• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.9
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• pp.648-650
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• 2007

Bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is relatively rare, but it has high morbidity and mortality rates and it is associated with a prolonged hospital stay and high costs. Surgical treatment is the treatment of choice, but other minimal invasive forms of conservative management, and particularly bronchoscopy, have recently been investigated. We report here on the bronchoscopic treatment of a bronchopleural fistula accompanied necrotizing pneumonia, and we used coils and fibrin glue to treat the fistula.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.341-350
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• 1998

Background: Airway hyperreponsiveness is a cardinal feature of asthma. It consists of both an increased sensitivity of the airways, as indicated by a smaller concentration of a constrictor agonist needed to initiate the brochoconstrictor response and an increased reactivity, increments in response induced subsequent doses of constrictor, as manifested by slopes of the dose-response curve. The purpose of this study is to observe the relationship between bronchial sensitivity and reactivity in asthmatic subjects. Method: Inhalation dose-response curves using methacholine were plotted in 56 asthmatic subjects. They were divided into three groups(mild, moderate and severe) according to clinical severity of bronchial asthma. PC20 were determined from the dose-response curve as the provocative concentration of the agonist causing a 20% fall in FEVl. PC40 were presumed or determined from the dose response curve, using the PC20 and the one more dose after PC20. Reactivity was calculated from the dose-response curve regression line, connecting PC20 with PC40. Results: PC20 were 1.83mg/ml in mild group, 0.96mg/ml in moderate, and 0.34mg/ml in severe. PC40 were 7.l7mg/ml in mild group, 2.34mg/ml in moderate, and 0.75mg/ml in severe. Reactivity were $24.7{\pm}17.06$ in mild group, $46.1{\pm}22.l0$ in moderate, and $59.0{\pm}5.82$ in severe. There was significant negative correlation between PC20 and reactivity (r= -0.70, P<0.01). Conclusion: Accordingly, there was significant negative correlation between bronchial sensitivity and brochial reactivity in asthmatic subjects. However, in some cases, there were wide variations in terms of the reactivity among the subjects who have similar sensitivity. So both should be assessed when the bronchial response tor bronchoconstrictor agonists is measured.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1366-1372
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• 1996

Bronchoplasty has gained popularity in the selected cAses of bronchogenic carcinoma with poor pulmonary reserve, and also has been a choice of treatment for obstructive bronchial diseases since it can cure patient completely with preservation of pulmonary function. From Apr. 1990 to hpr. 19'96 two methods of bronchoplastic procedures, d patch dilating bronchoplasty and a segmental bronchial resection with end-to-end anastomosis, were performed with or without concominant pulmonary resection in 13 patients with benign bronchial stenosis and obstruction. The patients were 8 men and 5 women with average age of 43years(range 19 to 64 years). Patch dilating bronchoplasty using autogenous perichondrium and pericardium was applied in 5 cases of bronchial stenosis. Antecedan diseases of bronchial stenosls were 3 inflammatory bronchiectas is, and 2 endobronchial tuberculose is mixed with bronchi,ectas is. Segmental bronchial resection with end-to-end anastomosis was applied in 8 cases of bronchial obstruction, which were caused by endobronchial tuberculosis in 6 and cicatrization after trauma and foreign body in one case each. Bronchial obstructive symptoms and signs including recurrent pulmonary infection, dyspnea and wheezing were disappeared postoperatively with satisfactory recovery of physical activity. There was no operative mortality. Morbidity occured in 2 patients which were one case of unstability of applied bronchial patch resulting atelectasis and one case of bronchial restenosis at the anastomotic site. Based upon our experiences, we conclude that bronchoplastic procedure can be done with great success in patients with lung atelectasis caused by bronchial obstruction or stenosis and it restores physiologic function of collapsed lung with acc ptable complication.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.6 s.263
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• pp.498-501
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• 2006

