• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.599-602
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• 1999

A 51-year-old woman was transferred from a private hospital for persistent massive left pleural effusion. Available examination methods did not reveal the cause of the disease. The pleural effusion was confirmed as chylothorax by thoracentesis and chest computed tomography. Previous tube drainage and pleurodesis had failed. Therefore we decided on an operative approach. A left thoracotomy revealed nothing abnormal except for the oozing lymph from the mediastinal pleura, which was sutured by 4-0 prolene. Decortication and pleurodesis were done at the same time. Postoperative course was uneventful and no recurrent pleural effusion was recognized for 3 months. Adult Idiopathic unilateral chylothorax with unknown etiology is rare, but this case was successfully treated with an operative method.

• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.87-91
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• 2009

Esophageal diverticulum is a rare entity, the true incidence of which is unknown, mainly because there are usually no clinical symptoms. Most esophageal diverticulum are found incidentally during an endoscopic or radiologic examination. Their classification is based on anatomical location; namely, upper third(Zenker or pharyngoesophageal), middle third(thoracic), or lower third(epiphrenic). Here we report a 52-years-old female presenting with dysphagia and regurgitation. Esophagogram showed esophageal diveticulum at lower cervical esophagus. Its positional aspect, it is different from Zenker's diveticulum. Treatment is surgical via an endoscopic or external approach. In view of the patient's age and anatomical location, various surgical approaches were considered as a therapeutic option for the management. This paper presents our experience in the management of esophageal diverticulum which was unusual location and stapled open resection without sternotomy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.707-714
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• 1990

Despite of mortality and morbidity rates that are higher than other forms of therapy, surgical resection has been mainstay for the treatment of esophageal cancer because of a prompt completeness as well as a high possibility of cure. But a substantial numbers of patients are unsuitable for surgical treatment and those undergoing resection have still poor long term survival rate. With hopes of improving long term survival, we have attempted multimodal approach, composed of preoperative induction chemotherapy utilizing Cisplatin and 5 \ulcornerFU, surgery and postoperative loco-regional radiotherapy for the treatment of esophageal cancer since 1985. During the period of 1967 \ulcorner1985, 27 patients[group A] were treated by surgery only and during recent 5 years 28 patients[group B] by multimodal treatment, Clinical review and comparison between the two groups were as follows: l. Applied surgical procedures were hand-sewn esophagogastrostomy, esophagocologastrostomy and esophagojejunostomy in group A. In group B, only esophagogastrostomy was underwent using stapler mainly. 2. Incidence of peri and postoperative complication showed no remarkable differences between the two groups, but the occurrences of leakage from the anastomotic site were 5[19% ] out of group A and 1[4%] out of group B. 3. The response rate to induction chemotherapy was 36% in group B, 4. The number of local cancer recurrence at the site of anastomosis was 6[22%] out of group A, whereas 2[7%] out of group B. 5. Postoperative I year and 2 year survival were 61%, 15% in group A and 75%, 42% in group B.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.95-105
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• 1989

The records of 248 patients over 16 years of age who had undergone a surgical correction of a congenital cardiovascular malformation during the period of 10 years from August, 1978 to July, 1988 were reviewed. During this period, the incidence of congenital cardiovascular malformation in adult was 18.2% of 1376 total heart disease operated on and 25.5% of 986 congenital heart defects. Among them, there were 200 patients in acyanotic group and 48 patients in cyanotic group. Male versus female ratio was 1:1.28. The oldest patient was 59 years old female who had atrial septal defect. The mean age was 24.4 years old. The distribution of the lesions showed a large preponderance of atrial septal defects [37.19o] followed in frequency by ventricular septal defects [918.1%], patent ductus arteriosus [17.3%], tetralogy of Fallot [16.1%], and a variety of other complex malformations[3.2%]. In the pediatric age group, relative frequency was different from that of this adult group, showing ventricular septal defects, tetralogy of Fallot, patent ductus arteriosus and atrial septal defects in order of incidence. The hospital mortality and late mortality were 6.0% and 1.7% respectively. The causes of hospital death were low cardiac output in 10 patients, arrhythmia in 2, air embolism in 1, sepsis in 1 and respiratory failure in l. Clinical improvement upto NYHA functional class I or II postoperatively has been achieved and sustained in all patients following repair except the patients of late death and receiving reoperation. This result confirms that congenital heart defects in the adults can be corrected with a good outcome and an aggressive operative approach seems justified.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.259-265
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• 1994

