Pleurodesis with Autologous Blood Plus Sclerosing Agents / 대한흉부외과학회지

The patients with prolonged air leak after lung resection surgery were generally treated by pleurodesis with sclerosing agents such as talc, tetracyclin, doxycyclin, bleomycin, vibramycin, and OK432. However, for the case like dead space resulted by incomplete reexpansion of the remaining lung, chemical pleurodesis has shown to be not as effective as expected. If the patients keep the chest tube for long period of time, the risk of thoracic empyema would increase. Most thoracic surgeons have experienced prolonged airleak which developed after lung resection. Pleurodesis with autoblood was reported as an effective method in treatment of patients with prolonged airleak. The mechanism of blood pleurodesis may be direct obliteration of BPF and reduction of dead space by clot. Therefore we successfully treated the two patients with prolonged airleak using the autoblood plus OK432 or vibramycin.

Surgical treatment of Metastatic Lung Cancer / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: In spite of the development of chemotherapy, prognosis of metastatic lung cancer was poor. On the other hand, surgical intervention has proven itself to bring out superior results, therefore more operations are being praticed based on this superiority against chemotherapy and other modalities on metastatic lung cancer. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We analyzed the surgical cases performed from 1983 to 1997 on 17 cases and estimated 5 year survival rate using Kaplan-Meier method. RESULT: Average age was 42.8, ratio between male and female was 10:7. We had 8 single lobe resections,3 pneumonectomies,1 wedge resection,2 bilobectomy and 3 cases of lobar resection with wedge resection. 5 deaths have occured and among the 5, 3 patients were caused by recurrence of ca. The remaining 12 patients are being followed up in OPD basis among these, 3 recurrence were observed and 9 are still free of cancer. The average survival time was 40.5 months and 5 year survival rate obtained through the Kaplan-Meier method was 60.4%. CONCLUSION: Even though we are a bit short of cases, we recommend that a thoracic surgeon approach this disease through a surgical method as possibly as he could.

Bronchogenic Cyst Causing Mitral Regurgitation / 대한흉부외과학회지

Bronchogenic cyst is an uncommon congenital lesion which is derived from the primitive foregut. Most bronchogenic cyst may develope at the tracheal bifurcation, both main bronchi, the lung parenchymeand the mediastinum. A 40-year old male was evaluated for dyspnea and chest tightness. Computed tomography revealed a well dermarcated, 7.2 x 7.9 cm sized, homogeneous mass compressing the left atrium. 2D-echo showed grade III mitral regurgitation. We completely removed the cystic mass and then confirmed the bronchogenic cyst in the pathological diagnosis. During the follow up period, the patient progressed well without any symptoms and showed grade I mitral regurgitation on the 2D-Echo. Therefore, we report a case of the bronchogenic cyst causing grade III mitral regurgitation.

Surgical Treatment of Funnel Chest / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Funnel chest is one of the most common anomaly of chest wall, which is manifested by depression of sternum and costal cartilage. Popular operative methods were Ravitch operation and Wada operation. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From 1983 to 1996, 21 cases of funnel chest were corrected surgically in the department of thoracic surgery, National Medical Center. Investigated age and sex distribution, combined anomaly,clinical symptom, degree of correction and complication, postoperative satisfaction. We used 2 different surgical methods, one was Wada & its variants(17 cases), the other was Ravitch and it variants(4 cases). Most of operative indications were cosmetic problems. RESULT: The pre-operative Welch index was 4.188, but this index decreased to 3.46 after the operations.(p=0.046) The degree of correction was higher in Wada & it variant operation than the modified Ravitch operation.(p=0.54) Their results were satisfactory in 20 patients, while unsatisfactory in 1 patient because of a k-wire fracture. There was no recurrence of chest wall depression or postoperative death during the OPD follow up period. CONCLUSION: We recommend Wada operation in symmetric and small degree of depressive chest wall deformity in preand post school age.

Management of Post-Pneumonectomy Empyema / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Post-pneumonectomy empyema(PPE) is an uncommon but a serious complication. The management remains as challenge for general thoracic surgeons. MATERIAL AND METHOD: During the period of January 1990 to December 1996, we evaluated the results of 20 patients with post-pneumonectomy empyema. RESULT: Sex ratio were 15 male and 5 female patients with mean age of 41.5+/-21.5 yrs. The occurrence ratio of left to right side was 8:12. The most common disease for prior pneumonectomy was pulmonary tuberculosis. The duration between pneumonectomy and PPE was variable in 1 month to 6yrs. Fever was the most frequent symptom and S. aureus was the most frequent pathogen. In 13 cases, there were combined with BPF. Four patients underwent trans-sternal closure, and Clagett procedure was performed. There was one recurrence that later underwent muscle plombage and omentopexy later. Nine patients underwent omentopexy, muscle plombage and thoracoplasty. There were 7 cases that were not combined with BPF. All 7 patients underwent thoracoplasty, and two of them were combined with muscle plombage. Mean follow-up duration is 40+/-32.3 months. There were no late deaths nor recurrences of PPE. CONCLUSION: We conclude that early diagnosis and proper drainage in PPE patients are important in its initial stage of management, and also management is completely achieved in thoracoplasty with muscle plombage or omentopexy.

Surgical Management for Chronic Atrial Fibrillation / 대한흉부외과학회지

Atrial fibrillation is the most common of all cardiac arrhythmias. It is associated with significant morbidity and mortality and is frequently resistant to medical therapy. On the experimental and clinical study, the presence of macroreentrant circuits and the absence of either microreentrant circuits or evidence of atrial automaticity suggests that atrial fibrillation should be amenable to surgical ablation. The results of the maze III procedure are associated with a higher incidence of postoperative sinus rhythm, improved long-term sinus node function, fewer pacemaker requirements, less arrhythmia recurrence, and improved long-term atrial transport function. We had experienced 4 patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. For the first time, Hioki procedure had been performed in the first patient with ASD and atrial fibrillation, regular sinus rhythm showed on postoperative EKG, but junctional rhythm and bradycardia developed postoperative 3 years. The maze III procedure for the rest with mitral valvular disease and atrial fibrillation had been done, followed by regular sinus rhythm for 2 patients and atrial fibrillation for 1 patient, managed with amiodarone, on immediate postoperative state. Echocardiogram documented good contraction of right atrium and hardly contraction of left atrium for 2 patients with regular sinus rhythm postoperative 3 months.

Pulmonary Mucinous Cystic Tumor of Borderline Malignancy: A case of report / 대한흉부외과학회지

Pulmonary mucinous cystic tumor of borderline malignancy is very rare and distinguished from bronchogenic cyst or adenocarcinoma of bronchoalveolar type. We present the case of a 63-year-old woman with a right lower lobe mass, found by chest radiographs. The preoperative diagnosis was made as bronchoalveolar cancer by percutaneous needle aspiration of mass. Right lower lobectomy and lymph node dissections were performed. The lobectomy specimen contained variable sized multilocular cystic mucous masses, filled with mucus. Microscopically, the cystic masses are lined with tall columnar mucinous epithelium but some area contains focal cellular atypism and bronchoalveolar cancer like foci. This foci are lack of cellular atypism consistent with bronchoalveolar cancer cell. After lobectomy the patient has remained free from recurrence and distant metastasis for following 12 months period. Pulmonary mucinous cystic tumor of borderline malignancy appears to have a favorable prognosis and should be distinguished from other lung neoplasms.