• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.629-638
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• 1997

Background : Surgical intervention is known as the principle management for hemoptysis of significant amount. But surgical procedure is applicable to only small number of patients because of increased mortality in emergency surgery and various functional and structural problems after lung resection. Bronchial artery embolization(BAE) has been used as an alternative interventional technique for immediate control of patients with increased risk for surgery due to recurrent or massive hemoptysis. BAE also has limitations such as recurrent bleeding after procedure and its role for the application to small amount of hemoptysis is still not established. Method : To evaluate immediate and long term effectiveness of BAE, we analysed 65 patients with hemoptysis according to therapeutic modalities they received ; BAE versus conservative management. Results : The success rate for immediate control of hemoptysis was significantly higher in BAE group with 43 cases(100%) among 43 cases compared with 17 cases(77%) among 22 cases in conservative group (p < 0.001). The disease control duration was $19.5{\pm}8.06$ months in BAE group and $18.8{\pm}6.06$ months in conservative group(p > 0.05). The therapeutic response in BAE group was 82%(36/43 cases) and 95%(21/22 cases) in conservative group (p > 0.05). According to the amount of hemoptysis, the therapeutic response were seen in 91%(29/32 cases) in less than 100ml and 85%(28/33 cases) in 100~400ml (p > 0.05). According to the manifestation of hemoptysis, the therapeutic response in groups of recurrent and nonrecurent were 87%(20/23 cases) and 88%(37/42 cases)(p > 0.05). Conclusion : The difference of therapeutic response between BAE and conservative group in patients with small amounts of hemoptysis was not found except for immediate control of hemoptysis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.104-108
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• 2005

A broncholith is a calcified mediastinal lymph node, which partially or completely erodes into the bronchial lumen, and is related to the late tissue response to healing of granulomatous pulmonary infections, most commonly histoplasmosis or tuberculosis. However, there have been a few reports on broncholithiasis caused by Aspergillus. We experienced a case of broncholithiasis caused by Aspergillus, with broncho-obstructive pneumonia and massive hemoptysis. A 39 year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with right middle lobar pneumonia. On the fourth day following admission, massive hemoptysis developed, so an emergent bronchial artery embolization was performed. On the ninth day following admission, a broncholith on the lateral segmental bronchus of the right middle lobe was found by bronchoscopy, which was proved to be Aspergillus hypae with calcification on histological examination. After the simple bronchoscopic removal of the broncholith and empirical antibiotic therapy, the patient recovered without any complications.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.180-185
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• 1992

The most common symptom associated with an pulmonary aspergilloma is hemoptysis, with estimates of frequency ranging from 50 to 85 percent of patients. Hemoptysis may be infrequent and minimal in amount or it may be severe with a fatal outcome. The major options available for the treatment of pulmonary aspergilloma include sugical resection of the lesion, a number of medical therapies, or simple observation of the patient for a time. Surgery is the treatment of choice but it is not feasible in some patients who have diffuse or advanced pulmonary disease that makes them poor candidates for thoracotomy. As an alternative to it, some categories of therapy including bronchial artery embolization and parenteral or endobronchial administration of antifungal drugs were tried without remarkable success. But percutaneous instillation of intracavitary amphotericin B for symptomatic aspergilloma has been reported with better result. The authors present a case of percutaneous intracavitary instillation of amphotericin B for the treatment of pulmonary aspergilloma and its successful result for the repetitive hemoptysis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.1117-1123
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• 1988

Prolapse of the aortic valve is the main cause of insufficiency of the aortic valve as a complication of ventricular septal defect. Aortic insufficiency gets worse by the progress of prolapse of aortic valve due to lack of support of the valve and the hemodynamic effect of blood flow through the ventricular septal defect. This produces typical clinical picture, that may be serious and threatening when it is untreated. Type and timing for the surgical treatment of the ventricular septal defect with aortic insufficiency is considered. Among 113 ventricular septal defect, 9 patients of ventricular septal defect with associated aortic insufficiency were experienced from June. 1983 to June 1988 at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Chon-Buk University Hospital. Male was 6 patients and female was 3 patients. Ages were from 7 years to 24years. 5 patients were from 10 to 19 years age. 3 patients were below 10 years age. The ratio of pulmonary blood flow to systemic f low [Qp/Qs] was 1.53 and in pulmonary vascular resistance, normal or slight increase was 7 patients, moderate 1 patient, and severe 1 patient. Ventricular septal defect was subpulmonic in 5 patients and infracristal in 4 patients. Prolapse of right coronary cusp was 7 patients, right and non coronary cusp 1 patient and non coronary cusp 1 patient. Teflon patch closure of ventricular septal defect was undertaken in 3 patients and primary closure in 1 patient. Among the 4 patients of defect closure alone, one patient performed valve replacement 7 months later due to progressive regurgitation and cardiac failure and the result was good. The other 3 patients were good result. Closure of ventricular septal defect and aortic valvuloplasty performed in 4 patients. 2 patients of these required valve replacement for the sudden intractable cardiac failure and died due to low cardiac output. The cause of intractable cardiac failure was tearing of repaired valve at the fixed site. The other 2 patients were good result. Closure of ventricular septal defect and valve replacement performed in 1 patient with good result.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.469-472
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• 2006

