Historical Perspectives of Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery: Inauguration and Activities of the Historical Records Preservation Committee

The Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (KTCVS) was founded in 1968 and celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding in 2018. The launch of the KTCVS may seem somewhat recent, given that the American Association for Thoracic Surgery was founded in 1917. However, considering the circumstances of the Korean medical community after the Japanese occupation (1910–1945), World War II (1940–1945), and the Korean War (1950–1953), this apparent delay is understandable. Even before the foundation of the KTCVS, the early pioneers of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery promptly adopted medical technologies from more advanced countries such as the United States, and contributed significantly to both cardiac and thoracic surgery despite difficult circumstances. In 2012, before the 50th anniversary of the founding of the KTCVS, members shared the opinion that objective records of the activities of the early pioneers should be identified and preserved, and reacted positively towards the necessity for historians who would preserve such records. With this background, the Historical Records Preservation Committee of the KTCVS (hereinafter, referred to as ‘the Committee’) was launched. The Committee published a white paper on the history of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in 2015 and held an exhibition of the achievements of the pioneers at the 50th anniversary of the founding of the KTCVS. The Committee also published a book entitled “The history of Korean thoracic surgery with photographs: celebrating the 50th anniversary of the society.” The Committee will keep making efforts to find and preserve materials related to activities during the early development of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in Korea.

Historical Perspectives of The Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery: The Pioneer of General Thoracic Surgery in Korea: Pyung-Kan Koh 고병간 高秉幹(1899–1966) / 대한흉부외과학회지

No abstract available.

Historical Perspectives of Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery: Inauguration and Activities of the Historical Records Preservation Committee / 대한흉부외과학회지

The Korean Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (KTCVS) was founded in 1968 and celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding in 2018. The launch of the KTCVS may seem somewhat recent, given that the American Association for Thoracic Surgery was founded in 1917. However, considering the circumstances of the Korean medical community after the Japanese occupation (1910–1945), World War II (1940–1945), and the Korean War (1950–1953), this apparent delay is understandable. Even before the foundation of the KTCVS, the early pioneers of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery promptly adopted medical technologies from more advanced countries such as the United States, and contributed significantly to both cardiac and thoracic surgery despite difficult circumstances. In 2012, before the 50th anniversary of the founding of the KTCVS, members shared the opinion that objective records of the activities of the early pioneers should be identified and preserved, and reacted positively towards the necessity for historians who would preserve such records. With this background, the Historical Records Preservation Committee of the KTCVS (hereinafter, referred to as ‘the Committee’) was launched. The Committee published a white paper on the history of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in 2015 and held an exhibition of the achievements of the pioneers at the 50th anniversary of the founding of the KTCVS. The Committee also published a book entitled “The history of Korean thoracic surgery with photographs: celebrating the 50th anniversary of the society.” The Committee will keep making efforts to find and preserve materials related to activities during the early development of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in Korea.

The Effect of Intestinal Permeability and Endotoxemia on the Prognosis of Acute Pancreatitis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Early intestinal mucosal damage plays an important role in severe acute pancreatitis (AP). Previous studies have shown that intestinal permeability (IP), serum endotoxin and cytokines contribute to the early intestinal barrier dysfunction in AP. This study explored the predictive capacity of IP, endotoxemia and cytokines as prognostic indicators in AP patients. METHODS: Eighty-seven AP patients were included in the study. The patients were classified into three groups according to the Balthazar computed tomography severity index (CTSI). We compared the biochemical parameters, including IP, serum endotoxin level and cytokine level among the three groups. The associations of IP with serum endotoxin, cytokines, CTSI, and other widely used biochemical parameters and scoring systems were also examined. RESULTS: IP, serum endotoxin, interleukin (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha had a positive correlation with the CTSI of AP. Endotoxin, IL-6, TNF-alpha, CTSI, the Ranson/APACHE II score, the duration of hospital stay, complications and death significantly affect IP in the AP patients. CONCLUSIONS: We believe that IP with subsidiary measurements of serum endotoxin, IL-6 and TNF-alpha may be reliable markers for predicting the prognosis of AP. Further studies that can restore and preserve gut barrier function in AP patients are warranted.

