Diagnosis-outcome at the first visit… “Accurate and fast treatment with the most modern equipment”

《Headaches are one of the common pains experienced by over 90% of Koreans. But usually, there are many cases where you find a pharmacy that is closer than a hospital and relieve the pain at that time with painkillers. Unbearable or frequent headaches can be a sign that something is wrong with your body. It is best to go to the hospital and have a thorough examination.

Chronic migraine is a symptom in which abnormalities in the blood vessels of the brain are caused by a sudden excitation of the cranial nerves. Pain that persists more than 15 days a month or more than 180 days a year for months or years. If you have a severe migraine, you may overreact to sound or light, or experience difficulties with daily life, such as vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or depression.

Treatment for headaches varies slightly depending on the cause. Lee Tae-gyu, director of Lee Tae-gyu Neurology Clinic, said: ‘In the past, the drugs were mainly prescribed for the treatment of migraines, but recently, Botox has been recognized as one of the effective treatments for headaches. “. In 2010, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Botox as a treatment for chronic migraine headaches, and the American Academy of Neurology recommended Botox for patients with chronic migraine headaches.

When migraine begins, nerve peptides such as calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), substance P, and neurokinin A that act on blood vessels are secreted from nerve endings. This sensitizes the nerve endings and leaks interstitial fluid (extravascular fluid) into the outermost epidural space of the meningeal membrane. At this time, the headache is relieved by blocking the CGRP substance with Botox.

According to a 1997 study by Muscular Neurology and Neuroscience, when Botox is injected into the skin muscle, the muscles around the blood vessels going to the brain are paralyzed. At this time, the secretion of pain-related neurotransmitters is suppressed and the pain receptors that sense pain are modified, thereby relieving the headache. Botox blocks nerve activity in the muscles around the head and neck, which is effective in chronic migraines and other headache disorders.

Unlike medicines that need to be taken every day, Botox can have a long-term effect of around 3 months with a single injection. The Botox titration unit is injected into a total of 31 points, including the forehead, temples, nape and shoulders.

However, Botox is not effective for all headache symptoms. It is highly effective for chronic migraine with headache symptoms for more than 15 days per month and accompanied by medication overuse headache. Although very rare, side effects of Botox headache treatment can include injection site pain, bruising, droopy eyelids, or raised eyebrows.

Headaches have many different causes and patterns, and treatment varies depending on the diagnosis. It’s important to find a headache specialist and get treatment because ongoing headaches can develop into chronic illnesses if left unattended.

Taekyu Lee Neurology Clinic, opened in 2002, celebrated its 20th anniversary this year. Taekyu Lee Neurology Clinic specializes in the treatment and prevention of diseases of the brain and nervous system. It was the first in Korea to operate a headache clinic and stroke screening center, attracting the attention of the medical community. In terms of facilities and size, it boasts the best private neurological hospitals and clinics nationwide. About 3,000 patients visit each year. Patients range in age from the elderly suffering from dementia, stroke, stroke and Parkinson’s disease to young people complaining of headaches and dizziness.

The biggest advantage of Taekyu Lee Neurology Clinic is the unique treatment system. It allowed patients to check most results from diagnosis to results with just one visit. This is because it is equipped with the latest medical equipment, which is rare for private clinics. Taekyu Lee Neurology Clinic has a 3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine. 3.0 Tesla is the highest specification among MRIs currently used in the medical field, and the higher the number, the better the image quality. Better image quality allows medical personnel to make more accurate diagnoses. The 3.0 Tesla takes about 40% less shooting time than the previous version, and the inspection hole size is over 10cm larger. This dramatically reduces patient complaints of suffocation and noise after going into the MRI. Even claustrophobic or obese patients can undergo the examination in a much more comfortable environment than with older versions of MRI. MRI interpretation is performed by a medical staff who used to be a professor in the imaging department, so the reliability of the diagnosis is high.

The “Carotid Artery Ultrasound” is also in operation with the latest equipment installed. A carotid artery ultrasound is a test that checks how narrow the carotid artery, which runs through the neck to the head, is to see if blood is flowing well. It is used to diagnose the risk of stroke or cardiovascular disease. Director Lee Tae-gyu is in charge of this inspection. Director Lee said, “It is no exaggeration to say that a patient’s life or death is determined by whether or not a 1mm difference can be detected in a stroke.” An increase in carotid artery thickness of more than 1 mm increases the risk of stroke by 3.6-fold in men and 5.5-fold in women.

It is also possible to test sleep disorders, which are considered one of the chronic diseases of modern people. Polysomnography is a method of monitoring sleep status during the night in a hospital in order to comprehensively diagnose various sleep disorders (such as apnea). The staff stays by the patient’s side all night and monitors their conditions. It’s practically a 24-hour operation.

In addition, Lee Tae-gyu Neurology Clinic has ultrasound to measure blood flow in cerebral blood vessels, nerve conduction tests and electromyography to check muscle response by electrically stimulating nerves, evoked potential test to observe abnormalities in electrophysiological function, pressure It is equipped with almost all the equipment related to cranial nervous system diseases, such as a blood vessel elasticity test that accurately measures blood pressure.

3.0 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) equipment. It is the highest specification of MRIs currently used in the medical field and the higher the number, the better the image quality. Courtesy of Taekyu Lee’s Neurology Clinic

No matter how equipped the latest and greatest medical equipment is, it is useless if the skill of the person using it is not supported. Taekyu Lee Neurology Clinic boasts the best medical staff in every field. Director Lee is considered the nation’s foremost authority on headache and stroke prevention. After graduating from Seoul National University with his M.D., he moved to the United States after attending a neurology course at Seoul National University Hospital. He has served as a preclinical physician at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the Cleveland Clinic. He has published an article as first author in the world famous medical journal “The Lancet”. During his tenure as a professor at Kyunghee University, he focused on migraine-related research, including the first in Korea to conduct an epidemiological study of migraine. He has received the American Academy of Neurological Sciences’ Foreign Academic Award and the Young Headache Investigator Award. He was also listed three times in the world’s top three biographical dictionaries, “Marquis Who’s Who”.

In addition to Director Lee, the hospital has specialists in various fields. Director Kim Gyeong-joon, who worked at Seoul National University’s Bundang Hospital, suffered from dizziness, Parkinson’s disease, tremors, facial tremors and sleep disturbances. Director Hyung-in Cho, who worked as a full-time doctor at the hospital, he was a full-time physician for headaches and strokes, and Asan Medical Center, a full-time physician for peripheral nerve, muscle, and spinal cord diseases. They provide the best medical care to patients and are highly regarded both inside and outside the hospital.

Prevention is of fundamental importance in diseases of the cerebral nervous system. Stroke can lead to death, a vegetative state or severe paralysis once suffered, and the patient’s quality of life is drastically reduced. The life of a family member caring for a patient with limited mobility is also difficult. However, there are not many teaching hospitals or private hospitals that focus on stroke prevention in Korea. On the other hand, Taekyu Lee Neurology Clinic has a system comparable to that of tertiary medical institutions in stroke prevention.

Meanwhile, the Korean Headache Society presents the “Lee Tae-gyu Academic Award” every year. This award was prepared by Director Lee to honor his contribution to the development of headache medicine in Korea. In 1999, Dr. Lee founded the Korean Headache Research Society, the predecessor of the Headache Society, with Jeong Jin-sang, a professor of neurology at Samsung Seoul Hospital. The Lee Tae-gyu Academic Award selects the first and second prizes after examining the articles published in the Journal of the Korean Headache Society with 10 million won donated annually by President Lee.

Reporter Hong Eun-sim [email protected]