• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.3 s.260
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• pp.214-219
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• 2006

Background: Perforation of esophagus is relatively uncommon. but it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Treatment and outcome are largely determined by the time of presentation. We performed a retrospective review of patients with esophageal perforation to assess the outcome of current management techniques. Material and Method: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients treated for perforation of esophagus from March 1990 to March 2005. There were 28 patients (22 men and 6 women: mean age 51 years, range 17 to 82 years) The causes of the perforations were as follows: foreign body retention (9 patients), trauma (7 patients), spontaneous rupture (7 patients), and iatrogenic (5 pati-ients). 18 patients were presented within 24 hours and 10 patients were presented after 24 hours., Esophageal repair was performed in 21 ($75\%$) of them, 4 patients were treated with esophagectomy, 3 patients were treated with feeding gastrostomy and drainage. Result: Hospital mortality was $18\%$ and iatrogenic was increase the mortality rate (p < 0.05). Site of perforation, time from perforation, and treatment method had no influence on mortality. Postoprative leaks occurred in 4 patients after primary repair and were treated conservatively. Conclusion: Esophageal perforation remains a devastating event which is difficult to diagnose and manage. Primary repair can be performed in most patients with esophageal perforation regardless of time to presentation with a low mortality. Accurate diagnosis and early treatment are essential to the successful management of patients.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.95-100
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• 2005

Purpose: Critical pathways (CP), also known as clinical pathways, are management plans that display goals for patients and have led to improved outcomes for many disease entities. This study was aimed at developing a critical pathway for the surgical treatment of gastric cancer patients and evaluating its usefulness. Materials and Methods: A CP was developed and implemented by a team of surgeons, nurses, nutritionists, and administrative officials. Among the 117 patients who received curative gastrectomies for gastric cancer at Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea, between October 2003 and August 2004, 26 patients were treated according to the CP. We evaluated its usefulness by comparing the clinical characterisctics, postoperative progress, hospital stays, and costs between the CP and the non-CP groups. Patient satisfaction was also surveyed with questionnaires. Results: Of the initial 26 patients in the CP group, two were excluded from the final evaluation; one patient had a duodenal stump leakage, and the other had a gastric stasis postoperatively. In 8 patients, protocol violation occurred; six patients refused to be discharged on the $7^{th}$ postoperative day, one patient who had an gastric staisis postoperatively stayed for 2 additional days, and one patient who needed ICU care stayed for 4 additional days. The drop-out rate was $7.7\%$ (2/26), and the variance rate was $30.8\%$ (8/26). The mean hospital stay was 11.3 days ($10\~15$ days) for the CP group compared with 17.5 days ($9\∼68$ days) for the non-CP group, resulting in a difference of about 6 days (P<0.05). The mean hospital stays after surgery were 10.3 days ($7\∼68$ days) and 8.3 days ($7\∼12$ days) for the non-CP and the CP groups, respectively, but the difference was statistically not significant (P>0.05). The mean charge during the hospital stay was higher in the non-CP group ( $\\$ 6,292,200) than in the CP group ( $\\$ 4,863,685). The charge per hospital day was higher in the CP group ( $\\$ 430,414) than in the non-CP group ( $\\$ 359,554). Patient satisfaction was higher in the CP group than in the non-CP group. Conclusion: By developing and applying a critical pathway in the surgical treatment of stomach cancer patients, we could reduce the length of hospital stay as well as the cost. A multi-centered prospective study to establish a standard treatment pathway and to demonstrate its effectiveness is needed in the future.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.816-821
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• 1996

