• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.509-512
• /
• 1998

Although posterolateral thoracotomy(PLT) has been a standard thoracic incision in resection surgery of the lung for surgeons to achieve a good surgical field, there remains concern about severing a group of thoracic muscles remains. Muscle-sparing vertical thoracotomy (MVT) is an alternative to PLT, which gives cosmetic result and may preserve motion of the shoulder girdle as well as respiratory function of the patient in the early postoperative period. However, surgeons tend not to perfer it because of limited surgical field from the vertical wound made on the lateral thoracic wall. The purpose of this study is to compare the surgical outcomes of PLT versus MVT. We retrospectively reviewed 29 patients(15 who had PLT and 14 who had MVT, organized into those two groups) who had undergone lung resection surgery in our institute. There were no clinical differences between the two groups in terms of operation time, estimated amount of blood loss during the operation, amount of chest drainage on the first and the second postoperative day, duration of chest tube placement, incidence and amount of transfusion, and postoperative complications. We conclude that, from our limited experience, MVT can be applied to lung resection surgery as safely as PLT and that it may have a beneficial role for the patient with compromised lung function in addition to cosmetic effect.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.39 no.12 s.269
• /
• pp.957-959
• /
• 2006

Muscle sparing thoracotomy is known as alternative of posterolateral thoracotomy because of less postoperative pain, preservation of muscle power and better cosmetic outcome. Curved axillary thoracotomy(CAT) is a type of muscle sparing thoracotomy. Between July 2003 and August 2004, 5 patients diagnosed as pure patent ductus arteriosus(PDA) treated by CAT and we reviewed results retrospectively by clinical record. The operative procedures were ligation of ductus in 4 cases and division of ductus in 1 case. There were no postoperative complication. Curved axillary thoracotomy is considerable alternative for surgical treatment of PDA with merits of muscle sparing effect and cosmetic benefit.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.369-373
• /
• 1998

The bullectomy through the limited transaxillary thoracotomy and video-assisted thoracic surgery(VATS) had been used in operative management of spontaneous pneumothorax from Jan. 1994 to July 1997. The study comprised a retrospective review of 42 cases which were treated by limited thoracotomy, and 61 cases treated by video-assisted thoracoscopic sugery. We retrospectively reviewed annual incidnce of bullectomy. Analysis of video-assised thoracoscopic surgery and open bullectomy including age, sex, operative sites, surgical indications, associated diseases, operative time, posoperatve complications and hospital courses. There was no significant difference for operation time in two groups, 98.3${\pm}$38.4 minutes in thoracotomy and 95.7${\pm}$31.5 minutes in VATS. Prolonged air leakage over 7 days was observed in 8 cases from thoracotomy group, 4 cases from VATS group. 3 cases of recurrent pneumothorax were found from VATS group, but no recurrence was occurred from open bullectomy group. There were significant differences in postoperative hospital stay (8.0${\pm}$3.9 day in thoracotomy vs 5.9${\pm}$2.4day in VATS(P=0.001)), and indwelling period of chest tube after operation( 5.8${\pm}$3.0day in thoracotomy vs 4.0${\pm}$2.0day in VATS(P=0.0006)).

