• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.311-321
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• 1998

Background: Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the lung arises from submucosal gland of tracheobronchial tree. Histologically, the tumor is composed of mucin-secreting cells, squamous cells, and intermediated cells, which show no particular differentiating characteristics, in varying proportions. The tumor is divided into low grade and high grade depending on the proportion of cells, and the degree of the mitotic activity, cellular necrosis and nuclear pleomorphism. While favorable prognosis of low grade tumor, high grade tumor, which is very difficult to differentiate from adenosquamous carcinoma, has an aggressive clinical course. The tumor is rare, comprising 0.1 to 0.2% of primary lung cancers and 1 to 5% of bronchial adenomas. Method: A retrospective clinical study was done on 17 cases of mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The study investigated the clinical features, radiologic findings, bronchoscopic findings, histology and clinical courses. Results: Age ranged between second to seventh decade with a mean age of 42 years. Twelve out of 17 cases were male. Five out of 17 cases were smokers with a mean 11 pack-years. Common symptoms included dyspnea, cough, hemoptysis, and wheezing. Two out of 17 cases was asymptomatic. Atelectasis or mass was common radiologic finding. Plain chest radiography was normal in one patient whom the tumor was located in upper trachea. Bonchoscopy revealed exophytic mass in 12 cases and nodular infiltrations in 4 cases. One case having solitary pulmonary nodule in the right lower lung was normal on bronchoscopy. Histologically, ten out of 17 cases were low grade, and seven out of 17 cases were high grade. Among 10 patients with low grade tumor,9 patients were performed operation and have been alive without recurrence during a mean follow-up of 30 months. Two out of 7 patients with high grade tumor were performed pneumonectomy and have been alive during a follow-up of 3 and 8 months, respectively. Conclusion: Most of mucoepidermoid carcinoma is located at central airway and is presented symptoms by mucosal irirtation. Although atelectasis or mass is common radiologic finding. chest X -ray can be normal. The histologic grading and the extent of tumor are two most important factors for prognosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.46-53
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• 2002

Background: Pulmonary aspergilloma is relatively common in korea. It arises from the colonization and proliferation of Aspergillus in preexisting lung parenchymal cavities, in particular tuberculosis. The most common symptom in this disorder is hemoptysis, which mayor may not be massive and life threatening. A routine chest radiography and computed tomography (CT) are the most important diagnostic procedures. A surgical resection of the aspergilloma has recently been recommended, because of the relatively low incidence of postoperative complications than in the past. A more concentrated sample of patients with aspergilloma, who either underwent a thoracotomy or tested positive for aspergillus antibodies, were reviewed. Method : The medical records of twenty-two patients with aspergilloma, who had a proven thoracotomy (9 cases), or who tested positive for the diagnostic procedure and/or aspergillus antibodies (13 cases) from January 1995 to December 2000, were reviewed retrospectively. Results : The most common underlying lung disease was a current or old healed tuberculosis, and 3 patients had cultures of mycobacterium other than tuberculosis (MOTT). The mean time until the aspergilloma was detected 5.91 years in the healed tuberculosis cases. The others cases involved a lung abscess, bronchiectasis and without lung disease. The extrapulmonary disease was alcoholism and diabetes. Hemoptysis was most common in 72.7%. A computed tomography (CT) is useful for diagnosis. The right upper lobe, especially the posterior segment, is the most common location. Bronchial artery embolization is ineffective for a long term follow-up. A lobectomy is most common in a thoracotomy, and intra-operative and post-operative complications are rare. During follow-up, the mortality rate, not from the aspergilloma but from respiratory failure, was 13.6%. Conclusion : Aspergilloma is a common cavitary lung disease, It mainly arises from tuberculosis, either current or healed, but extra-pulmonary disease including alcoholism or diabetes are other possible risk factors. Their most common problem in aspergilloma is hemoptysis. Surgery has a low risk of post-operative complications and is recommended in relatively preserved lung function or healthy patients. Medical maneuvers including embolization, and the local insertion of certain materials needs to be studied more closely.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.84-93
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• 2001

Backgrounds : In the absence of distant metastasis, small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients presenting with supraclavicular lymph node (SCLN) involvement and pleural effusion can benefit from thoracic radiotherapy. But there are some debate as to the prognostic significance of both SCLN involvement and pleural effusion. The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of SCLN involvement and pleural effusion in SCLC. Methods : Two Hundred and fifteen patients with histologically confirmed small cell lung cancer, who were treated either at the Keimyung university Dongsan hospital and Kyungpook national university hospital from January 1994 to June 1998, were evaluated retrospectively. The patients were classified as having either limited or extensive stage using the Veterans Administration staging system. Results : SCLN was presented in 10.5% of patients(n=21). The median survival was 247 days for patients with SCLN(n=21) and 264 days for patients without(n=194) (p=0.52). After treatment, the median survival was 298 days for patients with SCLN(n=13) and 348 days for patients without(n=115) (p=0.52). SCLN involvement was not correlated with the presence of distant metastases. Median survival was 459 days for patients with a limited stage without SCLN(n=66), 650 days for those with a limited stage with SCLN (n=7) (p=0.96). Pleural effusion was presented in 24.7% of patients(n=52). The median survival was 198 days for patients with pleural effusion(n=52) and 275 days for patients without(n=163) (p<0.05). After treatment, the median survival was 294 days for patients with a pleural effusion(n=25) and 286 days for patients without(n=103) (p=0.39). The presence of pleural effusion was not correlated with that of distant metastases. The median survival was 395 days for patients with a limited stage without a pleural effusion(n=63), 451 days for those with a limited stage with pleural effusion(n=10) (p=0.92). Conclusionsa : In this study, SCLN involvement does not explain the poor survival rate and the relevance to extensive staged disease. Furthermore, the existence of a pleural effusion did not correlated with the presence of distant metastases. However, the presence of a pleural effusion appears to be a minor prognostic factor in our study. Therefore supraclavicular lymph node involvement and the presence of a pleural effusion in SCLC are not poor prognostic factors, which does not justify any amendment to the staging system currently used.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.676-683
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• 2000

Background : Surgery may have a role when medical treatment alone is not successful in patients with multidrug resistant (MDR) pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB). To document the role of resection in MDR PTB, we analyzed 4 years of our experience. Methods : A retrospective review was performed on thirteen patients that underwent pulmonary resection for MDR PTB between May 1996 and February 2000. All patients had organisms resistant to many of the first-line drugs including isoniazid (INH) and rifampicin (RFP). Results : The thirteen patients were $37.5{\pm}12.4$ years old (mean${\pm}$S.D.)(M : F=5:8), and their sputum was culture positive even with adequate medication for prolonged periods ($109.7{\pm}132.0$ months), resistant to 2-8 drugs including isoniazid and rifampin. All patients had localized lesion(s) and most (92.3%) had cavities. At least 3 sensitive anti-TB medications were started before surgery in all patients according to the drug sensitivity test. The preoperative $FEV_1$ was $2.37{\pm}0.83$ L. Lobectomy was performed in 11 patients and pleuropneumonectomy in two. Postoperative mortality did not occur, but pneumonia occurred as a complication in one (7.7%). After $41.5{\pm}58.9$ days (range 1~150 days) follow up, negative conversion of sputum culture was achieved in all patients within 5 months. Only one patient (7.7%) recurred 32 months after lung resection. Conclusion : When medical treatment alone is not successful, surgical resection can be a good treatment option in patients with localized MDR PTB.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.287-296
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• 2003

Background : Drowning represents the third most common cause of all accidental deaths worldwide. Although few studies of submersion injury were done in Korea, the subjects were mainly pediatric patients. The purpose of this study is to describe the clinical feature of submersion injury in adults. Methods : The medical records of 31 patients with submersion injury who were >15 years of age and admitted to Kyungpook National University Hospital from July 1990 to March 2003 were retrospectively examined. Results : The most common age-group, cause, and site of submersion accidents in adults were 15-24 years of age, inability to swim, and river followed by more than 65 years of age, drinking, and public bath respectively. The initial chest radiographics showed bilaterally and centrally predominant distribution of pulmonary edema at lung base in about 90% of patients with pulmonary edema represented by submersion injury but at only upper lung zone in 10%. Eventually, 25 patients (80.6%) survived without any neurologic deficit and 2 patients (6.5%) with significant neurologic deficit, and 4 patients (12.9%) died. Age, arterial gas oxygenation, and mental status among baseline variables showed significant difference for prognosis. Conclusions : More than 65 year of age, drinking, and occurrence in public bath were relatively important in submersion injury of adults, and the successful survival of 80.6% of patients suggests that cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be intensively done in even adults.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.61 no.5
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• pp.440-446
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• 2006

