, 1,535 patients who underwent radical resection following nCRT were identified. The association between mLPLN and disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), local recurrencefree survival (LRFS), and pelvic recurrence-free survival (PRFS) was analyzed, along with risk factors associated with OS and DFS. @*Results@#Overall, 329 (21.4%) of the 1,535 patients experienced disease recurrence; 71 (4.6%) had local recurrence, 25 (1.6%) had pelvic recurrence, and 312 (20.3%) had distant recurrence. The pre- and post-nCRT mLPLN (–) groups had better DFS, LRFS, PRFS, and OS than the (+) groups. LPLN sampling (LPLNs) was implemented in 24.0% of the pre-nCRT mLPLN (+) group and in 28.8% of the post-nCRT mLPLN (+) group. There was no significant difference in OS and LRFS between LPLNs group and no LPLNs group in pre- and post-nCRT mLPLN (+) groups. Pre-nCRT mLPLN was associated with poor OS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.43; P = 0.009) and post-nCRT mLPLN was associated with poor DFS (HR, 1.49; P = 0.002). @*Conclusion@#Pre- and post-nCRT mLPLN (+) have different prognostic effects. Post-nCRT mLPLN appears to be more important for disease control. However, pre-nCRT mLPLN should not be disregarded when devising a treatment strategy since it is an independent risk factor for OS.
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Purpose@#This study aimed to evaluate the use of active surgical co-management (SCM) by medical hospitalists for urology inpatient care. @*Materials and Methods@#Since March 2019, a hospitalist-SCM program was implemented at a tertiary-care medical center, and a retrospective cohort study was conducted among co-managed urology inpatients. We assessed the clinical outcomes of urology inpatients who received SCM and compared passive SCM (co-management of patients by hospitalists only on request; March 2019 to June 2020) with active SCM (co-management of patients based on active screening by hospitalists; July 2020 to October 2021). We also evaluated the perceptions of patients who received SCM toward inpatient care quality, safety, and subjective satisfaction with inpatient care at discharge or when transferred to other wards. @*Results@#We assessed 525 patients. Compared with the passive SCM group (n=205), patients in the active SCM group (n=320) required co-management for a significantly shorter duration (p=0.012) and tended to have a shorter length of stay at the urology ward (p=0.062) and less frequent unplanned readmissions within 30 days of discharge (p=0.095) while triggering significantly fewer events of rapid response team activation (p=0.002). No differences were found in the proportion of patients transferred to the intensive care unit, in-hospital mortality rates, or inpatient care questionnaire scores. @*Conclusion@#Active surveillance and co-management of urology inpatients by medical hospitalists can improve the quality and efficacy of inpatient care without compromising subjective inpatient satisfaction.
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Aortic endograft infection (AEI) is a rare but life-threatening complication of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR). The clinical features of AEI range from generalized weakness and mild fever to fatal aortic rupture or sepsis. The diagnosis of AEI usually depends on clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, and imaging studies. Management of Aortic Graft Infection Collaboration (MAGIC) criteria are often used to diagnose AEI. Surgical removal of the infected endograft, restoration of aortic blood flow, and antimicrobial therapy are the main components of AEI treatment. After removing an infected endograft, in situ aortic reconstruction is often performed instead of an extra-anatomic bypass. Various biological and prosthetic aortic grafts have been used in aortic reconstruction to avoid reinfection, rupture, or occlusion. Each type of graft has its own merits and disadvantages. In patients with an unacceptably high surgical risk and no evidence of an aortic fistula, conservative treatment can be an alternative. Treatment results are determined by bacterial virulence, patient status, including the presence of an aortic fistula, and hospital factors. Considering the severity of this condition, the best strategy is prevention. When encountering a patient with AEI, current practice emphasizes a multidisciplinary team approach to achieve an optimal outcome.
