• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.312-317
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• 1979

1] During the period of Jan. 1959, to Aug. 1979, 47 patients of paragonimiasis have been treated in the department of Chest Surgery. 2] The total number of patients who has been admitted and treated in the department of Chest Medicine are 262 and annual distribution of number of patients has been decreased. However, since 1964, the number of patients has been stationary. On the other hand, the total number of patients who has been admitted and treated surgically in the department of Chest Surgery are 47 and the annual distribution of number of patients has not been decreased. 3] The peak age incidence lies in fourth decade [34%], and over halves of patients is in third to fifth decade. Male to female is 8.4 to 1. 4] The symptoms, which are mainly cough, chest pain, dyspnea and blood tinged sputum, developed mostly in two to five years after infestation by Paragonmius westermani. 5] Sputum tests for eggs of Paragonimus westermani were positive in 16 out of 43 patients [37%]. The 93% of patients were positive in skin test for Paragonimus westermani. The patients with negative skin test were 7%, but sputum or stool examination for Paragonimus westermani`s eggs were positive in these negative group of skin test. 6] Chest roentgenogram revealed pleural effusion [41 cases], hydropneumothorax [1 case], atelectasis [1 case] and mediastinal mass [1 case]. 7] All patients were preoperatively treated with Bithionol. The mode of surgery were decortication only [31 cases], pleuropneumonectomy [3 cases], decortication & lobectomy [2 cases], decortication & closure of bronchial fistula [1 case], thoracentesis [1 case] and postural drainage [1 case]. 8] Paragonimiasis is primarily medical disease and well treated by the administration of Bithionol. But the delayed diagnosis and missed diagnosis, especially as pulmonary tuberculosis, make the disease aggravated and chronic. Subsequently, surgical treatment is infrequently required. Chronic empyema due to Paragonimus westermani is much benign than tuberculous empyema thoracis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.839-846
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• 1987

The records of 10 patients with traumatic diaphragmatic hernia seen from November 1977 through July 1987 were reviewed. All the patients had a transdiaphragmatic evisceration of abdominal contents into the thorax. We treated 7 male and 3 female patients ranging in age from 3 to 62 years. In 8 patients, diaphragmatic hernia followed blunt trauma and in 2 patients, stab wounds to the chest. The herniation occurred on the right side in 3 patients and on the left side in 7. All the patients sustained additional injuries: rib fractures [7 patients], additional limb, pelvic and vertebral fractures [6], closed head injury [2], lung laceration [1], liver laceration [1], renal contusion [1], ureteral rupture [1], and splenic rupture [1]. Organs herniated through the diaphragmatic rent included the omentum [6 patients], stomach [4], liver [4], colon [3], small intestine [1], and spleen [1]. For right-sided injuries, the liver was herniated in all 3 patients and the colon, in 1. in the initial or latent phase, dyspnea, diminished breath sounds, bowel sounds in the chest were noted in 4 patients, and in the obstructive phase, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain were found in all 3 patients. Two patients had a diagnostic chest radiograph with findings of bowel gas patterns, and an additional 8 had abnormal but nondiagnostic studies. Hemothorax, pleural effusion or abnormal diaphragmatic contour were common abnormal findings. Three patients were operated on during the initial or acute phase [immediately after injury], 4 patients were operated on during the latent or intermediate phase [3 to 210 days], and 3 patients were operated on during the obstructive phase [10 to 290 days]. Six patients underwent thoracotomy, 2 required thoracoabdominal incision, and 2 had combined thoracotomy and laparotomy. Primary suture was used to repair the diaphragmatic hernia in 9 cases. One patient required plastic repair by a Teflon felt. Empyema was the main complication in 2 patients. In 1 patient, the empyema was treated by closed thoracostomy and in 1, by decortication and open drainage. There were no deaths.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.70-75
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• 2001

