• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.138-140
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• 2016

Broncho-pleural fistula (BPF) and esophago-pleural fistula (EPF) after pulmonary resection are challenging to manage. BPF is controlled by irrigation and sterilization, but such therapy is not sufficient to promote closure of EPF, which usually requires surgical management. However, it is generally difficult to select an appropriate surgical method for closure of BPF and EPF. Here, we report a case of concomitant BPF and EPF after left completion pneumonectomy, in which both fistulas were closed through a right thoracotomy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.17-20
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• 1970

Six cases of broncho-pleural fistula due to complicated liver abscess were experienced at the department of chest surgery, Seoul National University Hospital from October 1967 to March 1970. Amebic liver abscess was the primary cause in the 5 cases and the remaining one case was due to pyogenic liver abscess. Involved lung was right side in all case. The clinical manifestation was fever,chill,cough, sputum, dyspnea, chest pain, hemoptysis and shoulder pain. The methods of the treatment employed were closed thoracotomy [1], thoracotomy & drainage [2],decortication [1],and right lower lobectomy[3]. The average duration of the post-operative course was 19.6 days. There was no operative mortality.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.224-227
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• 2010

A fistula between the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems is generally caused by infection and trauma. We experienced a 51-year old man with a broncho-pleuro-gastro-colonic fistula. He complained of chronic foul odor during respiration. He had suffered a traumatic diaphragmatic rupture 30 years ago. The infection of the diaphragm caused necrosis of the right lower lobe of the lung. It also caused a broncho-pleural fistula. The infection also created adhesion and a perforation of the gastric cardiac portion and the colonic splenic flexus portion of the gastro-intestinal track. We performed left lower lobectomy of the lung, reconstruction of the diaphragm and gastro-intestinal reanastomosis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 1968

A clinical investigation was reported on 17 cases of spontaneous pneumothorax requiring surgical mana-gement. Males outnumbered females 15:2. Determination of the etiology in this series showed that the majority were pulmonary tuberculosis and paragonimiasis. Several others had pneumonia, lung abscess, cyst and blebs. It is of particular interest that the acute inflammation of respiratory system was younger age group, pulmonary tuberculosis & paragonimiasis were between 2 nd and 3 rd decades, and lung abscess, cyst, blebs were above 4 th decade. Pulmonary tuberculosis was far advanced bilateral and active. The ratio of right to left side was 13:6 and both side involved in 2 cases. In about half cases of patients, above 50%-collapsed lung associated with mediastinal shifting developed. The complications were pleural effusion and bronchopleural fistula. The former was 13 cases [76.4%] in which 3 cases combined with mixed infection, and latter was 5 cases. As the management, 11 cases were subjected to intercostal or rib resection drainage with continuous suc-tion. Among 11 drainage cases, 8 cases were successful in acute stage and 3 cases failed in chronic stage. This faiure was due to interference with re-expansion of collapsed lung for peel formation and broncho-pleural fistula. The open thoractomy was applied in 9 cases, among which primary operation were 5 cases and drainage failure were 4 cases. Among 11 cases subjected to the open thoracotomy, wedged resection was performed in 3 cases including paragonimiatic cyst, and pneumonectomy in 1 case-tuberculosis, and decortication only was performed in 2 cases in paragonimiasis. Decortication & lung resection was carried out in 2 patients among which ruptured lung abscess 1 case and ruptured multiple blebs 1 case. There was no case of death but prognosis of the tuberculosis may be poor because of far advanced bilateral and active pulmonary tuberculosis.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.17-21
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• 2004

