Anterior Tracheoplasty: Two Cases Report / 대한흉부외과학회지

We describe here two cases of anterior tracheoplasty utilizing an autologous pericardial patch. One patient was a 9 year-old female who had a congenital long tracheal stenosis associated with major vascular anomalies including pulmonary artery sling. One-stage correction was done under the support of an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation system. She required a prolonged ventilation support for 10 days postoperatively until the implanted pericardium was fixed to the mediastinal structures. The other patient was a 8 year-old male who had acquired tracheal stenosis following a complicated tracheostomy. By applying additional support over the pericardial patch with the costal cartilage, an endotracheal tube could be removed immediately after the operation. Both patients have been doing well in a postoperative follow-up of over a year, and there have been evidences of growth in the reconstructed trachea.

Clinical Experiences of Cardiac Surgery Using Minimal Incision / 대한흉부외과학회지

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive technique for various cardiac surgeries has become widely accepted since it has been proven to have distinct advantages for the patients. We describe here the results of our experiences of minimal incision in cardiac surgery. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From February 1997 to November 1998, we successfully performed 31 cases of minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Male and female ratio was 17:14, and the patients age ranged from 1 to 75 years. A left parasternal incision was used in 9 patients with single vessel coronary heart disease. A direct coronary bypass grafting was done under the condition of the beating heart without cardiopulmonary bypass support(MIDCAB). Among these, one was a case of a reoperation 1 week after the first operation due to a kinked mammary artery graft. A right parasternal incision was used in one case of a redo mitral valve replacement. Mini-sternotomy was used in the remaining 21 patients. The procedures were mitral valve replacement and tricuspid annuloplasty in 6 patients, mitral valve replacement 5, double valve replacement 2, aortic valve replacement 1, removal of left atrial myxoma 1, closure of atrial septal defect 2, repair of ventricular septal defect 2, and primary closure of r ght ventricular stab wound 1. The initial 5 cases underwent a T-shaped mini-sternotomy, however, we adopted an arrow-shaped ministernotomy in the remaining cases because it provided better exposure of the aortic root and stability of the sternum after a sternal wiring. RESULT: The operation time, the cardiopulmonary bypass time, the aorta cross-clamping time, the mechanical ventilation time, the amount of chest tube drainage until POD#1, the chest tube indwelling time, and the duration of intensive care unit staying were in an acceptable range. There were two surgical mortalities. One was due to a rupture of the aorta cannulation site after double valve replacement on POD#1 in the mini-sternotomy case, and the other was due to a sudden ventricular arrhythmia after MIDCAB on POD#2 in the parasternal incision case. Postoperative complications were observed in 2 cases in which a cerebral embolism developed on POD#2 after a mini-sternotomy in mitral valve replacement and wound hematoma developed after a right parasternal incision in a single coronary bypass grafting. Neither mortality nor complication was directly related to the incision technique itself. CONCLUSION: Minimally invasive surgery using parasternal or mini-sternotomy incision can be used in cardiac surgeries since it is as safe as the standard full sternotomy incisions.

Definitive Surgical Management for Deep-Seated Mediastinitis and Sternal Osteomyelitis Following Tracheal Reconstruction -Sternectomy , Free or In-Situ Omental Transfer , Myocutaneous Flap / 대한흉부외과학회지

We report here 2 cases of deep-seated mediastinitis combined with sternal osteomyelitis after tracheal reconstruction which were successfully treated with sternectomy, in-situ or free omental transfer, and pectoralis major myocutaneous flap. In case I, an 8 year-old boy with deep seated mediastinitis and sternal osteomyelitis that developed after anterior tracheoplasty through a standard midline sternotomy. In case II, a 50 year-old female patient with mediastinal abcess and sternal osteomyelitis that developed after resection and end-to-end anastomosis of the trachea through an upper midline sternotomy. Treatments consisted of drainage and irrigation followed by wide resection of the infected sternum, placement of the viable omentum into the anterior mediastinal space, and chest wall reconstruction with a pectoralis major myocutaneous flap. The omentum was transferred as an in-situ pedicled graft in case I and a free graft in case II. Both patients have recovered smoothly wit out any events and have been doing well postoperatively.