• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.35 no.7
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• pp.517-522
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• 2002

Background: Congenital heart surgery may lead to myocardial swelling and hemodynamic instability. Delayed sternal closure may be beneficial in this setting. The purpose of this study was to assess mortality and mediastinal infection rate associated with delayed sternal closure after congenital heart surgery and to evaluate the risk factors which affect mortality and mediastinal infection rate. Material and Method: We retrospectively reviewed 40 patients who underwent delayed sternal closure after repair of congenital heart disease at Yonsei Cardiovascular Hospital, from January 1994 to May 2001. In these patients, we assessed the mortality and mediastinal infection rate, and evaluated their risk factors including operation time, bypass time, aortic cross clamp time, duration to sternal closure and postoperative artificial ventilation time. Mediastinal infection was defined to have positive culture in mediastinum. Result: Hemodynamic instability was the most common indication for delayed sternal closure(n=36) and other indications included postoperative bleeding(n=2) and conduit compression(n=2). The median age at operation was $14.4{\pm}33.4$months old(range, 2days-12years). The patients with postoperative bleeding and conduit compression were much older than the others. The sternum was left open for $4.5{\pm}3.4$ days(range, 1-20days). Overall mortality was 25%(10/40) and mediastinal infection occured in 24.3%(9/37) (3 patients were excluded in mediastinal infection for early death). In risk factor analyses, only aortic cross clamp time had statistical significance for mortality in univariate analyses. However, multivariate analyses revealed that there were no significant predictors for risk of mortality and mediastinal infection. Conclusion: Delayed sternal closure after repair of congenital cardiac disease had relatively high mortality and mediastinal infection rate. But, in patients with hemodynamic instability, postoperative bleeding and conduit compression after repair of congenital cardiac disease, delayed sternal closure may be an effective life saving method.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.78 no.4
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• pp.396-400
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• 2015

IgG4-related disease is an immune-mediated fibro-inflammatory disease, characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltration composed of IgG4-positive plasma cells of various organs with elevated circulating levels of IgG4. This disease is now reported with increasing frequency and usually affects middle-aged men. Massive pleural effusion in children is an uncommon feature in IgG4-related disease. Here, we report a case of a 16-year-old male patient with extensive IgG4-related disease presenting with massive pleural effusion, mediastinal mass, and mesenteric lymphadenopathy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 1998

Recently, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery for mediastinal lesions has been considered a new effective therapeutic method. From March, 1992 to April, 1997, 33 cases of video assisted thoracoscopic surgery for mediastinal lesions were performed. Gender distribution was 16 males and 17 females. Average age was 42 years old(ranged from 14 to 69). The locations of lesions were anterior mediastinum in 14 cases, middle mediastinum in 5 cases, posterior mediastinum in 11 cases, and superior mediastinum in 3 cases. These included 9 neurilemmomas, 5 benign cystic teratoma, 4 pericardial cysts, 2 ganglioneuroma, 2 thymus, 2 thymic cyst, 1 thymoma, 2 esophageal leiomyomas, 1 dermoid cyst, 1 lipoma, 1 malignant lymphoma, 1 bronchogenic cyst, 1 pericardial effusion, and 1 Boerhaave's disease with empyema. Working window was needed in 6 cases. We converted to open thoracotomy in 6 cases. Reasons of convertion to open thoracotomy were large sized mass(1), severe adhesion(3), and difficult location to approach(2). The average operation time was 116min($\pm$56 min). The average chest tube drainage time was 4.7days. The average hospital stay was 8.7 days. Operative complications were atelectasis(2), empyema with mediastinitis(1), recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy(1), and plenic nerve palsy(1). In conclusion, VATS for mediastinal lesions were performed with shorter operation time and hospital stay, and lesser complications and pain than those of conventional thoracotomy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.386-389
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• 2004

Descending nectorizing mediastinitis (DNM). represents a virulent form of mediastinal infection requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment to reduce the high morbidity mortality associated with this disease. Intr. avenous broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy alone is not efficient without adequate surgical drainage of the cervical and mediastinal collections, extensive debridement and excision of necrotic tissue, and wide mediastino-pleural irrigation. A 38-year-old man admitted via emergency room with painful left neck swelling and uncontrolled high fever. Chest computed tomogram showed left paratracheal abscess descending into the superior and anterior mediastinum. Transcervical mediastinal drainage was performed with 26 Fr. chest tube and left paratracheal drainage was performed with Penrose drain in urgency. Culture and sensitivity test grew Yeast. The drains removed via gradually shortening on day 39 after surgery.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.86-88
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• 1993

