• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.717-721
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• 1994

Extramucosal esophagomyotomy by thoracotomy, first described by Heller in 1913 was the principal therapy for achalasia. Recently however, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery has been implied in esophageal surgery, and we have experienced 23 year old male patient with dysphagia and was diagnosed as achalasia who underwent thoracoscopic esophagomyotomy. The esophagogram showed typical bird beak appearance and the lower esophageal sphincter pressure was increased to 35 mmHg. Thoracoscopic surgery was done twice due to incomplete myotomy in first operation and the patient was released of dysphagia in the second operation.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.33-40
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• 2017

Purpose: The role for minimally invasive surgery in chest trauma is vague, one that recently is more frequently performed, and one attractive option to be considered. Thoracoscopic surgery may improve morbidity, mortality, hasten recovery and shorten hospital stay. Methods: A total of 31 patients underwent video assisted thoracoscopic surgery for the treatment of blunt and penetrating chest trauma from June 9th, 2013 to March 21st, 2016 in Jeju, South Korea. Results: Twenty-three patients were males and eight patients were females. Their ages ranged from 23 to 81 years. The cause of injury was due to traffic accident in 17 patients, fall down in 5 patients, bicycle accident in 2 patients, battery in 2 patients, crushing injury in 2 patients, and slip down, kicked by horse, and stab wound in one patient each. Video assisted thoracoscopic exploration was performed in the 18 patients with flail chest or greater than 3 displaced ribs. The thoracoscopic procedures done were hematoma evacuation in 13 patients, partial rib fragment excision in 9 patients, lung suture in 5 patients, bleeding control (ligation or electrocautery) in 3 patients with massive hemothorax, diaphragmatic repair in two patients, wedge resection in two patients and decortication in 1 patient. There was only one patient with conversion to open thoracotomy. Conclusion: There is a broad range of procedures that can be done by thoracoscopic surgery and a painful thoracotomy incision can be avoided. Thoracoscopic surgery can be done safely and swiftly in the trauma patient.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.528-530
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• 2000

Thoracoscopic sympathectomy is a common technique used to treat plamar hyperhiodrosis. The complications of thoracoscopic sympathectomy are rare. Recently, we experienced a complex regional pain syndrome(CRPS) after thoracoscopic sympathecotomy in a patient with hyperhidrosis. The treatment of this complication was chemical epidural sympathetic block and conservative pain control. The result of this treatment was good. The patient was recovered after one month.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.279-285
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• 2021

Thoracoscopic esophagectomy for esophageal cancer can be performed in multiple positions, such as the lateral decubitus position or prone position, using various techniques. Each approach has its own advantages and disadvantages, and surgeons can select an appropriate approach based on their preferences. Except for the reduction of pulmonary complications, the benefits of thoracoscopic esophagectomy, including oncologic outcomes, have not been proven scientifically. This review describes the approaches and procedures of thoracoscopic esophagectomy and presents scientific evidence for this procedure.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.812-816
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• 2000

Background ; To evaluate the efficacy of Fibrin glue to decrease recurrence in video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS) for a treatment of spontaneous penumothorax. Material and Method : All medical records of 17 patients who underwent a thoracoscopic wedge resections of bullae with stapling device with Fibrin glue in our institute between May 1998 and December 1999 were reviewed. variables analyzed include affected sites primary indication of VATS. duration from admission to discharge duration of postoperative stay duration of chest tube drainage recurrence and complication. There were 16 men and 1 woman. Result : There was no evidence of hemodynamic instability or arterial blood gas abnormalities encountered during the procedure. Mean age at the time of the VATS was 26.9 years (range 15 to 61 years) The mean duration from admission to discharge was 7.8 days and mean postoperative stay was 5.1days mean chest tube indwelling period was 4..0 days. There was no recurrence of pneumothorx. Conclusion : Thoracoscopic wedge resections with introduction of fibrin glue are safe and effective and requires only a short hospital stay. We believe that this thoracoscopic technique will further simplify the surgical treatment of pneumothorax.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.293-299
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• 2007

