• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.170-176
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• 2021

Purpose: Traumatic sternal fractures are rare but quite disabling injuries. Timely fixation of sternal fractures reduces pain and prevents respiratory complications. However, the fixation technique should be simple, effective, and readily available in local circumstances. Methods: From January 2014 to March 2020, seven patients with sternal fracture/dislocation underwent steel wire fixation with the new "Timala" technique. In this technique, adjacent ribs are anchored with two steel wires to form an "X" in front of the fractured segment of the sternum. Patients were followed up clinically and radiologically. Results: Six of the patients were men and one was a female. Five of them had injuries due to falls and two were injured in road traffic accidents. Their age ranged from 18 years to 76 years, with a median age of 41 years. All seven patients experienced immediate recovery from pain and showed evidence of fracture healing on postoperative chest X-rays and clinical examinations. Conclusions: Anchoring ribs to fix the sternum with steel wire is a safe, effective, easily available, and reproducible method to fix sternal fractures or dislocations.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.325-330
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• 1986

Eosinophilic granuloma is one of the histiocytosis X. It may occur in any bone and tissues, but the one originated from the sternum was rarely reported. Recently, we experienced an eosinophilic granuloma at the manubrium sterni, associated with diabetes insipidus, which was surgically resected. Although intranasal spray of DDAVP has been used for the control of diabetes insipidus, the bony lesion was remitted. With the brief review of the literatures, we report the case.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.492-496
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• 1985

Two cases of surgical correction of funnel chest using metal struts were presented. The main procedures of the method were transverse submammary incision, subperichondrial resection of the deformed costal cartilages, division of the xiphisternal joint, wedge osteotomy of the sternum, freeing of the posterior surface of the sternum and stabilization by means of 2 metal struts. The struts were removed postoperative 3 and 6 months by a small incision under the local anesthesia. The results in both patients were satisfactory. This method of correction is simple, easy to perform and free of any operative risks.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.308-310
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• 1982

During the closure of the sternum, following the mitral valve replacement for mitral stenoinsufficiency, hemodynamic instability with cardiac tamponade was developed. After transfusion of massive diuretics and albumin for a few times, reclosure of the sternum was attempted with development of hemodynamic instability. And so we decided delayed sternal closure. After 72 hours of mitral valve replacement, delayed sternal closure was done with success, and so we report this case with literatures.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.707-714
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• 1986

Funnel chest is the most common deformity of the sternum. It is characterized by a funnel shaped depression of the sternum with sharp angulation and lengthening of the costal cartilages, with the result that the cartilages point posteriorly. We have experienced with eight cases of funnel chest for 2 years recently, and they were corrected by the method of Ravitch operation with or without Kirschner`s wire. The postoperative course was uneventful. And now we report these with literature review.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.712-718
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• 1991

The pectus excavatum or funnel shaped thorax is a relatively frequent malformation of the chest wall which composed of depressed sternum and costal cartilage. The so-called sternal turnover operation for pectus excavatum has been disappointing due to postoperative complication such as fistula formation with necrosis of bone and muscle. Thus, the need of preserved vascular pedicle to sternum was stressed in this type of operation, keeping the bilateral internal mammary vessels preserved. We have experienced two cases of modified sternal turnover in children and obtained satisfactory postoperative results.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.10
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• pp.966-969
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• 1999

Congenital defects of the sternum are rare development anomalies. They result form the failure of the lateral sternal bars to fuse. This malformation may be associated with other ventral midline fusion defects and ectopia cordis. A complete sternal cleft is the rarest form and less than 10 cases have been reported in the medical literature. Here were report a 3-day-old boy with complete sternal cleft without other malformations, who underwent primary surgical repair. Surgical correction of complete sternal cleft should be performed in neonatal period whether the infant if symptomatic or not because it is usually simple, able to achieve good result and primary repair is usually feasible at this period.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.206-212
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• 2023

Background: Delayed sternal closure (DSC) is a useful option for patients with intractable bleeding and hemodynamic instability due to prolonged cardiopulmonary bypass and a preoperative bleeding tendency. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) has been widely used for sternal wound problems, but only rarely for DSC, and its efficacy for mediastinal drainage immediately after cardiac surgery has not been well established. Therefore, we evaluated the usefulness of DSC using VAC in adult cardiac surgery. Methods: We analyzed 33 patients who underwent DSC using VAC from January 2017 to July 2022. After packing sterile gauze around the heart surface and great vessels, VAC was applied directly without sternal self-retaining retractors and mediastinal drain tubes. Results: Twenty-one patients (63.6%) underwent emergency surgery for conditions including type A acute aortic dissection (n=13), and 8 patients (24.2%) received postoperative extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. Intractable bleeding (n=25) was the most common reason for an open sternum. The median duration of open sternum was 2 days (interquartile range [25th-75th pertentiles], 2-3.25 days) and 9 patients underwent VAC application more than once. The overall in-hospital mortality rate was 27.3%. Superficial wound problems occurred in 10 patients (30.3%), and there were no deep sternal wound infections. Conclusion: For patients with an open sternum, VAC alone, which is effective for mediastinal drainage and cardiac decompression, had an acceptable superficial wound infection rate and no deep sternal wound infections. In adult cardiac surgery, DSC using VAC may be useful in patients with intractable bleeding or unstable hemodynamics with myocardial edema.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2022

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of depending on the location of applying chest expansion resistance exercise on the respiratory muscle strength stroke patients, and to suggest more effective interventions to improve respiratory function in stroke patients in clinical practice. METHODS: A total of 30 subjects were selected and divided into two groups, and chest cage extension resistance exercise was applied to the sternum and rib cage, respectively, and performed for 4 weeks, 3 times a week, for 20 minutes. In order to compare the general characteristics of the study subjects and the homogeneity of the group, the pre-experimental values were analyzed using the independent sample t-test. Paired-sample t-test was used for pre-post value comparison of maximum inspiratory pressure and maximum expiratory pressure in each group. Statistical significance was set to .05. RESULTS: Both the sternum application group and the rib cage application group showed a significant difference in the maximum inspiratory pressure according to the intervention. Also, there was a statistically significant difference in the maximum expiratory pressure in the sternum application group. CONCLUSION: As breathing exercise is important for stroke patients, based on the results of this study, if therapists perform sternal extension resistance exercise or rib extension resistance exercise according to the patient's condition and environment, it can help the breathing function of stroke patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.489-493
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• 1999

The pectus carinatum or anterior protrusion of the sternum is a less common than pectus excavatum. It occurs more frequently in boys than girls and associated musculoskeletal abnormalities, spinal scoliosis is most common. Ravitch first reported correction of chondromanubrial prominence in 1952, resecting the multiple deformed costal cartilages and performing a double osteotomy on sternum. We have experienced one case of pectus carinatum and obtained satisfactory postoperative results. The deformity was corrected by the subchondral resection of multiple deformed costal cartilage, bilaterally, with single osteotomy on sternum and fracture of the posterior cortex to correct anterior angulation. Postoperative course was uneventful. We report this case with brief review of the literature.