Acute Type A Aortic Dissection in a Patient with Situs Inversus Totalis

We describe the occurrence of acute type A aortic dissection in a patient with situs inversus totalis. A 37-year-old man presented to the emergency department with acute chest pain. Initial chest X-ray findings showed a right-sided heart and a left-sided liver. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography revealed a Stanford type A acute aortic dissection, aortic root dilatation, and situs inversus totalis. All of the thoracic structures were mirror-image reversed and an abnormal coronary artery was observed. The Bentall operation was performed. This report demonstrates that computed tomography and echocardiography were useful for understanding the anatomy and the presence or absence of concurrent anomalies in a patient with situs inversus totalis. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful.

Extracorporeal Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation with Therapeutic Hypothermia for Prolonged Refractory In-hospital Cardiac Arrest

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We identified the impact of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) followed by therapeutic hypothermia on survival and neurologic outcome in patients with prolonged refractory in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA). METHODS: We enrolled 16 adult patients who underwent ECPR followed by therapeutic hypothermia between July 2011 and December 2015, for IHCA. Survival at discharge and cerebral performance category (CPC) scale were evaluated. RESULTS: All patients received bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR); the mean CPR time was 66.5±29.9 minutes, and the minimum value was 39 minutes. Eight patients (50%) were discharged alive with favorable neurologic outcomes (CPC 1–2). The mean follow-up duration was 20.1±24.3 months, and most deaths occurred within 21 days after ECPR; thereafter, no deaths occurred within one year after the procedure. CONCLUSION: ECPR followed by therapeutic hypothermia could be considered in prolonged refractory IHCA if bystander-initiated conventional CPR is performed.

Extraskeletal Osteosarcoma Arising from the Pleura

A 37-year-old woman was referred to our institution for further management of a mass lesion located in the thoracic cavity. The mass had grown by more than 10 cm over the course of a year and was initially considered to be a scar from previous pulmonary tuberculosis at another hospital. The patient had complained of left-sided flank pain for a year and experienced dyspnea for one month. Chest radiography and chest computed tomography revealed an irregular-shaped mass in the left mid to lower pleural cavity. The mass was widely excised through left thoracotomy. Pathologic examination of the biopsy specimen revealed a malignant spindle cell tumor, which consisted of components of osteosarcoma, pleomorphic sarcoma, and leiomyosarcoma. The patient underwent adjuvant chemotherapy and has been doing well without any evidence of recurrence for 14 months.

Non-infected and Infected Bronchogenic Cyst: The Correlation of Image Findings with Cyst Content / 결핵및호흡기질환

We hereby report a case on bronchogenic cyst which is initially non-infected, then becomes infected after bronchoscopic ultrasound (US)-guided transesophageal fine-needle aspiration (FNA). The non-infected bronchogenic cyst appears to be filled with relatively echogenic materials on US, and the aspirate is a whitish jelly-like fluid. Upon contrast-enhanced MRI of the infected bronchogenic cyst, a T1-weighted image shows low signal intensity and a T2-weighted image shows high signal intensity, with no enhancements of the cyst contents, but enhancements of the thickened cystic wall. The patient then undergo video-assisted thoracic surgery 14 days after the FNA. The cystic mass is known to be completely removed, and the aspirate is yellowish and purulent. To understand the image findings that pertain to the gross appearance of the cyst contents will help to diagnose bronchogenic cysts in the future.

Hemothorax caused by spontaneous rupture of a metastatic mediastinal lymph node in hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report

No abstract available.

Cervical Esophageal Hemangioma Combined with Thyroid Cancer

Hemangiomas that arise in cervical esophagus are extremely rare, representing 3.3% of all benign esophageal tumors. Although endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and potassium titanyl phosphate/yttrium aluminum garnet (KTP/YAG) laser therapy have been used with success for small tumors, the safety and efficacy in the case of large tumors remains uncertain. We report the successful resection of cervical esophageal hemangioma through a cervical esophagotomy in a patient with thyroid cancer who needed a cervical collar incision.

Cervical Esophageal Hemangioma Combined with Thyroid Cancer

Hemangiomas that arise in cervical esophagus are extremely rare, representing 3.3% of all benign esophageal tumors. Although endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) and potassium titanyl phosphate/yttrium aluminum garnet (KTP/YAG) laser therapy have been used with success for small tumors, the safety and efficacy in the case of large tumors remains uncertain. We report the successful resection of cervical esophageal hemangioma through a cervical esophagotomy in a patient with thyroid cancer who needed a cervical collar incision.

