• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.82 no.2
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• pp.371-381
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• 2021

Purpose To evaluate the usefulness and effectiveness of bronchial occluders in the treatment of postoperative bronchopleural fistula (BPF). Materials and Methods The subjects of the study were six out of seven postoperative BPF patients who underwent surgery due to tuberculosis or lung cancer between 2009 and 2019. Each patient had a bronchial occluder inserted to treat BPF that occurred after surgery. Of the six patients, five had lung cancers and one had tuberculosis. Five were male and one was female; their ages ranged from 59 to 74 years, with an average of 69 years. The diagnosis of BPF was based on findings from bronchoscopy and CT, and treatment was initiated approximately 1 to 2 weeks after diagnosis. The technical and clinical success of the bronchial occluders in the treatment of BPF was evaluated. The study assessed the postoperative clinical effects of the occluders, survival duration, and additional treatments. Results All six patients were successfully treated. Clinical success was achieved in five patients, while partial clinical success was achieved in one; there was no clinical failure. No complications during the migration of the device or device perforations were observed. Two patients were diagnosed with BPF by CT, while four were diagnosed by bronchoscopy. Lobectomy, bilobectomy, and pneumonectomy were performed on two patients each. The periods between surgery and diagnosis ranged from 1 to 34 months; the average was 10 months. Four patients (59-103 days; an average of 80.5 days) died and two (313 days, 3331 days) survived. The causes of death were aggravation of the underlying disease (n = 2), pulmonary edema and pleural effusion (n = 1), and pneumonia (n = 1). Additional catheter drainage was performed in one patient, and a chest tube was maintained in two patients. Conclusion Bronchial occluders are useful and effective in the treatment of BPF after pulmonary resection.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.471-479
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• 1999

Background: Patients with tetralogy of Fallot(TOF), pulmonary atresia(PA) and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries(MAPCAs) have been managed by heterogenous surgical strategies. We have taken 5 different surgical approaches to this lesion. In this study, relative advantages and disadvantages of each strategy were discussed by analyzing our surgical results. Material and Method: Between January 1986 and June 1998, 50 patients aged 1 to 177(39${\pm}$31) months at a various morphologic spectrum of this lesion were treated at our institution. The groups, which were classified according to the initial approaches, consisted of one-stage unifocalization(A-1, n=9), staged unifocalization(A-2, n=11), right ventricle to pulmonary artery connection(RV-PA)(B-1, n=11), one-stage RV-PA plus unifocalization (B-2, n=11), and one-stage definitive repair(C, n=8). Morphologic charateristics, operative mortalities, and probabilities of definitive repair were compared between the groups and the causes of death, complications and the follow-up results were described. Result: Mean ages at the first operation were 57${\pm}$18(A-1), 42${\pm}$48(A-2), 18${\pm}$14(B-1), 52${\pm}$55(B-2), and 32${\pm}$34(C) months (p<0.05). Mean numbers of MAPCAs were least in group C (A-1=4.3${\pm}$1.0, A-2=4.5${\pm}$1.3, B-1=4.1${\pm}$1.9, B-2=4.1${\pm}$1.6, C=3.4${\pm}$1.8 : p<0.05). The ratios of the direct and the indirect MAPCAs in each group were not different between the grousps (A-1=91%/9%, A-2=78%/22%, B-1=80%/20%, B-2=80%/20%, C=81%/19% : p>0.05). Nineteen patients had more than 1 dependent MAPCAs. True pulmonary arteries were not present 13 patients and they were confluent in 29. A total of 101 operations were performed. Operative mortalities of initial procedures were 33%(3/9, A-1), 18%(2/11, A-2), 0%(0/11, B-1), 36%(5/11, B-2) and 13%(1/8, C) (p<0.05). Percentages of the definitive repair among the patients of each group were 22%(2/9, A-1), 18%(2/11, A-2). 45%(5/11, B-1), 27%(4/11, B-2), and 100%(8/8, C)(p<0.05). Hypoxic respiratory and cardiac failure(6), hypoxic encephalopathy(2) and sepsis(4) were the major causes of death. Phrenic nerve palsy occured in 5 patients. Thirty-one patients among the survivals have been followed up for a mean duration of 74${\pm}$42(3-145) months. One and five year actuarial survival rates were 73% and 73 %. Conclusion: In conclusion, Right ventricle to pulmonary artery connection used in patients with TOF/PA/MAPCA as an inital procedure appeared to be highly successful in enhancing the chance of satisfactory definitive repair without the significant surgical risks. One-stage total repair at an ealier age group could be performed safely with the resonable outcomes. Unifocalization approach, whether it was performed in a single stage or in the multiple stages, resulted in the high operative mortality and the lowest chance of definitive repair, however more tailored selection of the patients and the long follow-up is mandatory to prove the usefulness of this approach.