• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.67 no.2
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• pp.148-153
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• 2009

Chemical pneumonitis induced by hydrocarbon aspiration is rare in Korea. Kerosene is a petroleum distillate with low viscosity and high volatility. We report two adult cases of chemical pneumonitis caused by the accidental aspiration of kerosene. They were treated successfully with antibiotics and systemic corticosteroids, and recovered without complications.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.64 no.2
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• pp.144-148
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• 2008

Tracheomegaly is a distinctive condition that presents with marked dilation of the trachea. Spontaneous pneumomediastinum is the result of alveolar rupture with dissection of the airway along the bronchus and into the mediastinum. Tracheomegaly and recurrent spontaneous pneumomediastinum are rare complications of pulmonary fibrosis when combined with rheumatoid arthritis. We present a case of tracheomegaly and recurrent spontaneous pneumomediastinum that was precipitated by repeated respiratory infection and chronic cough in a patient with pulmonary fibrosis that was associated with rheumatoid arthritis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.71 no.4
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• pp.291-295
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• 2011

Varicella, more commonly known as chickenpox, is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It is a common benign childhood illness. In adults, Varicella is uncommon but is more severely associated with complications including pneumonia, hepatitis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, encephalitis and myocarditis. A serious and life-threatening complication is the development of varicella-zoster virus pneumonia (VZVP). Although VZVP is well described in immunocompromised hosts, it is rarely seen in immunocompetent adults. The VZVP in healthy adults is more prevalent in cigarette smokers and during pregnancy. However, reports of VZVP in healthy adults are scarce in Korea. The authors report here a case of VZVP in an immunocompetent adult and present a literature review.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.545-549
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• 2002

A pulmonary arteriovenous fistula is an uncommon malformation. In pregnancy altered hemodynamics and hormones cause changes in a PAVM(pulmonary arteriovenous malformation) that predispose them to deterioration. Therefore, a PAVM can cause serious and life-threatening complications in pregnancy. Death often results from a cerebral abscess and a rupture of the malformation with a massive hemorrhage. Recently, we experienced a case of a multiple PAVM in pregnant 38 year old woman, which could not be observed in the old chest PA, 1 year ago. The PAVM was confirmed by CT and was angiography and treated by percutaneous embolization. The patient is suspected to have HHT (Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia).

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.68 no.3
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• pp.125-139
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• 2010

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) frequently complain of dyspnea on exertion and reduced exercise capacity, which has been attributed to an increase in the work of breathing and in impaired of gas exchange. Although COPD primarily affects the pulmonary system, patients with COPD exhibit significant systemic manifestations of disease progression. These manifestations include weight loss, nutritional abnormalities, skeletal muscle dysfunction (SMD), cardiovascular problems, and psychosocial complications. It has been documented that SMD significantly contributes to a reduced exercise capacity in patients with COPD. Ventilatory and limb muscle in these patients show structural and functional alteration, which are influenced by several factors, including physical inactivity, hypoxia, smoking, aging, corticosteroid, malnutrition, systemic inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and ubiquitin-proteasome pathway activation. This article summarizes briefly the evidence and the clinical consequences of SMD in patients with COPD. In addition, it reviews contributing factors and therapeutic strategies.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.91-97
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• 1993

Pulmonary surfactant is a lipoprotein complex composed primarily of phospholipid and lung specific apoproteins that reduces surface tension in the alveolus and maintains alveolar stability at low lung volume. Adult respiratory distress syndrome still carries a very high morbidity and mortality. The surfactant system is vital to the maintenance of proper lung function, any type of surfactant deficiency, whether primary or secondary, will contribute significantly to the development of pulmonary pathophysiology. Various mechanisms in adult respiratory distress syndrome may be responsible for such alterations in the surfactant system. Surfactant replacement is now an established treatment for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, reducing both incidence of complications and mortality. With the current knowledge of surfactant physiology and the pathophysiology of the adult respiratory distress syndrome exogenous surfactant treatment or stimulation of endogenous surfactant synthesis and secretion will prove to be beneficial in preventing and treating the adult respiratory distress syndrome. The study of clinical surfactant therapy for adult respiratory distress syndrome is just beginnig and this can be viewed as an area with exciting potential. As soon as surfactant preparations become more widely available trials should begin to define the role of surfactant treatment in the adult respiratory distress syndrome as an adjunct to available treatment techniques.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.66 no.1
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• pp.6-12
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• 2009