Experience without using venoveno bypass in adult orthotopic liver transplantation / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: Venoveno bypass (VVB) has been used to achieve hemodynamic stability and decrease the incidence of renal dysfunction. However, VVB has many complications. The purpose of this study is to verify the safety of total clamping of the suprahepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) without VVB during orthotropic liver transplantation (OLT) in terms of anesthetic management. METHODS: Twenty-five patients without preoperative renal dysfunction who underwent primary OLT were enrolled in this study. Hemodynamic data and blood gas measurements were collected 1 hour after incision, 30 minutes after IVC total clamping and 30 minutes after reperfusion. Postoperative laboratory data, including blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (Cr) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR), were assessed at postoperative day (POD) 0-7, 30, 90, 180 and 1 year. RESULTS: Mean blood pressure was well maintained during IVC total clamping with infusion of inotropics. There was no case of severe acidosis (pH < 7.2) during the anhepatic period. The immediate postoperative Cr and GFR were not significantly different from those of the preoperative values. BUN increased from POD 1 and decreased after POD 6, while Cr increased at POD 90 only. CONCLUSIONS: In patients without preoperative renal dysfunction, when IVC was totally clamped, VVB does not need to be routinely performed to maintain hemodynamics during the anhepatic phase and renal function after OLT.

Clinical Analysis of Hemodialysis Vascular Access: Comparision of Autogenous Arterioveonus Fistula & Arteriovenous Prosthetic Graft

BACKGROUND: Mature autogenous arteriovenous fistulas have better long term patency and require fewer secondary interventions compared to arteriovenous prosthetic graft. Our Study evaluated vascular patency rates and incidence of interventions in autogenous arteriovenous fistulas and grafts. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 166 vascular access operations were performed in 153 patients between December 2002 and November 2009. Thirty seven caeses were excluded due to primary access failure and loss of follow-up. One group of 92 autogenous arterioveous fistulas and the other group of 37 arteriovenous prosthetic grafts were evaluated retrospectively. Primary and secondary patency rates were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: The primary patency rate (84%, 67%, 51% vs. 51%, 22%, 9% at 1, 3, 5 year; p=0.0000) and secondary patency rate (96%, 88%, 68% vs. 88%, 65%, 16% at 1. 3, 5 year; p=0.0009) were better in autogenous fistula group than prosthetic graft group. Interventions to maintain secondary patency were required in 23% of the autogenous fistula group (average 0.06 procedures/patient/year) and 65% of prosthetic graft group (average 0.21 procedures/patient/year). So the autogenous fistula group had fewer intervention rate than prosthetic graft group (p=0.01) The risk factor of primary patency was diabetus combined with ischemic heart disease and the secondary patency's risk factor was age. CONCLUSION: Autogenous arteriovenous fistulas showed better performance compared to prosthetic grafts in terms of primary & secondary patency and incidence of interventions.

VATS Rib Resection in Benign Bone Tumor: A case report / 대한흉부외과학회지

A 42 year old male was admitted for a bony mass on the posterior arc of the left 6th rib, which was detected in a multiphasic health screening test. According to the chest computed tomography scan and bone scan, osteochondroma was suspected. He underwent VATS rib resection. There was no vessel or nerve injury. The patient was discharged without any complication on the 4th post operative day. The pathological diagnosis was benign fibrous histiocytoma. Generally, posterolateral thoracotomy is needed for rib resection, but we found that there was no difficulty in doing this kind of surgery under a thoracoscopic approach, which has the advantage of better cosmesis.

Clinical Outcomes of Off-pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) shows fewer side effects than cardiopulmonary bypass, and other benefits include myocardial protection, pulmonary and renal protection, coagulation, inflammation, and cognitive function. We analyzed the clinical results of our cases of OPCAB. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From May 1999 to August 2007, OPCAB was performed in 100 patients out of a total of 310 coronary artery bypass surgeries. There were 63 males and 37 females, from 29 to 82 years old, with a mean age of 62+/-10 years. The preoperative diagnoses were unstable angina in 77 cases, stable angina in 16, and acute myocardial infarction in 7. The associated diseases were hypertension in 48 cases, diabetes in 42, chronic renal failure in 10, carotid artery disease in 6, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in 5. The preoperative cardiac ejection fraction ranged from 26% to 74% (mean 56.7+/-11.6%). Preoperative angiograms showed three-vessel disease in 47 cases, two-vessel disease in 25, one-vessel disease in 24, and left main disease in 23. The internal thoracic artery was harvested by the pedicled technique through a median sternotomy in 97 cases. The radial artery and greater saphenous vein were harvested in 70 and 45 cases, respectively (endoscopic harvest in 53 and 41 cases, respectively). RESULT: The mean number of grafts was 2.7+/-1.2 per patient, with grafts sourced from the unilateral internal thoracic artery in 95 (95%) cases, the radial artery in 62, the greater saphenous vein in 39, and the bilateral internal thoracic artery in 2. Sequential anastomoses were performed in 46 cases. The anastomosed vessels were the left anterior descending artery in 97 cases, the obtuse marginal branch in 63, the diagonal branch in 53, the right coronary artery in 30, the intermediate branch in 11, the posterior descending artery in 9 and the posterior lateral branch in 3. The conversion to cardiopulmonary bypass occurred in 4 cases. Graft patency was checked before discharge by coronary angiography or multi-slice coronary CT angiography in 72 cases, with a patency rate of 92.9% (184/198). There was one case of mortality due to sepsis. Postoperative arrhythmias or myocardial infarctions were not observed. Postoperative complications were a cerebral stroke in 1 case and wound infection in 1. The mean time of respirator care was 20+/-35 hours and the mean duration of stay in the intensive care unit was 68+/-47 hours. The mean amounts of blood transfusion were 4.0+/-2.6 packs/patient. CONCLUSION: We found good clinical outcomes after OPCAB, and suggest that OPCAB could be used to expand the use of coronary artery bypass grafting.