Lung transplantation is the established treatment for the end stage lung disedse find preservation of the organ is a major obstacle In performing lung transplantation. For solving this problem, we evaluated the histopathologic changes for various preservation solutions. Male mongrel dogs of similar size and weight (15∼20 kg) were used. The dog lungs were flushed with 4fl normal saline(group 1 'n:5): Modified Euro-Collins solution(group 2 n:5) and University of Wisconsin solution (group 3 : n=6), 60m11kg through a catheter placed in the main pulmonary artery aft r flushing of PGE 1 (20ng1kg). The lungs were preserved for 60 hours and measured dry and wet weights. Histologic specimens were taken every 6 hours and %toed for light microscopic evaluation. The edema ratio of the lungs peaked in 12 hours although there was no difference between the groups. Histologically, alveolar septal changes developed in one case (20%) after 1 hour preservation with normal saline. In case of the University of Wisconsin solution, the alveolar septal distortions and swellings were seen in 1 cases (20%) after 6 hours preservation compared with 3 cases (60%) after 6 hours preservation with Modified Euro-Collins solution. Changes of the pneumocytes were observed after 24 hours preser- vation in group 1, after 48 hours preservation in group 2 and after 60 hours preservation in group 3. We conclude that University of Wisconsin solution might have a superior preservation effect compare to normal saline and Modified Euro-Collins solutions.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.833-838
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• 2004

Background: Despite the excellent early results after the repair of congenital bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) disease, the mid-term durability of the repaired valve has still controversies. Material and Method: To evaluate the mid-term results of BAV repair, retrospective review of medical records and echocardiographic data were done. Between 1994 and 2003, twenty-two patients underwent reparative procedure for either regurgitant or stenotic congenital bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). Result: Mean age was $41\pm14$ years with male predominance (Male=17, Female=5). The pathophysiologies of the BAV were regurgitation-dominant in 20 (91%) and stenosis-dominant in 2 (9%) cases. Various repair techniques were used for raphe, prolapsed leaflet, thickened leaflet, and commissures; 1) release of raphe in 19 (86%), 2) wedge resection and primary repair in 11 (50%), pericardial patch reinforcement after plication of the leaflet in 6 (27%), and plication of the leaflet in 3 (14%), 3) slicing of thickened leaflet was used in 12 (55%) cases, 4) commissuroplasty in 8 (36%), and commissurotomy in 6 (27%) cases. There was no in-hospital mortality. During the mean follow-up of $38\pm17$ months, one patient underwent aortic valve replacement after developing acute severe regurgitation from dehiscence of the suture on postoperative 2 months. New York Heart Association functional class was improved from $1.9\pm0.6$ to $1.2\pm0.5$ (p<0.01). Left ventricular end-systolic and diastolic dimension (LVESD/LVEDD) were also improved from $45\pm9$ and $67\pm10$ to $37\pm10$ and $56\pm10,$ respectively (p<0.01). The grade of aortic regurgitation (AR) was improved from preoperative $(3.1\pm1.2)$ to post-bypass $(0.9\pm0.7).$ However, the grade at last follow-up $(1.7\pm1.1)$ was deteriorated during the follow-up period (p<0.01). Freedom from grade III and more AR at one, three, and four year were 89.7%, 89.7%, and 39.9% respectively. Conclusion: Midterm clinical result of the BAV repair was favorable. But, the durability of the repaired valve was not satisfactory.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.51-58
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• 2007

Purpose : To assess the early complication of laparoscopic peritoneal dialysis catheter implantation in children. Methods : Medical record review was carried out on 21 laparoscopic and 16 conventional peritoneal dialysis catheter implantations which were performed in 31 children under 18 years of age between 2002 and 2006. All medical records were retrospectively analyzed. The patients were followed until 2 months after catheter placement. Patient characteristics and catheterrelated complications, such as significant bleeding, leakage, obstruction, migration, insertion site infection and peritonitis during the first 60 days after implantation were recorded. Results : After conventional operation, dialysate leakage occurred in 2 of 16 cases and all cases improved after conservative management. In 1 case, significant bleeding occurred and re-operation was performed. Three cases of obstruction due to migration were reported, 2 cases underwent reoperation and 1 case improved without intervention. After laparoscopic surgery, outflow obstruction occurred in 1 out of 21 cases, which was caused by adhesion after several reinsertions of the catheter and recurrent peritonitis. No migration was noted after laparoscopic surgery. There was no significant difference in the complication rate between the two groups. Conclusion : Laparoscopic peritoneal dialysis catheter placement is feasible in children of all age groups, with at least equivalent functional results compared to conventional surgery. The additional advantage of laparoscopic catheter insertion is the option to identify and eliminate anatomical risk factors, such as intra-abdominal adhesions, and to perform partial omentectomy without additional incisions.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.799-806
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• 2002