Background: The efficacy of several thrombolytic agents for treating massive pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) has been reported to be similar. However, the difference of the bleeding complications caused by two commonly used thrombolytic agents in PTE patients is not well known. The aim of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficacy and the bleeding complications between urokinase and recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activatior (rt-PA, alteplase) in a Korean medical center. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of the patients who were treated with thrombolytic agents (urokinase and alteplase) because of massive PTE. Results: A total of 40 patients were included: 16 (40%) treated with urokinase and 24 (60%) with alteplase. The patients treated with alteplase showed a shorter duration of using vasopressor agents than did the patients who were given urokinase, but the duration of mechanical ventilation, the length of the ICU stay and the hospital stay were not different between the thrombolytic agents. Five patients treated with urokinase and eight patients treated with alteplase died (p=0.565): One patient in the urokinase group and four patients in the alteplase group died due to pulmonary thromboembolism. Bleeding complications after thrombolysis were observed in 3 patients (7.5%) treated with urokinase and in 11 (27.5%) patients treated with alteplase (p=0.079). Major bleeding complication occurred in 2 patients who were treated with alteplase. Conclusion: Urokinase seems to have fewer bleeding complications with an equivalent efficacy, as compared to alteplase, in Korean patients who suffer with massive pulmonary thromboembolism.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.380-383
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• 1993

Aspergillosis is not only the problem increasing the freguency for recent decades but also a serious one. Coexistent pulmonary diseases are frequent and the most common antecedent disease is Tuberculosis with healed cavitary lesion. Interest of the surgeons is aroused because of it`s predilection to sudden life-threatening, exsanguinating pulmonary hemorrhage. 11 patients with pulmonary aspergillosis evaluated at this hospital in a 7-year period, and the results were as follows: 1.male to female ratio was 1:1.75. 2.The most common symptom was gross or microscopic hemoptysis[72.7%]and other symptoms were chest pain[9.1%] and chronic productive coughing[9.1%]. 3.The right upper lobe was most common involving site[81.8%] 4.Surgical interventions were 8 cases of lobectomy, 1 case of lobectomy with wedge resection, 2 cases of wedge resection. 5.Post-operative complications developed in 5 patients and were 4 cases of wound infections, 2 cases of empyemas, 1 case of bleeding, 1 case of atelectasis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.61 no.2
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• pp.184-188
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• 2006

Percutaneous vertebroplasty consists of the percutaneous injection of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement into a collapsed vertebral body in order to obtain pain relief and mechanically strengthen the vertebral body. This procedure is now extensively used in treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture. It is an efficient treatment, but it is not free of complications. Most complications after vertebroplasty are associated with PMMA leakage. Pulmonary embolism of PMMA is rare, but this can occur when there is a failure to recognize venous migration of cement early during the procedure. We encountered a case of a patient with asymptomatic pulmonary embolism because of PMMA after percutaneous vertebroplasty. Chest X-ray and CT scanning revealed numerous tubular branching opacities that corresponded to the pulmonary vessels at the segmental and subsegmental levels.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.125-134
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• 1972

Pulmonary resectlon has evolved as the treatment of choice in certain pulmonary tuberculosis cases. This study represents an analysis of 640 cases of pulmonary resections between March, 1953 and August, 1966 and 370 cases of 13 years follow-up results at the 36th Army Hospital. 1] The ages ranged from 20 to 45 years and all cases were males. 2] The extent of disease revealed 116 Far advanced, 472 Moderate advanced and 52 Minimal Cases. 3] The extent of resections were 373 lobectomies, 130 segmental resections, 58 pneumonectomies,25 multlple lobectomies, 25 lobectomies with thoracoplasties, 22 lobectomies with segmental resections, and 7 wedge resections. 4] The postoperative complications occurred in 71 cases[11.09 percent]. Of these complications,bronchopleural fistula occurred in 13 cases [2.03 percent]. 5] The early operative mortality within 24 hours was 2.0 percent and late mortality within 6 months was 1.4 percent, a total mortality from all causes of 3.4 percent: 15.5 percent following pneumonectomy, 2.1 percent following lobectomy, 1.5 percent following segmental resectlon. 6] All 370 patients were followed for periods ranging from 6 months to 5 years and 5 years to 13 years. Of these former group of 241 patients, 73.3 percent of the cases had returned to full active llfe and remained well, while 15.4 percent were still under treatment. Of these latter group of 129 patients, 76.0 percent of the cases were well and 4.7 percent were still under treatment. 7] In the follow-up results according to extent of disease, the cure rate was greatest in cases of minimal group and lowest in cases of far advanced group. 8] In the results by extent of resection, the cure rate was greatest in cases of lobectomy group. 9] Through the all follow-up periods, 11 patents [3.0 percent] were died. Of these, 3 were suicide and 8 were unknown causes.