• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제60권3호
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• pp.367-370
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• 2017

Dural injury during spinal surgery can subsequently give rise to a remote cerebellar hemorrhage (RCH). Although the incidence of such injury is low, the resulting hemorrhage can be life threatening. The mechanism underlying the formation of the hemorrhage is not known, but it is mostly thought to develop after venous infarction. Cerebellar mutism (CM) is a frequent complication of posterior fossa operations in children, but it is rarely seen in adults. The development of CM after an RCH has not been described. We describe the case of a 65-year old female who lost cerebrospinal fluid after inadvertent opening of the dura during surgery. Computerized tomography performed when the patient became unable to speak revealed a bilateral cerebellar hemorrhage.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.283-287
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• 1996

Recently, continuous epidural catheter insertion is usually employed in operation and chronic pain control. Delayed migration of an extradural catheter into subdural space or subarachnoid space is a rare but life threatening complication of continuous epidural catheter insertion, especially with out patients. The symptoms may include lower extremity weakness, hypotension, drowsy and respiratory depression. We experienced two cases of lower extremity paralysis due to delayed migration into subdural or subarachnoid spaces at our pain clinic. The tecnical procedures for continuous epidural catheterization went smoothly without any complications. However, clinical signs of lower extremity paralysis and sensory loss developed gradually, about 2 hours and 30 minutes after the continuous epidural injection. Two cases were confirmed by subdurogram and myelogram.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• 제22권1호
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• pp.88-91
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• 2009

Skull base osteomyelitis is a rare but life-threatening complication of inflammation of the ear. The authors present a case of skull base osteomyelitis of unknown etiology in a non-diabetic patient who presented with unilateral posterior neck and occipital headache mimicking cervicogenic headache.

• 대한기관식도과학회지
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.235-239
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• 1998

Warfarin sodium is a widely used oral anticoagulant and it sometimes causes hemorrhage in various sites such as traumatic or operative wounds, urologic organs, gastrointesitnal tract and subcutaneous tissues. Warfarin induced hemorrhage in upper respiratory tract causing upper airway obstruction is extremely rare. Despite the life-threatening nature of this complication, the symptoms are obscure like sore throat or hoarseness, suggesting infection and early diagnosis can be delayed. Careful medical history is emphasized When bleeding is observed, the patient should be admitted for close observation and prompt treatment. Recently we have exrperienced a case of laryngeal and upper tracheal submucosal hemorrhage induced by long term warfarin in 64 years old mm. We described the case with a review of the literature.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.261-264
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• 2009

Vascular injury during lumbar disc surgery is a rare but potentially life-threatening complication. It has been managed by open vascular surgical repair. With recent technologic advance, endovascular treatment became one of effective treatment modalities. We present a case of a 32-year-old woman who suffered with common iliac artery injury during lumbar disc surgery that was treated successfully by endovascular repair with temporary balloon occlusion and subsequent insertion of a covered stent. Temporary balloon occlusion for 1.5 hours could stop bleeding, but growing pseudoaneurysm was identified at the injury site during the following 13 days. It seems that the temporary balloon occlusion can stall bleeding from arterial injury for considerable time duration, but cannot be a single treatment modality and requires subsequent insertion of a covered stent.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제22권5호
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• pp.731-738
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• 1989

The development of chylothorax and chylopericardium are serious and often life-threatening clinical entity. The ideal treatment of these problems is not well established to date. We reviewed our experiences with chylothorax or chylopericardium in 16 patients [17 cases] from July 1979 to May 1989. Ages ranged from 20 days to 41 years. The etiologies were traumatic in 10, congenital or idiopathic in 5, and tuberculous lymphadenopathy in one. In 8 patients, the chylothorax or chylopericardium occurred as a complication of cardiothoracic surgery. Eleven patients were treated nonoperatively with either repeated thoracenteses or chest tube drainage. Five patients underwent operative treatment: transthoracic thoracic duct ligation [three patients], thoracic duct ligation combined with decortication [one], and oversewn the defect of mediastinal pleura[one]. Duration of preoperative therapy ranged from 18 to 38 days. One of eleven [9.1 %] patients treated nonoperatively died. Of the surgically treated group, there were no deaths. All patients except one dead cured or improved either treated nonoperatively or operatively. Our experience suggests that surgical management of the chylothorax or chylopericardium is not always required, and each patient must be judged individually according to disease process.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제53권4호
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• pp.211-216
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• 2020

Esophageal fistulas may occur in an advanced stage or as a potentially life-threatening complication of treatment. They can be divided into esophageal-respiratory and esophageal-aorta fistulas. The diagnosis is confirmed with fluoroscopy using dilute barium oral contrast, followed by thin-section computed tomography, which defines the precise location and extent of the fistula. Flexible esophagoscopy and bronchoscopy are required for confirmation and anatomic assessment of the suspected fistula and provide additional information for treatment planning. Contamination is traditionally controlled by surgical exclusion, along with a jejunal feeding tube. Currently, fully covered self-expanding metal stents are the primary treatment option.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제53권2호
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• pp.215-218
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• 2015

An enlarged spleen is considered one of the most common signs of malaria, and splenic rupture rarely occurs as an important life-threatening complication. Splenectomy has been recommended as the treatment of choice for hemodynamically unstable patients. However, a very limited number of splenic rupture patients have been treated with transcatheter coil embolization. Here we report a 38-year-old Korean vivax malaria patient with ruptured spleen who was treated successfully by embolization of the splenic artery. The present study showed that angiographic embolization of the splenic artery may be an appropriate option to avoid perioperative harmful effects of splenectomy in malaria patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• 제55권1호
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• pp.88-90
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• 2022

Tracheo-innominate artery fistula (TIF) is a rare, life-threatening complication of tracheostomy that makes it difficult to secure the airway due to massive bleeding, constituting a medical emergency. Therefore, most successful surgical treatments include innominate artery debridement and tracheal fistula repair. Herein, we report a case of successful surgical treatment of a TIF while maintaining cerebral blood flow through an artificial vascular graft.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• 제35권2호
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• pp.115-117
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• 2022

"Whiplash"-type injuries are commonly encountered and often cause neck pain, neck stiffness, and headaches. However, these injuries can have rare and poorly recognized complications, such as the development of a prevertebral hematoma leading to acute respiratory failure in the emergency department, followed by severe, life-threatening dysphagia and recurrent aspirations. In the patient described herein, a whiplash injury was accompanied by vocal cord paralysis and dysphonia (vagus nerve), dysgeusia (glossopharyngeal nerve, vagus nerve), and upper esophageal spasm (cricopharyngeal muscle, vagus nerve). It is unlikely that this was a complication of cervical fusion surgery. Instead, a combined stretch-induced lower cranial nerve injury, possibly on the exit of these nerves through the jugular foramen, seems to be a likely, but underappreciated mechanism occurring in rare instances of whiplash injuries.