• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.539-546
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• 2001

Background: Pulmonary complications in immunocompromised patients are often fatal. Empirical treatment is usually applied based on the clinical and radiological findings because of the risk of the aggressive diagnostic procedures such as open lung biopsy. However, recent advancements in operative procedures and perioperative management has decreased the procedure-related risks. We have prospectively analyzed the risks and benefits of the early application of open lung biopsy in such patients. Material and Method: Forty-two consecutive immunocompromised patients with critical pulmonary complications were included from June, 1996 to December, 1999. The definition of the immunocompromised is as those with chemotherapy and/or other modality for hematologic disorders, with usage of immunosuppressive drug after transplantation, with usage of steroid for more than 1 month, and with primary immunodeficiency disorders. The indication of open lung biopsy was those with no significant improvement after a week of aggressive application of empirical treatment or with rapidly aggressive process. The underlying disease included hematologic disorder(31 patients), post-transplantation(3 patients), chemotherapy for solid tumor(2 patients), and others(6 patients). Operations were done through thoracotomy(conventional or mini-) or VATS.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.5 s.262
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• pp.382-386
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• 2006

Background: Pathologic confirmation is needed to diagnose various forms of interstitial lung diseases. We wanted to find out how much the thoracic surgical lung biopsies will be needed for definite diagnosis of interstitial lung diseases. Material and Method: 17 patients underwent surgical lung biopsy in the department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery, Gyeongsang National University Hospital from June 1995 to November 2002. Chart review and telephone questionnaire were done for retrospective study. Result: Mean age was $49{\pm}22$ years. Age ranged from 1 to 70 years. Dyspnea was the most common complaint. They were referred for definite differential diagnosis from pediatrics and internal medicine. Biopsy methods were thoracotomy in 11 cases, and thoracoscopy in 6 cases. Pathologic confirmation was possible in 11 cases (65%). According to the pathologic reports, treatment plans were changed in 13 cases (76%). Conclusion: Surgical lung biopsy was effective method in differentiating diagnosis of the interstitial lung disease, There was no mortality during operation. It is important that undiagnosed fibrous lung disease should be recommanded the lung biopsy for planning patient's treatment.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.980-982
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• 2012

Metastasis to the pancreas from extra-pancreatic primary cancers are rare; they commonly present as a manifestation of widespread disease and rarely as an isolated mass of the pancreas. Examinations showed a pancreatic tumor infiltrating the pancreas tail portion and an endoscopic ultrasound guided percutaneous biopsy proved that the lesion was metastatic from the lung carcinoma. Most metastatic cases of the pancreas tend to be discovered in patients with widely disseminated malignant disease. In addition, patients with pancreatic metastasis are often asymptomatic, the metastatic lesions are found incidentally, and are misdiagnosed as primary pancreatic tumors. This report that patient undergoing chemotherapy for a small cell lung cancer, who 1 year and 3 months later, accidentally diagnosed of solitary pancreas metastasis and confirmed histology by needle biopsy using endoscopic ultrasound.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.899-906
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• 1997