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Purpose@#Numerous studies have reported the effects of interrupting prolonged sitting with aerobic exercise on vascular and postprandial function, but the effects of resistance exercise for interrupting prolonged sitting remain unclear. We tested the hypothesis that intermittent resistance activity breaks would attenuate prolonged sittinginduced vascular and postprandial metabolic dysfunction. @*Methods@#Fourteen healthy adults (age, 24±2 years; body mass index, 22.0±2.4 kg/m2 ) completed two trials in a randomized cross-over design. During a 4-hour sitting after a high-fat meal, the participants underwent either resistance activity (RA) with 10 repetitions of five exercises every hour or uninterrupted sitting as a control trial (SIT). Plasma glucose, triglycerides, and brachial artery blood pressure, along with blood flow and shear rate in the superficial femoral artery and carotid artery were measured at baseline and every hour during the 4-hour sitting period. Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was measured at baseline, 2 hours, and 4 hours after the start of the sitting. @*Results@#Plasma glucose and triglycerides increased after a high-fat meal in both RA and SIT groups without a significant interaction effect. In addition, while SIT group decreased brachial artery FMD (7.2%±2.0% to 6.5%±2.7% to 5.1%±2.6%), RA did not attenuate a decrease in FMD (7.6%±3.4% to 7.3%±3.1% to 6.7%±2.7%, interaction p=0.581). @*Conclusion@#Our findings indicate that interrupting prolonged sitting with intermittent RA did not attenuate the negative effects of sitting on vascular function and postprandial metabolism in young healthy adults.
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Background/Aims@#There are limited studies on the management of hepatic hemangiomas (HHs). We investigated the proportion and predictors of surgical resection and analyzed HH growth rates in addition to associated factors. @*Methods@#A retrospective case-control study of patients treated in 2 centers was conducted. Thirty-six patients who underwent surgical resection were assigned to the case group. Patients who did not undergo surgical treatment were randomly sigselected at a 1:10 ratio and assigned to the control group (n = 360). Baseline characteristics, clinical course and surgical outcomes were analyzed. @*Results@#The proportion of surgically treated HH patients was 0.3% (36 per 11,049). The longest diameter at diagnosis (mean ± standard deviation) was 7.7 ± 5.2 cm in the case group and 2.4 ± 1.8 cm in the control group (p 10 cm (OR 10.50, 95% CI 1.06–103.77, p = 0.04). The subgroup analysis showed substantial growth in 41.3% with an overall mean annual growth rate of 0.14 cm. @*Conclusions@#Approximately one in 300 patients with an HH underwent surgical treatment. Multiple HHs and a growth rate of more than 4.8%/year were indications for surgical treatment. Nearly half of the HHs showed growing pattern in our study.
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Background/Aims@#Metachronous gastric cancer (MGC) can occur after endoscopic resection for gastric cancer. Further studies on factors other than Helicobacter pylori infection are needed. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate risk factors for metachronous recurrence of endoscopically resected gastric cancer. @*Methods@#We searched medical literature published by February 2023 and identified patients with MGC after endoscopic resection for gastric cancer. The occurrence of MGC and the presence of intestinal metaplasia (IM), severe atrophic gastritis (AG), and H. pylori infection were quantitatively analyzed. @*Results@#We identified 2,755 patients from nine cohort studies who underwent endoscopic resection for gastric cancer by 2018. Those with severe AG or presence of IM had a significantly higher incidence of MGC than those without (RR 2.00, 95% CI 1.35–2.98, I2 = 52% for severe atrophy on antrum; RR 7.08, 95% CI 3.63–13.80, I2 = 0% for antral IM). Absolute risk difference of MGC occurrence was 7.1% in those with severe AG and 9.2% in those with IM. The difference in incidence rate per 1,000 person-years was 17.5 person-years for those with severe AG and 24.7 person-years for those with IM. However, H. pylori eradication did not significantly affect the occurrence of MGC (RR 1.18, 95% CI 0.88–1.59, I2 = 10%). @*Conclusions@#Gastric cancer patients with severe AG or presence of IM had a 2.0-fold or 7.0-fold higher risk of MGC occurrence after endoscopic resection than those without, respectively. They need more stringent follow-up to monitor MGC occurrences (CRD42023410940).