Transcatheter Embolization of Giant Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformation with an Amplatzer Vascular Plug II

Pulmonary arteriovenous malformation (PAVM) is a rare anomalous direct communication between the pulmonary artery and vein with a considerable risk of serious complications such as cerebral thromboembolism or abscess and pulmonary hemorrhage. Although the past, surgical resection such as lobectomy was mostly used to treat PAVM, the recent development of endovascular treatment has made it a primary consideration to perform transcatheter embolization using coils or detachable balloons. We report a case of successful transcatheter embolization of giant PAVM with the second generation Amplatzer vascular plug II as a new self-expanding device.

Lemierre Syndrome

Lemierre syndrome is caused by acute oropharyngeal infections with secondary septic thrombophlebitis of the internal jugular vein and is characterized by frequent metastatic infections. A 56-year-old man presented with severe reddish inflammatory swelling of the right cervical soft tissue. Thrombophlebitis in the right internal jugular vein and multiple pulmonary embolisms were identified on neck and chest computed tomography (CT). He was treated with antibiotics and heparin for 4 weeks and then discharged without other complications.

A Case of Metachronous Metastasis to the Breast from Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Breast metastases from an extramammary primary tumor are very rare and the prognosis for such patients is generally poor. We report here on a case of a 42-year-old female with metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer to the breast, and she is now being followed up on an outpatient basis. In 2004, she presented with a solitary pulmonary nodule in the left lung, and this lesion had been noted to have gradually increased in size over time. The final pathological diagnosis was adenocarcinoma, and the diagnosis was made by performing percutaneous needle aspiration and lobectomy of the left upper lobe. Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy were given. Unfortunately, a nodule in the left breast was noted three years later, and metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer to the breast was diagnosed by excisional biopsy. Making the correct diagnosis to distinguish a primary breast carcinoma from a metastatic one is important, because the therapeutic plan and outcome for these two types of cancer are quite different.

Transformation of Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells into Cardiomyocytes with 5-azacytidine: Isolated from the Adipose Tissues of Rat / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Loss of cardiomyocytes in the myocardial infarction leads to regional contractile dysfunction, and necrotized cardiomyocytes in infracted ventricular tissues are progressively replaced by fibroblasts forming scar tissue. Although cardiomyoplasty, or implantation of ventricular assist device or artificial heart was tried in refractory heart failure, the cardiac transplantation was the only therapeutic modality because these other therapeutic strategies were not permanent. Cell transplantation is tried instead of cardiac transplantation, especially bone marrow is the most popular donated organ. But because bone marrow aspiration procedure is invasive and painful, and it had the fewer amounts of cellular population, the adipose tissue is recommended for harvesting of mesenchymal stem cells. MATERIAL AND METHOD: After adipose tissues were extracted from abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue and intra-abdominal adipose tissue individually, the cellular components were obtained by same method. These cellular components were tried to transformation with the various titers of 5-azacytidine to descript the appropriate concentration of 5-azacytidine and possibility of transformation ability of adipose tissue. Group 1 is abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue and Group 2 is intra-abdominal adipose tissue-retroperitoneal adipose tissue and omentum. Cellular components were extracted by collagenase and NH4Cl et al, and these components were cultured by non-induction media-DMEM media containing 10% FBS and inducted by none, 3 micromol/L, 6 micromol/L, and 9 micromol/L 5-azacytidine after the 1st and 2nd subculture. After 4 weeks incubation, the cell blocks were made, immunostaining was done with the antibodies of CD34, heavy myosin chain, troponin T, and SMA. RESULT: Immunostaining of the transformed cells for troponin T was positive in the 6 micromol/L & 9 micromol/L 5-azacytidine of Group 1 & 2, but CD34 and heavy myosin chain antibodies were negative and SMA antibody was positive in the 3 micromol/L & 6 micromol/L 5-azacytidne of Group 2. CONCLUSION: These observations confirm that adult mesenchymal stem cells isolated from the abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissues and intra-abdominal adipose tissues can be chemically transformed into cardiomyocytes. This can potentially be a source of autologous cells for myocardial repair.

A Case of Monophasic Fibrous Synovial Sarcoma Confirmed Primary Pulmonary Origin by 18F-FDG PET/CT / 결핵및호흡기질환

Most malignant mesenchymal tumors of the lung are metastases of a primary tumor from elsewhere in the body. A primary pulmonary synovial sarcoma is a very rare neoplasm that accounts for approximately 10% of soft tissue sarcomas and makes up only 0.5% of all primary lung malignancies. We report a case of a primary pulmonary synovial sarcoma in a 60-year old woman. In this case, a lung metastasis was excluded using 18F-FDG PET /CT imaging.

A Study on the Expression of CD44s and CD44v6 in Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinomas / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: CD44 is a glycoprotein on the cell surface which is involved in the cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interaction. The standard form, CD44s and multiple isoforms are determined by alternative splicing of 10 exons. Recent studies have suggested that CD44 may help invasion and metastasis of various epithelial tumors as well as activation of lymphocytes and monocytes. The expression pattern of CD44 can be different according to tumor types. The author studied the expression pattern of CD44s and one of its variants, CD44v6 in non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) to find their implications on clinicopathologic aspects, including the survival of the patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: A total of 89 primary NSCLSs (48 squamous cell carcinomas, 33 adenocarcinomas, and 8 undifferentiated large cell carcinomas) were retrieved during the years between 1985 to 1994. The immunohistochemistry was done by using monoclonal antibodies and the CD44 expression for angiogenesis was evaluated by counting the number of tumor microvessels. RESULT: Seventy-one (79.8%) and 64 (71.9%) among 89 NSCLSs revealed the expression of CD44s and CD44v6, respectively. The expression of CD44s was well correlated with that of CD44v6 (r=0.710, p<0.0001). The expression of CD44s and CD44v6 was associated with the histopathologic type of the NSCLCs, and squamous cell carcinoma was the type that showed the highest expression of CD44s and CD44v6 (p<0.0001). Microvessel count was the highest in adenocarcinomas (113.6+/-69.7 on 200-fold magnification and 54.8+/-41.1 on 400-fold magnification) and correlated with the tumor size of TNM system (r=0.217, p=0.043) and CD44s expression (r=0.218, p=0.040). In adenocarcinoma, the patients with higher CD44s expression survived shorter than those with lower CD44s expression (p=0.0194) but there was no statistical significance on multivariate analysis(p=0.3298). CONCLUSION: The expression of both CD44s and CD44v6 may be associated with the squamous differentiation in non-small cell lung carcinomas. The relationship of CD44s expression with microvessel density of the tumor suggests an involvement of CD44s in tumor angiogenesis, which in turn would help tumor growth.

The Effect of Preoperative Oral Application of Bovine Colostrum on Endotoxemia and TNF-alpha in Abdominal Surgery

PURPOSE: We conducted this study to assess the effect of oral application of bovine colostrum on the plasma endotoxin and TNF-alpha following the abdominal surgery. METHODS: 46 patients who underwent the abdominal surgery were evenly enrolled in a prospective, randomized, double blind and placebo-controlled study. The patients were preoperatively managed by oral application of 20 g of a bovine colostrums or placebo (nonfat dried milk) per a day for 3 days. In both groups, endotoxin was sequentially determined pre-, intra- and postoperatively by a modified limulus amebocyte lysate test. TNF-alpha and CRP were also measured. The clinical course was followed and compared in both groups. RESULTS: The colostrum group showed significantly lower level of endotoxin and TNF-alpha compared to the placebo group. CRP did not differ in both groups. Clinical event did not occur in both group until the discharge. Colostrum group tends to have a lower incidence of fever and leukocytosis without statistic significance. CONCLUSION: Prophylactic preoperative oral application of bovine colostrum lower the plasma level of perioperative endotoxin and TNF-alpha. Further studies were needed for the relation of clinical effect and preoperative oral application of bovine colostrum.