Experience with a Safe Anastomotic Method for Ivor Lewis Operation / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: When it comes to esophageal cancer operations, the prevalence of anastomotic complications that adversely affect quality of life is related to the type of anastomotic procedure and the operative site. We studied outcomes related to a safe anastomotic method used in Ivor Lewis esophagogastrectomy for preventing anastomotic leakage and stricture formation. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between May 2003 and April 2007, 18 patients with esophageal cancer underwent this type of esophagogastrectomy. Four people were lost to follow-up. There were 17 men (94.4%) and 1 woman. The mean patient age was 61 years (range, 46~73 years). RESULT: The mean follow-up period was 17.2 months (range, 1~45 months). There was no anastomotic leakage. There was one benign anastomotic stricture (5.6%) requiring esophageal balloon dilatation, which was accomplished with a 25 mm circular stapler. CONCLUSION: We experienced relatively good postoperative results using a safe anastomotic method in the Ivor Lewis operation for preventing anastomotic complications. These results suggest that this anastomotic method is effective in reducing the incidence of benign anastomotic complications.

Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor of the Mediastinum: A case report / 대한흉부외과학회지

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is rare and a recently described, poorly differentiated malignant tumor and it usually presents with widespread intra-abdominal involvement. We report a case of DSRCT arising form the mediastinum which was treated with multimodality anticancer therapy in 15 year-old girl.

Papillary Fibroelastoma of the Aortic Valve: Discovered by Chance with Intraoperative Transesophageal Echocardiography: A case report / 대한흉부외과학회지

Papillary fibroelastoma is a rare benign cardiac tumor with an elevated risk for embolization and most papillary fibroelastomas do not cause symptoms. In this report, we describe a case of previous undiagnosed masses of the aortic valve that were incidentally found on intraoperative transesophageal echocardiography during coronary artery bypass surgery. Upon surgery, masses were found on the left and right aortic cusps and the pathological findings were consistent with a papillary fibroelastoma.

Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of the Lung in a Child: A case report / 대한흉부외과학회지

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor in the lung is a rare tumor. The etiology is not clear. This tumor in children is a benign tumor rarely presented with local invasiveness, recurrence, distant metastasis or malignant changes can occur. The complete surgical resection is chosen as the optimal management. A 12-years-old boy visited the outpatient clinic with a 4 cm sized pulmonary mass in left upper lung field. The patient underwent left upper lobectomy. Histopathologically, inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor was confirmed. The patient was discharged without any problems and there was no evidence of recurrence during 3 months follow-up.

A Case Report of Disseminated Extranodal Marginal Zone B-Cell Lymphoma of MALT Manifested by Solitary Pulmonary Nodule / 결핵및호흡기질환

Extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma) is usually indolent. Although it was reported recently that about 20-30% cases of MALT lymphoma presented with a disseminated disease at diagnosis, it was described as a disease localized at diagnosis and remaining stable for a prolonged period. However, only a few cases of MALT lymphoma involved the lung and gastrointestinal tract all at once. We report a case of a 73-year-old man with disseminated MALT lymphoma. He presented with non-productive cough, initial chest radiograph showed a nodule in the right lower lobe. The diagnosis of stage IV MALT lymphoma was made by CT scan, video-assisted thoracoscopic excisional biopy, gastrofiberscopic biopsy and bone marrow biopsy. The lymphoma involved the lung, stomach and bone marrow at the time of diagnosis. Because he refused chemotherapy, he discharged after Helicobacter pylori eradication without chemotherapy. Regular follow-up examination did not show any evidence of disease progression over 22 months.

Lymph Nodes Metastasis Pattern and Prognosis of Resected T1 Esophageal Cancer / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Lymph node metastasis is commonly reported in thoracic esophageal cancer, even in the early esophageal cancer which may be localized only in the mucosa or within the submucosal layer. Although lymph node metastasis greatly influence long-term outcome and cure of the disease, endoscopic mucosal resection or photodynamic therapy without lymph node dissection is widely attempted. The investigation of the pattern of lymph node metastasis and results of surgical resection of superficial esophageal cancer is needed. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Pattern of lymph node metastsis and depth of tumor invasion were studied retrospectively from 44 patients with early esophageal cancer who underwent radical resection of the tumor from December, 1995 to August, 2001. RESULT: Lymph node metastasis was found in 10 patients (22.7%) out of total of 44 patients. Lymph node metastasis was found in 0% (0 of 3), 0% (0 of 4), 50% (2 of 4), and 24.24% (8 of 33) of tumors that invaded the intraepitherium, lamina propria, muscularis mucosa, and submucosa respectively. Anatomically distant lymph node metastases were found more frequently in recurrent laryngeal nerve node(5 cases of 10 patients) and in intraperitoneal node (8 cases of 10). than intrathoracic node (3 cases of 10). There was no operative mortality, however, there were 1 hospital death in patient with lamina propria cancer, 1 late death in patient with submucosal cancer. Three-year survival rates (except hospital death) were 100% in mucosal cancer and 97.0% in submucosal cancer (p>0.05), and 100% in the node negative group and 90.0% in the node positive group (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The survival rate of superficial esophageal cancer patient who was recieved operative resection was excellent. But, lymph node metastasis were found in superficial esophageal cancer, even in esophageal cancer limited to the muscularis mucosa. Systemic lymph node dissection which includes recurrent laryngeal nerve nodes and intraperitoneal nodes was recommended for favorable outcome in superficial esophageal cancer.

A Less Intensive Combination of Paclitaxel and Carboplatin in Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Patients who Have Aged 60 Years or More and Has a Poor Performance Status

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the response, survival, and toxicities of a less intensive combination of paclitaxel and carboplatin, which is used in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients older than 60 years of age including those with a poor performance status. METHODS: Thirty patients received 135 mg/m2 of paclitaxel on day 1, and carboplatin was administered to the patients on day 1 every 4 weeks over an area under the concentration-time curve of 6. RESULTS: The response rate was 40%, the median overall survival was 9.1 months (95% CI, 4.2 to 14 months), and the 1 year survival rate was 31%. The median progression-free survival was 7.7 months (95% CI, 3.1 to 12.2 months). In addition, the toxicities were generally mild and reversible. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that a less intensive combination of paclitaxel/carboplatin is active and well tolerated in advanced NSCLC patients who are older than 60 years including those with a poor PS 3~4.

Clinical Analysis of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome after Thoracotomy / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: The cause and clinical course of the postoperative ARDS is, as of yet, not very well understood. The current study is a review of our experience on patients with ARDS after thoracotomy. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Between Jan. 1996 to Aug. 2001, a retrospective analysis was conducted on 32 post-thoracotomy ARDS patients among 4018 patients receiving thoracotomy inclusive of thoracoscopic surgery. RESULT: The incidence of ARDS after pneumonectomy cases was 5.3%(13/245), 1.3% after lobectomy(9/ 710), and 4.4% after esophageal surgery(10/226). Of the 32 ARDS patients, 31 had malignant disease. The remaining 1 patient had aspergillosis. In the majority, the cause of ARDS was unknown. The average onset was on the 7.4th postoperative day. In 10 cases, the initial lesion was in the right lower lung field(31.2%), in the left lower lung field in 9(28.1%), and in both lower lung fields in 12(37.5%) cases. In all, the initial lesion was in the lower lung fields in 96.9% of the cases(31/32). There was a significant relationship between the development of ARDS and intraoperative I/O balance. The overall mortality rate was 65.6%(21/32). In the earlier period of the study(1996-Jun, 1998) the mortality rate was 100%, but in the latter period(July, 1998-Aug, 2001) it was significantly reduced to 47.6%. CONCLUSION: The current data showed a higher incidence of postoperative ARDS in patients with malignant disease and in those receiving extensive lymph node dissection with either lobectomy or pneumonectomy, and also in patients receiving esophageal surgery. In addition, introperative fluid overload was also associated with an increased incidence of ARDS. Treatment outcome could be improved with prone positioning and NO gas inhalation

Benign Schwannoma of the Esophagus Removed by Enucleation / 대한흉부외과학회지

Benign esophageal tumors are infrequently encountered. We report a case of a successfully managed esophageal schwannoma in a 52 year old woman who was presented with progressively worsening dysphagia. The tumor was enucleated via a right thoracotomy.