Occult bronchial foreign body is that long-standing foreign body lodge in bronchial tree. A 63-year-old male was admitted our hospital complaining of a cough. Chest computerized tomography and bronchoscopy showed collapse of right middle lobe and foreign body in the bronchus intermedius. After open thoracotomy and bronchotomy, foreign body was removed and collapsed middle lobe was ventilated. Herein we report a case of middle lobe syndrome caused by occult foreign body in the bronchus intermedius.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.6 s.251
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• pp.450-453
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• 2005

Broncholithiasis is uncommon in patients with silicosis. Bronchoesophageal fistula complicated by broncholithiasis is especially rare and only one case has been reported in Korea. Surgical treatment of broncholithiasis should be as conservative as possible to preserve the adequate pulmonary function. Meticulous dissection and division of the fistula with the interposition of viable tissues will prevent recurrence, We report a rare case of bronchoesophageal fistula complicated by broncholithiasis in a patient with silicosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.44-52
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• 1999

Background : Airway infiltration by inflammatory cells, particularly of eosinophils, is one of the characteristic features of asthma. Several mechanisms for the recruitment of eosinophil is focused on the CD4+ T lymphocyte for the preferential production of Th2-c1erived cytokines. Interleukin-10(IL-10) is identified cytokine with potent antiinflammatory activity. This molecule has been shown to inhibit the release of cytokine from inflammatory cells including Th2 cell, and also to inhibit eosinophil survival. We therefore attempted to determine whether decreased synthesis of IL-10 in the lung of bronchial asthma may contribute to inflammation that is characteristics of this dease. Method: Subjects were patients with bronchial asthma(n=23) and normal controls(n=11). IL-10 produced from peripheral mononuclear cell(PBMC) and in bronchoalveolar lavage(BAL) fluid was measured by ELISA method. Degree of bronchial inflammation was assessed by total cell counts and eosinophil percents in BAL fluid, eosinophil infiltration on bronchial biopsy tissue and $PC_{20}$ for methacholine. Results: The IL-10 level produced by PBMC and in BAL fluid from patient with bronchial asthma were not different with normal controls(respectively, $901.6\pm220.4$ pg/ml, $810.9\pm290.8$ pg/ml for PBMC, $24.5\pm9.5$ pg/mL $30.5\pm13.5$ pg/ml for BAL fluid p>0.05). There were significant negative correlation between IL-10 in BAL fluid and eosinophil percents in BAL fluid or degree of eosinophil infiltration in bronchial biopsy (respectively r=-0.522, r=-0.4486 p<0.05). However there was no difference of IL-10 level according to $PC_{20}$ for methacholine. There were no correlation between IL-10 production by PBMC and peripheral blood eosinophil counts or serum eosinophilic cationic protein levels(respectively r=0.1146, r=0.0769 p>0.05). Conclusion: These observation suggest that IL-10 may participate but not acts the crucial role in regulation of the airway inflammation in bronchial asthma.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.24-36
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• 2002

Background: Bronchial reactivity is known to be a component of airway hyperresponsiveness, a cardinal feature of asthma, with bronchial sensitivity, and is increments in response to induced doses of bronchoconstrictors as manifested by the steepest slope of the dose-response curve. However, there is some controversy regarding methods of measuring bronchial reactivity and clinical impact of such measurements. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance and assess the clinical use by analyzing the relationship of the bronchial sensitivity, the clinical severity and the changes in pulmonary function with bronchial reactivity. Method: A total of 116 subjects underwent a methacholine bronchial provocation test. They were divided into 3 groups : mild intermittent, mild persistent, moderate and cough asthma. Severe patients were excluded. Methacholine PC20 was determined from the log dose-response curve and PC40 was determined by one more dose inhalation after PC20. The steepest slope of log dose-response curve, connecting PC20 with PC40, was used to calculate the bronchial reactivity. Body plethysmography and a single breath for the DLCO were done in 43 subjects before and after methacholine test. Results: The average bronchial reactivity was 38.0 in the mild intermittent group, 49.8 in the mild persistent group, 61.0 in the moderate group, and 41.1 in the cough asthma group. There was a weak negative correlation between PC20 and bronchial reactivity. A heightened bronchial reactivity tends to produce an increased clinical severity in patients with a similar bronchial sensitivity and basal spirometric pulmonary function. There were significant correlations between the bronchial reactivity and the initial pulmonary function before the methacholine test in the order of sGaw, Raw, $FEV_1$/FVC, MMFR. There were no correlations between the bronchial sensitivity and the % change in the pulmonary function parameters after the methacholine test. However, there were significant correlations between the bronchial reactivity and the PEF, $FEV_1$, DLCO. Conclusion: There was weak significant negative correlation between the bronchial reactivity and the bronchial sensitivity, and the bronchial reactivity closely reflected the severity of the asthma. Accordingly, measuring both the bronchial sensitivity and the bronchial reactivity can be of assistance in assessing of the ongoing disease severity and in monitoring the effect of therapy.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.505-515
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• 1997

