• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.65 no.2
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• pp.131-136
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• 2008

Cholethorax (bilious pleural effusion) is an extravasation of bile into the thoracic cavity via a pleurobiliary fistula (and also a bronchobiliary fistula). It is an extremely rare complication of thoraco-abdominal injuries. It can be caused by congenital anomaly and also by hepatobiliary trauma, severe infection or iatrogenic procedures. The definitive diagnosis is made with aspiration of bilious fluid from the pleural space during thoracentesis, by finding a fistulous tract during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) or cholagioscopy, or with finding an abnormal pleural accumulation of radioisotope during hepatobiliary nuclear imaging. Its symptoms include coughing, fever, dyspnea and pleuritc chest pain. Herein we report on a case of cholethorax following performance of percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopy (PTCS) to remove incidentally discovered common bile duct (CBD) stones.

• The Korean Journal of Cytopathology
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.152-157
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• 1990

A 70-year-old female who was diagnosed as myxoid chondrosarcoma by fine needle aspiration of a pleural mass is described. She presented with left chest discomfort of 4 months' duration and aggravating dyspnea and chest pain for 2 months. Chest X-ray and CT scan revealed a large lobulated low density mass invading chest wall at the left pleural cavity and massive pleural fluid. Fine needle aspiration was done under the impression of mesothelioma or metastatic cancer. The aspirates from the mass were very cellular and composed of isolated or clustered forms of large plump cells. Abundant cytoplasm was blulsh opaque and the margin was rounded in the isolated cells, whereas clustered cells show ill-defined ceil borders and aggregating tendency. The nuclei were eccentric, round to ovoid, and had fine chromatin pattern and multiple small nucleoli. Cellular pleomorphism or mitotic figure was not definite. These findings were consistent with cytologic features of chondrosarcoma. Final diagnosis was confirmed as myxoid chondrosarcoma by mediastinoscopic biopsy and the tumor showed strong positivity for S-100 protein.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.61 no.6
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• pp.526-532
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• 2006

Backgroud: Traditionally, tuberculous pleurisy has been known to largely develop as primary tuberculosis. However, as the incidence of tuberculosis decrease, recent studies have shown reactivation tuberculosis has become the main cause of tuberculous pleurisy. Methods: 141 cases of tuberculous pleurisy, between January 2003 and February 2006, at the Dankook university hospital. were retrospectively studied. The patients were divided into primary and reactivation tuberculosis. based on the history and radiological characteristics, and the clinical, radiological characteristics at the time of diagnosis and residual pleural thickening after 6 month of chemotherapy were compared between the two groups. Results: 1. Of the 141 tuberculous pleurisy cases, in 135 it was possible to differentiate between primary and reactivation tuberculosis. 2. Of the 135 tuberculous pleurisy cases, 38 (28%) showed a primary tuberculosis pattern, and 98 (72%) showed a reactivation tuberculosis pattern. 3. There were no significant differences between primary and reactivation tuberculosis in relation to age, sex, duration of symptom, amount of pleural effusion, pleural fluid WBC, lymphocyte count, and level of protein, LDH and ADA at the time of diagnosis 4. 124 patients were followed for 6 months after diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy, and there was no significant difference in the residual pleural thickening between primary and reactivation tuberculosis. Conclusion: In South Korea, a reactivation disease is currently a more common cause of tuberculous pleurisy than a primary disease. There was no difference in the clinical characteristics between primary and reactivation tuberculosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.290-298
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• 2007

Background: The currently available diagnostic markers for pleural effusion have a limited role. The soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1) is a molecule recently reported to play an important role in the myeloid cell mediated inflammatory response, and is up regulated in the body fluid by bacterial or fungal products. This study examined the expression of sTREM-1 in pleural effusion. Methods: Between April 2004 and December 2005, 48 patients with pleural effusions were enrolled in this study. The pleural fluids were taken and analyzed for the total protein, glucose, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), adenosine deaminase (ADA), and sTREM-1. Bacterial cultures and cytology tests were also performed. Results: The clinical diagnoses were 17 parapneumonic, 14 tuberculous, and 13 malignant effusions. Four patients presented with transudates. The mean ages of the parapneumonic, tuberculous and malignant effusion groups were $57.1{\pm}19.7$, $49.5{\pm}18.6$, $66.9{\pm}15.5$, and $76.0{\pm}18.1$. respectively. The level of sTREM-1 expression was significantly higher in the parapneumonic effusions ($344.0{\pm}488.7$) than in the tuberculous effusions ($81.7{\pm}56.6$) and malignant effusions ($39.3{\pm}19.6$). With a cut-off value of 55.4pg/ml, the sensitivity and specificity for a parapneumonic effusion was 70.6% and 74.1%. Conclusion: sTREM-1 expression is significantly higher in parapneumonic effusions, suggesting its potential role as an additional diagnostic marker for pleural effusions.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.455-464
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• 1995

Background: Considering that both humoral and cell mediated immunities play an important role for human tuberculosis infection, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) measurement of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody to mycobacterial antigens can be used for the serologic diagnosis of tuberculous pleural effusion. Method: We measured absorbance values of IgG antibodies to purified-protein-derivative (PPD) and lipoarabinomannan-B (LAM-B) in the pleural fluid (PF) and the serum in 40 tuberculous (TPE) and 19 nontuberculous pleural effusions (NTPE). Results: 1) The IgG antibodies to PPD and LAM-B were significantly (P<0.0005) higher in the PF and the serum of TPE compared to NTPE. 2) The IgG antibodies to PPD and LAM-B in the serum were higher than that in PF. 3) Significant correlations were found between pleural and serum IgG antibodies to PPD and LAM-B. 4) With a cutoff value for IgG antibody to PPD in the PF of 0.091, sensitivity was 55.0% and specificity 94.7% in the diagnosis of TPE. 5) With a cutoff value for IgG antibody to LAM-B in the PF of 0.337, sensitivity was 50.0% and specificity 94.7% in the diagnosis of TPE. 6) The seropositive rates in TPE were not related to PPD skin test status, the amount of PF and coexisting active pulmonary tuberculosis. Conclusion: The assay of IgG antibodies to PPD and LAM-B might be useful for the diagnosis of TPE. Our study suggests the mechanism of passive transfer of IgG antibodies to PPD and LAM-B from the serum to the PF through pleural tissue.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.79-84
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• 1974