We have experienced 59 cases of videothoracoscopic operation for 7 months from January to August 1992 at Yongdong Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of medicine. There were pneumothorax in 21 cases, mediastinal mass in 12 cases, diffuse intestitial lung disease in 7 cases, Buerger's disease in 1 case, metastatic lung cancer in 1 case and sclerosing hemangioma in 1 case. We had performed a variety of procedures (bullectomy in 21 cases, sympathectomy in 17 cases, mass excision in 12 cases, lung biopsy in 8 cases, lobectomy in 1 case). The patients were uneventful in post-operative courses.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.658-662
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• 1994

The leiomyosarcoma is uncommon tumor that consists of 10% of all sarcoma incidence and commonly arise from retroperitoneum or mesentery. But leiomyosarcoma arose from mediastinum is very rare and only incidental case report is present. Mediastinal leiomyosarcoma may originate from superior vena cava, pulmonary artery, small vessels of alveoli, esophagus and cardiac muscle. Common symptoms that are related with leiomyosarcoma of mediastinum are cough and dyspnea but dysphagia, chest pain and hemoptysis can be produced. Although long term survival after complete resection of tumor was reported in localized disease, there was no effective therapy that prolong the survival in patients who had disseminated disease or huge tumor mass. We report the case of posterior mediastinal leiomyosarcoma confirmed by aspiration cytology and immunohistochemical staining, along with a review of literature.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.51-54
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• 2019

Castleman disease is a relatively rare disease, characterized by well-circumscribed benign lymph-node hyperplasia. The disease may develop anywhere in the lymphatic system, but is most commonly reported as unicentric Castleman disease in the mediastinum along the tracheobronchial tree. It is usually asymptomatic and detected on plain chest radiography as an incidental finding. We report an incidentally detected case of Castleman disease in the paravertebral space that was preoperatively diagnosed as a neurogenic tumor and treated by complete surgical resection.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.345-352
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• 1993

The role of magnetic resonance(MR) imaging in the evaluation of thoracic disease has been limited Nontheless, MR has inherent properties of better contrast resolution than CT allowing tissue-specific diagnosis. MR has capability of direct imaging in sagittal, coronal, and oblique planes which provide better anatomic information than axial images of CT such as lesions in the pulmonary apex, aorticopulmonary window, peridiaphragmatic region, and subcarinal region. MR is sensitive to blood flow making it an ideal imaging modality for the evaluation of cardiovascular system of the thorax without the need for intravenous contrast media. Technical developments and better control of motion artifacts have resulted in improved image quality, and clinical applications of MR imaging in thoracic diseases have been expanded. Although MR imaging is considered as a problem-solving tool in patients with equivocal CT findings, MR should be used as the primary imaging modality in the following situations: 1) Evaluation of the cardiovascular abnormalities of the thorax 2) Evaluation of the superior sulcus tumors 3) Evaluation of the chest wall invasion or mediastinal invasion by tumor 4) Evaluation of the posterior mediastinal mass, especially neurogenic tumor 5) Differentiation of fibrosis and residual or recurrent tumor, especially in lymphoma 6) Evaluation of brachial plexopathy With technical developments and fast scan capabilities, clinical indications for MR imaging in thorax will increase in the area of pulmonary parenchymal and pulmonary vascular imaging.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.265-267
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• 2000

Castleman's disease is a relatively rate disorder of lymphoid tissue and poorly understood etiology. The disease may occur anywhere along the lymphatic chain, but is most commonly found as a solitary mass in the mediastinum. The hyaline vascular type represents 91% of Castlemen's disease, and these are most often discovered in the asymptomatic patient on routine chest film. Patients with the plasma cell type often exhibit systemic symptoms, including fever, night sweats, anemia, and hypergammaglobulinemia. Surgical excision effects cure, although resection of the hyaline vascular type may be associated with significant hemprrage owing to extreme vascularity. We recently experienced a case of hyaline vascular type Castleman's disease which was treated by surgical resection through the anterior mini-thoracotomy, and report with its review.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.108-111
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• 2015

DiGeorge syndrome is an immunodeficient disease associated with abnormal development of 3rd and 4th pharyngeal pouches. As a hemizygous deletion of chromosome 22q11.2 occurs, various clinical phenotypes are shown with a broad spectrum. Conotruncal cardiac anomalies, hypoplastic thymus, and hypocalcemia are the classic triad of DiGeorge syndrome. As this syndrome is characterized by hypoplastic or aplastic thymus, there are missing thymic shadow on their plain chest x-ray. Immunodeficient patients are traditionally known to be at an increased risk for malignancy, especially lymphoma. We experienced a 7-year-old DiGeorge syndrome patient with mediastinal mass shadow on her plain chest x-ray. She visited Severance Children's Hospital hospital with recurrent pneumonia, and throughout her repeated chest x-ray, there was a mass like shadow on anterior mediastinal area. We did full evaluation including chest computed tomography, chest ultrasonography, and chest magnetic resonance imaging. To rule out malignancy, video assisted thoracoscopic surgery was done. Final diagnosis of the mass which was thought to be malignancy, was lymphoproliferative lesion.