Objective : Thoracoscopic spinal surgery provides minimally invasive approaches for effective vertebral decompression and reconstruction of the thoracic and thoracolumbar spine, while surgery related morbidity can be significantly lowered. This study analyzes clinical results of thoracoscopic spinal surgery performed at our institute. Methods : Twenty consecutive patients underwent video-assisted thoracosopic surgery (VATS) to treat various thoracic and thoracolumbar pathologies from April 2000 to July 2006. The lesions consisted of spinal trauma (13 cases), thoracic disc herniation (4 cases), tuberculous spondylitis (1 case), post-operative thoracolumbar kyphosis (1 case) and thoracic tumor (1 case). The level of operation included upper thoracic lesions (3 cases), midthoracic lesions (6 cases) and thoracolumbar lesions (11 cases). We classified the procedure into three groups: stand-alone thoracoscopic discectomy (3 cases), thoracoscopic fusion (11 cases) and video assisted mini-thoracotomy (6 cases). Results : Analysis on the Frankel performance scale in spinal trauma patients (13 cases), showed a total of 7 patients who had neurological impairment preoperatively : Grade D (2 cases), Grade C (2 cases), Grade B (1 case), and Grade A (2 cases). Four patients were neurologically improved postoperatively, two patients were improved from C to E, one improved from grade D to E and one improved from grade B to grade D. The preoperative Cobb's and kyphotic angle were measured in spinal trauma patients and were $18.9{\pm}4.4^{\circ}$ and $18.8{\pm}4.6^{\circ}$, respectively. Postoperatively, the angles showed statistically significant improvement, $15.1{\pm}3.7^{\circ}$ and $11.3{\pm}2.4^{\circ}$, respectively(P<0.001). Conclusion : Although VATS requires a steep learning curve, it is an effective and minimally invasive procedure which provides biomechanical stability in terms of anterior column decompression and reconstruction for anterior load bearing, and preservation of intercostal muscles and diaphragm.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.9
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• pp.808-811
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• 1994

We reported a successful right pneumonectomy using video assisted thoracoscopy for endobronchial tuberculosis. Thoracoscopic surgery has many advantages in spite of its technical difficulties. These advantages include good cosmetic effects, short hospital stay, decreased postoperative morbidity, and good postoperative pulmonary function.The patient was young unmarried female, and her right lung was nearly total obstructed by endobronchial tuberculous dissemination and secondary pulmonary infection. The procedure was a little complicated by inadequate placements of the thoracoscopic ports and 5cm length utility thoracotomy incision. Minimal pain killer was needed only two days after operation and scar of operative wound was very satisfying. Postoperative course was unusual and the patient was discharged 7 days after operation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.417-421
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• 2022

Minimally invasive strategies are increasingly popular in patients with myasthenia gravis (MG)-associated thymomas. Within the context of video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) as a widely known minimally invasive option, the most recent achievement is uniportal subxiphoid VATS. In MG patients, it is mandatory (1) to minimize perioperative interference with administered anesthetics to avoid complications and (2) to achieve a complete surgical resection, as the prognosis essentially depends on radical tumor resection. In order to fulfill these criteria, we merged this surgical technique with its anesthesiologic counterpart: regional anesthesia with the maintenance of spontaneous ventilation via a laryngeal mask. Non-intubated uniportal subxiphoid VATS for extended thymectomy allowed radical thymectomy in all MG patients with both rapid symptom control and fast recovery.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.40-45
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• 2015

Background: Surgical enucleation is the treatment of choice for esophageal submucosal tumors (SMTs) with symptomatic, larger, or ill-defined lesions. The enucleation of SMTs has traditionally been performed via thoracotomy. However, minimally invasive approaches have recently been introduced and successfully applied. In this study, we present our experiences with the thoracotomic and thoracoscopic approaches to treating SMTs. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 53 patients with SMTs who underwent surgical enucleation between August 1996 and July 2013. Demographic and clinical features, tumor-related factors, the surgical approach, and outcomes were analyzed. Results: There were 36 males (67.9%) and 17 females (32.1%); the mean age was $49.2{\pm}11.8$ years (range, 16 to 79 years). Histology revealed leiomyoma in 51 patients, a gastrointestinal stromal tumor in one patient, and schwannoma in one patient. Eighteen patients (34.0%) were symptomatic. Fourteen patients underwent a planned thoracotomic enucleation. Of the 39 patients for whom a thoracoscopic approach was planned, six patients required conversion to thoracotomy because of overly small tumors or poor visualization in five patients and accidental mucosal injury in one patient. No mortality or major postoperative complications occurred. Compared to thoracotomy, the thoracoscopic approach had a slightly shorter operation time, but this difference was not statistically significant ($120.0{\pm}45.6$ minutes vs. $161.5{\pm}71.1$ minutes, p=0.08). A significant difference was found in the length of the hospital stay ($9.0{\pm}3.2$ days vs. $16.5{\pm}5.4$ days, p<0.001). Conclusion: The thoracoscopic enucleation of submucosal esophageal tumors is safe and is associated with a shorter length of hospital stay compared to thoracotomic approaches.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.532-534
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• 2021

This study examined a rarely seen benign heart tumor that was found incidentally on a chest X-ray. Radiological images were taken of a 42-year-old patient with no symptoms of a heart condition, showing a thick-walled left lung cavity that appeared after prior inflammation and concomitant enlargement of the cardiac shadow. A large subepicardial lipoma in combination with a chronic abscess on the left lung was revealed on chest computed tomography. The treatment consisted of simultaneous surgical removal of both the lung and heart lesions using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery.