• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.175-179
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• 2010

Purpose: Sternal fractures after blunt thoracic trauma can cause significant pain and disability. They are relatively uncommon as a result of direct trauma to the sternum and open reduction is reserved for those with debilitating pain and fracture displacement. We reviewed consecutive 11 cases of open reduction and fixation of sternum and tried to find standard approach to the traumatic sternal fractures with severe displacement. Methods: From December 2008 to August 2010, the medical records of 11 patients who underwent surgical reduction and fixation of sternum for sternal fractures with severe displacement were reviewed. We investigated patients' characteristics, chest trauma, associated other injuries, type of open reduction and fixation, combined operations, preoerative ventilator support and postoperative complications. Results: The mean patient age was 59.3years (range, 41~79). The group comprised 6 male and 5 female subjects. Among 11 patients who underwent open reduction and fixation for sternal fracture with severe displacement, 6 cases had isolated sternal fractures and the other 5 patients had associated other injuries. Sternal fractures were caused by car accidents (9/11, 81.8%), falling down (1/11, 9.1%) and direct blunt trauma to the sternum (1/11, 9.1%), respectively. 3 of the 7 patients (42.9%) who underwent sternal plating with longitudinal plates showed loosening of fixation. Otherwise, none of the 4 patients who underwent surgical fixation using T-shaped plate had stable alignment of the fracture. Conclusion: Sternal fractures with severe displacement need to be repaired to prevent chronic pain, instability of the anterior chest wall, deformity of the sternum, and even kyphosis. In the present study, a T-shaped plate with a compression-tension mechanism constitutes the treatment of choice for displaced sternal fractures.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2003

Currently, atrial septal defect repair has been considered low risk operation duo to the development of open heart surgery Not only the operation itself, but also the cosmetic aspect is now focused. Though many methods exist as minimally invasive cardiac surgery in atrial septal defect repair, some surgeons advocate that right anterolateral thoracotomy is better than the others in the cosmetic aspect and we compared right anterolateral thoracotomy with median sternotomy. Material and Method: From January 1999 to August 2002, 43 patient underwent atrial septal defect repair by one operator, including 15 patients through right anterolateral thoracotomy(group A) and 15 patients through median sternotomy(group B) in Hanyang university Hospital. The data were randomized and operation outcomes were analyzed between these two groups. Result: The mean weight of group A was 38.77$\pm$15.57kg and 38.21$\pm$21.82kg in group B. In group A, mean operation (OP) time was 197.6$\pm$61.40min, mean cardiopulmonary bypass(CPB) time was 48.66$\pm$13.02min and mean fibrillation time or aortic cross clamp(ACC) time was 30$\pm$11.64min. In group B, mean OP time was 212.33$\pm$31.95min, mean CPB time was 55$\pm$12.10min, and mean fibrillation or ACC time was 29.33$\pm$9.04min. There was no significant differences in these two groups. In group A, mean mechanical ventilation time was 3.78$\pm$0.78 hours, mean postoperative ICU stay was 1.2$\pm$0.47 days and mean postoperative hospital stay was 10.20 41.08 days. In group B, mean mechanical ventilation time was 5.95$\pm$3.73 hours, mean post operative ICU stay was 1.41$\pm$0.61 days, and mean postoperative hospital stay was 12.20$\pm$3.55 days. There was no any significant difference in two groups. Group A had significantly lower mean thoracic and pleuropericardial drainage than group B (175.33$\pm$90.54cc vs 352.33$\pm$239.43cc, p<0.05). Complication was seen in one case in group B, transient 2nd degree A-V block. Conclusion: Right anterolateral thoracotomy was better than median sternotomy not only in cosmetic aspect but also in postoperative thoracic and pleuropericardial drainage, using the same instrument(p.0.05). But, right anterolateral thoracotomy was more technically difficult due to narrow operative field and we should be careful of aortic cannulation.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.82-89
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• 2008