Background : We assessed the accuracy of staging in evaluation of bronchial invasion, thus found the role of CT in patients who underwent resective surgery in primary lung cancer. Materials and Methods : Authors retrospectively analized the preoperative CT scans of 156 patients receiving pneumonectomy(n = 95) and lobectomy(n = 61). Among lobectomy patients, 7 patients subsequently performed pneumonectomy because of positive resection margin of bronchus in frozen biopsy. We also retrospectively analized CT scans of non-operated 60 patients who performed sufficient bronchoscopic biopsy. Bronchial wall thickness more than 3mm, irregular wall thickening and reduction of diameter by CT were defined as bronchial invasion. The pathologic examination of resection margin were positive in 20, stump recurrence occurred in 6 of the operated group, and the pathologic examination of biopsy of bronchial wall were positive in 34 of the non operated group, and these were an regarded as bronchial invasion. Results : The CT assessment of bronchial invasion revealed low sensitivity (11.5%), low positive predictability(38%), but high specificity(96%) and relatively high accuracy (84%) in the operated group and higher sensitivity (62%), higher positive predictability(95%) in non-operated group. Conclusion : In lung cancer patients who underwent operation, CT showed very low sensitivity and positive predictability in evaluation of bronchial invasion. Because the usefulness of CT in evaluation of bronchial invasion is limited, therefore aggressive fiberoptic bronchoscopic biopsy is thought to be necessary before surgical attempt.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.714-718
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• 1993

Tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica(TPO) is a rare disorder characterized by submucosal cartilaginous or bony projections into the tracheobronchial lumen with sparing of the posterior membranous portion of tracheobronchial tree. The etiology of TPO is still unknown. A 44-year-old male was admitted to Seoul Paik Hospital Inje University due to left chest pain for 10 days. On the past history he had sufferred from symptoms of bronchitis for several months. He showed radiologically massive pleural effusion in left lung field. Pleural biopsy revealed chronic pleuritis with hemorrhage. Bronchoscopic findings showed multiple intraluminal portruding nodule from just below the vocal cord to carina and both main bronchi. Pathology of bronchoscopic biopsy showed abnormal proliferation of atypical bony and carilagious nodules in the tracheal submucosa. We experianced a case of tracheobronchopathia osteoplastica involving the trachea and main bronchus in 44-year old male, associated with massive pleural effusion. This report is a case of TPO with review of literature.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.63 no.6
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• pp.507-510
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• 2007

A bronchopleural fistula (BPF) is traditionally treated by surgery, but currently various noninvasive forms of management, particularly the use of bronchoscopy, have been utilized. The substances and methods for noninvasive management of a BPF differ with individual clinicians. This case describes the use of flexible bronchoscopic treatment of a BPF complicating pneumoniausing embolization coils and intraluminally injected fibrin glue. If the BPF is small and is located on the peripheral bronchus, this minimal invasive maneuver could be recommended for the treatment of a BPF.