In spite of the establishment of chemotherapy and the gradual decrease in prevalence, pulmonary tuberculosis is still mainly treated with an operation. Through analyzing and examining some cases of surgical treatment, we hope to provide some help in treating of pulmonary tuberculosis in the future. Material and Method: By comparing four journals previously published in our department with 144 cases of lung surgery during ten years from January of 1991 to December of 2000 performed by the department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery of the National Medical Center, we analyzed and reviewed the most recent trends and the results of the surgical treatment. Annual frequency of the operation, distribution of age, examination of sputum, adaptability and types of techniques, complications, and results of the postoperative follow-up were used as methods. Result: It was found that the annual frequency of operations had decreased. The ratio of men to women, 2:1 indicates that there are more incidences in men. Aging of patients could be speculated by the .results that the decrease in the incidence rate in the 20s age range and increase rate in the 50s age range. The range of preoperative lesions belonged mostly to far advanced and moderately advanced tuberculosis. By monitoring the period of use in preoperative antituberculosis drugs, cases for more than 3 years remarkably increased from 16.0 % to 55.6 %. The positive reactive rate for preoperative sputum examinations were drastically decreased from 91 % to 27 %. Total pulmonary destruction and partial destruction were the most common cases in terms of adaptability to the operations and there were significant increases in forming empyema accompanied by parenchymal lesions from 4.0 % to 20.1 %. Pneumonectomy and pulmonary lobectomy were the major type of operations. Especially, there were increases in the incident rate of empyema and recurrence of tuberculosis resulted. Post operative follow-up indicates that the rate of complete recovery was more than 70 % and the rate of gradual increase in treating with persistent antituberculosis drug was from 5.8 % to 18.0 %. Conclusion: In recent cases, there is an increasing number of patients showing tolerance to chemotherapy. Patients with pleural tuberculosis and severe lesions were typically increased. It is important to accurately analyze those complaints accurately that are mostly difficult to be treated medically. Surgical treatment is strongly recommended Before multiple drug resistance occurs.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.307-312
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• 2014

A 16-year-old female Shih-Tzu, weighing 5 kg, presented with clinical symptoms of abdominal distension and urinary and fecal incontinence. Abdominal palpation detected a large mass. According to the radiographic findings, the bladder had been moved to the umbilicus by the mass and a large abdominal mass was confirmed in the lower abdominal area. Ultrasonography indentified a large heterogeneous mass with heterogeneous parenchyma and a focal anechoic area in the lower abdominal area. The complete blood count abnormalities suggested thrombocytosis and mild neutrophilia, and the serum chemistry indicated an elevated alkaline phosphatase value. During laparotomy, a firm mass that measured $10.5{\times}9.6cm$ was found between the uterine cervix and urinary bladder. The urethra was embedded in the mass. A diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma was established based on histopathology and histochemistry. One week after surgery, urinary retention symptoms that did not appear to be related to mechanical obstruction presented suddenly, but they did not respond to several drug treatments, thus long-term conservative therapy was adopted. The urinary symptoms disappeared on day 27 and the patient started to void large quantities of urine in a smooth and frequent manner. This case report describes the serial changes in the patient's status and the response after surgical remove of the urethra embedding leiomyosarcoma.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.769-776
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• 1996

