Optimal Long-term Antiplatelet Regimen for Patients with High Ischaemic and Bleeding Risks After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Aim To assess an optimal long-term antiplatelet strategy in patients at both high ischaemic and bleeding risks after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods and results Patients both at high ischaemic and bleeding risks were eligible for inclusion. We excluded patients with any ischaemic and major bleeding complications during the mandatory period of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT).

Effect of Calcium Channel Blockers on Antiplatelet Activity of Clopidogrel in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: Insights from the PTRG-DES Consortium.

Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) are frequently co-administered with clopidogrel in cardiovascular disease. Although an inhibitory drug interaction exists between them, comprehensive large-scale studies for its validation are lacking. We investigated interactions between CCBs and clopidogrel using a large-scale national registry of patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Platelet Function and Genotype after DES Implantation in East Asian Patients: Rationale and Characteristics of the PTRG-DES Consortium.

Purpose: Platelet function test (PFT) results and genotype hold unique prognostic implications in East Asian patients. The aim of the PTRG-DES (Platelet function and genoType-Related long-term proGnosis in Drug-Eluting Stent-treated Patients with coronary artery disease) consortium is to assess the clinical impact thereof on long-term clinical outcomes in Korean patients with coronary artery disease during dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) including clopidogrel.

Materials And Methods: Searching publications on the PubMed, we reviewed clopidogrel treatment studies with PFT and/or genotype data for potential inclusion in this study.

Human papillomavirus prevalence and genotype distribution among HIV-infected women in Korea.

The epidemiology on human papillomavirus (HPV) among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected women in Korea is not well established. A retrospective study was conducted to determine the prevalence and genotype distribution of HPV infection among HIV-infected women in Korea. HPV DNA genotype and cervical cytology were examined in 60 HIV-positive women and 1,938 HIV-negative women.

Long-term outcomes in patients with duodenal adenocarcinoma.

Background: Because of the rarity of duodenal adenocarcinoma, little is known regarding its natural history or prognostic factors for survival. We therefore evaluated surgical treatment, and prognostic factors for survival in patients with duodenal adenocarcinoma.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who were diagnosed with duodenal adenocarcinoma at Asan Medical Center between December 1999 and December 2009.

Early experience of laparoscopic complete en bloc excision for choledochal cysts in adults.

Background: For choledochal cyst, the treatment of choice is total excision of the cyst because there is a risk of biliary cancer including the gallbladder. The current report describes the authors' early experiences using their technique of laparoscopic en bloc excision of choledochal cysts with Roux-en-Y biliary reconstruction.

Methods: Between September 2009 and July 2011, laparoscopic excision for choledochal cyst was attempted for 20 patients at the Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Asan Medical Center.

Clinical features and management of pseudoaneurysmal bleeding after pancreatoduodenectomy.

A ruptured pseudoaneurysm is the most serious and life-threatening cause of postpancreatoduodenectomy (PD) hemorrhages. We have evaluated the clinical course and management of pseudoaneurysms after PD. Of 586 patients who underwent PD for periampullary tumors in Asan Medical Center between March 2003 and March 2011, 27 experienced pseudoaneurysmal bleeding.

The proximal margin of resected hilar cholangiocarcinoma: the effect of microscopic positive margin on long-term survival.

Achieving an R0 resection can be difficult for hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC) because of the anatomic structures of the hepatic hilum and frequent tumor infiltration. The aim of this study was to evaluate the margin status of bile duct resected in HC and prognostic impact of R1 resection. Between 2000 and 2009, 245 patients underwent operation for HC at Asan Medical Center.

What we learned from difficult hepatectomies in patients with advanced hepatic malignancy.

Backgrounds/aims: By reviewing difficult resections for advanced hepatic malignancies, we discuss the effectiveness and extended indications for hepatectomy in such patients.

Methods: We reviewed 7 patients who underwent extensive surgery between July 2008 and March 2011 for advanced hepatic malignancies. They had stage IV disease, except for in one case that was a stage IIIC (T4N0M0) hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Practical usefulness of minor grooves of the hepatic surface for liver resection.

Background/aims: The clinical relevance of grooves of the hepatic surface has not been clearly identified. The aim of the present study was to examine the association of minor grooves and liver segmentations, and to evaluate the usefulness of grooves for liver resection.

Methodology: Between January 2005 and December 2010, 482 patients with hepatic resection for liver disease were included in this study.

Comparison of angiographic and other findings and mortality in non-ST-segment elevation versus ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in patients undergoing early invasive intervention.

We sought to compare the angiographic findings and mortality in patients with non-ST-segment elevation (NSTEMI) versus ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing early invasive intervention. Of 11,872 patients enrolled in the Korean Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry from November 2005 to January 2008, we studied patients with NSTEMI undergoing early invasive intervention (n = 1,486) and those with STEMI undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (n = 4,392). Multivessel coronary disease, baseline Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) flow grade 3, and the left circumflex artery as a culprit lesion occurred more frequently in patients with NSTEMI than in those with STEMI.