• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.2 s.247
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• pp.110-115
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• 2005

Background: The aims of this paper were to review the mid term clinical results and to analyze the preoperative risk factors of isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR). Material and Method: Between January 1992 and February 2003, 80 patients underwent isolated AVR. 58 were male and 22 were female patients, raging from 12 to 75 years of age (mean :$46.8{\pm}13.0$ years). 74 patients except one early death and 5 follow-up loss were contacted by OPD or by telephone. The mean duration of follow-up was $44.2{\pm}29.7$ months and the total cumulative period was 272.8 patient-year. Result: The complications in hospital occurred in 35 cases : 12 wound problems (11 superficial, 1 deep), 11 arrhythmias (9 temporary, 2 persistent), 3 low cardiac output, and so forth. The late deaths were 4 cases : the heart-related deaths were 2 cases ($0.7\%$ patient-year). Conclusion: The risk factors that influenced the early mortality and morbidity were older age (> 60 years)(p=0.04), poor preoperative NYHA functional class (> 3) (p=0.048), high preoperative serum creatinin level (> 1.2 mg/100 ml)(p=0.031), long operation time (aortic clamping time>90 min)(p=0.042). The same factors influenced the late mortality and morbidity. Freedom from valve-related complication was $86.4{\pm}5.3\%,$ actuarial survival rate were $96.8{\pm}2.3\%$ at 3 years and $90.8{\pm}4.6\%$ at 10 years.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 1995

The pectoralis major myocutaneous flap represents a major contribution to head and neck cancer reconstruction. Its advantages are improved viability, one-stage reconstruction, and carotid protection. The oropharyngeal defect especially tonsillar area reveals valley shaped one with loss of a wide mucosal area. Using pectoralis major myocutaneous flap to this defect is sometimes difficult due to its natural figure of bulkiness. This article reviews our experience with patients undergoing 14 pectoralis major myocutaneous flap in carcinoma of the tonsillar area. Complications and their incidences were I total loss, 3 marginal loss, 2 minor seperation of suture, I wound infection and 2 hematoma. Most of the complications did not require a second procedure for reconstruction. Bulkiness of the flap and gravity force to the upper suture line were thought to be causes of the complications. Modification of the flap design with bilobular figure was useful to reduce its bulkiness at the folding area. More stable suture around hard palate was needed to overcome seperation of the suture.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.438-441
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• 1999

Background: Minimally invasive cardiac surgery has emerged as a new approach to the conventional median sternotomy. The suggested advantages of the minimally invasive technique includes improved cosmesis, simplicity of opening and closing the chest, less postoperative pain, less risk of infection and bleeding, early rehabilitation, and reduced length of hospital stay. Material and Method: Between March 1997 and December 1997, we performed 36 cases of minimally invasive cardiac surgery via three different approaches ; right paramedian, transverse sternotomy and mini-sternotomy with upper sternal split. Result: There was no operative mortality. Postoperative complications were atrial fibrillation in 4 patients, bleeding that required reoperation in 1 patient, and delayed wound closure in 1 patient who underwent 3rd redo operation. Average length of skin incision was 9.1${\pm}$0.9 cm. Average duration of stay in the intensive care unit was 48${\pm}$29 hours and the patients were discharged 10${\pm}$7 days after the operation. Conclusion: In spite of the difficulties in defibrillation, deairing, and cardiac decompensation, minimally invasive approaches will be applied increasingly because of the suggested advantages.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.195-199
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• 1997

From Dec. 1992 to Dec. 1995, 20 patients with atherosclerotic occlusive disease in the lower extremities underwent arter al bypass surgery. The age of the patients ranged between 46 and 77 years(mean .60.8 years) and the most prevalent incidence was in the 7th decades. The mean follow up period was 18.8 months ranging from 4 to 36 months. Associated diseases were diabetus mellitus(25%), hypertension (35%), cerebrovascular accident(25%), and acute myocardial infarction(5%). Disabling intermittent claudifcation(35%), resting pain(20%) or ischemic gangrene(or ulceration)(45%) were operative indications. Aorto-bifemoral bypass in 4 cases, aorto-single femoral bypass in 2 cases, Aorto-bifemoral bypass and femoropopliteal bypass in 3 cases, aorto-single femoral bypass and femoropopliteal bypass in 1 case, femoropopliteal bypass in 4 cases, femorotibial bypass in 1 case, popliteotibial bypass 4 cases and femorofemoral bypass in 1 case were the surgical approches. Early thrombosis(2 cases) and wound infection(2 case) were main complication. Postoperative complication rate was 20% . Postoperative patency rates re 92.6% at 6 months, 84.2% at 1 year, 75.4% at 2 years and 69.4% at 3 years.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.512-516
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• 1997

