• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.816-819
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• 2010

We report one case of Horner's syndrome, a rare complication of closed thoracostomy. A 17 year-old girl with a second attack of left side primary spontaneous pneumothorax visited an emergency room. After closed tube thoracostomy, she was admitted to a general ward for elective video-assisted thoracosopic bullectomy, which was delayed due to incidental right side acute otitis media. On the third day of admission, she presented with pain and discomfort in the left eye. Further examination revealed left side ptosis and miosis and led to a diagnosis of Homer's syndrome. The chest tube was pulled back 2 to 3 cm for repositioning. After two days she underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic bullectomy and mechanical pleurodesis and was discharged at postoperative day 7. Symptoms and signs of Homer's syndrome gradually resolved, and she had fully recovered at the 2 month postoperative outpatient follow-up.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.562-564
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• 2010

Lymphorrhea is a common complication after inguinal dissection for exposure of the femoral artery. Injury of the lymphatics occurs frequently because they are anatomically close to blood vessels. Uncontrolled lymph drainage increases postoperative morbidity, and wound infection may follow. Despite current treatment options, lymphorrhea after inguinal dissection is still difficult to manage and results in a prolonged hospital stay. A vacuum-assisted closure device was used in a 72-year-old woman who had lymphorrhea after vascular surgery by groin incision. Vacuum-assisted control for lymphorrhea resulted in earlier closure of the wound and reduced the length of hospital stay.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.2 s.259
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• pp.150-153
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• 2006

Percutaneous transcatheter closure of atrial septal defects as a therapeutic alternative in appropriate patients provides superior cosmetic results, is less invasive, and allows for shorter hospital stays. Unfortunately, however, such percutaneous procedures can be associated with catastrophic procedure complications that may require immediate surgical intervention. We report a case of aorta-to-right atrial fistula two months after transcatheter occlusion of an atrial septal defect by an Amplatzer septal occluder. Revealed by dyspnea, palpitation and hemolysis, this complication needed an emergency surgical operation. The fistula between the noncoronary Valsalva sinus of the aorta and the right atrium was repaired. The atrial septal defect was closed by patch. The cause of this serious complication appears to be erosion into the aorta by the right atrial disk.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.142-147
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• 2011

Background: Endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) has come into use and been widely extended because of the low complication rate and less-invasiveness. This article aimed to describe our experience in the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm with EVAR. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review was conducted for the 22 patients who underwent EVAR in a single hospital December 2001 to June 2009. Results: The mean age of the patients was $68.5{\pm}7.6$ years. There were several risk factors and comorbidities in 20 patients (90.9%). The mean diameter of the aortic aneurysms was $61.2{\pm}12.9$ mm. The mean length, diameter, and angle of the aneurysmal neck were $30.5{\pm}15.5$ mm, $24.0{\pm}4.5$ mm, and $43.9{\pm}16.0^{\circ}$, respectively. The mean follow-up period of the patients was $28.8{\pm}29.5$ months. The 30-day postoperative mortality was none. Seven patients (31.8%) had endoleaks during the hospital stay and three patients (13.6%) had endoleaks during the follow-up period. One patient (4.5%) died due to a ruptured aortic aneurysm. The cumulative patient survival rates were 88.2%, 88.2%, and 70.6% at 1, 3, and 5 years of follow-up, respectively. Conclusion: EVAR is currently a safe, feasible procedure for high risk patients with abdominal aortic aneurysm because of low postoperative complication and mortality if patients are selected properly and followed up carefully.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.178-183
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• 2024

Background: The superficial veins are commonly used in conventional autogenous arteriovenous fistulas and the placement of prosthetic grafts. When they are unsuitable, however, the use of the deep veins (venae comitantes) is generally considered to be a reasonable alternative. This study conducted a comparative analysis of clinical outcomes for arteriovenous grafts between 2 groups based on the type of venous outflow: superficial veins or venae comitantes. Methods: In total, 151 patients who underwent arteriovenous grafts from November 2005 to March 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were divided into 2 groups: group A (superficial veins, n=89) and group B (venae comitantes, n=62). The primary, secondary patency, and complication rates were analyzed in each group. A propensity score-matched analysis was performed. Results: In total, 55 well-balanced pairs were matched. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed no significant differences in the primary patency rate between the 2 groups at 1-year, 3-year and 5-year intervals (group A, 54.7%, 35.9%, 25.4% vs. group B, 47.9%, 16.8%, 12.6%; p=0.14), but there was a difference in the secondary patency rate (group A, 98.2%, 95.3%, 86.5% vs. group B, 87.3%, 76.8%, 67.6%; p=0.0095). The rates of complications, simple percutaneous transluminal angioplasty, and stent insertion were comparable between the groups. Conclusion: Although this study demonstrated not particularly favorable secondary patency rates in the venae comitantes group, the venae comitantes may still be a viable option for patients with unsuitable superficial veins because there were no significant differences in the primary patency and complication rates between the 2 groups.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.69-71
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• 2012

The inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is known as an effective and safe method for preventing fatal pulmonary thromboembolism in patients with deep vein thrombosis. Usually, the remaining IVC filters are asymptomatic and do not cause clinical problems. We report a case of duodenal perforation caused by a remaining IVC filter.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.217-219
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• 2015

Postpneumonectomy syndrome (PPS) is a rare late complication of pneumonectomy. It occurs more often in children than in adults, and is characterized by respiratory failure resulting from bronchial compression caused by severe mediastinal shift. Various methods have been used to treat PPS, including aortopexy and the insertion of plastic balls, silastic implants, and saline-filled breast prostheses. We describe two cases of PPS corrected with tissue expanders after right pneumonectomy in patients with esophageal atresia.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.395-398
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• 2018

Neo-aortic insufficiency associated with root enlargement following an arterial switch operation is a serious late complication. To achieve successful surgical correction of this condition, multiple factors should be considered, including the individual patient's anatomy, the challenging nature of the redo procedure, and the patient's young age. However, limited publications have described the use of valve-sparing techniques for the treatment of neo-aortic insufficiency associated with root enlargement following an arterial switch operation. Herein, we report our recent experience of a valve-sparing aortic root procedure with ascending aorta and hemiarch replacement despite the presence of a discrepancy in leaflet size and nearby severe adhesions.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 1984

Aneurysms of the subclavian artery are rare in comparison with other peripheral aneurysm. Most of these aneurysms arise from atherosclerosis, thoracic outlet obstruction, or trauma. We have experienced two cases of false aneurysms occurring the subclavian artery. One was occurred in right subclavian artery distal to right thyrocervical trunk due to trauma [falling] and was corrected with resection of the aneurysm and replacement with right external jugular vein. The other was occurred in the left subclavian artery lateral to the left internal mammary artery with complication of left hemothorax probably due to infection and was corrected with resection of aneurysm and replacement with Dacron graft. Postoperative course of both were uneventful without complication.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.318-321
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• 1999

The remaining lung infarction is a rare but life-threatening complication after a thoracic operation and trauma. We report a case of this rare complication after the left upper lobectomy due to pulmonary aspergilloma. The infarction of the remaining left lower lobe occurred due to kinking of the pulmonary vessels after the left upper lobectomy and the completion pneumonectomy was performed in the post-operative second day. Therefore, prompt diagnosis and treatment may be necessary to prevent morbidity and mortality associated with pulmonary infarction from torsion of pulmonary artery and vein.