Surgical Treatment of Plummer -Vinson Syndrome with Carcinoma in Situ: One case report / 대한흉부외과학회지

Plummer-Vinson syndrome(Paterson-Kelly syndrome)is characterized by dysphagia due to upper esophageal or hypopharyngeal web,iron deficiency anemia,and atropic oral and glossal mucosa.This syndrome is usually known as precancerous lesion that develops into postcricoid carcinoma.Universally,the clinical manifestations of this syndrome were markedly improved after oral iron replacement therapy or endoscopic balloon or electrocatery treatment. 63 year-old woman was received a short segment,free jejunal transfer to be released from esophageal stricture.After the operation,the stenotic lesion proved to be Plummer-vinson syndrome with carcinoma in situ by pathologic study.

Protective Effects of Trimetazidine in a Rabbit Model of Transient Spinal Cord Ischemia / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Paraplegia remains unresolved as the most dreaded operative complication with surgical treatment of descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic diseases. In this study, the neuroprotective effect of trimetazidine that has been used clinically for ischemic heart disease was investigated in a rabbit spinal cord ischemia model. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Thirty-three New Zealand white rabbits were randomized as follows: control group undergoing abdominal aortic occlusion but receiving no pharmacologic intervention(Group 1, n=17); TMZ group(Group 2, n=16) receiving 3 mg/kg trimetazidine intravenously before the occlusion of the aorta. Ischemia was induced by clamping the abdominal aorta just distal to the left renal artery for 30 minutes. Neurologic status was assessed at 2, 24, and 48 hours after the operation according to the modified Tarlov scale, then the lumbosacral spinal cord was processed for histopathologic examinations 48 hours after the final assessment. RESULT: The average motor function score was significantly higher in the TMZ group(3.20 +/- 0.77 vs 1.13 +/- 1.25 at 2 hours, 3.50 +/- 0.76 vs 1.45 +/- 1.57 at 24 hours, and 3.91 +/- 0.30 vs 1.86 +/- 1.86 at 48 hours after operation; p value

Protective Effects of Trimetazidine in a Rabbit Model of Transient Spinal Cord Ischemia / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Paraplegia remains unresolved as the most dreaded operative complication with surgical treatment of descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aortic diseases. In this study, the neuroprotective effect of trimetazidine that has been used clinically for ischemic heart disease was investigated in a rabbit spinal cord ischemia model. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Thirty-three New Zealand white rabbits were randomized as follows: control group undergoing abdominal aortic occlusion but receiving no pharmacologic intervention(Group 1, n=17); TMZ group(Group 2, n=16) receiving 3 mg/kg trimetazidine intravenously before the occlusion of the aorta. Ischemia was induced by clamping the abdominal aorta just distal to the left renal artery for 30 minutes. Neurologic status was assessed at 2, 24, and 48 hours after the operation according to the modified Tarlov scale, then the lumbosacral spinal cord was processed for histopathologic examinations 48 hours after the final assessment. RESULT: The average motor function score was significantly higher in the TMZ group(3.20 +/- 0.77 vs 1.13 +/- 1.25 at 2 hours, 3.50 +/- 0.76 vs 1.45 +/- 1.57 at 24 hours, and 3.91 +/- 0.30 vs 1.86 +/- 1.86 at 48 hours after operation; p value

Extranodal Rosai-Dorfman Disease in Mediastinum: A Case Report / 대한흉부외과학회지

Sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy or Rosai-Dorfman disease(RDD) is a rare type of histiocytosis syndrome, that presents in its most typical form as massive, painless, bilateral lymph node enlargement in the neck during the first or second decade of life. The disease involves extranodal site in over 25% to 43% of the cases, however cases of extranodal RDD without nodal disease have rarely been reported. The involved sites of extranodal RDD have been reported various that were orbit, ocular adnexae, head and neck, upper respiratory tract, breast, gastrointestinal tract, CNS, etc. A 35 year-old man was present with pleural pain on left anterior chest and anterior mediastinal mass, that underwent an excision to remove the suspected invasive thymoma, and the diagnosis was confirmed to extranodal Rosai-Dorfman disease.

