Long-Term Ultrasonography Follow-Up of Thyroid Colloid Cysts at the Health Center: A Single-Center Study

Objective. No previous study has employed long-term follow-up ultrasonography (US) examinations for evaluating thyroid colloid cysts (TCCs) in the general population. This study aimed to assess the interval changes of TCCs at the health center by evaluating long-term US follow-up examinations. Methods. For evaluation of the thyroid gland at our health center from 2006 to 2010, 3692 individuals underwent 4 or more thyroid US examinations at an interval of 1 year or 2 years. We assessed the interval changes of TCCs ≥ 5 mm on US follow-up examinations. Results. Of the 3692 subjects, only 115 (3.1%) showed TCCs ≥ 5 mm on one or more thyroid US examinations. The interval changes in TCCs, as shown by the thyroid US examinations performed during the study period, were classified as follows: no interval change (n=60), gradual increase (n=37), gradual decrease (n=6), positive fluctuation (n=10), negative fluctuation (n=0), and disappearance (n=2). No subject reported any relevant symptom pertaining to TCCs. Conclusions. Overall, follow-up US examinations showed various interval changes in TCCs, but a majority of TCCs showed no interval change or a gradual increase in size

Comparison of bare metal stent and paclitaxel-eluting stent using a novel rat aorta stent model

The purpose of our study was to create a novel rat aorta stent implantation model. Stainless steel bare metal stents (BMS) or paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) were implanted in male Sprague-Dawley rats (BW 400 ± 20 g). Two and four weeks after stent implantation, the aorta were collected, fixed with 2% glutaraldehyde, and cut into two segments. One segment was used for scanning electron microscopy analysis to evaluate re-endothelialization, and the other segment was used to calculate the neointimal area. At 2 weeks after stenting, the appearance of neointimal hyperplasia was less in the PES group than in the BMS group. At 4 weeks after stenting, no significant difference in neointimal hyperplasia was observed between two groups. On the other hand, the PES group showed more thrombus formation and less re-endothelialization compared to the BMS group. This study demonstrated the ability of a novel rat model of aorta stenting via a common carotid artery to measure the efficacy and safety of commercially available drug-eluting stents

Epidemiologic survey of head and neck cancers in Korea.

Head and neck cancers have never been systematically studied for clinical purposes yet in Korea. This epidemiological survey on head and neck cancer patients was undertaken from January to December 2001 in 79 otorhinolaryngology resident-training hospitals nationwide. The number of head and neck cancer patients was 1,063 cases in the year. The largest proportion of cases arose in the larynx, as many as 488 cases, which accounted for 45.9%. It was followed by, in order of frequency, oral cavity (16.5%), oropharynx (10.0%), and hypopharynx (9.5%). The male:female ratio was 5:1, and the mean age was 60.3 yr. Surgery was the predominant treatment modality in head and neck cancers: 204 (21.5%) cases were treated with only surgery, 198 (20.8%) cases were treated with surgery and radiotherapy, 207 cases (21.8%) were treated with combined therapy of surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy. Larynx and hypopharynx cancers had a stronger relationship with smoking and alcohol drinking than other primary site cancers. Of them, 21 cases were found to be metastasized at the time of diagnosis into the lung, gastrointestinal tract, bone, or brain. Coexisting second primary malignancies were found in 23 cases. At the time of diagnosis, a total of 354 cases had cervical lymph node metastasis accounting for 42.0%

Computed Tomography Features of Incidentally Detected Diffuse Thyroid Disease

Objective. This study aimed to evaluate the CT features of incidentally detected DTD in the patients who underwent thyroidectomy and to assess the diagnostic accuracy of CT diagnosis. Methods. We enrolled 209 consecutive patients who received preoperative neck CT and subsequent thyroid surgery. Neck CT in each case was retrospectively investigated by a single radiologist. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of individual CT features and the cut-off CT criteria for detecting DTD by comparing the CT features with histopathological results. Results. Histopathological examination of the 209 cases revealed normal thyroid (n=157), Hashimoto thyroiditis (n=17), non-Hashimoto lymphocytic thyroiditis (n=34), and diffuse hyperplasia (n=1). The CT features suggestive of DTD included low attenuation, inhomogeneous attenuation, increased glandular size, lobulated margin, and inhomogeneous enhancement. ROC curve analysis revealed that CT diagnosis of DTD based on the CT classification of “3 or more” abnormal CT features was superior. When the “3 or more” CT classification was selected, the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and accuracy of CT diagnosis for DTD were 55.8%, 95.5%, 80.6%, 86.7%, and 85.6%, respectively. Conclusion. Neck CT may be helpful for the detection of incidental DTD