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.536-542
• /
• 1999

Background: The purpose of this study is to improve the quality of the diagnostic procedures in the preoperative evaluation so as to reduce the unnecessary thoracotomy and to ensure resectability in non-small cell lung cancer. Material and Method: Of 616 patients who underwent thoracotomy for primary lung cancer from January 1990 to December 1996, 59 patients(9.6%) turned out to have inoperable lesions after the thoracotomy. We reprospectively reviewed the bronchoscopic findings, methods of tissue diagnosis, CT scans, pulmonary function test and lung perfusion scan, reasons for nonresectability, and adjuvant therapy, and then followed up on the survival rate after exploratory thoracotomy. Result: The cell types were squamous cell carcinoma in 38, adenocarcinoma in 15, large cell carcinoma in 3 and others in 3. Primary loci were RUL in 20, RML in 6, RLL in 8, LUL in 13, LLL in 4 and others in 8. The reasons for non-resectability were various; direct tumor invaison to mediastinal structures(n=41), seeding on pleural cavity(n=8), poor pulmonary function(n=2), invasions to extranodal mediastinal lymph node(n=2), technical non- resectability due to extensive chest wall invasion (n=3), small cell carcinoma (n=1), malignant lymphoma(n=1), and multiple rib metastases(n=1). In the follow-up of 58 patients, 1-year survival rate was 55.2% and 2-year survival rate was 17.2% and the mean survival time was 14 months. When compared according to cell types or postoperative adjuvant therapeutic modalities, no significant difference in the survival rates were found. The squamous cell carcinoma was frequently accompanied by local extension to contiguous structures and was the main cause of non-resectability. In adenocarcinoma, pleural seeding with malignant effusion was frequently encountered, and was the major reason for non-resectability. Conclusion: These data revealed that if appropriate preoperative diagnostic tools had been available, many unnecessary thoracotomies could have been avoided. Both the use of thoracoscopy in selected cases of adenocarcinoma and the more aggressive surgical approach to the locally advanced tumor could reduce the incidence of unnecessary thoracotomies for non-small cell lung cancers.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.33 no.11
• /
• pp.898-903
• /
• 2000

배경 및 목적: 최근 비디오 흉강경술은 최소 침습적인 수술 방법으로서 자연 기흉의 일반적 치료법으로 인정되고 있으나 비교적 높은 재발율과 비용-효용 관계에 대해서는 논란이 있다. 비디오 흉강경을 이용한 기포 절제술 후의 재발율은 평균 5-10%정도로 보고되고 있으며 이는 개흉술에 비해 상당히 높은 것이다. 또한 국내 의료 실정에서의 개흉술과 비디오 흉강경술의 비용효용에 대한 비교 통계는 없는 상황이다. 대상 및 방법: 1997년 1월부터 1999년 7월까지 일차성 자연기흉으로 성균관 의대 강북삼성병원 흉부외과에서 수술을 시행한 173예를 대상으로 후향적 조사하였다. 비디오 흉강경술로 시행한 104예와 개흉술로 시행한 69예를 양군으로 나누어 성별 및 연령, 발병부위, 수술의 적응증, 수술시간, 술 후 흉관 삽입기간 및 재원 일수, 술후 합병증, 재발율, 수술 경비 및 총치료경비 등을 비교하였다. 결과: 양군의 성별, 연령, 발병부위 등에는 차이가 없었다. 수술 시간은 흉강경군이 73.1$\pm$29.5분, 개흉군이 141$\pm$52분이었다.(p<0.05). 술 후 평균 흉관의 거치기간 및 재원일수는 흉강경군이 각각 3.93일 및 7.5일, 개흉군이 7.0일 및 13.4일이었다.(P<0.05, P<0.05). 술 후 재발한 경우가 비디오 흉강경군에서 6예(5.6%), 개흉군에서 1예(1.4%) 있었다(P<0.05). 본원에서 시행한 비디오 흉강경술과 개흉술의 비교에서 수술로 발생하는 비용은 비디오 흉강경군이 유의하게 높았으나 (1,202,192$\pm$178,992원, 1,005,669$\pm$311,531원; P<0.05) 총 치료비의 비교에서는 유의한 차이가 없었다.(1,946,110$\pm$487,440원, 1,793,912$\pm$308,079원; P=0.18). 결론: 비용 효용관계 및 재발율은 병원마다의 수술 수기 및 퇴원 정책등에 따라서 다소간의 차이가 있을 수 있으나 본원의 조사 결과에서는 비디오 흉강경술이 개흉술에 비해 비용-효과가 있다고 볼 수 없으며 재발율도 높았다.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.30 no.2
• /
• pp.187-194
• /
• 1997

