Nasopharyngeal stenosis is defined as a morphological transition of narrowing at the nasopharyngeal region. A 2-yearold, castrated male, Korean short hair cat was referred to the animal medical center, Gyeongsang National University. According to clinical signs, diagnostic imaging, and physical examination, nasopharyngeal stenosis was diagnosed. The staphylectomy was performed using a CO2 laser, and there were not any post-operative complications. The patient was discharged in two days. This report describes the case of nasopharyngeal stenosis in cat and represents that laser ablation could be a good option for surgical management of the nasopharyngeal region with a low complication rate.

Background: Previous studies have reported that improving the spinal stability could be more effective in the prevention and treatment of recurrence. Lumbar stabilization exercise is known to strengthen the lumbar extension muscles and enhance physical, psychological and social functions. Objectives: To investigated the effect of lumbar spiral stenosis on the kinetic link training and lumbar stabilization exercise. Design: A randomized controlled trial. Methods: Study was preformed by randomly allocated 28 LSS participants into a kinetic link training group (KLT, n=14) and a lumbar stabilization exercise group (LSE, n=14). Kinetic link training and lumbar stabilization exercise were performed to subjects in both groups 5 times a week for 6 weeks. To verify the effect of LSS, changes in VAS, ODI, and proprioception before and after intervention were observed. Results: In KLT, statistically significant changes were found in VAS, ODI, and Proprioception before and after intervention. In LSE, there were significant changes in VAS and ODI before and after intervention. KLT and LSE before and after intervention indicated significant differences in proprioception. Conclusion: KLT and LSE are applied to LSS, there are effects of pain decrease, lumbar recovery and proprioception improvement.

Background: Patients with lumbar spinal stenosis show abnormal changes in muscle activity due to pain and limited range of motion of the lumbar spine. Excessive increased muscle tone and decreased muscle activity patterns threaten the patients’ quality of life. However, there have been a few studies showing how to improve muscle performance in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. Among these, joint mobilization is one way of improving muscle performance through pain relief and increasing the range of motion. Objectives: To investigate the effect of lumbar mobilization by orthopedic manual physical therapy on paravertebral muscle activity and tone in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis. Design: A randomized controlled trial. Methods: In this study, 24 patients with lumbar spinal stenosis were randomized (1:1 ratio) into two groups. The experimental group underwent lumbar posteroanterior mobilization, and the control group underwent conventional physical therapy (conventional transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) for 15 minutes each. For outcome measures, MyotonⓇPRO was used to evaluate muscle tone when resting of the paravertebral muscle in the pain area. For muscle activity evaluation, the reference voluntary contraction of the paravertebral muscle was evaluated using surface electromyography. Results: Muscle tone and activity were significantly improved after intervention in both the experimental and control groups. In addition, the experimental group showed more significant decrease in muscle tone and activity than the control group. Conclusion: These results suggest that lumbar mobilization improving muscle performance in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.

Background: In patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), lumbar flexion exercise (LFE) is considered a standard therapeutic exercise that widens the space between the spinal canal and intervertebral foramen. However, some researchers have reported that lumbar extension exercise (LEE) may improve lumbar pain and functional ability in patients with LSS. Although exercise intervention methods for patients with LSS have been widely applied in clinical settings, few studies have conducted comparative analysis of these exercise methods. Objects: This study aimed to compare the effects of LFE, LEE, and lumbar flexion combined with lumbar flexion-extension exercise (LFEE) on pain, range of motion (ROM), pelvic tilt angle, and functional gait ability in patients with LSS. Methods: A total of 30 patients with LSS, LFE (n1=10), LEE (n2=10), and LFEE (n3=10) were assigned to each of the three exercise groups. The numerical pain rating scale (NPRS), modified-modified schober test (MMST)-flexion, MMST-extension, pelvic tilt inclinometer, and 6-minute walking test (6MWT) were measured. Results: After the intervention, statistically significant differences were observed in the NPRS (p=.043), MMST-flexion (p<.001), MMST-extension (p<.001), and 6MWT (p=.005) between groups. According to the post hoc test, the NPRS was statistically significant difference between the LFEE and LEE groups (p=.034). The MMST-flexion was statistically significantly different between the LFE and LEE (p=.000), LFE and LFEE (p=.001), and LEE and LFEE (p=.001) groups. The MMST-extension was statistically significantly different between the LFE and LEE (p<.001), LFE and LFEE (p=.002), and LEE and LFEE (p=.008) groups. The 6MWT was statistically significantly different between the LFE and LFEE (p=.042) and the LEE and LFEE (p=.004) groups. Conclusion: This study suggested that LFEE was the most effective exercise for pain and functional gait ability in patients with LSS, LFE was the most effective exercise for lumbar flexion ROM, and LEE was the most effective exercise for lumbar extension ROM.

