• Journal of Families and Better Life
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.11-25
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• 2004

This study was conducted to explore the impacts of involvement in the Vietnam War on the self-esteem of the veterans in their later lives. In this study, 14 Korean male Vietnam War veterans from 55 to 63 years old were asked about the impacts of their war experiences on their self-esteem. From the analysis of the in-depth interviews the following conclusions were drawn: First, the veterans perceived that their self-esteem improved with both internal and external impacts of their activities in Vietnam. The internal aspects that improved the veterans' self-esteem were recalling their positive memories of Vietnam War, such as being on duty at a war front for the sake of our country, doing volunteer work for the villagers, and becoming a masculine heroic figure in the family legend. The external aspects were positive attitudes and responses toward their war activities from their family, friends, and neighbors. Second, they also felt persistently frustrated with their recurring memories of involvement in killing human beings, experiences of negative family and social responses, and the side effects of herbicidal cyanide they suffer. In this article, the following suggestions were made. First, standardized images and good-will episodes of the Vietnam War need to be provided by the government, in order to improve public images on the veterans. Second, intensive adjustment programs for the families of older veterans in special needs should be developed in collaboration with various veterans' societies and family counseling institutions, so that the spouses and children can be relieved from tension-laden contacts with the veterans and prevent violent incidents.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.138-141
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• 2016

Coronary stent dislodgement during percutaneous coronary intervention, which occurs when the stent is passed through tortuous and calcified lesions, is not a rare complication. Without proper treatment, such as fixing with another stent in the coronary artery or removing the undeployed stent from the coronary artery or systemic artery system, this complication can cause serious problems. We experienced the unusual situation of a dismounted and dislodged coronary stent, in which retrograde retrieval to the radial artery was impossible during transradial coronary intervention. We report on use of a rendezvous and snare technique at the brachial artery level via femoral puncture, which resulted in resolution without surgery.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.800-804
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• 2000

Cerebral paragonimiasis is an important parasitic infestation found in Eastern Asia, West Africa, and Central/South America. It is frequently associated with abscess, granuloma or cystic lesions in chronic stage. Chronic symptoms include seizure, visual disturbance, movement and perception disorders, usually resulting from the spaceoccupying lesions. The authors report a case of chronic cerebral paragonimiasis combined with meningioma. A 69-year-old man presented with generalized seizure and impaired consciousness. CT scan and MR image of the brain revealed two intracranial lesions ; one was cerebral paragonimiasis in the left temporo-occipital lobe, and the other a huge falx meningioma. Two lesions were successfully removed in staged operations and the generalized seizure was controlled after removal of the cerebral paragonimiasis.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.85-88
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• 2002

Ramsay-Hunt syndrome is a viral disease associated with peripheral facial nerve paralysis accompany by erythematous vesicular rashs on the ear(zoster oticus) or in the mouth. Based on clinical presentations that indicated involvement of more than one ganglion, the gasserian, geniculate, petrous, accessory, jugular and second and third dorsal root ganglia comprised a chain in which inflammation of a single ganglion could extend to nearby ganglia. A 71-year-old man presented with left. peripheral facial palsy with otalgia, vesicular eruption in $V_2$, $V_3$, C2, C3 dermatome, tinnitus, and hearing loss.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.85 no.1
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• pp.96-97
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• 2022

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.136-146
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• 1998

Objectives : This study was performed to evaluate the effects of PTSD on memory function, to investigate the difference of memory function between PTSD and non-PTSD patients, and to identify major variables correlated to PTSD scale and Memory Assessment Scale. Methods: The authors used PTSD-scale(Mississippi scale and Combat Exposure Scale) for measuring PTSD severity. And, Beck Depression Inventory was also used. Memory assessment scale was assessed by well trained psychologist. Thirty one Vietnam veterans who had been hospitalized were collected consecutively. These patients were evaluated by psychiatrists with interview and measurement for fifteen months since March, 1997. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS and the stastistic methods used for analysis Chi-square, t-test, and Pearson's correlation. Results : 1) There were significant differences in short-term memory and verbal memory between PTSD and non-PTSD in Vietnam veterans. 2) Mississippi scale and Combat Exposure Scale were negatively correlated to short-term memory and verbal memory(Pearson's correlation). 3) Religion status was a significant variable between PTSD and non-PTSD in Vietnam veterans. 4) There is no significant difference in visual memory and total memory scale between PTSD and Non-PTSD in Vietnam veterans Conclusions : Neuropsychological changes were found in the posttraumatic stress disorder. There were significant differences in short-term memory and verbal memory between PTSD and non-PTSD in Vietnam veterans. Mississippi scale and Combat Exposure Scale were negatively correlated to short-term memory and verbal memory. We suggest that neuropsychological test might be used for an objective assessment of patients with the combat related PTSD and be considered helpful in the assessment of patients with the diagnosis. And we also suggest rehabilitation strategies would be used to compensate for memory deficits in PTSD patients.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.14-20
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• 2009