Background : The percutaneous pleural needle biopsy have been regarded as cornerstone in the diagnosis of lymphocyte dominant pleural effusions of which acid fast bacilli smear and cytologic exam was negative. However, the complications of percutaneous pleural needle biopsy is not rare and its diagnostic efficacy is not always satisfactory. Recently, pleural fluid adenosine deaminase (ADA) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) are widely accepted as markers of tuberculous pleurisy and malignant pleural effusion respectively. We designed this study to re-evaluate the role of percutaneous pleural needle biopsy in the diagnosis of lymphocyte dominant exudative pleural effusions whose AFB smear, cytologic exam was negative. Method : Retrospective analysis of 73 cases of percutaneous pleural needle biopsy in case of lymphocyte dominant exudative pleural effusions whose AFB smear and cytoloic exam was negative from Jan 1994 to Feb 1996 was done. Result : In 35 cases, specific diagnosis was obtained(all cases were tuberculous pleurisy), and in 30 cases specific diagnosis was not obtained in spite of getting adequate pleural tissues, and in the other 8 cases, percutaneous pleural biopsy failed to get pleural tissues. In 9 cases, complications were combined including pneuomothorax and hemothorax. All 49 cases of pleural effusions whose ADA value was higher than 40IU/L and satisfying other categories were finally diagnosed as tuberculous pleurisy, however, the pleural biopsy confirmed only 28 cases as tuberculous pleurisy. In 6 cases of pleural effusions of which CEA value is higher than 10ng/ml, the pleural biopsy made specific diagnosis in no case. Final diagnosis of above 6 cases consisted of 4 malignant effusions, 1 malignancy associated effusion and 1 tuberculous pleurisy. Conclusion : In the diagnosis of 73 cases of lymphocyte dominant pleural effusions of which acid fast bacilli smear and cytologic exam was negative, percutaneous pleural biopsy diagnosed only in 35 cases. In the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy, the positive predictive value of higher ADA than 40 IU/L in lymphocyte dominant pleural effusion with negative AFB smear and negative cytologic exam was 100%. And the diagnostic efficacy of pleural biopsy was 57%. In cases of effusions with high CEA than 10ng/ml 83% and 0% respectively. Finally, we concluded that percutaneous pleural needle biopsy in the diagnosis of AFB smear negative and cytologic exam negative lymphocyte dominant exudative pleural effusion was not obligatory. especially in effusions with high ADA and low CEA value.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.577-580
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• 1992

We experienced two cases of pulmonary hamartoma, which is the most common benign tumor of lung. But the hamartoma is rare disease, because the most neoplasm of the is malignant. The importence of pulmonary hamartoma is the necessity of differential diagnosis between lung cancer and benign tumor of the lung. Recently, the development of FNAB [Fine needle aspiration biopsy] shows accurate diagnostic results.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.82 no.3
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• pp.201-210
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• 2019

Background: Radial probe endobronchial ultrasound (R-EBUS) is widely used for diagnosing peripheral pulmonary lesions. However, the utility of R-EBUS-guided transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) for diffuse lung lesions (DLLs) remains unknown. We designed this study to evaluate the utility of R-EBUS-guided TBLB in DLLs. Methods: This retrospective study enrolled patients admitted from January 2016 to November 2017 who underwent TBLB for DLLs. The R-EBUS-guided TBLB and blind TBLB groups were compared. DLL was defined as any lung disorder that involved more than one segment of the lung. In both the groups, fluoroscopy and guided sheath were not used during TBLB. Results: A total of 127 patients underwent TBLB for DLLs (67 patients in the R-EBUS-guided TBLB group and 60 in the blind TBLB group). There were no differences in age, sex, and comorbid illnesses between the two groups. Furthermore, there was no difference in the TBLB diagnostic yield of the two groups (p=0.660) although more samples were collected from the R-EBUS-guided TBLB group (p=0.003). Procedure time was significantly longer in the R-EBUS-guided TBLB group than in the blind TBLB group (p<0.001). Thus, incidence of pneumothorax was significantly lower in the R-EBUS-guided TBLB group than in the blind TBLB group (p=0.032). Conclusion: Diagnostic yield in DLLs did not differ between the R-EBUS-guided TBLB and blind TBLB groups. Findings show that R-EBUS-guided TBLB in DLLs may reduce risk of pneumothorax.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.73-80
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• 1990

