• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.373-378
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• 1999

Background: Minimally invasive technique for various cardiac surgeries has become widely accepted since it has been proven to have distinct advantages for the patients. We describe here the results of our experiences of minimal incision in cardiac surgery. Material and Method: From February 1997 to November 1998, we successfully performed 31 cases of minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Male and female ratio was 17:14, and the patients age ranged from 1 to 75 years. A left parasternal incision was used in 9 patients with single vessel coronary heart disease. A direct coronary bypass grafting was done under the condition of the beating heart without cardiopulmonary bypass support(MIDCAB). Among these, one was a case of a reoperation 1 week after the first operation due to a kinked mammary artery graft. A right parasternal incision was used in one case of a redo mitral valve replacement. Mini-sternotomy was used in the remaining 21 patients. The procedures were mitral valve replacement and tricuspid annuloplasty in 6 patients, mitral valve replacement 5, double valve replacement 2, aortic valve replacement 1, removal of left atrial myxoma 1, closure of atrial septal defect 2, repair of ventricular septal defect 2, and primary closure of r ght ventricular stab wound 1. The initial 5 cases underwent a T-shaped mini-sternotomy, however, we adopted an arrow-shaped ministernotomy in the remaining cases because it provided better exposure of the aortic root and stability of the sternum after a sternal wiring. Result: The operation time, the cardiopulmonary bypass time, the aorta cross-clamping time, the mechanical ventilation time, the amount of chest tube drainage until POD#1, the chest tube indwelling time, and the duration of intensive care unit staying were in an acceptable range. There were two surgical mortalities. One was due to a rupture of the aorta cannulation site after double valve replacement on POD#1 in the mini-sternotomy case, and the other was due to a sudden ventricular arrhythmia after MIDCAB on POD#2 in the parasternal incision case. Postoperative complications were observed in 2 cases in which a cerebral embolism developed on POD#2 after a mini-sternotomy in mitral valve replacement and wound hematoma developed after a right parasternal incision in a single coronary bypass grafting. Neither mortality nor complication was directly related to the incision technique itself. Conclusion: Minimally invasive surgery using parasternal or mini-sternotomy incision can be used in cardiac surgeries since it is as safe as the standard full sternotomy incisions.

• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.96-103
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• 2011

Purpose: Although infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) are at risk of developing secondary pulmonary hypertension (PH), which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, little has been reported about the incidence, clinical course and prognosis of PH secondary to BPD in premature infants. This study was done to investigate the incidence, risk factors, clinical course, and the ultimate prognosis of PH developed secondary to BPD in very low birth weight infants (<1,500 g). Methods: Medical records of very low birth weight infant (VLBWI) admitted to Samsung Medical Center NICU from January 2000 to July 2007 were reviewed retrospectively. BPD was defined by Jobe's classification. The diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension was established as velocity of tricuspid valve regurgitation (TR) ${\geq}$3 m/s and a flattening of the intraventricular septum by conducting Doppler echocardiography. Results: The incidence of pulmonary hypertension was 6% in VLBWI with BPD and it developed in moderate to severe BPD. The diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension was made on postnatal 133 days (range 40-224 days) and the risk factors related to developing pulmonary hypertension were severe BPD, small for gestational age and outborn infants. The mortality rate was 57% and especially higher in severe BPD (70%). The time to recovery spent 3 months (range 1-10 months) in survived patients. Conclusion: Based on the results of this research, pulmonary hypertension secondary to BPD in VLBWI related to severity of BPD and had a poor prognosis. We expect that regular long-term echocardiography may be helpful in treating reversible in VLBWI with moderate to severe BPD.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.216-222
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• 2008