We have experienced 66 cases of video assisted thoracic surgery(VATS) of spontaneous pneumothorax. The patients ranged in age from 1 Syears to 46years(mean age, 22.3years) and male patients were sixty three. The indications of video assisted thoracic surgery of spontaneous pneumothorax were recurrence, continuous air leakage, visible blabs on the chest X-ray & others. Infraoperative findings were as follows; blabs, pleural adhesion and pleural effusion. The operation was performed under general anesthesia wit double lumen endobronchial tube. Operative procedures included blebectomy and/or wedge resection of lung, vibramycin Pleurodesis with mechanical abrasion. In most cases, postoperative courses were uneventful and patients were discharged without significant complications. VATS provided the benefits of lesser postoperative pain, rapid recovery, short hospitalization, and smaller scar of wound. Conclusively VATS is a new interesting modality of surgical treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax and also can be extensively applicable in the diagnosis and treatment of other intrathoracic disease.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.242-246
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• 1998

From January 1988 to December 1995, 27 patients, 11 men and 16 women, underwent surgical intervention at our institution for prosthetic valve dysfunctions. The mean age was 43.5$\pm$12.2 years. Seventeen(63.0%) patients had the mitral valve replacement, 8(29.6%) the aortic valve, 1(3.7%) the aortic composite graft, and 1(3.7%) the tricuspid valve. Mean follow-up period was 49.5$\pm$30.9 months. In 12 bioprostheses, mean interval between the previous valve replacement and the reoperation was 104.9$\pm$34.9 months. The causes of redo surgery were structural deterioration of the prosthetic valve (12/12, 100%), paravalvular leak (2/12, 16.7%), and prosthetic valve endocarditis(1/12, 8.3%). In 15 mechanical prostheses, the mean interval was 55.2$\pm$43.7 months. The causes of redo surgery were pannus formation (8/15, 53.3%), paravalvular leak(4/15, 26.7%), and valve thrombosis(3/15, 20.0%). Posto- perative complications occurred in 7 patients (25.9%). There was no intraoperative death. But one patient, who received mechanical aortic valve replacement died on the 3rd postoperative day due to low cardiac output and multiorgan failure.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.804-810
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• 1998

Background: Multiple trauma patients have rapidly increased due to traffic accidents, industrial disasters, incidental accidents, and violence. Multiple trauma can involve injuries to the heart, lung, and great vessels and influence the lives, necessitate prompt diagnosis and treatment. Most of the thoracic injuries can be managed with conservative method and simple surgical procedures, such as closed thoracostomy, but in certain cases open thoracotomy is necessary. Materials and methods: The author analyzed the surgical result of 70 cases of open thoracotomy after multiple organ injury including thoracic organ. Results: The most common type of thoracic lesion was hemothorax with or without pneumothorax and diaphragmatic rupture was the second. Sixty percent of the patients were associated with bone fractures, 42.9% with abdominal injuries, and 37.1% with head injuries. The modes of operation were ligations of torn vessels for bleeding control(48.6%), repair of diaphragm(35.7%), and repair of lung laceration(25.7%) in this order of frequency and additional procedures were splenectomy(14.3%), hepatic lobectomy (8.6%) and repair of liver lacerations(5.7%). Postoperative complications were atelectasis (8.6%), wound infection (8.6%), and pneumonia(4.3%). Postoperatively six patients died(The mortality rate was 8.6%) and the causes of death were respiratory failure(2), acute renal failure(2), sepsis(1), and hypovolemic shock(1).