Aspergillosis refers to an infection with any species from the genus Aspergillus. Pleural aspergillosis is an uncommon disease with less than 30 cases having been reported in the literature since 1958. The etiologic factors for this aspergillosis are preexisting pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchopleural fistula, pleural drainage, and a lung resection. Surgical removal of the aspergillus-infected pleura is the main treatment for managing this disease. We have experienced two cases of pleural aspergillosis as a complication of a preexisting chronic empyema. The chest radiographs showed a pyopneumothorax with cavitation and the chest computed tomographic scans revealed a loculated pyopneumothorax with cavity formation suggesting a bronchopleural fistula. A grossly purulent fluid was extracted by thoracentesis, and Aspergillus fumigatus was grown from a fungus culture of the fluid. A decortication, wedge resection with a pleurectomy and a pleuropneumonectomy were performed. The postoperative course was satisfactory and the patients have been in good condition up to now. Pleural aspergillosis is a very rare and potentially life-threatening disease. However, good result without significant complication were obtained by treatment with systemic antifungal agents and surgical removal.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.66 no.6
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• pp.463-466
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• 2009

Streptococcus constellatus (S. constellatus) is a commensal microorganism belonging to the "Streptococcus milleri" group, but may cause infections in different locations in immunocompromised patients. The infection of S. constellatus has high mortality and morbidity due to its tendency to cause abscesses in infected patients, which require immediate surgical drainage for effective treatment. We report on a 72-year-old woman with end stage renal disease, who suffered from dyspnea and general weakness that had developed over 7 days. Chest CT showed loculated pleural effusion. S. constellatus was cultured from exudative pleural effusions and confirmed by an analysis of 16S rRNA sequence. The patient was treated with drainage of pleural effusion and piperacillin/tazobactam for 5 weeks.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.340-343
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• 2010

Gastropleural fistula is a rare complication of prior lung surgery, gastric ulcer, trauma and malignancy. A 62 year old female patient who had received surgical repair of a perforated gastric wall 10 years prior, underwent open pleural decortication. At 4 days after surgery, food residuums were noticed at the chest bottles. Hence, an emergency esophagogram was done. The esophagogram revealed a gastropleural fistula. The patient received a total gastrectomy, intra-abdominal diaphragmatic repair and massive thoracic saline irrigation through a previous thoracic wound. The patient was discharged 11 days after surgery without other morbidity.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.26 no.11
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• pp.851-855
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• 1993

Among elevn consecutive cases having undergone Completion Pueumonectomy[CP]between 1958 and Aug. 1993 at the Dep. of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery in National Medical Center. The patient`s mean age was 43 years[range 28 yrs, to 68yrs.],& they consisted with 10 males and 1 female. The indications for CP were benign diseases in 9 cases & 2 cases of lung cancer. The mean interval between the first operation & CP was 62.3 months[from 17 days to 288 months]. The several special intraoperative procedures such as intrapericardial pulmonary vesselsdivision & suture ligation, reinforcement of bronchial stumpmargin, & applied the Fibrin glue & hemostatics. The mean intra operative bleeding was 3582ml.[1500ml. to 6500ml.] The post orerative complication were developed in 5 cases[45.5%] they were empyema with BPF in 2 cases, empyema in 2 cases, & 1 case of repiratoy insufficiency which leading to death. We concluded that the C P noted high morbidity & mortality compared with ordinary first pulmonary resectional surgery. But, it will be a challenge to improved the morbidity because of increasing trend of completion pneumonectomy in a furture time.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.11
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• pp.1128-1131
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• 1997

Injuries to versa cave continue to be associated with a high mortality. Essentials to successful treatment are immediate recognition of the injury and prompt control of the hemorrhage. We have experienced one case of inferior versa java perforation by a chest rainage tube in the patient with post-operative chronic empyema thoracic. The patient was 38-year old male who was taken RLL lobectomy after 6 cycle of chemotherapy due to small cell carcinoma in the RLL & suffered from post-operative chronic empyema thoracis at D hospital. He moved to our hospital for further evaluation with accidental removal of chest drainge tube. We inserted closed drainage tube and dark blood gushed out abruptly just after insertion of the drainage tube. CTscan, MRI, and angiogram were performed and showed the perforation of IVC just below RA. The IVC was repaired using simple interrupted 4-0 Prolene suture through right posterolateral thoracotomy. The patient recovered without event and doing well until now.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.822-834
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• 1985