We experienced a rare case of trachea diverticula combined with the sequela of tuberculosis and a fungus ball. The patient had complained of coughing and hemoptysis for a long time after experiencing tuberculosis. He was admitted due to hemoptysis and the aggravation of coughing. The CT scan showed a variable sized trachea diverticula combined with tuberculosis sequela and a fungus ball in the right lung fields. The diagnosis was made by bronchoscopy and a CT scan. After bronchial artery embolization and conservative treatment, the patient's symptoms improved and the patient was discharged.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.57 no.6
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• pp.589-593
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• 2004

Aspergillus fumigatus causes a variety clinical syndrome in lung including aspergilloma, chronic necrotizing aspergillosis, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Aspergilloma develops by a colonization and growing of Aspergillus inside lung cavities with underlying lung disease. There is a few report of endobronchial aspergilloma without lung parenchymal lesion. We experienced a case of endobronchial aspergilloma did not fit any category of Aspergillus-induced lesion, who show minimal fibrostreaky denstities on chest PA and chest CT. Massive hemoptysis was improved by a removal of the aspergilloma in this patient. Here, we report a rare case of endobronchial aspergilloma showing massive hemoptysis with review of literatures.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.73 no.2
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• pp.107-114
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• 2012

Background: This study attempted to investigate the main causes of hemoptysis, the type of examinations used for diagnosis, the treatment modalities and outcomes. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on the medical records of 221 patients admitted to the Chonnam National University Hospital, between January 2005 and February 2010, with hemoptysis. Results: Bronchiectasis (32.6%), active pulmonary tuberculosis (18.5%), fungus ball (10.8%), and lung cancer (5.9%) accounted for most causes of hemoptysis. Computed tomography scan was the most sensitive diagnostic test when employed alone, with positive yield of 93.2%. There were 161 cases of conservative treatment (72.9%), 42 cases of bronchial artery embolization (BAE) (19.0%), and 18 cases of surgery (8.1%). Regarding the amount of hemoptysis, 70 cases, out of 221 cases, were mild (31.5%), 36 cases moderate (16.2%), and 115 cases massive hemoptysis (52.0%). Most of the patients were treated conservatively, but if there was more bleeding present, BAE or surgery was more commonly performed than the conservative treatment ($p{\leq}0.0001$). In the multivariate model, severe hemoptysis and lung cancer were independently associated with short-term recurrence. BAE was independently associated with long-term recurrence, and lung cancer was associated with in-hospital mortality. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 11.3%. Conclusion: Hemoptysis is a common symptom with a good prognosis in most cases. However, patients exhibiting massive bleeding or those with malignancy had a poorer prognosis. In-hospital mortality was strongly related to the cause, especially in lung cancer.

• 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.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.497-503
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• 2003

Pulmonary aspergillosis usually results from the colonization of the existing lung lesions by chronic pulmonary diseases, such as tuberculosis. Most cases of pulmonary aspergilloma have been treated surgically for many years because it is a potentially life-threatening disease causing massive hemoptysis. Here we reviewed our results from the last 10 years. Material and Method: We reviewed 31 cases surgically treated from Aug. 1992 to Jul. 2002. retrospectively. This investigation is designed to illustrate the peak age incidence, sex ratio, chief complaints, preoperative study, anatomic location of operative site, postoperative pathologic finding and postoperative complications. Result: The peak age Incidence laid in the 3rd and 4th decade of 20 cases (64.5%). The most common complaint was hemoptysis in 27 cases (87.1%). The 31 cases had a history of treatment with anti-tuberculous drugs under impression of pulmonary tuberculosis. The 19 cases (61.3%) showed the so-called “Air-meniscus sign” on the preoperative chest X-ray. In the 31 cases (100%) on the chest computed tomography. as a preoperative diagnostic modality, positivity was shown in 37.9%, 83.3% was shown on the fungus culture of sputum for Aspergillus, serum immunodiffusion test for A. fumigatus, respectively. The anatomical location of aspergilloma was mainly in the upper lobe in 19 cases (61.3%) and the majority of cases were managed by lobectomy. The postoperative pathologic findings showed that 31 cases (100%) were combined with tuberculosis. The postoperative complications include empyema, prolonged air leakage, remained dead space, postoperative bleeding and these numbers of cases is 3 cases (9.7%), 2 cases (6.45%), 2 cases (6.45%), 1 case (3.23%), respectively. one case was died postoperatively due to massive beeding, and asphyxia. Conclusion: Compared with the previous study, there is no significant difference in results. Preoperative chest computed tomography and immunodiffusion test were more commonly available and showed high positivity. Operations often became technically difficult because of pleural space obliteration, indurated hilar structures, and poor expansion of the remaining lung, which were more prominent in the patients with complex aspergillosis. In such cases, medical treatments and interventional procedures like bronchial artery embolization are preferred. However, cavernostomy is also recommanded with few additional morbidity because of its relatively less invassiveness. Early surgical intervention is the recommended management for patients with simple aspergilloma considering the Row surgical mortality and morbidity in recent days.