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A 51-year-old man with a 10-day history of acute-onset dysphagia presented with inability to swallow anything orally. The patient was unable to swallow any radiopaque contrast medium; therefore, a videofluoroscopic swallow study could not be performed. Brain imaging, neurological findings, and initial endoscopy findings were normal. Neck computed tomography suggested left vocal cord paralysis. The patient was diagnosed with diabetes one year prior to presentation but did not receive any treatment. Insulin therapy during hospitalization controlled the patient’s blood glucose levels, and his symptoms improved without any sequelae. We present a rare case of vocal cord paralysis secondary to controlled diabetes. The initial endoscopic examination did not include thorough evaluation of the vocal cords; therefore, accurate diagnosis was challenging in this case.
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Immunoglobulin G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is an immune-mediated fibroinflammatory disease. IgG4-RD can affect any organ system, including the pancreas, bile ducts, salivary glands, mesentery, and retroperitoneum. On the other hand, small intestine involvement is extremely rare. This paper describes a case of IgG4-RD involving the small bowel, particularly at the distal ileum. An 81-year-old female was admitted to the authors’ hospital complaining of abdominal pain, dyspepsia, and hematochezia. The laboratory tests, including tumor markers and IgG4, were within normal limits. A colonoscopy did not show any abnormal findings. Abdominal computed tomography revealed segmental aneurysmal dilatation and wall thickening at the distal ileum, suggesting malignant conditions, such as small bowel lymphoma. The patient underwent an exploratory laparoscopy and ileocecectomy to differentiate a malignancy. A histopathology examination revealed dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltration, storiform fibrosis, and IgG4-positive plasma cells (>50 per high power field). The patient was finally diagnosed with IgG4-RD. The patient was followed up in the outpatient clinic for five years without recurrence. This paper suggests that a radical resection without maintenance therapy can be a treatment option, particularly when the IgG4-RD manifests as a localized gastrointestinal tract lesion.
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Objective@#Phentermine is a commonly used weight-loss agent in the United States, but there is a little information about the use of phentermine for patients with obesity taking antipsychotic medications. @*Methods@#We gathered 57 patients with obesity taking antipsychotic medications whose phentermine treatment was simultaneous with or after any type of antipsychotic exposure and collected data of clinical information, initial/follow-up anthropometric variables, and adverse events (AEs) for the 6-month study period. @*Results@#In total, the mean body weight reduction (BWR) was 4.45 (7.04) kg, and the mean BWR percent (BWR%) was 3.92% (6.96%) at 6 months. Based on the response to phentermine, the patients were classified into two groups: the responder (n=25; BWR% ≥5%) and nonresponder (n=32; BWR% <5%) groups. The responder group’s mean BWR and BWR% were 10.13 (4.43) kg and 9.35% (4.09%), respectively, at 6 months. The responders had higher rates of anticonvulsant combination therapy (ACT; responder, 72.0% vs. non-responder, 43.8%; p=0.033) and a shorter total antipsychotic exposure duration (responder, 23.9 [16.9] months vs. non-responder, 37.2 [27.6] months; p= 0.039). After adjusting age, sex, and initial body weight, ACT maintained a significant association with phentermine response (odds ratio=3.840; 95% confidence interval: 1.082–13.630; p=0.037). In the final cohort, there was no report of adverse or new-onset psychotic symptoms, and the common AEs were sleep disturbances, dry mouth, and dizziness. @*Conclusion@#Overall, phentermine was effective and tolerable for patients with obesity taking antipsychotic medications, and ACT (predominantly topiramate) augmented the weight-loss effect of phentermine.
