• 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.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.152-157
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• 1988

Traumatic aorta-right ventricular shunt is an uncommon but important phenomenon due to development of irreversible cardiac dysfunction. Aorto-right ventricular shunt and aortic valvular laceration following stab wound of the chest was successfully surgically repaired in a twenty-year-old male patient. With the brief review of literatures, we describe the case.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.803-806
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• 2009

A 49-year-old man visited our hospital via the emergency room. He had suffered chest trauma by falling down. His chest X-Ray showed pneumomediastinum with pneumopericardium. We checked the Chest CT, and it showed pneumopericardium without any injury to the other organs, the compressed heart and a minimal pneumothorax on the left hemithorax. Closed thoracostomy was then done under local anesthesia. We then performed open pericardiostomy under general anesthesia. We got a good result and so we report on this case.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.3 s.272
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• pp.232-235
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• 2007

We present 2 cases of patients who underwent surgical repair and replacement of an injured aortic valve that was secondary to nonpenetrating trauma. Primary repair was undertaken on an 18-year old boy, but he had persistent moderate aortic regurgitation for five years after surgery. Another 64-year old man was treated successfully with surgical replacement of the aortic valve via employing a prosthetic mechanical valve. Attempts at valvuloplasty for the treatment of traumatic aortic valve injury have not been uniformly successful, and prosthetic valve replacement is recommended for repair, except for highly selected cases.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.968-970
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• 2000

26세 남자가 길가다 버스에 치어, 다발성 늑골골절, 흉골골절, 우견갑골골절, 좌쇄골하동맥 폐색, 외상성 기관식도루로 입원 치료 중 이완기 심잡읍이 생겼다. 심초음파 검사에서 심한 대동맥판 폐쇄 부전과 증식물로 진단하였다. 심폐기 운영 하에 좌 우 관상 동맥 첨판에 10mm, 7mm 파열을 발견 5-0 Prolene 연속 봉합하여 좋은 수술 결과를 얻고 환자는 수술 14일에 퇴원하였다.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.128-136
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• 1990

A Clinical analysis was performed on 717 cases of the chest trauma experienced at department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, Soonchunhyang Chunan Hospital from Mar. 1985 to Jun. 1989. 1. The sex ratio was 2.89:1 with male predominance. The patients in 75 % of total cases was between 3rd to 5th decade. 2. The most common causes were traffic accident in non-penetrating thoracic injury and stab wound by knife in penetrating injury. 3. The hemothorax, pneumothorax and hemopneumothorax were observed in 306 cases[42.7 %]. 4. The left thorax was the preferred site of penetrating and non-penetrating thoracic injury. The rib fracture was prevalent between 4th to 8th rib. 5. The open thoracotomy was performed in 55 cases[7.7 %] 6. The overall mortality was 3.07 %[22 cases] and causes of death were hypovolemic shock, adult respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, renal failure and pneumonia.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.9
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• pp.813-816
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• 2004

The conformation of traumatic diaphragmatic rupture is frequently difficult, even if radiologic evaluation has been performed. A 37-year old man with multiple trauma was suspicious with diaphragmatic rupture. The diaphragmatic rupture could not be confirmed with chest CT. We decided thoracoscopic operation for diagnosis. Diaphragm was ruptured about 8 cm length involving entering site of phrenic none into diaphragm and diaphragmatic paralysis was combined. We made 5 cm sized working window additionally. Ruptured diaphragm was repaired by continuous suture and plication of diaphragm was performed. Postoperative result was good at chest radiogram after three monthes.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.352-359
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• 1985

A clinical evaluation was performed on 811 cases of chest trauma who were admitted and treated at the department of thoracic & cardiovascular surgery, Catholic Medical College, during the past 19 years from Jan. 1966 to Dec. 1984. 1. The overall incidence rate of male to female was 3:1. 2. The common age groups were 4th, 5th, and 3rd decades. 3. The most common cause of chest trauma was stab in penetrating wound and traffic accidents in non penetrating wound. 4. The most common injury from non penetrating chest trauma was rib fracture [81.3%], and the incidence rate of flail chest was 14.5% of all cases of rib fractures. 5. The incidence rate of hemo-pneumothorax was 50.4% in non penetrating wounds, and 55.2% in penetrating wounds. 6. The most common method of surgical treatment was CTD [33.5%], and open thoracotomy was performed in 67 cases [8.3%]. 7, The overall mortality was 3.3% [27 cases], and common causes of the death were shock and respiratory insufficiency.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.264-269
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• 2001

흉부 둔상에 의한 기도와 식도의 동시적 파열상은 매우 드물게 발생되고 있다. 그러나 최그들어 고속 교통사고의 증가와 환자에 대한 응급체계의 발전으로 점차 치험 보고례가 증가되고 있다. 저자들은 흉부의 둔상에 의하여 기도와 식도에 종적으로 긴 파열상을 입은 환자 2례의 치험을 보고한다. 1례는 이전 병원에서 시행한 기관식도 재건술이 실패한 상태에서 전원되어와 2차적으로 식도절제 및 기관재건술을 실시하였으나 사망하였고. 다른 1례는 식도절제 및 기도재건술로 합병증이 없이 생존하였다.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.59-63
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• 1993

A clinical evaluation was performed with a population of 49 patients of chest trauma, who were diagnosed to undergo ventilator therapy, and had gone through ventilator therapy at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Kyungpook University Hospital. One of most common causes of chest trauma was vehicle accidents [77.5%] with the prevalent age group being their forties. The common findings were multiple rib fractures [89.8%], hemopneumothrax [81.6%], lung contusion [61.2%] and flail chest [44.9%]. Their common combined injuries were the orthopedics and neurosugical injuries [86.7%]. Complications caused by chest trauma were pneumonia, respiratory failure, atelectasis, barotrauma and empyema. Pulmonary infections were commonly associated with mechanical ventilation in the long term group and were best prevented by using bronchial hygiene therapy.The mortality rate was 5.8% of the total patients and that was 38.8% of the patients, who needed ventilator therapy. The causes of death were pneumonia, respiratory failure, acute renal failure and hypovolemic shock. Mechanical ventilation has an important place in the treatment of patients with severe chest trauma.