• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.208-211
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• 2010

An occurrence of hemangioma in the mediastinum is a very rare, accounting for less than 0.5% of mediastinal tumors. Capillary hemangiomas and cavernous hemangiomas consists of over 90% of mediastinal hemangiomas. However, venous hemangioma has never been reported in South Korea and has also very rarely been reported worldwide. We found mediastinal solid mass, as an incidental finding during a follow-up chest CT scan of a 44-year-old female patient who had undergone colon cancer surgery. We performed a mediastinoscopic biopsy. We did a thoracotomy to remove this mass because hemorrhage and found a totally resected venous hemangioma.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1110-1115
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• 1998

Esophagectomy has a high morbidity rate, mainly related to pulmonary complications. The respiratory morbidity of open esophagectomy is high, ranging from 6% to 10%. This high morbidity is partially responsible for the 6∼15% mortality rate of esophagectomy. Many techniques of esophagectomy without thoracotomy have been described since the initial report of Orringer and Sloan. Endoscopic microsurgical dissection of the esophagus was clinically introduced in 1989. Endoscopic microsurgical dissection of the esophagus was developed as a minimally invasive procedure that avoids thoracotomy and provides precise vision during the operation in order to reduce mediastinal trauma and to improve the peri- and post-operative situation. A 20 year-old women who accidentally swallowed about 150 cc of glacial acetic acid underwent an esophagectomy using the operating mediastinoscopy, cervical esophagogastric anastomosis, pyloromyotomy, and feeding jejunostomy tube placement for esophageal stricture. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on the 17th postoperative day. Our clinical experience shows that endoscopic microsurgical dissection of esophagus is a safe and feasible method because it offers excellent optical control and enables the surgeon to operate in a minimally invasive manner.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.147-154
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• 2001

Background : Bronchoscopy has been widely used for a histologic diagnosis through a transbronchial lung biopsy or for staging of patients with peripheral lung cancer. However a transthoracic needle aspiration (TTNA) has been used more widely for a histologic diagnosis in patient with a small size nodule or a nodule located in the outer portion of the lung because of the low diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy in these cases. The role of bronchoscopy for staging is not well established in patients with peripheral lung cancer diagnosed by a TTNA or patients who are undergoing surgery without a histologic diagnosis. Method: To evaluate the role of bronchoscopy for the staging in patients with peripheral lung cancer, who were diagnosed by TTNA, the medical records of 86 patients with peripheral lung cancer who underwent bronchoscopyat Kyungpook National University Hospital between January 1995 and May 1997 were reviewed. Results : While 53 cases had normal bronchoscopic findings, 33 cases had abnormal bronchoscopic findings comprising 9 cases of tumor, 10 cases of infiltration and 14 cases of compression of which there were 25 cases of T1 and 8 T2 endoscopically. The bronchoscopic staging did not influence the changes of the clinical stage of lung cancer. The frequencies of bronchial involvement tended to increase as the sizes of the nodule increased. Among the 42 patients who underwent surgery, 9 patients staged higher after operation because of lymph node involvement in 8 patients and the involvement of the pulmonary artery in 1 patient. No case staged above after operation due to a bronchial invasion. Conclusion : These findings suggests that bronchoscopy is not useful for staging in patients with peripheral lung cancer diagnosed by a TTNA.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.1058-1066
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• 1998

Background: Actinomycotic infection is uncommon and primary actinomycosis of the lung and chest wall has been less frequently reported. This disease may present as chronic debilitating illness with radiologic manifestation simulating lung tumor, pulmonary infiltrating lesion, or chronic suppuration. Diagnosis of choice was not definded yet and role of bronchoscopy on diagnosis was not described yet. Methods: From 1989 to 1998, we experienced 17 cases of thoracic actinomycosis. We have reviewed the case notes of 17 patients with thoracic actinomycosis. The mean age at presentation was $53{\pm}13$ years, 11 were male. Results: Cough, hemoptysis, sputum production, chest pain and weight loss were the commonest symptoms. The mean delay between presentation and diagnosis was $6.6{\pm}7.8$ months. There were six patients who presented with a clinical picture of a suppurative lesion and eleven patients were suspected of having primary lung tumor initially. In no cases was made an accurate diagnosis at the time of hospital admission. Associated diseases were emphysema (1 case), bronchiectasis (2 cases) and tuberculosis (2 cases). Bronchoscopic findings were mucosal swelling and stenosis(n=4), mucosal swelling, stenosis and necrotic covering (n=2), mass (n=3), mass and necrotic covering (n=1) and normal(n=6). Radiologic findings were mass lesion(n=8), pneumonitis(n=3), atelectasis(n=3), pleural effusion(n=2), and normal(n=3). Final diagnosis was based on percutaneous needle aspiration and biopsy (n=3), bronchoscopic biopsy specimens (n=9), mediastinoscopic biopsy (n=1) and histologic examination of resected tissue in the remaining patients(n=4) who received surgical excision. Among 17 patients, 13 were treated medically and the other 4 received surgical intervention followed by antibiotic treatment. Regarding the surgically treated patients, suspected malignancy is the most common indication for operation. However. both medically and surgically treated patients achieved good clinical results. Conclusion: Thoracic actinomycosis is rare. but should still be considered in the differential diagnosis of a chrinic, localized pulmonary lesion. Thoracic actinomycosis may co-exist with pulmonary tuberculosis or lung cancer. If the lesion is located in the central of the lung. the bronchoscopy is recommanded for the diagnosis.