• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.571-578
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• 1996

Background : Long abscess is an accumulation of pus within a destroyed portion of the lung. Antibiotic therapy and postural drainge has proven to be an effective method of treatment for the majority of patients with pyogenic lung abscess. When medical therapy fails, thoracotomy and pulmonary resection are the current therapies. empyema is pus in the pleural space, and this term is deserved for effusions on which the Gram stain of the pleural fluid is positive. Initially, such collection may be drained via chest tribe. Recently, in patients who are judged to be unsuitable for surgery are in poor condition, percutaneous drainage using pig-tail catheter has been performed. We report out experience with 10 cases of lung abscess and 23 cases of empyema who were treated by percutaneous pit-tail catheter drainage. Subjects and Methods : Our study included 10 patients with lung abscess and 23 patients with empyema who were treated by percutaneous pig-tail catheter drainage, from January, 1990, to May, 1996, at Hanyang University then a pig-tail catheter was inserted into the abscess or the site of empyema under fluoroscopic and ultrasonograpic guidance. Following aspiration, the catheter was sutured into the skin, and connected to the suction tip. Catheter drainage was discontinued when the abscess of empyema was resolved in radiologically and clinically. Results : There were 2 cases of lung abscess caused by Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae and 14 cases of empyema caused by M. tuberculosis. The others were unknown. The duration of drainage was 1-2 weeks in 7 cases of lung abscess and 14 cases of empyema. In the 29 of 33 patients, percutaneous drainage were carried out successfully 20 of the 29 Gases rapidly improved. Conclusion : Percutaneous drainge is effective and relatively saute for management of lung abscess or empyema refractory to medical therapy or poor candidates for surgical treatment.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.12
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• pp.929-936
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• 2003

We analysed the surgical outcomes of immediate reoperations after mitral valve repair. Material and Method: Eighteen patients who underwent immediate reoperation for failed mitral valve repair from April 1995 through July 2001 were reviewed retrospectively. There were 13 female patients. The mitral valve disease was regurgitation (MR) in 12 patients, stenosis (MS) in 3, and mixed lesion in 3. The etiologies of the valve disease were rheumatic in 9 patients, degenerative in 8, and endocarditis in 1. The causes of reoperation was residual MR in 13 patients, residual MS in 4, and rupture of left ventricle in 1. Fourteen patients had rerepair for residual mitral lesions (77.8%) and four underwent replacement. Result: There was no early death. After mean follow-vp of 33 months, there was one late death. Echocardiography revealed no or grade 1 of MR (64.3%) in 9 patients and no or mild MS in 11 patients (78,6%). Reoperation was done in one patient. The cumulative survival and freedom from valve-related reoperation at 6 years were 94% and 90%, respectively. The cumulative freedom from recurrent MR and MS at 4 years were 56% and 44%, respectively. Conclusion: This study suggests that immediate reoperation for failed mitral valve repair offers good early and intermediate survival, and mitral valve rerepair can be successfully performed in most of patients. However, because mitral rerepair have high failure rate, especially in rheumatic valve disease, adequate selections of valvuloplasty technique and indication are important to reduce the failure rate of mitral rerepair.