Acute suppurative pericarditis is recognized as a rare disease since development of antibiotics but therapeutically as an important one. To our knowledge, acute suppurative pericarditis alone has not been reported previously in Korea. In this paper, we report 5 cases of acute suppurative pericarditis which were experienced during the period between January 1959 and December 1973. The patients ranged in age from 9 months to 59 years at the time of admission. Four of 5 patients were male and one female. Acute suppurative pericarditis is usually associated with pneumonia, empyema, sepsis, osteoarthritis, lung abscess, cholecystitis or tonsillitis. In our series, pneumonia was the most common associated disease. One patient had osteoarthritis. Pleural effusions were observed in three of the 5 patients. Staphylococcus aureus was cultured from pericardial fluid in 4 patients and also cultured from both pericardial and synovial fluid in one. Three of the 5 patients had cardiac tamponade and one patient required prompt pericardiocentesis. 3 of the 5 patients were treated with antibiotics and pericardiostomy, one with antibiotics and pericardiocentesis, and one with antibiotics and saline irrigation through drainage sinus from the pericardial sac. Four of the five patients were recovered without pericardial constriction. One was discharged with poor condition. In this instance, follow-up study couldn`t be made.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.2 s.271
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• pp.109-113
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• 2007

Background: In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), malignant pleural effusion is a frequently observed com-plication, and is an important negative prognostic factor. Although many studies concerned to diagnosis and treatment of malignant pleural effusion have been performed, prognostic factors of malignant pleural effusion have rarely been investigated. This study was performed to determine the prognostic factors of malignant pleural effusion n non-small cell lung cancer. Material and Method: We evaluated 33 NSCLC patients with malignant effusion treated between January 2002 and December 2003. We analyzed possible factors: gender, age, TNM Stage, fluid analysis (pH, CEA, LDH, glucose, albumin) and treatment modality. Median survival time of each factor was calculated by Kaplan-Meier method and difference of median survival time between groups of factor compared by log-rank test. The Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to confirm the significance of prognostic factor. Results: Of the 33 patients, 23 (69.7%) patients were adenocarcinoma. The median interval of the diagnosis of lung cancer and malignant effusion was 7.3 months ($25^{th}{\sim}75^{th}:\;3.9{\sim}11.8$), and the median survival time was 3.6 months (95% Confidence Interval: $1.14{\sim}5.99$). In the univariate analysis, using the log-rank test, those with an adenocarcinoma showed a relatively longer median survival time than those of a non-adenocarcinoma (4.067 vs. 1.867 months, p=0.067) without statistical significance. In the multivariate analysis, using the Cox regression, those with a non-adenocarcinoma showed a trend of high risk of cancer death than those with an adenocarcinoma without statistical significance (Relative risk; 2.754, 95% Cl: $0.988{\sim}7.672$, p=0.053). Conclusion: We could not find an independent prognostic factor of malignant pleural effusion in NSCLC. As there was a trend of high risk of cancer death according to histology, further study will be needed.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.320-324
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• 1993

Congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation [CCAM] of the lung is extremely rare. The patient was 10 year old female and had no specipic signs and symptoms except right lower chest pain for 5 days ago before admission.On simple chest X-ray and thoracic CT scan, about 9x8x8cm sized, heterogenous marginal enhanced multiseparated hypodence lesion with air fluid level and gas bubbles in posterior pleural space in right lower chest .The culture result of needle aspiration of cavity was apergillus flavus. Right lower lobectomy was carried out and the result of biopsy was congenital cystic adenomatoid malformation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.935-940
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• 1988

Perforated esophagus is a surgical emergency; it is the most serious and frequently the most rapidly lethal perforation of the gastrointestinal tract. Contamination of the mediastinum and often a pleural cavity with corrosive fluids, food material and bacteria leads to cardiorespiratory embarrassment, shock, major fluid losses and fulminating infection. Despite the improved diagnostic and treatment modalities, a perforation or leak from the esophagus remains a major source of morbidity and mortality. When esophageal perforation occurs, a successful outcome can be expected only when it is diagnosed soon after the event and repaired early. Esophageal perforations have a poor prognosis after delayed surgical treatment. With the use of the Thai onlay gastric patch method, a case of postemetic spontaneous perforation of the esophagus was successfully managed 6days after the event.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.363-367
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• 2008

A 4-year-old female Cocker spaniel was presented with respiratory distress and abdominal distension. Pleural effusion, ascites, hepatosplenomegaly, and superficial lymphadenopathy were observed and multicentric lymphoma was diagnosed by cytological examination. Immunophenotyping of lymph node and bone marrow using polymerase chain reaction for antigen receptor rearrangement identified a stage V lymphoma originating from T-cell. Despite of systemic chemotherapy using L-asparagenase, vincristine, cyclophoaphamide and prednisolone, neurologic deficits came out and progressed. Cerebrospinal fluid analysis revealed neoplastic lymphocytic pleocytosis indicating central nervous system involvement of lymphoma. The postmortem diagnosis was confirmed based on the histology and imunohistochemistry.