Cor triatriatum is a relatively rare cardiac anomaly, whose major feature is a fenestrated membrane separating an upper common pulmonary venous chamber from a lower true left atrial cavity. Interatrial communications may be present between the right atrium and the common pulmonary venous chamber or the true left atrium. From April 1981 to April 1992, 24 patients with cor triatriatum were treated at Seoul National University Hospital. Ages ranged from 1 month to 24 years with mean of 7.4 years. Twenty patients had interatrial communications through a patent foramen ovale, primum or secundum defect of the atrial septum. Four had no interatrial communications. Fourteen patients had associated anomalies; partial anomalous pulmonary venous connection in 3, total anomalous pulmonary venous connection in 2, persistent left superior vena cava in 3, and other anomalies in 6 patients. Surgical corrections were performed through right atriotomy in 18 patients, left atriotomy in 4, and both atriotomy in 2. Three patients [12.5%] died early after operation; two of them were associated with single ventricle. Six out of 21 survivors [28.6%] experienced complications; recurrent pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, ischemic encephalopathy, diaphragmatic palsy and tachyarrhythmias. At the time of follow up, all survivors, except one, were in functional class I. Surgical correction of cor triatriatum restored normal hemodynamic status with relatively low operative mortality, especially in patients not complicated with severe anomalies. This report summarizes the clinical diagnosis, associated anomalies, interatrial communications, surgical approach and late result of 24 patients underwent surgical corrections in our hospital.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 1992

The ideal approach in the staged management of patients with pulmonary atresia has been a challenging problem and the result has not been always satisfactory. We reviewed our early result of initial palliative surgeries in fifteen cases of pulmonary atresia with interventricular communication Included are eight cases of simple pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and seven cases of pulmonary atresia associated with other complex cardiac anomalies. The ages of the patients were less than one year except one. The morphology of pulmonary vasculature was highly variable and showed unfavorable conditions in most cases. Pulmonary artery was nonconfluent in two. Two-thirds of all cases showed significant problems such as juxtaductal stenosis or diffuse hypoplasia. The ductus arteriosus usually narrowed at its pulmonic end. Initial palliation was done by modified Blalock-Taussig shunt in six, central shunt with or without pulmonary angioplasty in five, right ventricular outflow tract [RVOT] reconstruction in three and direct connection of nonconfluent pulmonary arteries with bilateral cav-opulmonary shunt in one patient. There were 3 hospital deaths. Two of them underwent simultaneous repair of the associated anomaly of TAPVR. Among the six patients who received modified Blalock-Taussig shunt, three needed early second palliative procedure by central shunt, RVOT patch reconstruction and pulmonary angioplasty in each case, All patients who received central shunt showed marked clinical improvement. Among the twelve patients who survived the palliative procedures, two patients underwent total correction 13 months and 18 months after initial palliation respectively. We think that the choice of palliative procedure must be individualized according to the morphology of the pulmonary arteries. More experience and long term follow-up data are necessary to meet this challenging problem.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.52-54
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• 1998

Recently, several versatile approaches via limited incision have been developed for minimally invasive cardiac surgery. As the incision is limited, it is often dfficult to get a satisfactory operative field, especially for the manipulation of two separate lesions such as simultaneous mitral and aortic valve disease with a single limited incision. Here, we describe a case of successful double valve replacement via ministernotomy, which was followed by two cases of minimally invasive aortic valve replacement via transsternal approach. The operative field was unexceptionally satisfactory and the postoperative patient's acceptance was high. The methodology is described with a review of the relevant literatures.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 1972