Background: Prosthetic annuloplasty rings are used for the reconstruction of the mitral valve annulus. However, there is controversy over the best ring to use for reconstruction. In this study, we evaluated the long term result of using a Teflon felt strip as an alternative to commercial rings. Material and Method: From 1996 to 2007, we enrolled 47 patients with pure mitral regurgitation greater than grade III. All patients had an ejection fraction of 40% or more. Patients with congenital heart disease or other valvular heart disease were excluded from this study. They were divided into two groups; the commercial ring group (Group CR) and the Teflon felt ring group (Group TF). Result: There was no mortality. The postoperative echocardiography showed no significant change in the overall ejection fraction (from $58.0{\pm}11.2%\;to\;42.8{\pm}8.4%$). There were no significant differences between the two groups with regard to morbidity, the reoperation rate and recurrence of mitral regurgitation greater than grade II. Conclusion: The long term results from this study showed that posterior mitral annuloplasty using Teflon felt had similar results compared to annuloplasty using commercial rings.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.9-14
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• 2005

Purpose: Abnormal myocardial perfusion may be caused by ventricular preexcitation, but its location, extent, severity and correlation with accessory pathway (AP) are not established. We evaluated perfusion patterns on myocardial perfusion SPECT and location of AP in patients with WPW (Wolff-Parkinson-White) syndrome. Materials and Methods: Adenosine Tc-99m MIBI or Tl-201 myocardial perfusion SPECT was performed in 11 patients with WPW syndrome. Perfusion defects (PD) were compared to AP location based on ECG with Fitzpatrick's algorithm or electrophysiologic study and radiofrequency catheter ablation. Results: Patients had atypical chest discomfort or no symptom. Risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) was below 0.1 in 11 patients using the nomogram to estimate the probability of CAD. Coronary angiography was performed in 4 patients (mid-LAD 50% in one, normal in others). In 4 patients, AP localization was done by electrophysiologic study and radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA). Small to large extent ($11.0{\pm}8.5%$, range:$3{\sim}35%$) and mild to moderate severity ($-71{\pm}42.7%$, range:$-2l7{\sim}-39%$) of reversible (n=9) or fixed (n=1) perfusion defects were noted. One patient with right free wall (right lateral) AP showed normal. PD locations were variable following the location of AP. One patient with left lateral wall AP was followed 6 weeks after RFCA and showed significantly decreased PD on SPECT with successful ablation. Conclusion: Myocardial perfusion defect showed variable extent, severity and location in patients with WPW syndrome. Abnormal perfusion defect showed in most of all patients, but it did not seem to be correlated specifically with location of accessory pathway and coronary artery disease. Therefore myocardial perfusion SPECT should be interpreted carefully in patients with WPW syndrome.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.224-230
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• 2001

배경: 지속적인 온혈 심성지액을 이용한 심금 보호술이 소개된 이수, 이를 토대로 많은 임상결과가 발표되고 있다. 그러나 지속적 심정지액 주입에 따른 적정한 수술시야 확보와 역행성 관류법에 따른 우심실 보호에 대한 문제들이 제기 되고 있다. 이에 Antonio 등은 포타슘만을 이용한 간헐적 온혈액 심정지술을 이용하여 만족할 만한 임상결과를 보고 하였다. 본 임상연구는 포타슘만을 이용한 간헐적 온혈액 심정지술을 이용하여, 개심술을 시행 받은 70례의 환잔의 임상결과를 분석하여 그 유용성을 알아보고자 하였다. 대상 및 방법: 1998년 5월부터 1999년 1월까지 포타슘만을 이용한 간헐적 온혈액 심정지술을 이용하여 관상동맥 우회술 및 판막수술을 시행한 70명의 환자와 같은 기간 간헐적 냉혈액 심성지술을 이용하여 동일 술자에 의해 수술을 시행한 70명의 임상결과를 비교 분석하였다. 결과: 총 심폐기 사동 시간(98.7$\pm$6.0분, 114.3$\pm$7.5분, p=0.018),수술중 심정지를 위해 필요한 심정지액의 양(1463.0$\pm$68.0cc, 3584.0$\pm$179.0cc, p<0.001), 의식이 회복될 때까지의 시간(3.5$\pm$0.4시간, 4.9$\pm$0.8시간, p=0.044), 기관 삽관의 제거까지의 시간(10.8$\pm$0.8시간, 13.2$\pm$0.6시간, p=0.017), 부정액으로 리도케인(Lidocaine)의 도움이 필요한 경우(75.2$\pm$6.8mg, 114.5$\pm$7.2mg, p=0.006)등에 있어서는 포타슘만을 이용한 간헐적 온혈액 심정지술이 유의성의 있었고, 술수 심근효소의 상승, 사망률과 이환율에 있어서는 두군간의 유의성은 없었다. 결론: 관상동맥 우회술 및 판막수술에 있어 포타슘만을 이용한 간헐적 온혈액 심정지술은 적어도 간헐적 냉혈액 심정지술과 같은 정도의 심근 보호를 할 수 있었으며, 기존의 warm heart surgery의 장점인 심폐기 가동시간이 짧고, 의식회복이 빠른 점과 함께 용적과부학(volume loading)를 줄일 수 있는 장점이 있어 유용한 심근 보호술의 하나로 사료된다.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.571-578
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• 1995