The application of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in the examination of the thoracic cavity can be a new option in patients with mediastinal tumor because it provides outstanding visibility of the structures of the mediastinum. By clear viewing through the thoracoscope, a mediastinal tumor can be biopsied or resected, depending on the findings during an operation. We reviewed all patients who underwent curative or diagnostic operations from March 1990 to August 1995 under the impression of a mediastinal mass. The total number of patients were 113 with 59 males and 54 females. Group A underwent resection of tu or by thoracotomy(38 patients: 18 males, 20 females), and group B underwent resection of tumor by VATS (36 patients : 20 males and 16 females). Seven patients in group B were excluded because they underwent thoracotomy due to pleural adhesion or intra-operative bleeding ; therefore, the true VATS group numbered 29 cases. Group C underwent Iymph node biopsy by VATS(33 patients'16 males, 17 females), and group D(6 patients: 5 males, 1 female) underwent Iymph node biopsy through anterior mediastinotomy. The mean age in group A was 36.2 years compared to 41.3 years In group B. We compared operation time, frequency of injection for pain control, duration of chest tube insertion, postoperative hospital stay, and diagnostic yield. In group A, they were 164 minutes, 3.4 times, 5.2 days, and 11.3 days, respectively, in comparison to 152 minutes, 2 times, 4.7 days, and 8.3 days, respectively, in group B. These data revealed that the day of discharge was significantly shorter in group B (p valu : 0.03). In group C, the mean age was 45.8 years (range 1 ∼70). The operation time was from 30 to 335 minutes (mean 105), pain control was required from 0 to 15 times(mean 3.2), and a chest tube was needed for 1 to 36 days (mean 6.1). In group D, mean age was 53.3 years, operation time 121 minutes, pall control injec- tion frequency 2.6 times, and mean chest tube duration 10.5 days. The diagnostic yield in group C was 8 oyo compared to 100 oyo in group D although the number of patients in group D is small.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.147-153
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• 1986

To assess the effect of postoperative radiotherapy on tumor recurrence and patient survival, 133 patients who received adjuvant postoperative radiotherapy for adenocarcinoma of the rectum were retrospectively analyzed. Sixty-one percent of the patients were in stage $C_2$ by Astler-Coller staging system. A significant statistical difference was noticed in failure rates for lymph node negative vs lymph node positive patients; $26\%(9/35)\;vs\;50\%(49/98)$. The incidence of local failure was found to be strongly dependent on the pathologic stages; with $9\%(3/35)$ of recurrence in stage B and $21\%(21/98)$ in stage C. Distant metastasis has occurred in $29\%(38/133)$ of the patients; $2\%(7/35)$ in stage B and $32\%(31/98)$ in stage C. The actuarial survival at 3 years for patients in stage $B_2$, stage $C_1$, and stage $C_2$were $78\%,\;47\%,\;and\;38\%$, respectively. In conclusion, the postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy for rectal carcinoma appears to reduce local recurrence significantly.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.78-83
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• 2009

Purpose: To examine the effect of suboptimal chemotherapy in patients undergoing preoperative chemoradiotherapy for the treatment of rectal cancer. Materials and Methods: The medical records of 43 patients who received preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy, followed by radical surgery for the treatment of pathologically proven adenocarcinoma of the rectum from April 2003 to April 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. The delivered radiation dose ranged from 41.4 to 50.4 Gy. The standard group consisted of patients receiving two cycles of a 5-FU bolus injection for three days on the first and fifth week of radiotherapy or twice daily with capecitabine. The standard group included six patients for each regimen. The non-standard group consisted of patients receiving one cycle of 5-FU bolus injection for three days on the first week of radiotherapy. The non-standard group included 31 patients. Radical surgery was performed at a median of 58 days after the end of radiotherapy. A low anterior resection was performed in 36 patients, whereas an abdominoperineal resection was performed in 7 patients. Results: No significant difference was observed between the groups with respect to pathologic responses ranging from grades 3 to 5 (83.3% vs. 67.7%, p=0.456), downstaging (75.0% vs. 67.7%, p=0.727), and a radial resection margin greater than 2 mm (66.7% vs. 83.9%, p=0.237). The sphincter-saving surgery rate in low-lying rectal cancers was lower in the non-standard group (100% vs. 75%, p=0.068). There was no grade 3 or higher toxicity observed in all patients. Conclusion: Considering that the sphincter-saving surgery rate in low-lying rectal cancer was marginally lower for patients treated with non-standard, suboptimal chemotherapy, and that toxicity higher than grade 2 was not observed in the both groups, suboptimal chemotherapy should be avoided in this setting.