Background: Post-transplant tuberculosis (TB) is a serious complication in solid organ transplant recipients worldwide, However there is little or no data on TB in liver or heart transplant recipients in Korea. Methods: The incidence and clinical characteristics of TB of 730 patients who had undergone a liver transplant in a university hospital in Korea between 1992 and 2004, and 110 heart transplant recipients in the same period, were reviewed retrospectively. Results: The incidence of TB was 1.5%(11/730) and 2.7%(3/110) in the liver and heart transplantation, respectively. The median time from the transplant to the development of TB was 8.4 months(1.0-30.8). and the mean time from the symptoms to the diagnosis of TB was $2.1{\pm}3.6$ months(0.3-13.2). Nine patients (65%) had pulmonary TB and five (35%) had extrapulmonary TB. The leukopenia and positive HbeAg at the baseline, post-transplant diabetes mellitus, and chronic rejection were associated with the development of TB in the liver transplant recipients. Ten patients were treated with a 4-drug standard regimen for a mean duration of $7.8{\pm}3.5$ months. One patients died of TB. Conclusion: The incidence of TB in liver or heart transplant recipients was similar to that reported in other countries with a similar TB-burden.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.6
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• pp.582-589
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• 2005

Background : The incidence of lung adenocarcinoma, which is more prevalent in women and nonsmokers, is increasing. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic factors of an adenocarcinoma of the lung. Material and method : The clinical information of patients diagnosed with an adenocarcinoma of the lung at the Kosin University Gospel Hospital from January 1994 to July 2004 was reviewed retrospectively. The survival time of these patients was analyzed by the patient's age, gender, performance status, weight loss, smoking history, location of the primary tumor, clinical stage, serologic tumor markers, and treatment modality. Results : For all 422 patients with an adenocarcinoma of the lung, 247 (58.5%) were male, and their mean age was 59.8 years the. The majority of patients were smokers (58.3%), and the tumors were located in the periphery (59.7%). In the smokers, the tumor was located more in the central airway compared to the non-smokers (42.8% vs. 31.9%, p=0.12). The overall median survival time was 390 days (95% CI;304-436 days). Univariate survival analysis revealed that an older age (${\geq}65$ years old), male, weight loss, smoker, central type, advanced clinical stage, elevated serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA, >5 ng/ml) and neuron specific enolase (NSE, >15 ng/ml), and the supportive care only were significantly poor prognostic factors. The median survival time was shorter in the smokers than nonsmokers (289 days vs. 533 days, p<0.001). In addition, it was also shorter in the elevated NSE group than in the normal range group (207 days vs. 469 days, p<0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that age, clinical stage, serum NSE, smoking status, and treatment modality were independent predictors of survival (hazard ratios: 1.68, 1.94, 1.92, 2.39 and 1.57, respectively). Conclusions : Smoking is an important prognostic factor in an adenocarcinoma of the lung, but not gender. This suggests that the better prognosis of women is more related with the lower rate of smoking. In addition, the elevated serum NSE is also an important prognostic in an adenocarcinoma of the lung.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.59-66
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• 2007