Reexpansion of the lung is the most desirable method of filling the pleural space whether it`s contents may be, and closed thoracotomy connected to a water-seal drainage remains the basic therapeutic modality in the treatment of the problems of the pleural space. We usually used rubber mushroom tubes, size No. from 16 to 34 Fr., and performed closed thoracotomy after preliminary thoracentesis to determine the exact depending position. Author reviewed 576 cases of closed thoracotomy which were performed in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Pusan National University Hospital, since Jan., 1980 to June, 1984. The results were as follows: 1. The age distribution was 10 days to 76 years old and mean age of the patients was 36.6 year, and the most prevalent age group was twenties, and sex predisposition was male dominant, 86.9%. 2. The most common etiologic disease group was pneumothorax and the most common etiologic disease was traumatic hemothorax. 3. Sites of tubing were predominantly at posterior axillary line, 7th intercostal space and midclavicular line, 2nd intercostal space even though frequent presence of free pleural space. The two sides, right and left difference of occurrence rate was more frequent at right side, 51.2%. 4. Usually the durations of tubing was less than 10 days, 52.6%, and the number of tubes used to the same patient concomitantly was one, 73.9%, and the time of tubing to the same patient was 1st, 83.6%. 5. The common symptom and sign were dyspnea, 50.0%, chest pain, 30.7%, cough, 10.7%, fever, 6.5%. Especially, fever and cough was the most common symptom and sign in pyogenic empyema, 59.3%. 6. The common etiologic lesions of pneumothorax were blebs and bullae, 73.3%, and of pyogenic empyema was pneumonia, 69.0%. 7. The complication rate of closed thoracotomy was 26.0%. Among these complications, infection was 44.7%, and intercostal neuralgia was 25.3%. 8. 70.9% of all patients recovered with only closed thoracotomy and the rest of patient needed additional some necessary managements such as open thoracotomy [Blebectomy, Resection, Pleurodesis, Decortication, Bleeding control], open drainage, thoracoplasty and so on to have successful results.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.280-282
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• 2019

We present here a draft genome sequence of Bifidobacterium dentium strain ATCC 15424, originally isolated from pleural fluid of an empyema patient. The genome is 2,625,535 bp in length and has a GC content of 58.5%. The genome includes 2,154 protein-coding genes, 4 rRNAs, and 55 tRNAs. Unlike other B. dentium strains isolated from human dental caries, ATCC 15424 carries 247 strain-specific genes, including prophage remnants and type III/IV secretion system proteins, N-acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine amidase, and PRTRC system protein E. The sequence information will contribute to understanding of the natural variation of B. dentium as well as the genome diversity within the bacterial species.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.397-404
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• 1994

Background: To decide the optimal antibiotics and application of chest tube, examination of pleural fluid is fundamental in the management of empyema. Some criteria for drainage of pleural fluid have been recommended but some controversies have been suggested. Recently, newer radiologic methods including ultrasound and computed tomography scanning, have been applied to the diagnosis and management of pleural effusions. We undertook a retrospective analysis of 30 patients with pleural effusion who had CT scans of the chest in order to apply the criteria of Light et al retrospectively to patients with loculation and to correlate the radiologic appearance of pleural effusions with pleural fluid chemistry. Method: We analyzed the records of 30 out of 147 patients with pleural effusion undergoing chest CT scans. Results: 1) Six of the pleural fluid cultures yielded gram negative organisms and three anaerobic bacterias and one Staphylococcus aureus and one non-hemolytic Streptococci. No organism was cultured in ninteen cases(63.0%). 2) The reasons for taking chest CT scans were to rule out malignancy or parenchymal lung disease(46.7%), poor response to antibiotics(40.0%), hard to aspirate pleural fluid(10.0%) and to decide the site for chest tube insertion(3.3%). 3) There was no significant correlations between ATS stages and loculation but there was a tendency to loculate in stage III. 4) There was a significant inverse relationship between the level of pH and loculation(p<0.05) but there appeared to be no relationship between pleural fluid, LDH, glucose, protein, loculation and pleural thickening. 5) In 12 out of 30, therapeutic measures were changed according to the chest CT scan findings. Conclusion: We were unable to identify any correlations between the plerual fluid chemistry, ATS stages and loculations except pH, and we suggest that tube thoracotomy should be individualized according to the clinical judgement and serial observation. All patients with empyema do not need a chest CT scan but a CT scan can provide determination of loculation, guiding and assessing therapy which should decrease morbidity and hospital stay.