• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.276-286
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• 1976

Coarctation of the aorta is an important congenital cardiovascular defect,. which occurs in a significant number of persons. The basic anatomic defect is a localized deformity of the media, manifested by two types of strictures in the aorta: "true" coarctation and tubular hypoplasia. The zone of coarctation is characteristically located distal to the origin of left subclavian artery at or just beyond the insertion of the ligamentum arteriosum. It shortens life if untreated, but it can be corrected to render the patient functionally normal. Here we have a 2-year operative experiences with 3 cases of the aortic coarctation, two of hypoplastic type and one of postductal type, at age of 17 to 19 year old Korean, operated in 1965 and l968 at the National Medical Center. The purposes of this report are to describe the immediate and late effect of surgery, histopathologic bases and the rarity of this lesions in Korea.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.739-747
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• 1989

Between September 1986, and August 1989, eight infants underwent operation for repair of coarctation of the aorta in the first year of life. The patients included 7 males and 1 female ranging in age 19 days and 9 months. Weights ranged from 3.5 Kg to 7 Kg [mean 5 Kg]. All patients had preductal coarctation of the aorta. Each infant had associated cardiac anomalies, including ventricular septal defect [7 infants] and patent ductus arteriosus [5 infants]. All had intractable congestive heart failure, despite aggressive medical therapy. Pressure gradient across the coarctation ranged from 10 mmHg to 60 mmHg. Operative techniques were subclavian flap aortoplasty in five cases, Gore-Tex patch aortoplasty in three cases. In addition to coarctation repair, six infants had concomitant banding of the pulmonary artery. Four infants required ventilator support for several days. There was no operative death. Complications developed in two. One infant had tracheal stenosis after a tracheostomy. Another infant had restenosis of the aorta revealed by cardiac catheterization 30 months after surgery. The pressure gradient was 30 mmHg, necessitating balloon dilatation aortoplasty. Results were satisfactory. During follow up, we performed total correction procedures [patch closure of the ventricular septal defect, infundibulectomy, pulmonary valvotomy and pulmonary artery angioplasty] in one case. Continuing follow-up finds all patients in good condition.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.33 no.8
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• pp.623-629
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• 2000

Background: There has been controversy over the prevalence of recoarctation in infants treated by subclavian flap aortoplasty(SFA) for coarctation of the aorta. To assess the rate of recurrence of coarctation after SFA, we reviewed the surgical results of SFA in infants with coarctation of the aorta. Material and method: Between 1986 and 1998, a total of 25 patients less than 1 year of age(12 neonates and 13 infants) underwent SFA for aortic coarctation. Age at operation was 3.0$\pm$3.0 months(mean $\pm$ standard deviation); mean weight was 5.0$\pm$1.4kg. Classic SFA was performed in 20 patients, reversed SFA in 2 patients, subclavian artery reimplantation in 2 patients and the combined resection-flap aortoplasty in one. Result: The aortic clamping time ranged from 20 to 88 minutes(mean 35.8 minutes). There were one operative death and two late deaths. There was no case of paraplegia or left arm ischemia in complications. Twenty-one(84%) of 24 hospital survivors were followed for 26.0$\pm$24.0 months. The risk of recoarctation in neonates(33.3%) was a little greater than infants(25.0%) without statistical significance. Conclusion: This study revealed that SFA resulted a relatively high incidence of recarctation in infants. It is desirable to select other methods of surgical treatment(combined resection-flap aortoplasty, extended end-to-end repair etc.) for severe isthmic coarctation or hypoplasia of the distal aortic arch in infants, instead of choosing SFA indiscriminately.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.625-630
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• 1991

From April 1990 through June 1990, three patients underwent subclavian flap aortoplasty for relief of the coarctation of the aorta. The age of the patients were 13 days, 7 months and 39 months and their weights were 3.3kg, 6.5kg, and 11kg, respectively. Two patients had persistence of the ductus arteriosus and all patients had associated intracardiac anomalies. We used the technique devised by Mendonca, namely, repair of the coarctation of the aorta using the subclavian artery as a flap and preservation of the arterial blood flow to the left arm. In one patient with long narrowing of isthmus, significant residual pressure gradient was remained by this technique and we added patch aortoplasty. There were no hospital deaths and follow-up over a one year period shows all patients in good condition.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.1139-1145
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• 1990

Seven infants less than age 3 months underwent patch aortoplasty and tube graft bypass for relief of coarctation of aorta. All had intractable congestive heart failure, despite aggressive medical therapy Each infant had other cardiac anomalies including patent ductus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect and congenital mitral stenosis. All patients underwent closure of the ductus arteriosus and patch angioplasty of the aorta to produce a luminal diameter of at least 15mm or tube graft interposition utilizing the Gortex tube graft diameter larger than 10mm. In 5 patients who had ventricular defect, they underwent pulmonary arterial banding. &ere was one hospital death 17 days after operation secondary to the hydronephrosis and renal failure. Hospitalization was less than 10 days after operation except one case. In 3 patients who had associated VSD, open heart surgery[VSD closure+PA debanding]was done without difficulty. Surgical repair of critical coarctation of the aorta in infants can safely be offered despite the poor preoperative condition and presence of other cardiac anomalies.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.2 s.271
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• pp.83-89
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• 2007