Background: Surgical lung biopsy is required to establish the etiology and stage of interstitial lung disease(ILD). and this procedure can be safe and meaningful for making clinical decisions. We wanted to determine the safety of surgical lung biopsy(SLB) in patients with interstitial lung disease(ILD). Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 40 patients with suspected ILD and they underwent surgical lung biopsy from January 2001 to June 2006 at Chungnam University Hospital. We analyzed retrospectively according to their age, gender, pulmonary function, chest tube duration, the arterial blood gases, the procedural technique, and the requirement for supplemental oxygen and mechanical ventilation(MV) at the time of SLB. Results: The mean age of the patients was 56.4${\pm}$16.13 years(range: 21 to 77 years). Overall, the 30-day and 90-day mortality rates were 15% and 20%, respectively. The predictors of perioperative mortality were either the need for mechanical ventilation(MV) at the time of SLB or the need for supplemental oxygen prior to undergoing SLB. Among the 32 patients who were 90-day survivors, the proportion of those patients using the oxygen supplement was 28.1% (n=9). All 8 patients who were 90-day non-survivors used oxygen supplement (p=0.000). The use of the MV was 12.5% (n=4) in the 90-day survivors (n=32) and 62.5% (n=5) in the 90-day non-survivors (n=8); there was a significant difference between the 90-day survivors and non-survivors (p=0.000). Conclusion: Patients who require MV and supplemental oxygen are associated with an increased risk for death following SLB.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.34-43
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• 2009

Purpose: Glomus tumors are rare benign vascular tumors, usually located in the skin or soft tissue of extremities. Approximately 30-50% of glomus tumors occur in subungal area, but glomus tumors have been described in every location even where glomus bodies are not or rarely present. The purpose of this study was to identify clinical, histologic and MRI characteristics of soft tissue glomus tumor. Materials and Methods: Between 1993 and 2008, eight patients underwent surgery of soft tissue Glomus tumor at our institution. Exclusion criteria were patients with Glomus tumors in digits, stomach, trachea and glomus tympanicum. We analyzed medical records, interviews, physical examinations, MR findings and histolocial types retrospectively. Results: There were four men and four women. The mean age was fourty-seven years. The mean prevalence time was eight-point-nine years. In the classic triad of symptoms, all eight patients had pain and tenderness. Two patients complained of cold sensitivity. Two showed skin color changes. After surgery, two showed symptom improvement (VAS $9^{\circ}{\rightarrow}8$, $8^{\circ}{\rightarrow}5$) and?six showed complete disappearance of symptoms. Slightly symptom improvemented (VAS $9^{\circ}{\rightarrow}8$) one had additional surgery two times after first surgery due to relapse/remaining Glomus tumor. The mean size was 13.9 mm. In histology, six were 'solid glomus tumor', one was a mixture of 'solid glomus tumor' and 'lomangioma' and one was 'malignant glomus tumor'. MR findings showed isointense signal on T1 image, high signal on T2 image and strong enhancement on the Gadolinium enhanced image. Conclusion: Glomus tumor has low recurrence rate and malignant change, rapid diagnosis and surgical excision is critical in treatment to prevent unnecessary pain of patient.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.270-276
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• 2006

Purpose: The prognosis of Borrmann type IV gastric cancer is poorer than that of the other gastric carcinomas. We compared the clinicopathological features of Borrmann type IV gastric cancer with those of other types of cancer and analyzed the significance of a Borrmann type IV carcinoma as a prognostic factor Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathologic features, TNM stage and survival rates of 4,389 gastric cancer patients who received surgical management at Samsung Medical Center between January 1995 and December 2004. Results: Patients with a Borrmann type IV gastric carcinoma had a more advanced stage than patients with other types of gastric carcinomas at the initial diagnosis, and the curative resection rate was lower. The 5-year survival rate of patients with Borrmann type IV cancer was 20.7%, and that of patients with other types of cancer was 50.3%. The 5-year survival rate of patients with Borrmann type IV gastric carcinomas was significantly lower than that of patients with other types of gastric carcinomas at the same TNM stage. In univariate and multivariate analyses, the depth of invasion, the nodal state, distant metastasis, the TNM stage, curability and the presence of a Borrmann type IV carcinoma were independent prognostic factors in cases of gastric cancer. Conclusion: Compared to the other types of gastric carcinomas, a Borrmann type IV carcinoma has unique clinicopathological features. The prognosis should be predicated considering the differences between Borrmann type IV qastric carcinomas and other types of gastric carcinomas, and multimodal and intensive therapies are needed in patients with a Borrmann type IV gastric carcinoma.