• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.718-722
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• 1999

Thymoma is the most common tumor in the compartment of anterior mediastinum. The malignant thymoma is classified into invasive thymoma(category I) and thymic carcinoma(category II). Recently, well-differentiated thymic carcinoma is a proposed category 1.5 used to describe a subset of thymic epithelial tumors, allowing for the existence of intermediate form based on the clinical features and the histological characteristics. Thymic cyst is a congenital or a acquired disorder. Congenital thymic cyst may develop due to failure of the thymopharyngeal duct to obliterate and acquired thymic cyst develops from inflammation(multilocular thymic cyst), or neoplasm(cystic thymoma). Cystic degeneration in thymoma is a relatively frequent but focal event. In rare cases, the process proceeds to the extent that most or all of the lesion becomes cystic. Until now, well-differentiated thymic carcinoma with extensive cystic degeneration has not been reported in our country. We experienced a case of 14 year-old female patient showing extensive cystic degeneration in well-differentiated thymic carcinoma. And so we report it with review of the articles related.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.6 s.263
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• pp.482-485
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• 2006

Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has gained a broad acceptance for various thoracic lesions because it is the minimally invasive surgery with little tissue trauma, less pain, improved cosmetic results and short recovery time. However, there are some limitations for this method, such as restricted visual sensory information to a two-dimensional image and limited maneuverability of the tips of the instruments. To overcome these limitations, advanced technology has been introduced and the da $Vinci^{TM}$ Surgical System (Intuitive Surgical Inc, Mountain View, CA, USA) became available in 2001. In Korea, the da $Vinci^{TM}$ Surgical System was introduced in Severance hospital (Yonsei University College of Medicine) in May 2005, and approved by KFDA in July 2005. Herein, we report the first experience of robot-assisted thoracic surgery with the da $Vinci^{TM}$ Surgical System in extirpation of a large teratoma in anterior mediastinum.

• The Journal of the Korean bone and joint tumor society
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.94-99
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• 2005

Paraganglioma is a neoplasm consisting of sympathetic neuroendocrine cells, which arise from neural ectoderm of extra-adrenal paraganglia. It often occurs in thyroid, carotid body, mediastinum, lung, duodenum, the retroperitoneal area and periaortic area. Malignant paraganglioma is defined not by the histological diagnosis, but by spread to regional lymph nodes or distant metastasis. Rare bone metastasis mostly occurs in the base of skull or spine, and even it rarely metastasizes to pelvis or femur. We would like to report two cases of paraganglioma; one in the subcutaneous fat layer that was mistaken for a vascular tumor, and the other in the retroperitoneal space with early bone metastasis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.226-229
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• 1994

VATS is now used by many thoracic surgeons and in various anatomic locations such as lung parenchyme, pleura and mediastinum, etc. VATS of mediastinal masses has special characteristics compared to that of other diseases. Those are no positional changes of the mass during collapse of the lung and close proximity of the mass to major vascular structures, nerves and other vital organs. From 1992. July to 1993. August, 10 mediastinal masses were treated with video assisted thoracoscopy. There were five males and five females, ages ranged from 11 years to 65 years with average 37.7 17.7 years old. Of the 10 patients, 4 were bronchogenic cysts, 2 were teratoma, and the others were thymoma, neurilemmoma, pericardial cyst, and thymic cyst. Needle aspiration was done in large cysts and the working thoracotomy[or utility thoracotomy] was done in large solid masses for the purpose of easy dissection, easy handling and easy delivery of the mass. The average operation time were 155.6 6.8 minutes and the duration of air leakage were 1 2.2 days. The duration of the chest tube drainage were 3.3 2.6 days. The lengths of the postoperative hospitalization were 5.1 2.7 days which were shorter than those of 12 mediastinal masses treated with conventional thoracotomy during the same periods [p<0.05]. There was 1 patient converted to thoracotomy because of a bleeding at innominate vein. 3 postoperative complications were occured. Those were persistent air leakage for 7 days, diaphragmatic palsy and hoarseness which were recovered within 1 month. We conclude that mediastinal mass can be excised with video assisted thoracoscopy and the posthospitalization is reduced. But careful attention is required for avoiding injury to major vascular structures, nerves, and other vital organs.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.244-247
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• 1996

Multiple symmetric lipomatosis is a rare disease characterized by progressive growth of subcutaneous fat masses which are located symmetrically at neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen and groin. Recent surveys revealed a high incidence of combined somatic and autonomic neuropathy. The exact cause of the disease is not known. We have experienced one case of multiple symmetric lipomatosis with mediastinal involvement with symptomatic compression of trachea. The patient was a 55-year-male, complaining of dyspnea and slowly enlarging multiple symmetric masses at the neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, flank and groin over a period of 10 years. He had a habit of excessive alcohol intake for many years. The fatty masses in the neck and the upper mediastinum including peritracheal region were excised through transverse cervical incision. But, because of the incomplete excision of peritracheal fatty tissue, we performed reoperation for the relief of residual tracheal compression at the 15th postoperative day. Two days later emergent tracheostomy was performed due to postoperative pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema. He could discharge with permanant tracheostomy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.134-140
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• 1989