Background Insertion of tracheal stent in the treatment of benign tracheal & bronchial disease has increased since the introduction of expandable metallic stent. Material & Methods : Between Jan, 1995 and Feb. 2004, eight patients who had benign tracheo-bronchial disease underwent insertion of expandable metallic tracheal stent. We retrospectively analyzed stent insertion indications, complications, and following the result. Results : Surgical indications were post-intubation tracheal stenosis (1 case), tracheal stenosis following tracheal surgery (2 cases), tracheo-esophageal fistula (2 cases), broncho-pleural fistula(1 case), left main bronchus stenosis following bronchoplasty (1 case), and left main bronchus stenosis due to mediastinal repositioning (1 case). Expandable metallic tracheal stent was inserted in five patients to resolve dyspnea caused by airway obstruction, and to prevent recurrent pneumonia in three patients. The complication developed in 6 patients $75\%$; 3 cases of distal stenosis due to growth of granulation tissue, and one case each of tearing of posterior membrane, aggravation of tracheo-esophageal fistula, and airway partial obstruction due to stent migration. The stent was removed in 5 patients and tracheal surgery (tracheal resection and end to end anastomosis with primary repair of esophagus, pericardial patch tracheo-bronchoplasty, tracheal repair and omental wrapping) was performed in 3 patients. Conclusion Insertion of self expandable metallic stent in benign tracheo-bronchial disease is an effective means of relieving dyspnea for only a short period, and it did not increase the long term survival. Better means of treatment of benign tracheo-bronchial stenosis in necessary.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.5
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• pp.441-447
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• 2012

Background: Chest tube drainage (CTD) is an indication for the treatment of pneumothorax, hemothroax and is used after a thoracic surgery. But, in the case of incomplete lung expansion, and/or persistent air leak from CTD, medical or surgical thoracoscopy or, if that is unavailable, limited thoracotomy, should be considered. We evaluate the efficacy of bronchoscopic injection of ethanolamine to control the persistent air leak in patients with CTD. Methods: Patients who had persistent or prolonged air leak from CTD were included, consecutively. We directly injected 1.0 mL solution of 5% ethanolamine oleate into a subsegmental or its distal bronchus, where it is a probable air leakage site, 1 to 21 times using an injection needle through a fiberoptic bronchoscope. Results: A total of 15 patients were enrolled; 14 cases of spontaneous pneumothorax [idiopathic 9, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 3, post-tuberculosis 2] and one case of empyema associated with broncho-pleural fistula. Of these, five were patients with persistent air leak from CTD, just after a surgical therapy, wedge resection with plication for blebs or bullae. With an ethanolamine injection therapy, 12 were successful but three (idiopathic, COPD and post-tuberculosis) failed, and were followed by a surgery (2 cases) or pleurodesis (1 case). Some adverse reactions, such as fever, chest pain and increased radiographic opacities occurred transiently, but resolved without any further events. With success, the time from the procedure to discharge was about 3 days (median). Conclusion: Bronchoscopic ethanolamine injection therapy may be partially useful in controlling air leakage, and reducing the hospital stay in patients with persistent air leak from CTD.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.34 no.10
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• pp.769-774
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• 2001

Background: Descending necrotizing mediastinitis(DNM) is a serious complication originating in odontogenic or oropharyngeal infection with previously reported mortality rates of 25% to 40%. We retrospectively reviewed the 4 years of our surgical drainage and debridement in DNM. Material and Method: We studied 7 cases diagnosed as DNM from 1997 through 2000. Primary oropharyngeal infection lead to DNM in four cases(57%) and odontogenic abscess in three cases(43%). All patients were received emergent cervicotomy and thoracotomy or sternotomy for debridement of necrotic tissue and mediastinal or pleural drainage. Result: Five cases were evolved well and were discharged after a mean of 42 days. Two patients(28.6%) died. Three patients required reoperation due to local surgical complication; empyema(two) and impending cardiac tamponade. One of these patients died on 12 post-reoperative day due to great vessel erosion, renal and respiratory insufficiency. The other patient died of broncho- esophageal fistula and asphyxia on 10 postoperative day without reoperation. Conclusion: On the basis of experience accrued in treating these patients, early diagnosis by cervicothoracic computed tomographic scan of neck and thorax aids in rapid indication of a surgical approach of DNM. We emphasize that performing early surgical drainage and debridement of necrotic tissues with intensive postoperative care can significantly reduce the mortality rate.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.11
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• pp.839-845
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• 2003