Objective : The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between plasma serotonin concentration and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in chronic PTSD patients who have been taking medication. Methods : Plasma serotonin level of 14 PTSD patients and a control group of 28 Vietnam War veterans was measured by HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography). The Combat Exposure Scale (CES), Mississippi Scale for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (M-PTSD), Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD), and Hamiltion Anxiety Scale (HAS) were used to evaluate PTSD symptom severity. Results : Serotonin level was significantly higher in the PTSD group than in the control group (p=0.036, p=0.006, respectively). M-PTSD (p<0.001), CAPS (p<0.001), HRSD (p<0.001), and HAS (p<0.001) scale scores were significantly higher in the PTSD group than in the control group; however, the CES score failed to show a significant improvement (p=0.964). There were no significant differences between plasma serotonin and PTSD symptoms. Conclusion : In chronic PTSD patients who have been taking medications, we can not predict treatment effect and symptom severity by measuring only plasma serotonin levels. PTSD is a complicated disorder which may likely be related to a variety of neurotransmitter systems. Therefore, further research which investigate relationships with norepinephrine, dopamine, and other neurotransmitters as well as serotonin is needed to improve the treatment of PTSD.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.121-127
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• 2013

Objective : Several studies have reported the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and hypertension (HTN). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of PTSD symptoms on blood pressure. Methods : Korean veterans of the Vietnam War with (n=62) or without PTSD (n=87) participated in this study. The clinician administered PTSD scale (CAPS) and alcohol use disorder identification test (AUDIT) were applied. Blood pressure, pulse rate, risk factors of HTN and demographic data of the subjects were collected. Effects of potential explanatory variables on HTN were analyzed with logistic regression. Results : Diastolic blood pressure was significantly higher in PTSD group (p=0.015). However, PTSD subjects showed significantly lower pulse rate than non-PTSD subjects (p=0.004). Logistic regression analysis showed that avoidance symptom might be a predictor for hypertension (OR=1.065, p=0.030). Conclusion : These results suggest that PTSD, especially avoidance symptom, might be a risk factor on HTN in the elderly with PTSD. Further studies are needed to evaluate the change of blood pressure according to the clinical improvement of PTSD.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.29-37
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• 2015

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between psychosocial factors and the severity of musculoskeletal pain in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHODS: A total of 60 subjects were recruited from among the veterans with musculoskeletal pain at D Veterans Hospital. PTSD was evaluated by using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition; severity of pain was measured by using the short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ); depression and anxiety were measured by using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revision; and the quality of sleep was measured by using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. All data were analyzed using SPSS 18.0 software for Windows. RESULTS: The averages cores of pain intensity ($7.48{\pm}1.67$), SF-MPQ-sensory ($13.84{\pm}7.52$), SF-MPQ-affective ($4.41{\pm}3.79$), depression ($19.30{\pm}11.37$), anxiety ($13.39{\pm}7.99$), and quality of sleep ($10.05{\pm}5.89$) were obtained in veterans with PTSD. SF-MPQ-sensory measures sleep quality (r=0.346, p<0.01), SF-MPQ-affective measures depression (r=0.318, p<0.01) and anxiety (r=0.404, p<0.01), and these showed a statistically significant positive correlation in veterans with PTSD. Pain levels were observed to be higher in veterans with PTSD. Moreover, in these subjects, physical pain had a significant influence on the anxiety variable among the psychosocial factors. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that musculoskeletal pain provides meaningful information about depression, anxiety, and sleep disorder in veterans with PTSD. Our data suggest that musculoskeletal pain may need to be addressed as part of the health management process of veterans.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.106-112
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• 2012

Objective : In posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it is essential to evaluate the severity of trauma with a reliable instrument. The combat exposure scale (CES) is one of the most widely used measures for the combat-related trauma. The present study was conducted to test the reliability and validity of the Korean version of CES (CES-K). Methods : One hundred and forty-five male Korean veterans of the Vietnam War participated in this study. CES-K, the structured clinical interview for DSM-III-R (SCID), clinician administered PTSD scale (CAPS), and the Korean version life events checklist (LEC-K) were administered. Results : Cronbach's coefficient of CES-K was .85, and the test-retest reliability was .94. The mean [standard deviation (SD)] scores of CES-K were 20.4 (9.0) in the PTSD group and 12.0 (8.6) in the non-PTSD group (p<.001). CES-K showed a significant correlation with LEC-K (r=.31, p<.001) and CAPS (r=.52, p<.001). Only one factor was revealed by the factor analysis. Conclusion : CES-K showed good reliability and validity for assessing the severity of combat exposure. Further, it demonstrated comparable psychometric properties to the previous study. It is expected that CES-K will be a useful tool for evaluating the severity of combat exposure in Korea.