Primary neurofibroma of the Diaphragm

횡격막에 발생한 신경섬유종 1례

In spite of great advances in surgical treatment during past several decades, surgery of the trachea failed to develop correspondingly, partly because of relative rarity of the tracheal lesions and partly because of difficulties in surgical technique and anesthesia. Surgical diseases of the trachea are largely obstructions due to neoplasm or cicatrical stenosis and tracheal malacia. The present treatment of respiratory failure, using cuffed endotracheal and tracheostomy tubes, has produced, apparently with increasing frequency, tracheal stenosis, tracheomalized tracheal erosion. Surgery is presently the only reasonable way to treat stenotic lesions of the tracheobronchial tree. In the case of tumors, the current trend has been that of radical excision. Primary end-to--end reconstruction of the trachea has been generally recognized as the ideal method of repair following resection. However, for decades it was believed that a maximum of four tracheal rings only might be excised and primary healing achieved with safety. A great variety of procedures, developed by numerous investigations and directed at tracheal substitution, have almost invariably met with discouraging results. A meticulous study done by Grillo and associates on autopsy specimens has shown that an average 6.4cm of mediastinal trachea can be safely resected by full mobilization of the right lung and transplantation of the left main bronchus into the bronchus intermedius. Recently, we experienced a case of successful resection of a tumor of the tracheal carina and primary tracheo-left main bronchial anastomosis at the Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery, the National Medical Center in Seoul. The patient, a 29-year-old man, was admitted to the hospital with complaints of dyspnea and cough. On admission, chest film showed hydropneumothorax on the right. After closed thoracostomy, hydropneumothorax disappeared, but hazy densities, developed in the right middle and lower lung fields, resisted to treatment. Bronchoscopy uncovered irregular tumor covering the carina and the right main bronchus, and biopsy indicated well differentiated squamous Cell carcinoma. Operation was performed on July 2, 1975. A right postero-lateral thoracotomy was used. Excision involved the lower trachea, the carina, the left main bronchus and the right lung. This was followed by direct anastomosis between the trachea and the left main bronchus. Bronchography was done on 17th postoperative day revealed good result of operation without stricture at the site ofanastomosis. About one month after the operation symptoms and signs of bronchial irritation with dyspnea developed, and these responded to respiratory care. On 82nd postoperative day, sudden dyspnea developed at night and the patient expired several hours later. Autopsy was not done and the cause of death was uncertain.