• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.324-331
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• 2022

Prior abdominal liposuction can be viewed as a relative or absolute contraindication to abdominally based autologous breast reconstruction given concerns for damaged perforators and scarring complicating intraoperative dissection. This systematic review aims to explore the outcomes of abdominally based breast reconstruction in patients with a history of abdominal liposuction. A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-guided literature search was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from the earliest available date through June 2020. Deep inferior epigastric perforator, muscle-sparing transverse rectus abdominis musculocutaneous (TRAM), superficial inferior epigastric artery, and pedicled TRAM flaps were included for evaluation. Complications included total or partial flap loss, fat necrosis, seroma, delayed wound healing, and donor site complications. After inclusion criteria were applied, 336 non-duplicate articles were screened, yielding 11 for final review, representing 55 flaps in 43 patients. There was no instance of total flap loss, eight (14.5%) flaps developed partial loss or fat necrosis, three (5.4%) flaps had delayed wound healing, and two (4.6%) patients had donor site complications. Most authors (8/11) utilized some type of preoperative imaging. Doppler ultrasonography was the most used modality, and these patients had the lowest rate of partial flap loss or flap fat necrosis (8%), followed by those without any preoperative imaging (10%). In conclusion, this review supports that patients undergoing abdominally based autologous breast reconstruction with a history of abdominal liposuction are not at an increased risk of flap or donor site complications. Although preoperative imaging was common, it did not reliably decrease complications. Further prospective studies are needed to address the role of imaging in improving outcomes.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.291-294
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• 2013

There are various origins for chronic abdominal pain. About 10-30% of patients with chronic abdominal pain have abdominal wall pain. Unfortunately, abdominal wall pain is not thought to be the first origin of chronic abdominal pain; therefore, patients usually undergo extensive examinations, including diagnostic laparoscopic surgery. Entrapment of abdominal cutaneous nerves at the muscular foramen of the rectus abdominis is a rare cause of abdominal wall pain. If abdominal wall pain is considered in earlier stage of chronic abdominal pain, unnecessary invasive procedures are not required and patients will reach symptom free condition as soon as the diagnosis is made. Here, we report a case of successful treatment of a patient with abdominal cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome by ultrasound guided injection therapy.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.112-118
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• 2021

Purpose: Negative laparotomy in patients with abdominal penetrating injuries (APIs) is associated with deleterious outcomes and unnecessary expense; however, the indications for laparotomy in hemodynamically stable patients with ambiguous computed tomography (CT) findings remain unclear. This study aimed to identify the factors associated with negative laparotomy. findings Methods: Data of patients who underwent laparotomy for APIs between 2011 and 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who presented with definite indications for laparotomy were excluded. The patients were dichotomized into negative and positive laparotomy groups, and the baseline characteristics, laboratory test results, and CT findings were compared between the groups. Results: Of 55 patients with ambiguous CT findings, 38 and 17 patients were assigned to the negative and positive laparotomy groups, respectively. There was no significant difference between the groups with respect to the baseline characteristics or the nature of the ambiguous CT findings. However, the laboratory test results showed that there was a difference in the percentage of neutrophils between the groups (negative: 55.6% [range 47.4-66.1%] vs. positive: 79.8% [range 77.6-88.2%], p<0.001), although the total white blood cell count was not significantly different. The mean duration of hospital stay for the negative laparotomy group was 13.1 days, and seven patients (18.4%) experienced complications. Conclusions: Diagnostic factors definitively indicative of laparotomy were not identified, although the percentage of neutrophils might be helpful. However, routine laparotomy in patients with peritoneal injuries could result in instances of negative laparotomy.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.115-122
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• 2005

Falls from a height are the leading cause of injury and death among urban children. This study describes the incidence, clinical characteristics, and treatment results of children under 15 year of age who fell from a height of more than one meter and were admitted for abdominal injury. The medical records of 585 consecutive patients treated between January 1997 and December 2003 at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. The falling heights were 1 to 31.2 meters, and 28 patients(4.8 %) suffered from blunt abdominal trauma. The male to female ratio was 2.1: 1. The median age of the victims was 5.5 years, and the median height fallen was 3 meters. Fifteen patients (53.6 %) were injured during the summer and seventy-nine percent of the falls occurred between noon and 9 pm. Eighteen (64.3 %) of falls occurred in residential place and 19(67.8 %) of patients arrived at the emergency department within 30 minutes of the accident. Only 16 patients (57.1 %) complained of abdominal pain. Liver injuries were found in 12(42.9 %), spleen injuries in 5(17.9 %), kidney injuries 3(10.7 %), pancreatic injuries in 1(3.6 %) and nonspecific abdominal injuries in 9(32.1 %) cases. Increased SGOT and SGPT were found in 23(82.2 %) and 18(64.3 %) cases. Eleven patients (39.3 %) had associated head injuries. Limb injuries were present in 17.9% and thoracic injuries in 7.1%. Twenty-five patients (89.3 %) recovered without operation. The median length of hospital stay was 6 days (2 -20 days). Despite the absence of abdominal symptoms or shock, falls from a height in children may carry significant intra-abdominal organ injuries. The height falling could not predict the degree of the abdominal injury. For the evaluation of potential abdominal injuries, CT scan should be utilized.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.28-35
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• 2013