Background: Even today when chemotherapy has been established as a treatment for tuberculosis and the prevalence of tuberculosis is gradually decreasing, multi-drug resistance tuberculosis still results in poor treatment performance and lowered survival periods. This research sought to analyze the surgery of multi-drug resistance tuberculosis, and determine the usefulness and danger of surgery in connection with this disease. Material and Method: Starting from February 1990 to February 2002, retrospective surveys were conducted targeted at 21 cases involving 20 patients who underwent surgery due to multi-drug resistance tuberculosis. The survey included 14 males cases and 6 females cases with the age averaging 42.8$\pm$12.1 years. 10.3$\pm$7.6 years on average passed after patients were initially diagnosed with tuberculosis. 13 patients (65%) tested positive in the pre-operative sputum AFB test, and all showed resistance against an average of 3.5 anti-tuberculosis agents including INH and RFP. Pre-operative radiologic examinations revealed cavitary lesions in 15 patients (75%), and three patients had lesions in the both lung fields, with the major lesions existing in the unilateral area. 13 patients (75%) failed negative conversion with medical treatment, while two patients (10%) with recurrent hemoptysis and five patients (25%) with lesions involving high recurrence-rate received the operation. Operations included nine cases (40%) of pneumonectomy, nine cases (45%) of lobectomy, and three cases of lobectomy with segmentectomy. The average follow-up period of patients stood at 23 months. Result: There was no post-operative death, and found were a total of eleven cases involving complications were found: three cases of long-term air leakage, three cases of bleeding requiring re-operation, two cases of empyemas due to broncho-pleural fistula, and one case of atelectasis, wound infection and chest wall fistula each. Eleven cases (85%) of negative conversion were completed immediately after the operation, and two cases failed negative conversion. Eleven months after the operation, the disease recurred in one case of negative conversion patients, and the patient was cured by completion pneumonectomy. Conclusion: If patients' lung function was sufficient and appropriate resection was possible, multi-drug resistance tuberculosis could achieve high-rate negative conversion and cure using combination of surgical and medical treatment, and also there were not many serious complications.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.9 s.254
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• pp.616-621
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• 2005

Background: In the resection of lung cancer, pneumonectomy occupied $20 {\~}35\%$ of all resections, and significantly high operative mortality is reported in right pneumonectomy ($10{\~}25\%$). The aim of this study is to identify the characteristics of morbidity, operative mortality and factors affecting operative mortality after pneumonectomy. Material and Method: This study recruited the database which performed pneumonectomy for lung cancer in Korea Cancer Center Hospital from Aug 1987 to Apr 2002. Result: Total of 386 pneumonectomies were peformed in that period. Sidedness were left in 238, right in 148; and the procedures were standard resection in 207, and extended resection in 179. Morbidity occurred in 115 cases ($29.8\%$, 115/386). Mortality occurred in 12 cases ($3.1\%$, 12 in 386). This mortality rate was similar to that of lobectomy ($2.1\%$, 13 in 613) during the same period. Morbidity consisted of 42 hoarseness, 17 (9) pneumonia and ARDS, 8 empyema, 5 (1) broncho-pleural fistula, 5 reoperation for bleeding, 5 (1) arrhythmia, 1 (1) pulmonary edema, and 25 others (The number in the parenthesis is the number of mortality case for that morbidity). Several factors affecting the operative mortality were evaluated. At first, extended procedure ($3.3\%$, 6 in 179) affected the operative mortality similar to the standard procedure ($2.9\%$, 6 in 207)(p=0.812). Second, the rate of operative mortality in an elderly group over 60 years ($5.5\%$, 10 in 182) was significantly higher than the younger group under 60 years ($1\%$, 2 in 204)(p=0.016). Third, sidedness of resection affects to operative mortality. Right pneumonectomy ($6.8\%$, 10 in 148) showed higher operative mortality than that of left pneumonectomy ($0.8\%$, 2 in 238)(p=0.002). The group over 60 years showed higher incidence of respiratory morbidity ($11.0\%$, 20 in 182) than that of the group under 60 years ($3.4\%$, 7 in 204)(p=0.005). Right pneumonectomy also showed significantly higher incidence ($11.5\%$, 17 in 148) than that of left pneumonectomy ($4.2\%$, 10 in 238)(p=0.008). Conclusion: Age and sidedness of pneumonectomy were the risk factors of operative mortality and respiratory complications, Therefore, careful selection of patients and more attention perioperatively were demanded in right pneumonectomy. However, because the operative mortality is acceptable, pneumonectomy could be done safely if the pneumonectomy is necessary for curative resection of lung cancer.