Background: Surgery has been known as an inefficient approach to reduce back pain in patients with lumbar spinal stenosis; therefore, non-surgical treatments are necessary. However, there has been little research to analyze the effect of non-surgical treatments on lumbar spinal stenosis pain. Objective: To identify the effectiveness of 2 physiotherapeutic treatment approaches to relieve pain due to lumbar spinal stenosis. Design: Randomized controlled trial Methods: The participants were 36 lumbar spinal stenosis patients who were randomized in the joint mobilization group (JMG) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation group (TENSG). Joint mobilization (JM) was conducted at the posteroanterior joint in the spinous process of the lumbar spine with stenosis. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was applied on the lumbar spine with stenosis at a high frequency and intensity. Results: Visual analog scale (VAS) pain score significantly decreased in both groups, and the VAS value decreased more after JMG than that after TENSG. The pain thresholds of both groups also significantly increased, and that of JMG increased more compared to TENSG. In both the groups, significant improvements in VAS and pain thresholds were found, and JMG showed better results than TENSG. Conclusions: JM and TENS showed significant relief in both pain threshold and painpain, and JM showed more advanced relief compared to TENS.

Background: The continuous co-contraction of the trunk muscles through trunk stabilization exercises is important to patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). However, intentional abdominal muscle contraction (IAMC) for trunk stabilization has been used only for specific training in the treatment room. Objects: The purpose of this study was to provide feedback to adults with LSS to enable IAMC during activities of daily living (ADLs). Methods: The participants with spinal stenosis were divided into an experimental group of 15 adults and a control group of 16 adults. Electromyographic signals were measured while the subjects kept their both hands held up at 90°. The measured muscles were the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), internal oblique (IO), and erector spinae (ES). Pelvic tilt was measured using a digital pelvic inclinometer. The degree of pain was measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS) and functional capacity was measured using the Korean version of the Oswestry disability index (KODI). Results: While the experimental group showed statistically significantly higher activities in the RA, EO, and IO after the intervention compared with the control group. Pelvic tilt was significantly decreased only in the experimental group. Both the experimental and control groups exhibited statistically significant declines in the VAS and KODI (p<.01). In terms of the levels of changes, the experimental group exhibited a statistically significant larger decline only in the VAS and the pelvic tilt when compared with the control group (p<.05). Conclusions: The subjects could stabilize their trunks, and relieve their pain and dysfunctions and reduce pelvic tilt by learning abdominal muscle contraction during ADLs.