The management of post-thoracotomy pain is on of the difficult clinical problems. A variety of pain management methods have been used with variable efficacy. We compared the effect of acupuncture with the effect of analgesics for the post-thoracotomy pain control. From March 1995 to September 1995, 20 patients who underwent elective thoracotomy were randomized into two groups. The patients were treated with analgesics in control group(n=10) and acupuncture in the other group(n: 10). Postoperative analgesic effects were evaluated by the scoring system which was made by the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Korea University Medical Center. No significant difference was observed between two groups concerning the subjective pain and limitation of motion of operated side. Although the number of analgesic requirement was reduced significantly in the acupuncture group(P < 0.05). We conclude that acupuncture is an effective method to control post-thoracotomy pain and it is safer than the analgesics bacause of its lower side effects.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.32 no.8
• /
• pp.722-725
• /
• 1999

Background: To secure a rapid and safe approach which is at the same time cosmetically appealing, we employed the right anterolateral thoracotomy incision for repair of atrial septal defects and valvular heart diseases in the adult. Material and method: Between October 1989 and June 1998, 44 adult patients underwent open heart surgery through right anterolateral thoracotomy at our institution. Operative time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, aortic cross clamp time, blood loss until chest tube removal, length of ICU stay, days to discharge, and survival were compared with those that received cardiac surgery via conventional sternotomy. Result: No significant differences were observed between the two groups. There was no death and no additional morbidity directly related to this approach. Cosmetically satisfying results were obtained with safety using the right anterolateral thoracotomy approach. Conclusion: Our data show that the right anterolateral thoracotomy approach is a safe alternative to conventional median sternotomy as it offers excellent exposure and aesthetically more acceptable wounds while not adding on to the operative risks.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.41 no.3
• /
• pp.366-368
• /
• 2008

We report there on a 46-year-old male patient whose angina recurred after a coronary bypass graft (CABG). Occlusion of the first diagonal branch was found on performing a coronary angiogram (CAG), and this occlusion had not previously been present. So, a redo-off pump CABG was performed via a left posterolateral thoracotomy. The anastomosis was made between the descending thoracic aorta and the diagonal branch by using the right radial artery. On the Multi-detector computerized tomography (MDCT) coronary angiogram conducted after the operation, it was confirmed that there was no abnormality in the anastomosis site. A Redo-CABG was successfully performed via left posterolateral thoracotomy in the patient whose disease was only at the diagonal branch.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.517-523
• /
• 1997

The records of 14 patients with traumatic diaphragmatic rupture seen at Dongguk University Hospital from February 1992 through December 1995 were reviewed. Ten patients were male and four were female(M:F=2.5:1). The age distribution ranged from 17 to 73 years with the mean age of 41.7 years. The 14 patients included 12 who had blunt trauma(traffic accident 11, crushing injury 1) and 2 with penetrating diaphragmatic rupture(stab wound 2). Of those 12 blunt trauma, 7 patients(58.3%) were left sided and 5(41.7%) involved the right hemidiaphragm. The diagnosis was made preoperatively in 8 patients (57.1%) and during surgery in 6(42.9%). All right-sided injuries were repaired through a thoracotomy and left-sided defects were corrected through a laparotomy in 6, laparotomy and thoracotomy in 1. There were 2(14.3%) operative deaths that were caused by myocardial infarction and the sequelae of combined injuries.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.30 no.8
• /
• pp.809-814
• /
• 1997

Continuous epidural pain block with a local anesthetic agents is a commonly employed technique for pain relief after thoracotomy. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of the continuous epidural pain block in 19 patients undergoing elective lateral or posterolatrral thoracotomy with control group(n=19) from November 1994 to July 1995, Epidural lidocaine and morphine mixtures were injected via an epidural catheter as a bolus after operation, and then bupivacaine and morphine mixtures were injected continuously following 5 or 6 days. The pain score, upper arm elevation(ROM score), and respiratory rate were significantly changed(P<0.05) from 30min after injection. The CO2 tension of arterial blood was decreased significantly(P<0.05) from 2hr after injection. The postoperative hospital days were decreased significantly(P<0.05). Side effects of the epidural pain block were urinary retention(n= 10), urticaria(n=2) and a case of headache. There was no postoperative lung atelectasis. We conclude that the continuous epidural pain block is good for prevention of the postoperative lung complication and early recovery after thoracotomy.