Background If a chronically infected abdominal wound develops, complications such as peritonitis and an abdominal wall defect could occur. This could prolong the patient's hospital stay and increase the possibility of re-operation or another infection as well. For this reason, a solution for infection control is necessary. In this study, surgery using a rectus abdominis muscle myofascial splitting flap was performed on an abdominal wall defect. Methods From 2009 to 2012, 5 patients who underwent surgery due to ovarian rupture, cesarean section, or uterine myoma were chosen. In each case, during the first week after operation, the wound showed signs of infection. Surgery was chosen because the wounds did not resolve with dressing. Debridement was performed along the previous operation wound and dissection of the skin was performed to separate the skin and subcutaneous tissue from the attenuated rectus muscle and Scarpa's fascial layers. Once the anterior rectus sheath and muscle were adequately mobilized, the fascia and muscle flap were advanced medially so that the skin defect could be covered for reconstruction. Results Upon 3-week follow-up after a rectus abdominis myofascial splitting flap operation, no major complication occurred. In addition, all of the patients showed satisfaction in terms of function and esthetics at 3 to 6 months post-surgery. Conclusions Using a rectus abdominis myofascial splitting flap has many esthetic and functional benefits over previous methods of abdominal defect treatment, and notably, it enabled infection control by reconstruction using muscle.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.71-74
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• 2014

For high-risk patients, endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) is a good option but may lead to serious complications, which should be addressed immediately. A 75-year-old man with a history of abdominal surgery underwent EVAR for an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta and iliac arteries. During EVAR, iliac artery rupture and graft limb occlusion occurred, and they were successfully managed by the additional deployment of an iliac stent graft and balloon thrombectomy, respectively. We, herein, report a rare case of the simultaneous development of the two fatal complications treated by the endovascular technique.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.132-140
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• 2009

The purpose of this study was to determine the success rate of air reduction as the primary treatment of intussusception and whether the success of air reduction could be predicted by plain x-ray. The authors reviewed the medical records of 54 consecutive patients diagnosed with intussusception from Jan 2005 to Dec 2007 at the Department of Surgery, Masan Samsung Hospital. The natures of symptoms and findings of plain abdominal radiography performed in the emergency department (ED) were reviewed. Air reduction failed more frequently (26.3 %) in patients who visited ED more than 24 hours after symptom onset (p=0.009). The mean duration of symptom for operated patients was longer than air reduction group (p=0.01). Also, 3/4 of patients having localized distension of small bowel in the left upper quadrant abdomen had unsuccessful air reduction (p=0.002). In conclusion, the time interval from symptom onset to arrival at ED and localized distension of small bowel in the left upper quadrant abdomen significantly increased the failure rate of air reduction.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.355-359
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• 1993

Ten consecutive patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm were treated in Chungnam National University Hospital from May of 1985 to June of 1993. Pulsating palable mass was the most common first sign [7 patients]. The ratio of male to female was 8:2. The age ranged from 53 to 73 years with mean age of 65 years. The etiology and location of the aneurysm was atherosclerosis and infrarenal aorta in all. Dacron graft interposition [straight graft-1, bifurcation graft-7] and wrapping with aneurysmal sac were performed in 8 patients. In one patient with infected abdominal aortic aneurysm, we performed aneurysmectomy and left axillo-bifemoral bypass with 8 mm PTFE graft. And in another patient with complete thrombotic obstruction of infrarenal aortic aneurysm, we performed the suturing of the proximal part of the abdominal aortic aneurysm and aorto-bifemoral bypass with 18 x 9 mm PTFE graft. There was one operative death with the mortality rate of 11 % and 8 complications in 4 patients; ARF[2], duodenal ulcer[1], mechanical ileus[1], genitourinary dysfunction[2] and wound infection with abdominal abscess[1]. Because of the high operative mortality after rupture of the aneurysm, we think it is better to operate on early at the diagnosis of abodominal aortic aneurysm is made.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.15-25
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• 2008

Purpose: This study was aimed to investigate the effects of gum-chewing on the recovery of bowel movement and oral cavity discomfort after abdominal surgery. Method: The nonequivalent control group, non-syncronized repeated treatment design was used. A total of 99 patients were participated in the study. The 44 patients were in the experimental group and the rest in the control group. The experimental group chewed gum three times a day until they passed gas. As the patient reported gas-passing, bowel movement time, subjective symptoms of oral cavity, and oral status were recorded precisely. The frequency, percentage, $x^2$-test and t-test were analyzed by SPSS PC 12.0. Results: There were significant differences in bowel movement, gas passing, oral cavity symptoms, and oral status scores between the experimental and the control group. Conclusion: The findings of the study demonstrated the fact that gum-chewing helps early recovery from post-operative ileus and thirst. It is because gum chewing stimulates bowel mobility and secretion of saliva. Thus gum-chewing seems to be an effective nursing intervention in reducing post-operative side effects for patients with abdominal surgery.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.288-293
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• 2021

In South Korea, most patients who visit trauma centers with abdominal injuries have blunt trauma, and penetrating injuries are relatively rare. In extremely rare cases, some patients are admitted with a long object penetrating their abdomen, and these injuries are referred to as abdominal impalement injuries. Most cases of impalement injuries lead to fatal bleeding, and patients often die at the scene of the accident. However, patients who survive until reaching the hospital can have a good prognosis with optimal treatment. A 68-year-old female patient was admitted to the trauma center with a 4-cm-thick tree branch impaling her abdomen. The patient was transported by a medical helicopter and had stable vital signs at admission. The branch sticking out of the abdomen was quite long; thus, we carefully cut the branch with an electric saw to perform computed tomography (CT). CT revealed no signs of major blood vessel injury, but intestinal perforation was observed. During laparotomy, the tree branch was removed after confirming that there were no vascular injuries, and enterostomy was performed because of extensive intestinal injury. After treating other injuries, the patient was discharged without any complications except colostomy. Abdominal impalement injuries are treated using various approaches depending on the injury mechanism and injured region. However, the most important consideration is that the impaled object should not be removed during transportation and resuscitation. Instead, it should only be removed after checking for injuries to blood vessels during laparotomy in an environment where injury control is possible.