Rastelli operation in which right ventricle[RV and pulmonary artery[PA is connected with an artificial graft is effective in increasing the pulmonary blood flow in certain types of congenital heart disease but, in many, it requires a reoperation because of the relative stenosis of graft that develops as the patients become old. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the various factors which many influence the long term outcome of such patients following a Rastelli operation. A total of 47 patients underwent a Rastelli operation during a 15 year period between November, 1978 and October 1993. The mean follow-up period is 76.1 51.3 months.1 Among the 47 patients, a valved conduit was used in 30[63.8% , and non-valved conduit in 17[36.2% patients. In the 8 patients[17.0% who died postoperatively, a valved conduit was used in 5 [16.6% and a non-valved conduit in 3[17.6% . There was no statistical difference in mortality between the 2 groups. There was a good linear correlation between the body surface area[X and the conduit size[Y [Y=3.86X + 14.6, R=0.55, P=0.01 .2 Ten patients underwent replacement of the conduit during the follow-up period. The type of conduit used and the frequency of subsequent replacement were as follows: Ionescu-Shiley, valved-33.3%, Carpentier-Edwards, valved-30.8%, Hancock, valved-80% and non-valved conduit-9.1%. The median period free of reoperation was 110 months for the valved and 79 months for the non-valved group, there being no statistical difference between the 2 groups. 3 The patients who did not require reoperation are all doing well [New York Heart Association Functional Classification: Class I . Pressure gradient between the RV and the PA was 20 mmHg in 10 randomly selected patients who did not require reoperation and 92 9 mmHg in 10 patients who did require reoperation.4 In the 10 patients who underwent a conduit replacement procedure.5 Among patients undergoing reoperation, 2 died from endocarditis.The remaining 8 patients are doing well without limitation in physical activity at a mean follow-up period of 32.7 33.9 months [range 2 to 89 months . 6 At 5, 7, and 10 years, the reoperation-free rates among all patients were 96%, 91% and 29% and the survival rates were 82%, 82% and 71%. In conclusion, Rastelli operation is an effective procedure in ameliorating symptoms in a select group of patients with congenital heart disease. Because of the inherent nature of relative graft stenosis and degeneration, a long-term follow-up is required under the proper selection of the graft material.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.309-313
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• 2005

This study was performed to assess the efficacy of surgical treatment with flexible alligator forceps (FAF) on heartworm infected dogs. Twenty dogs (10 males and 10 females) with heartworm infection, age $5.3\pm3.0\;(mean{\pm}S.D.)$ years and weight $9.3\pm6.5(mean{\pm}S.D.)kg$ were treated with FAF. Adult heartworms were removed by fluoroguided technique with FAF under inhalation anesthesia with isoflurane. For evaluation of the efficacy, removal rate and surgical time were measured, and removal sites were found. Antigen ELISA kit test and autopsy were performed to examine remained adult heartworms. Removal rate of total heartworms was $91.4\%$ including 15 complete retrieval cases and surgical time was $30.0\pm7.6(mean{\pm}S.E.)$ minutes. Heartworms were removed from the right ventricle, main pulmonary artery, and right and left pulmonary artery. Surgical treatment with FAF is an effective method with high removal rate, short surgical time, and various removal sites and it could be considered for the removal of adult heartworms in a dog.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.135-139
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• 1993