Priamry Pulmonary Meningioma: A Case Reprot / 대한흉부외과학회지

Primary pulmonary meningioma is an extremely rare disease. It is mostly benign and asymptomatic. This tumor shows the same cytohigstologic appearance as brain or spinal cord meninioma. It can be diagnosed as a primary pulmonary meningioma only if there is no evidence of metastasis from the brain or spinal cord meningioma. We experienced a case of primary pulmonary meningioma in a 60-year-old woman who had asymptomatic 2 cm-sized solitary pulmonary tumor in the right lower lobe. It is rather peripherally located. Fine needle aspiration cytology has suggested the possibility of either well-differentiated epithelial malignancy such as papillary adenocarcinoma or mucoepidermoid carcinoma or metastatic carcinoma such as from ductal carcinoma of the breast. Right lower lobectomy was performed. The tumor was bilobated and soild with yellowish color. pathologically it proved to be a primary pulmonary and solid with yellowish color. Pathologically it proved to be a primary pulmonary meningioma because there was no evidance of brain or spinal cord tumor. To the best of our knowledge this is the first case reported in Korea. We report this case with review of the literature.

Cost-Effectiveness of VATS Versus Open Thoracotomy for Primary Spontaneous Pneumothorax / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Recently, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery(VATS) has been accepted as the standard treatment for spontaneous pneumothorax. However, comparatively high recurrent rate and cost-effectiveness are still controversial. The recurrent rate after bullectomy with VATS is reported to be as high as 5-10% whereas it is below 2% in thoracotomy. There is no statistical report on cost-effectiveness in Korean health care system. Material and METHOD: Our retrospective analysis was performed on 173 cases of surgically treated primary spontaneous pneumothorax at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University, School of medicine, from January 1997 to July 1999. There were 104 cases VATS and 69 cases of thoracotomy. We analysed the operative indication, gender, operating time, amounts of the staples used, tube drainage, tube stay time, postoperative complications, recurrent rate, operation room cost, and total cost. RESULT: Operation time was 71.3 +/-29.5minutes in VATS group and 141 +/-52minutes in thoracotomy group(P<0.05). The postoperative tube stay and hospital stay are 3.93days and 7.5days in VATS group and 7.0 days and 13.4days in thoracotomy group, respectively(P<0.05, P<0.05). The number of recurrence after the operation in VATS group(6/104, 5.6%) was significantly higher than in thoracotomy group (1/69, 1.4%; P<0.05). The operation room cost was significantly higher in VATS group than in thoracotomy group (won 1,202,192 +/-178,992, won 1,005,669 +/-311,531; P<0.05), but considering the total cost, there was no significant difference between the two groups( won 1,946,110 +/- 487,440, won 1,793,912 +/-308,079; P=0.18). CONCLUSION: Although operative procedure and discharge policy may affect the recurrent rate and cost, there was no benefit of cost-effectiveness in VATS group and recurrent rate was higher in VATS group than in throacotomy group. It would be helpful to set up a prospective trial comparing cost and results of VATS versus minithoracotomy.