목 적 : 좌심실의 기능(left ventricular function)을 정확하게 평가하는 것은 심장 질환을 가진 환자의 임상적 진단이나 치료 전략 및 예후 평가에 있어 매우 중요하다. 본 논문의 목적은 대동맥판막 협착증으로 진단된 환자의 좌심실 기능평가를 dual source computed tomography(DSCT)와 two dimensional-transthoracic echocardiography(2D-TTE)와 비교하여 심장 검사에서 MRI의 활용에 대한 근거자료를 마련하고 우수성을 입증하는 것이다. 대상 및 방법 : 2008년 08월부터 2010년 09월까지, AS로 진단된 환자 중, 2주 이내에 DSCT, 2D-TTE, CMR를 모두 시행한 93명(남성 48명, 여성 45명, 평균연령 57.7세)을 수술 전 비교 평가하였다. EDV, ESV, SV, EF은 M mode를 사용한 2DTTE, threshold-based technique를 사용한 DSCT, 심슨의 방법을 사용한 CMR을 통해 계산하였다. LV 기능의 파라미터에 대한 통계적 분석은 피어슨 상관분석, 다중회귀분석 그리고 CMR 데이터를 독립적으로 분석한 두 명의 방사선사 사이의 관찰자간 일치도를 평가하였으며, 유의수준은 p값 0.05미만을 유의한 것으로 보았다. 결 과 : 총 환자수는 93명(남성 48명, 여성 45명, 평균연령 57.71±13.7, 1.5T MRI 69명, 3.0T MRI 24명) 이었다. EDV, ESV, SV, EF을 위한 CMR과 DSCT는 매우 우수한 상관관계(r=0.93, 0.94, 0.83, and 0.85, 각각, p<0.01)를 나타내었으며, CMR과 2D-TTE는 우수한 상관관계(r=0.81, 0.92, 0.56, and 0.77, 각각, p<0.01)를 보여주었다. DSCT는 CMR에 비해 EDV(130.48ml), ESV(40.74ml), 그리고 SV(89.74ml)에서 낮은 측정치를 보였으나, EF(71.1%)은 높게 나타났다. CMR을 이용한 LV 기능 평가의 관찰자간 일치도 평가에서 매우 높은 상관관계(r=EDV; 0.96, ESV; 0.94, SV; 0.92, EF; 0.84, 각각, p<0.01)를 보였다. 다중회귀분석에서 DSCT의 회귀계수(Β=EDV; 0.91, ESV; 0.72, SV; 0.86, EF; 0.68)는 2D-TTE의 회귀계수(Β=EDV; 0.21, ESV; 0.53, SV; 0.13, EF; 0.32) 보다 높게 나타났으며, 결정계수(r2)는 각각 0.88, 0.91, 0.71, 0.78로 높게 나타났다. 결 론 : 심슨의 방법을 사용한 CMR 측정은 재현성과 우수성이 입증되었다. 따라서 대동맥판막 협착증을 가진 환자의 LV 기능을 평가하기 위해 CMR의 폭 넓은 활용과 많은 연구가 필요할 것으로 사료된다.

뇌혈관 질환은 우리나라의 주요 10대 사망 원인 중 3대 사인에 해당하며, 이러한 질환은 동맥경화와 관 련이 있으므로 동맥경화를 예측할 수 있는 인자의 진단 방향의 제시가 필요하다. 본 논문에서는 연령대별 상완-발목동맥 맥파전달속도와 뇌동맥 혈관 협착 및 혈압, 비만도, 복부비만과의 유의성을 평가하였으며, 뇌동맥 혈관 협착과 연령대별 유의성 평가는 50대의 연령대에서만 유의한 결과를 나타내었으며, 동맥경화의 위험인자인 혈압, 비만, 복부비만의 경우 전체 연령대에서 유의한 결과를 나타내었다. 그리고 상완-발목 동맥 맥파전달속도가 상승하였을 경우, 뇌동맥 혈관 협착은 전체 1,376명중 788명으로 57.2%의 분포를 나타내었으며, 위험인자인 혈압의 경우, 전체 7,557명중 3,255명으로 43%, 비만도는 2,708로 35.8%, 복부비만은 2,941명으로 38.9%의 분포를 나타내었다. 이러한 결과를 통하여 상완-발목동맥 맥파전달속도 검사 시, 동맥경화가 의심된다면 우선적으로 뇌동맥 혈관 협착을 의심하고 뇌동맥 혈관 검사를 시행할 것을 권한다. 동맥경화의 위험인자인 혈압, 비만, 복부비만과의 유의성 평가를 통하여 향후 유사 연구 시, 기초자료로 활용될 것이라고 사료된다.