• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.244-247
• /
• 1996

Multiple symmetric lipomatosis is a rare disease characterized by progressive growth of subcutaneous fat masses which are located symmetrically at neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen and groin. Recent surveys revealed a high incidence of combined somatic and autonomic neuropathy. The exact cause of the disease is not known. We have experienced one case of multiple symmetric lipomatosis with mediastinal involvement with symptomatic compression of trachea. The patient was a 55-year-male, complaining of dyspnea and slowly enlarging multiple symmetric masses at the neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, flank and groin over a period of 10 years. He had a habit of excessive alcohol intake for many years. The fatty masses in the neck and the upper mediastinum including peritracheal region were excised through transverse cervical incision. But, because of the incomplete excision of peritracheal fatty tissue, we performed reoperation for the relief of residual tracheal compression at the 15th postoperative day. Two days later emergent tracheostomy was performed due to postoperative pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema. He could discharge with permanant tracheostomy.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.40 no.3 s.272
• /
• pp.240-243
• /
• 2007

Mediastinal lipoblastoma is a rare benign tumor originating from embryonic lipid cells and it almost always occurs during infanthood or early childhood. It is a tumor with a good prognosis despite its potential for local invasion and rapid growth. We report here on a three years old girl who was treated for a benign lipoblastoma in the anterior mediastinum. CT scanning showed a fat containing mass without internal calcification or fluid component, and the mass showed a compressive effect on the adjacent structures. The mass was located between the pericardium and right mediastinal pleura and it was removed completely without complication. Pathologic examination revealed a benign lipoblastoma. The patient showed no evidence of recurrence at the time of the report.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.110-115
• /
• 2008

Malperfusion of a major organ with aortic dissection has various clinical features according branch. The morbidity and mortality rate can increase without suspicion especially postoperative period. Surgical outcomes and prognosis are influenced by early expeditious diagnostic and therapeutic measures are mandatory for successful treatment. The authors report four successful cases of acute aortic dissection with mal perfusion of various organs, such as the brain, kidney, and the lower extremities.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.64 no.6
• /
• pp.451-455
• /
• 2008

Pulmonary mucormycosis is an uncommon, serious opportunistic infection caused by fungi belonging to the order Mucorales and it occurs exclusively in debilitated or immuno-compromised hosts. It is known that the fungi can invade the blood vessels and cause serious ischemic necrosis and bleeding5. We experienced a fatal case of pulmonary mucormycosis in a diabetic 75-year-old man who developed a progressive necrotizing lesion despite administering proper and prompt medical and surgical treatment. We report here on this case along with a review of the relevant medical literature.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.8 no.1
• /
• pp.166-177
• /
• 1991

Uterine cervical cancer is the most common malignancy in korean women. In spite of recent development of early diagnostic and therapeutic modalities, about 40% of treated patient will develop relapse. So more aggressive local treatment such as more extensive surgery and higher radiation dose and administration of systemic chemotherapy will promote the curability but treatment related complications can not be avoidable. We used 22 cases of early cervical cancer, treated with surgery and post-operative radiotherapy, clinical data of these patients were analized to determine relationship between clinical parameters and final outcome. Three out of 22 cases revealed relapse and one patient showed rectovaginal fistula and another patient showed small bowel obstruction and the other patient showed rectal obstruction. Two out of three recurrence were stage IIa and the other one case was stage Ib adenocarcinoma with lymphovascular involvement. Nineteen out of 22 cases were followed without remarkable side effect or treatment related complication or sequelae. We concluded that our treatment policy was safe and effective to eradicate high risk postoperative cervical cancer with acceptable side effects or complication.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.61 no.1
• /
• pp.65-69
• /
• 2006