A clinical evaluation was made on total 207 cases of corrosive esophageal stricture after ingestion of various corrosive substances and 173 cases of neoplasms in the esophagus and the cardia. The various complications associated with esophageal corrosion were observed on 28 cases [13.5%] in a total of 207 cases. Pathoanatomic findings of complication may be classified to the five category as follow; [1] stenosis in the pharynx due to adhesion of the epiglottis, [2] esophagobronchial fistula, [3] esophageal perforation with bougienation, [4] necrotic rupture of the esophagus and the stomach, and [5] so-called chronic corrosive gastritis. The comparative studies were done on a total of 165 cases of the various procedures of esophagoplasty to the reconstruction of the esophagus, which consists of antethoracal esophagoplasty with jejunum, retrosternal esophagoplasty with jejunum, retrosternal esophagoplasty with right colon, and retrosternal esophagoplasty with left colon. There is no hard and fast rule in selection of jejunum, right colon or left colon as the transplanting bowel and an operative method either antethoracal or retrosternal approach. When there was no possibility of the complication and no any defect of the anatomical states, one stage retrosternal esophagoplasty using right colon was better in various points of view. The 173 patients of the neoplasm of the esophagus consist of 28 cases of benign tumors and 145 cases of malignant tumors in the esophagus and cardia. 28 cases of benign tumors in the esophagus received the surgical treatment and they obtained with excellent results postoperatively. Of the 145 patients of esophageal carcinoma who received surgical managements, 101 cases [69.6%] were found to be operable and 44 cases [30.3%] were inoperable. Due to the various level of carcinoma in the esophagus, the following different surgical procedure was properly used case by case to get the best results in each case. Esophageal carcinoma in the upper and middle third segment received the total esophagectomy and the reconstruction of the esophagus using right colon by substernal procedure. Esophageal carcinoma in the lower third segment received an esophagojejunostomy in the mediastinum after the resection of lower third segment of the esophagus. Carcinoma in the esophago cardia and the stomach received also an esophagojejunostomy after the resection of the lower third segment of the esophagus and subtotal gastrectomy. For the 44 patients with inoperable carcinoma, the several palliative surgical managements such as gastrostomy or jejunostomy for feeding and esophagojejunostomy for bypass of the lower esophagus and the stomach were properly performed case by case for their maximum improvement.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.769-776
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• 1996

The application of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in the examination of the thoracic cavity can be a new option in patients with mediastinal tumor because it provides outstanding visibility of the structures of the mediastinum. By clear viewing through the thoracoscope, a mediastinal tumor can be biopsied or resected, depending on the findings during an operation. We reviewed all patients who underwent curative or diagnostic operations from March 1990 to August 1995 under the impression of a mediastinal mass. The total number of patients were 113 with 59 males and 54 females. Group A underwent resection of tu or by thoracotomy(38 patients: 18 males, 20 females), and group B underwent resection of tumor by VATS (36 patients : 20 males and 16 females). Seven patients in group B were excluded because they underwent thoracotomy due to pleural adhesion or intra-operative bleeding ; therefore, the true VATS group numbered 29 cases. Group C underwent Iymph node biopsy by VATS(33 patients'16 males, 17 females), and group D(6 patients: 5 males, 1 female) underwent Iymph node biopsy through anterior mediastinotomy. The mean age in group A was 36.2 years compared to 41.3 years In group B. We compared operation time, frequency of injection for pain control, duration of chest tube insertion, postoperative hospital stay, and diagnostic yield. In group A, they were 164 minutes, 3.4 times, 5.2 days, and 11.3 days, respectively, in comparison to 152 minutes, 2 times, 4.7 days, and 8.3 days, respectively, in group B. These data revealed that the day of discharge was significantly shorter in group B (p valu : 0.03). In group C, the mean age was 45.8 years (range 1 ∼70). The operation time was from 30 to 335 minutes (mean 105), pain control was required from 0 to 15 times(mean 3.2), and a chest tube was needed for 1 to 36 days (mean 6.1). In group D, mean age was 53.3 years, operation time 121 minutes, pall control injec- tion frequency 2.6 times, and mean chest tube duration 10.5 days. The diagnostic yield in group C was 8 oyo compared to 100 oyo in group D although the number of patients in group D is small.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.68-73
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• 2008

Background: The presence of infiltrated mediastinal lymph nodes is a crucial factor for the prognosis of lung cancer. The aim of our study is to investigate the pattern of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer that spreads to the mediastinal lymph nodes, in relation to the primary tumor site, in patients who underwent major lung resection with complete mediastinal lymph node dissection. Material and Method: We retrospectively. studies 293 consecutive patients [mean age $63.0{\pm}8.3$ years (range $37{\sim}88$) and 220 males (75.1%)] who underwent major lung resection due to non-small cell lung cancer from January 1998 to December 2005. The primary tumor and lymph node status was classified according to the international TNM staging system reported by Mountain. The histologic type of the tumors was determined according to the WHO classification. Fisher's exact test was used; otherwise the chi-square test of independence was employed. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Result: Lobectomy was carried out in 180 patients, bilobectomy in 50, sleeve lobectomy in 10 and pnemonectomy in 53. The pathologic report revealed 124 adenocarcinomas, 138 squamous-cell tumors, 14 adenosquamous tumors, 1 carcinoid tumor, 8 large cell carcinomas, 1 carcinosarcoma, 2 mucoepidermoid carcinomas and 5 undifferentiated tumors. The TNM stage was IA in 51 patients, IB in 98, IIB in 41, IIIA in 71, IIIB in 61 and IV in 6. 25.9 % of the 79 patients had N2 tumor. Most common infiltrated mediastinal lymph node was level No.4 in the right upper lobe, level No. 4 and 5 in the left upper lobe and level No. 7 in the other lobes, but no statistically significant difference was observed. Thirty-six patients (12.3%) presented with skip metastasis to the mediastinum. Conclusion: Mediastinal lymph node dissection is necessary for accurately determining the pTNM stage. It seems that there is no definite way that non-small cell lung cancer spreads to the lymphatics, in relation to the location of the primary cancer. Further, skip metastasis to the mediastinal lymph nodes was present in 12.3% of our patients.