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Objective@#Cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has emerged as a noninvasive method to quantitatively assess bowel motility. However, its accuracy in measuring various degrees of small bowel motility has not been extensively evaluated. We aimed to draw a quantitative small bowel motility score from cine MRI and evaluate its performance in a population with varying degrees of small bowel motility. @*Materials and Methods@#A total of 174 participants (28.5 ± 7.6 years; 135 males) underwent a 22-second-long cine MRI sequence (2-dimensional balanced turbo-field echo; 0.5 seconds per image) approximately 5 minutes after being intravenously administered 10 mg of scopolamine-N-butyl bromide to deliberately create diverse degrees of small bowel motility. In a manually segmented area of the small bowel, motility was automatically quantified using a nonrigid registration and calculated as a quantitative motility score. The mean value (MV) of motility grades visually assessed by two radiologists was used as a reference standard. The quantitative motility score’s correlation (Spearman’s ρ) with the reference standard and performance (area under the receiver operating characteristics curve [AUROC], sensitivity, and specificity) for diagnosing adynamic small bowel (MV of 1) were evaluated. @*Results@#For the MV of the quantitative motility scores at grades 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3, the mean ± standard deviation values were 0.019 ± 0.003, 0.027 ± 0.010, 0.033 ± 0.008, 0.032 ± 0.009, and 0.043 ± 0.013, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between the quantitative motility score and the MV (ρ = 0.531, P < 0.001). The AUROC value for diagnosing a MV of 1 (i.e., adynamic small bowel) was 0.953 (95% confidence interval, 0.923–0.984). Moreover, the optimal cutoff for the quantitative motility score was 0.024, with a sensitivity of 100% (15/15) and specificity of 89.9% (143/159). @*Conclusion@#The quantitative motility score calculated from a cine MRI enables diagnosis of an adynamic small bowel, and potentially discerns various degrees of bowel motility.
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Objective@#This study compared the epidemiological changes before and after the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in a single center. This study analyzed the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. @*Methods@#Eight hundred and sixty-one out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients were included in the analysis. Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients from January 20, 2018, to January 19, 2020, were used as the control group, and those between January 20, 2020, and January 19, 2022, were used as the study group. The collected data were evaluated using a Student t-test, chi-square test, and logistic regression analysis. @*Results@#During the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of cardiac arrests witnessed at the field level decreased. In the transport stage, mechanical CPR increased and the method for securing the airway had many changes. Transport distances, response times, and on-scene times have increased. Survival discharge from hospital decreased from 9.5% to 5.8% (P=0.045), and good neurological outcomes decreased from 8% to 4% (P=0.017). According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, good neurological outcomes (adjusted odds ratio, 0.299; 95% confidence interval, 0.116-0.772) were significantly lower after the onset of COVID-19. @*Conclusion@#With the outbreak of COVID-19, there have been many changes in the pre-hospital stages of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients, and the neurological outcomes have also deteriorated. This continued throughout the pandemic period.
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Purpose@#Internal fixation after a femoral neck fracture (FNF) is one of the conventional treatment options for the young and active elderly patients. However, fixation failure of internal fixation is a probable complication. The treatment of fixation failure after a primary internal fixation of the FNF remains a challenge. @*Materials and Methods@#Between July 2002 and March 2017, 83 patients who underwent internal fixation after FNF were retrospectively analyzed. Radiological assessments, including Pauwels’ angle, fracture level, reduction quality, and bone union, were measured, preoperatively and postoperatively.Moreover, intraoperative variables such as time to surgery, surgical time, and estimated blood loss were also evaluated. @*Results@#The patients were divided into the fixation failure and the non-failure groups. Among the 83 patients, 17 cases (20.5%) of fixation failure after the primary internal fixation of the FNF were identi-fied. When comparing the two groups according to the radiographic data, Pauwels’ angle and the reduction quality based on Garden’s angle showed significant differences (p<0.001). Moreover, when comparing the intraoperative variables, unlike the surgical time and estimated blood loss, significant differences were noted in the time interval from injury to surgery and specifically in whether the surgery was performed within 12 hours after injury (p<0.001). @*Conclusion@#Pauwels’ angle, reduction quality, and time to surgery are the major factors that can predict the possibility of internal fixation failure of the FNF. Early and accurate anatomical reduction is needed to decrease complications after the internal fixation of the FNF.