Aprotinin Therapy for Cardiac Operation in Adult -Full dose regimen / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Recently, many cardiac centers have been using aprotinin to reduce operative bleeding in cardiac operations using cardiopulmonary bypass. A variety of reports have confirmed the effectiveness of the drug in cardiac operations. In addition to the operations which could be considered to cause severe operative bleeding such as redo operation, long cardiopulmonary bypass operation and etc, the use of aprotinin is increasing in the field of primary cardiac operations. Varying doses of regimen have been introduced since the first report by Royston et al, and also various opinions on the effectiveness and safeness of the each regimen have been reported. We reviewed our own experience of the full dose aprotinin regimen(Hammersmith regimen) retrospectively. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From October 1994 to February 1998, 40 cases of cardiac operative patients were randomized into two groups: aprotinin group(20 patients) which received a full dose aprotinin regimen and control group(20 patients) which did not receive aprotinin. To evaluate the degree of bleeding decrease, we analysed and compared the amount of postoperative 6 hours and 24 hours bleeding in the each group. To confirm the renal dysfunction, we measured the postoperative creatinine level. RESULT: In the amount of postoperative 6 hours bleeding, a statistically significant bleeding decrease was demonstrated in the aprotinin group compared to the control group(aprotinin group: 186+/-40cc, control group:409+/-69cc, P=0.010). Similar result was observed in the postoperative 24 hours(aprotinin group:317+/-53cc, control group: 671+/-133cc, P=0.024). CONCLUSION: We concluded that full dose regimen of aprotinin can remarkably reduce postoperative bleeding in cardiac operations without significant renal dysfunctions.

The Management of Spontaneous Pneumothorax: Clinical Review in 451 Cases / 대한흉부외과학회지

From March 1985 to June 1997, 451 patients of spontaneous pneumothorax treated at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital were reviewed retrospectively. Most of the patients were male (male to female ratio, 8.2:1). The mean age of the primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) was 26.8 years, and that of secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (SSP) was 53.1 years. 330 out of 451 patients (73%) were PSP. The causes of the SSP were mostly pulmonary tuberculosis and COPD: 87 patients (72%), and 24 patients (19.2%), respectively. All the patient were treated by one of the following modalities: 1)rest and oxygen therapy in 42 patients, 2) closed thoracostomy in 208 patients, 3) thoracotomy in 156 patients, 4) VATS bullectomy in 45 patients. The mean duration of postoperative chest tube drainage was as following: thoracotomy 8.3 days, VATS bullectomy 4.7 days. For recent 3 consecutive years, VATS bullectomy has become the more frequently applied operative procedure than thoracotomy in the treatment of surgically indicated PSP, from 33% in 1994 to 78% in 1996. With the minimally invasive thoracoscopic surgery being more prevalent, VATS bullectomy will be able to be the 1st choice of treatment not only for the recurrent pneumothoracies but also for the some selected cases of the 1st episode pneumothoracies. To verify this approach as clinically acceptable one in terms of cost-effectiveness, recurrence rate, etc, a large scale of multi-institutional clinical study will be needed in a sooner time.

Surgical Treatment of Atrial Septal Defect in Adult: Clinical Review of 31 Cases / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Atrial septal defect (ASD) is the most common congenital cardiac anomaly, accounting for 30 percent of congenital heart disease detected in the adult. Many patients with ASD are well tolerated and reach adult without significant symptoms. The patients with ASD die 4th and 5th decades, but prolonged survival is not uncommon. In general, the survival depends on whether pulmonary hypertension develops during adulthood or not. The most common cause of death in the patients with ASD is right ventricular failure or arrhythmias. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1988 to June 1997, 33 cases of ASD underwent open heart surgeries in our hospital. Among them, 31 cases were adult ASD, and 2 tricuspid regurgitation, 1 pulmonic stenosis, 1 mitral regurgitation, 1 tricuspid regurgitation, and 1 coronary artery disease were combinded. All of the patients underwent surgical repair using autologus pericardial patch or direct closure. RESULTS: The postoperative course was smooth and uneventful. Most of the patients showed significant improvement in ECG finding, hemodynamic profile, radiologic finding, and echocardiography, after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusively, most of the ASD should be closed even in patients over the age of 60 years, and early surgical repair must be done to prevent pulmonary hypertension, right ventricular failure, and arrythmias.