Behcet's disease is a systemic vasculitis of an unknown etiology involving the arteries and veins of all sizes. There are reports showing that a pulmonary artery aneurysm or thromboembolism and superior vena cava thrombosis are present in 5-10% of patients with Behcet's disease and that lung parenchymal lesions are mainly airway consolidations resulting from hemorrhage or infarction. We encountered a patient with increasing pulmonary cavitary changes and localized aspergilloma. The patient was a 43-year-old man diagnosed with Behcet's disease with a history of recurrent oro-genital ulceration and uveitis, and who was administered methotrexate, colchicines, prednisolone. During the follow up he developed progressive dyspnea upon exertion and finger clubbing. Therefore further evaluations were performed. Chest computed tomography showed more advanced consolidations and cavitations than the previous film with the previously known aspergilloma still observable. An open lung biopsy was carried out to determine the presence of malignant changes, which revealed nonspecific vasculitis. Azathioprine was added resultion in an improvement of symptoms.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.38 no.2 s.247
• /
• pp.168-171
• /
• 2005

Solitary fibrous tumor is an uncommon sybnesitgekuak mesenchymal neoplasm that arises primarily from the pleura. Extrapleural solitary fibrous tumors are rare. Solitary Fibrous tumors are often asymptomatic and discovered incidentally but may become symptomatic when vital structures are involved or they grow large. In general, solitary fibrous tumor is diagnosed on the basis of radiologic findings and its histologic features, with immunohistochemistry serving to support the diagnosis. Most solitary fibrous tumors pursue a benign course, and the single most important predictor of clinical outcome is the ability to excise the entire lesion. We experienced a case of intrapulmonary solitary tumor arising from the right lower lobe which was treated with wedge resection. We report this case of the patient.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.418-421
• /
• 1998

Thoracoscopic esophagectomy can be performed in esophageal diseases to reduce the postoperative complications. Recently, We encountered a case of esophageal cancer and successfully treated it by thoracoscopic esophagectomy with gastric pull-up. A 59-year-old male was presented with swallowing difficulty and an esophagogram, esophagoscopy, and chest CT showed an ulcerating tumor on the lower esophagus. The operation was performed in three stages: mobilization of the esophagus by thoracoscopic surgery, construction of a gastric tube through a laparotomy, and cervical anastomosis between the esophagus and the gastric pull-through. Hoarseness developed postoperatively, and the postoperative esophagogram showed leakage at the esophagogastric anastomotic site. The anastomotic leakage was healed following surgical drainage and the patient was discharged in good health. Hoarseness subsided spontaneously two months after surgery.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.34 no.6
• /
• pp.506-510
• /
• 2001

Langerhans\` Cell Histiocytosis(LCH) is a disease of unknown origin, characterized by abnormal proliferation of Langerhans\` cells. Previously, it has been called histiocytosis X, which included eosinophilic granuloma, Hand-Sch ller-Christian\`s disease, and Letterer-Siwe disease. Any organs or tissues such as skin, lymph nodes, bone and bone marrow can be involved. However, LCH of chest wall is rarely reported in our country. We experienced a 18 month old male child, who had osteolytic lesion involving the rib with axillary lymph node metastasis. The tumor was confirmed as LCH after surgery.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.82-89
• /
• 2006

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in the degradation of the extracellular matrix, which is an important step in tumor invasion and metastasis. A positive correlation between the expression of MMP-9 and aggressive behavior of renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) has been reported. MMP-9 expression in RCCs and adjacent normal kidney tissues were examined in this study. Materials and Methods: Twenty-five patients pathologically diagnosed as clear cell RCCs, from specimens obtained at radical nephrectomy, between May 2003 and December 2004 were enrolled in this study. MMP-9 activity was estimated using gelatin zymography, and quantified using a laser densitometer. The results were compared with clinicopathological characteristics. Results: The expression of MMP-9 was significantly elevated in the RCC compared with non-tumor kidney specimens (p<0.01). The levels of MMP-9 expression in the RCC patients with large tumors (>4 cm) or vascular invasion were significantly higher than in those without these clinical manifestations (p<0.01). There were also significant differences in the expression of MMP-9 among T stages (p<0.01). The tissue MMP-9 level was the highest in nuclear grade 4, but there was no statistical significance between the histological grades (p=0.17). Conclusions: These results suggest that enhanced MMP-9 expression contributes to carcinogenesis and tumor progression in the later stages of RCC.