A total of 129 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of primary lung cancer were treated at Dep. of Thoracic k Cardiovascular Surgery, National Medical Center, Seoul, Korea, between July, 1981 and Dec., 1988. Particular emphasis was given in this review to the 72 patients that underwent surgical resection of their primary lung lesion. Factors such as histology, type of resection, sex, age, staging, and degree of dissemination were considered possible influences on survival. The age group of fifty k sixty decade occupied 55.8 %, and the youngest being 24 years and oldest 78 years. The incidence ratio of male to female was 3,2:1. The subjective symptoms of the patients were coughing [72.6%], chest pain [48.2%] and hemoptysis [35.6%], which were due to primary local influence. The confirmed diagnostic procedures were bronchoscopic biopsy, sputum cytology needle aspiration biopsy, open lung biopsy, anterior mediastinotomy & lymph node biopsy. By pathologic classifications, the squamous cell carcinoma was the most prevalent, 67 cases [51.9 %], and the adenocarcinoma in 36 cases [27.9%], undifferentiated small cell carcinoma in 13 cases [10.1 %], undifferentiated large cell carcinoma in 9 cases [6.9%], bronchioloalveolar carcinoma was 4 cases [3.1%]. The lymph node dissection with pneumonectomy [42 cases], lobectomy [14 cases] and pneumonectomy [6 cases], lobectomy [9 cases] without lymph node dissection were performed. The post operative TNM Staging[AJC] in 72 cases were Stage I in 24 cases, Stage II in 27 cases, and Stage III in 21 cases. Overall resectable was possible in 72 cases [55.8 %], and the operation mortality was 5.6 % [4 cases].

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.206-211
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• 1980

One hundred and thirteen patients underwent diagnostic fiberoptic bronchoscopy to exclude the presence of the lung cancer at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Kyungpook National University Hospital from January 1979, to July 1980. Sixty five cases of these patients were studied for passible lung cancer by bronchoscopic examination. Patients varied in age from 24 to 75 years, with the highest concentration lying in the sixth decade (49%). male was predominated with sex ratio of 6.3 : 1. Forth three (75.4%) of 57 cases impressed as definitive, and 8(14.5%) of 55 cases impressed as negatibe lung cancer were subsequently proved to have had lung cancer. Positive bronchoscopic biopsy was found in 10 of 14 lung cancers which were situated in the left main bronchus and in 11 of 13 neoplasms involving the right upper lobe bronchus. epidermoid cell carcinomas were most frequent(82.4%). Bronchial biopsy detected 34(79%) of 43 hilar cancers and 1.3(59%) 22 periphera neoplasms, in those patients who had fiberoptic bronchoscopic examinations. In the present series of 65 cases, the lesion was so far advanced when first seen that it was considered inoperable in 31 (47.7%) and operable 34(52.3%), 19(55.9%) of these refusing surgery. fifteen were explored of whom 12(80%) were resectable.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.72 no.2
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• pp.223-227
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• 2012

Pulmonary siderosis, or Welder's lung disease is an occupational lung disease caused by iron-inhalation. Diagnosis of pulmonary siderosis is based on occupational history of the patient, radiologic findings, and pathologic findings of iron-laden macrophages within lung tissue or broncho-alveolar lavage fluid. We observed a case of a 43 years-old welder diagnosed with pulmonary siderosis via thoracoscopic lung biopsy. Sputum culture along with pathology also identified a non-tuberculotic mycobacterial infection with a sputum culture and the pathologic findings. The patient was treated with anti-tubercular medication and cessation of iron-exposure. And his condition improved within a few months.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.87 no.1
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• pp.40-51
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• 2024

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, fibrosing interstitial pneumonia with a very poor prognosis. Accurate diagnosis of IPF is essential for good outcomes but remains a major medical challenge due to variability in clinical presentation and the shortcomings of existing diagnostic tests. Medical history collection is the first and most important step in the IPF diagnosis process; the clinical probability of IPF is high if the suspected patient is 60 years or older, male, and has a history of cigarette smoking. Systemic assessment for connective tissue disease is essential in the initial evaluation of patients with suspected IPF to identify potential causes of interstitial lung disease (ILD). Radiologic examination using high-resolution computed tomography plays a pivotal role in the evaluation of patients with ILD, and prone and expiratory computed tomography images can be considered. If additional tests such as surgical lung biopsy or transbronchial lung cryobiopsy are needed, transbronchial lung cryobiopsy should be considered as an alternative to surgical lung biopsy in medical centers with experience performing this procedure. Diagnosis through multidisciplinary discussion (MDD) is strongly recommended as MDD has become the cornerstone for diagnosis of IPF, and the scope of MDD has expanded to monitoring of disease progression and suggestion of appropriate treatment options.