Radionuclide cardioangiography has been widely applied and has played major roles in non-invasive assessment of cardiac function. Three techniques, first-pass, gated first and gated equilibrium methods, have commonly been used to evaluate right ventricular ejection fraction which usually abnormal in the patients with cardiopulmonary disease. It has been known that the gated first pass method is the most accurate method among the three techniques in assessment of right ventricular ejection fraction. The radionuclide right ventricular ejection fraction values were determined in 13 normal subjects and in 15 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by the gated first pass method and compared with those of the first pass method because there ha,j been no published data of right ventricular ejection fraction by the gated first pass method in Korea. The values of right ventricular ejection fraction by the gated first pass method were compared with the detas from the pulmonary function test performed in the patients with chronic obstructive pulmomary disease. The results were as follows: 1) The values of right ventricular ejection fraction by the gated first pass method were $50.1{\pm}6.1%$ in normal subjects and $38.5{\pm}8.5$ in the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There was statistically significant difference between the right ventricular ejection fraction of each of the two groups (p < 0.05). 2) The right ventricular ejection fraction by the gated first pass method was not linearly correlated with $FEV_1$, VC, DLCO, and FVC as well as $P_aO_2$ and $P_aCO_2$ of the patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We concluded that right ventricular ejection fraction by the gated first pass method using radionuclide cardioangiography may be useful in clinical assessment of the right ventricular function.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.569-573
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• 2007

A 3 month old female baby, who had been diagnosed with right atrial isomerism associated with total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR), a functional single ventricle and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (MAPCA), underwent left MAPCA unifocalization and left Blalock-Taussig shunt (3.5 mm) at 3 months of age. The post-operative course was complicated by pulmonary venous congestion, and the drainage site of the TAPVR was found to be stenotic on echocardiography. We performed sutureless repair of the TAPVR along with unifocalization of the right MAPCA. She was put on an extracorporeal membrane oxygenator for 8 days after the 2nd operation, and she was able to come off the oxygenator with the placement of a central shunt (3 mm). She developed tracheal stenosis, which was presumably due to longstanding endotracheal intubation, and she then underwent tracheostomy. She was discharged to home on day 104 after the 1st operation, and she has been followed up for 2 months in a good clinical condition.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.1 s.270
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• pp.1-7
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• 2007

Backgound: It has been shown that the endothelium of cardiac valves and adjacent great vessels have a reduced immune reaction compared to other vessels. We investigated the clinical feasibility of using immunologically untreated xenogenic valves, in a pig-to-goat pulmonary valve conduit implantation model. Material and Method: Porcine pulmonary valve conduits were prepared without specific immunologic treatment and implanted into the right ventricular outflow tract of goats while undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass. Two goats each were assigned to the following observation time intervals: one day, one week, three months, six months and twelve months. Echo-cardiographic examinations were performed prior to sacrifice of the goat to evaluate pulmonary valve function. After the xenograft specimens were retrieved, histological changes were evaluated microscopically. Result: Ten of the twelve animals survived the predetermined observation time intervals. Aneurysmal dilatations, of the anterior wall of the implanted pulmonary artery, were observed at each of three and twelve month-survival animals. A variable degree of pulmonary valve regurgitation was observed on echocardiography. However, valve stenosis, thrombotic occlusion and vegetation were not seen. Microscopically, the nuclei of the donor tissue disappeared as a result of pyknosis and karyolysis; however the three components of the implanted xenografts (the pulmonary artery, the valve and the infundibulum) were gradually replaced by host cells over time, while maintaining their structural integrity. Conclusion: Immunologically untreated xenogenic pulmonary valve conduits were replaced by host cells with few observed clinical problems in a pig to goat pulmonary valve implantation model. Therefore, they might be an alternative bioprosthesis option.