Interventricular Septal Defect is probably the most common congenital cardiac lesion. Despite rapid technical advances and increasing surgical experience the risk of surgical intervention for correction of Ventricular Septal Defect in infants with pulmonary hypertension remains formidable. Since Sirak et al [1959] reported a succesful case of two stage approach to their surgical correction, it has led to a policy of primary palliation,followed by complete correction as a secondary procedure, after age 3 to 4 years. Most surgeon prefer to perform complete correction of Ventricular Septal Defect when body weight exceeds 30 Lbs. and before development of so-called Eisenmengers complex, for the good postoperative results. Authors report 2 cases of Ventricular Septal Defect with pulmonary hupertenslon, who was underwent pulmonary artery banding as a palliative procedure in the Department of Surgery,Severance Hospital Yonsei University. Case 1:4 year old male, initially a complete correction of Ventricular Septal Defect was attempted by the help of mild hypothermia and extracorporeal circulation. During the procedure of a construction of an extracorporeal by- pass, a sudden cardiac arrest developed. After resuscitation of the heart,pulmonary artery banding was performed as a palliation. On the first postoperative day the patient developed generalized tonic convulsion, cyanosis, vomiting and eventually shock. Patient discharged home after a full recovery. Case 2.: 9 month old female, the pulmonary artery constricted with Teflon patch successfully. After the patients first postoperative day several cyanotic spells developed followed by 3 cardiac arrests. This repeated until when she expired with respiratory failure.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.693-700
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• 1991

A rare case of the association of distal aortopulmonary septal defect, aortic origin of the right pulmonary artery, intact ventricular septum, patent ductus arteriosus and interrupted aortic isthmus in a 40-day-old infant is reported. The infant was suffered from two operations with an interval of nine days. At the first operation a 10mm polytetrafluoroethylene prosthesis was inserted instead of the interrupted aortic isthmus and ductus was ligated via the left posterolateral thoracotomy. But the patient could not be weaned from the respirator because of large amount of left-to-right shunt. So the total correction was subsequently performed after an interval of nine days. At the second operation, tunneling of the right pulmonary artery to the main pulmonary artery through the aortopulmonary septal defect was performed using the Dacron patch via a longitudinal transaortic approach and a separate autologous pericardial patch was applied to the longitudinally incised margins of the anterior wall of the ascending aorta. The second postoperative course was relatively uneventful except some respiratory distress and nutritional problems. Now he is at 6 months of age and thrives well without any symptom. Because the success of the surgical repair of this complex anomalies depends upon the accurate diagnosis and meticulous design of each step of procedure prior to operation these problems are also discussed.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.125-128
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• 1988

A case of the left stellate ganglion block (SGB) with a warm serration of the left lower extremity in a 25-year-old male soldier is presented. During the Korean War, this patient received a penetrating gun shot wound from the right knee through the left abdominal wall, left upper arm and left thumb. He was evacuated to the a marine corps surgical hospital where amputation of the left thumb and an end-to-end anatomosis of the left brachial artery were performed. After surgery, left ulnar and median nerve paralysis and causalgia developed and about 9 months later an upper thoracic ganglionectomy was proposed at the Chin-Hae Navel Hospital. Before the ganglionectomy a stellate ganglion block for diagnostic and prognostic purposes was requested by the surgeon. This block was performed by the supraclavicular anterior approach using 10 ml of 2% procaine. The effect of the block including Horner's syndrome was confirmed 5 minute later in this patient. This patient returned to the ward by walking unassisted 10 minutes after the block, and complained of a warm sensation in the left lower extremity 20 minutes later as well as the left upper arm. This warm sensation in the lower extremity following ipsilateral stellate ganglion block indicates that the local anesthetics solution injected tinto the neck spread down to lumbar sympathetic ganalgion along the fascial membrane of the sympathetic chain as a consequence of the 10 minutes walk.