Objective:　We compared the prevalence of injury and poisoning in the agricultural and fishery population with that of the general population.Methods: The national health insurance data and agricultufor this study. The age-adjusted standardized morbidity ratio was used to compare the prevalence of all injuries and poisonings of the agricultural and fishery population with that of the general population for the year 2002, as well as the prevalence of certain injuries and poisonings common to the agricultural and fishery population. The age-adjusted standardized morbidity ratio and 95% confidence intervals were attained by using the general population as the standard population group.Results: The age-adjusted standardized morbidity ratio of total injuries and poisonings was significantly high in the agriculture and fishery population. The standardized morbidity ratio was 137.6 in the male agriculture and fishery population and 123.3 in the female agriculture and fishery population. In terms of injuries and poisonings common to the agriculture and fishery population, the age-adjusted standardized morbidity ratio was significantly high regarding the dislocations and strains of lumbar spine/pelvis, shoulder and neck, the fracture of rib/thoracic spine/sternum and pesticide poisoning.Conclusions: The overall prevalence of injury/poisoning was significantly higher in the agriculture and fishery population than in the general population. Various forms of research should be conducted on the injuries of the agriculture and fishery population in the future. In order to compare the differences in the prevalence rates of injuries according to time and region, standard definitions of injuries and occupation related injuries are required.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.226-232
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• 2009

Background: Blunt chest trauma accounts for 90% of all chest traumas in Europe and the United States and this causes 20% of all trauma-related deaths. The major cause of morbidity and mortality after blunt chest trauma is undetected injuries. For this reason, chest computerized tomography has gained popularity for the evaluation of trauma, but it is expensive and it exposes patients to radiation. This study identified the clinical features associated with the diagnosic information obtained on a CT chest scan, as compared with a standard chest X-ray, for patients who sustained blunt trauma to the chest. This study also evaluated the role of a routine computed tomographic (CT) scan for these patients. The patients who had chest computed tomography done after the initial chest x-ray were analyzed separately for the presence of occult injuries. Material and Method: We studied 100 consecutive patients from November 2006 to July 2007: 74 patients after motor vehicle crashes and 26 patients after a fall from a height >2m. Simultaneous with the initial clinical evaluation, an anteroposterior chest radiograph and a helical chest CT scan were obtained for all the patients. The data extracted from the medical record included the vital signs, the interventions and the type and severity of injury (RTS). Result: Among the 100 cases, 79 patients showed at least more than one pathologic sign on their chest radiograph, and 21 patients had a normal chest radiograph. For 17 of the patients who had a normal chest X ray, the CT scan showed multiple injuries, which were pneumothorax, hemothorax, lung contusion, sternal fracture etc. This represents that a CT scan is statistically superior to a chest radiograph to diagnose the pathologic signs. But on the other hand, as for treatment, only 31 patients were diagnosed by CT scan and they were treated with chest tube insertion ect. 42 patients needed ony conservative management without invasive thoracosurgical treatment such as chest tube insertion or open thoracotomy. 27 patients were treated based on the diagnosis made by the chest radiograph and physical examination. Conclusion: Chest computerized tomography was significantly more effective than routine chest X-ray for detecting lung contusion, pneumothorax and mediastinal hematoma, as well as fractured ribs, scapula and, sternum. Although the occult findings increased, the number of patients who needed treatment was small. Therefore, we suggest making selective use of a CT scan to avoid its overuse in ERs.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.524-531
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• 1996

Purpose : To evaluate the pattern- of skeletal metastases and to classify the pattern of renal uptakes on bone scans in renal cell carcinoma. Materials and Methods : We reviewed the bone scans of 158 patients with RCC established pathologically. In order to identify individual scan lesion as a bone metastasis, we reviewed all available correlative radiological studies, follow-up bone scans, and biopsies for each lesion. The metastatic bone lesions were divided into seven anatomic regions; skull, spine, shoulder girdle, sternum, ribs, pelvis, and long bones of extremities. The individual scan lesions were divided into two groups as the pattern of uptakes, hot and cold lesion. In addition, the contours and uptakes of kidneys with RCC were classified into 6 groups ; normal uptake, photon-deficient lesion, faint up-take with enlargement, uneven uptake with enlargement, lateralization with crescentic shape, and increased uptake. Results : Twenty out of 158(12.7%) patients with RCC at varying stages showed 71 metastatic bone lesions at presentation and on follow- up bone scans. Nearly 80% of all metastatic lesions were in the axial skeleton with predominantly increased uptake of the radioactivity However a considerable number(22.5%) showed cold lesions on bone scan. A half of bone scans revealed abnormal uptake of involved kidney and much more(82.4%) in case of bone metastases. Two common patterns of abnormal renal uptake were photon-deficient lesion (50%) and faint uptake with enlargement(24.3%). In four patients with bone pain or pathologic fracture, bone scans were useful for the serendipitious localization of previously unrecognized primary lesion of RCC as well as for the detection of bone metastases from RCC. Conclusion : The understanding of the pat-terns of skeletal metastases and renal uptakes on bone scans in RCC is important for the useful information about primary lesion(RCC) as well as detection of bone metastases.