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.266-270
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• 1998

The management of malignant pleural effusion is a difficult problem. Tetracycline was probably the most commonly used sclerosing agent, but parenteral tetracycline is no longer available. This prospective study was designed to determine the efficacy of insufflated talc in producing plerodesisin patients with malignant pleural effusions. Fifteen patients managed between March 1995 and March 1997 underwent thoracoscopy and had 4 gm sterile asbestos-free talc insufflation throughout the pleural space. The mean interval between the procedure and last follow-up was 101 days(range: 25-233 days). The results of treatment were clinically and radiologically compared with pre-operative status. The results were as follows: 1. The patients were 6 men and 9 women with a mean age of 55.1 years(range: 31-74 years). The primary tumors were lung cancer in 10 patients, breast cancer in two, hepatoma in one, stomach cancer in one, and adenocarcinoma of unkown origin in one. 2. Cancer cell positive ratio was 36% in sputum cytology study and 100% in thoracoscopic biopsy. 3. Symptoms improved in 94% of patients treated by talc pleurodesis. 4. After 30 days of the procedure, there was radiologically no recurrence of plural fluid in 94% patients. 5. There were wound infection in one, respiratory failure in one. In conclusion, the insufflation of 4 gm sterile asbestos-free talc in the pleural space is an effective method to control malignant pleural effusions and patients selection is important factor for reexpansion the lung.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.753-758
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• 1996

From January 1987 to December 1994, twenty five patients with cancer of the esophagus were t eated surgically at the department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Tae Jeon Eul ll General Hospital. Among them, male was 24 cases, female was 1 case, with age ranged from 40 to 74 years, mean age was 60.4 years. The most common symptoms were dysphagia 92.0%, general weakness 28.0%, subsiernal pain 16.0%, weight loss 16.0 oyo , The tumor locations were the upper third in 2, middle third in 17, lower third in 6. Surgical treatment was done with transthoracic esophagectomy and esophagogastrostomy 1~4 cases, transthoracic esophagectomy and esophagocologastrostomy 5 cases, Transthoracic esophagectomy and jeT junal interposition 2 cases, palliative feeding gastrostomy 4 cases. The postoperative complications included anstomotic leakage in 3 cases, empyema in 3 cases, wound in- fection in 2 cases, atelectasis in 2 cases, pleural effusion in 1 case, hoarseness in 1 case, pneumothorax in 1 case, necrosis of jejunal loop in 1 case, aspiration pneumonia in 1 case. The operative mortal ty were 3 cases (12.0 %) and causes of death were aspiration pneumonia 1 case. sepsis and respiratory failure in each 1 . The mean survival period was 9.75 months. Recurrence of cancer revealed in 3 cases.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.225-233
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• 1996

From August 1992 to July 1996, 63 consecutive patients underwent coronary artery bypass surgery. The mean age of these patient was 57 years(range form 30 to 71years). There were 44 men and 19 women. Preoperative 12 patients had stable angina pectoris and 23 patients were unstable angina pectoris. 8 patients had previous myocardial infarctation history and emergency or urgent myocardial revascularization were performed in 9 cases. In the risk factors of coronary atherosclerosis, 25 patients(40%) were hypercholesterolemia, 38 patients(60%) have smoking history and 19 patients(30%) have hypertension history. In the patterns of disease, 9 patients were single vessel disease, 18 patients were two vessele disease and 33 patients were three vessel disease. We performed total 284 distal anastomosis(mean 3.5 anastomosis per patient) and performed one case of ascending aorta graft interposition, two cases of mitral valve replacement, one case of aortic valve replacement, one case of ventricular septal defect repair and one case of atrial septal defect repair and the mean aortic cross clamp time was 115.3 minutes. The common complications were arrhythmia(7cases), wound infection(5cases), perioperative myocardial infarction(4cases), reoperation for bleeding control(4cases) and stroke(4cases). There were six hospital deaths due to low cardiac output syndrome, ventricular arrhythmia and respiratory failure. In the evaluation of operative risk factors, preoperative intravenous nitroglycerin requirement and prolonged aortic cross clamp tirne(>2hours) were found to be predective factor of morbidity and old age(>65years) was found to be predective factor of mortality.