Background: The surgical repair of an isolated coarctation of the aorta, without complex cardiac anomalies, has improved, with very good results. However, despite the success of surgical repair, many long-term complications, such as hypertension, re-coarctation and an aortic aneurysm, still exist. Material and Method: Between 1991 and 2006, 50 patients diagnosed with an isolated coarctation of the aorta were reviewed retrospectively. The incidence of re-coarctation and hypertension were compared with respect to age and surgical methods. Result: There were no early & late mortality, or post operative aortic aneurysms. Hypertension developed in 11 patients (22%). A greater number of patients in the child/adult group had hypertension (52.4%) than in the neonate/infant group (0%). With respect to the surgical methods, the patients in the graft interposition group suffered more hypertension (88.9%) than those in the EEEA (extended end to end anastomosis) group (5.3%). Post operative re-coarctation developed in 2 out of the 29 patients (6.9%) in the neonate/infant group and 2 out of the 21 patients (9.5%) in the child/adult group, but without any statistical difference. There were no statistical differences between the operative type-related groups. Conclusion: Even though the surgical outcomes have greatly improved, an isolated coarctation of the aorta still has many long-term problems, such as hypertension and re-coarctation. An isolated coarctation is accepted as a systemic vascular dysfunction, and often progresses to other cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, patients with a coarctation of the aorta have to be carefully followed-up, and aggressive management must be given when required.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 1972

In 1835,Schlesinger first described a case of subisthmlc lower thoracic aortic coarctation. Since Olim`s unsuccessful reconstructive surgery in 1949 and Beattie`s first successful resection with homograft replacement on such a lesion in 1951 were reported,about 20 cases of atypical aortic coarctation had been treated by definitive surgery until 1964. In Korea, only 2 cases of atypical aortic coarctation treated by bypass graft were reported until now. This is the third case-report treated by reconstructive surgery. The patient,11 year old girl who had 2 year history of headache, visual weakness, intermittent claudlcation, and general weakness, was first diagnosed of having the hypertension due to atypical coarctation by the findings of high blood pressure[170/110mmHg] at the upper extremity and weak pulsation on both femoral artery,murmur on the epigastrium, absence of aortic knob, and aorto graphy. Aortography demonstrated the isolated segmental narrowing[length 5cm, diameter 0.4cm] at the level of aortic hiatus 2cm above celiac arterial origin, the dilated right 9th, 10th, 11th intercostal arteries with multiple dimunitive collaterals and no associated abnormalities in the other arteries. Preoperatlve positive findings were strong positive mantoux test, high AST[720 units]. transient mild cardiomegaly with right lung infiltration on chest X-ray and suggestive left ventricular hypertrophy on ECG. On December 1970, through separate left thoracotomy and abdominal approach, bypass graft between descending thoracic aorta and abdominal aorta below renal artery was performed. The operation was first successful with satisfactory reduction of hypertension on the upper trunk[postoperatlve 130/80mmHg] and strong pulsation on the lower extremities[postop. O, postop. 140/100mmHg]. However,6 weeks after surgery, she expired of sudden hemoptysis and shock due to anastomotic leak within the thorax. Operative finding disclosed that the affected aorta was firm, with rich periaortic fibrosis and the outer diameter of stenotic site was not attenuated. Histopathology of the resected specimen was also compatible with primary arteritis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.183-185
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• 2011

Although outcomes of neonatal cardiac surgery have dramatically improved in the last two decades, low body weight still constitutes an important risk factor for morbidity and mortality. In particular, cardiac surgery in neonateswith very low birth weight (${\leq}$1.5 kg) is carried out with greater risk because most organ systems are immature. We report here on a successful case of early one-stage total repair of coarctation of the aorta and a ventricular septal defect in a 1,480 gram neonate.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.47-50
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• 1973

A 16 years old Korean boy was admitted with chief complaints of exertional dyspnea, precordial pain, and headache. His brachial and femoral arterial pressure were 180/100 mmHg and 120/95 mmHg respectively. Aortogram by Seldinger technique revealed postductal adult type coarctation and marked dilation of the poststenotic aortic portion. With arfonad 40mg infusion during clamping, resection of the coarctation segment, and end-to-end anastomosis of the aorta maximal brachial arterial pressure was maintained below 180 mmHg. Postopertive course was uneventful and the patient was discharged two weeks after operation. Precordial pain and headache diasappeared. Brachial and fernoral arterial pressure were 140/80 mmHg and 110/90 mmHg at the time of discharge.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.4 s.261
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• pp.317-319
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• 2006

Under median sternotomy and left thoracotomy, extra-anatomic aorta bypass between ascending aorta and descending thoracic aorta without cardiopulmonary bypass support has been done effectively and easily without complications for a selected case of atypical coarctation associated with hypoplasia of aortic arch. It should be considered as an alternative operative technique for complex aortic arch reconstruction.