• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.10
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• pp.704-707
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• 2007

Penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer involving the aortic arch has rarely been reported on in the literature. Acute rupture of a penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer involving the distal arch and the proximal descending thoracic aorta was found in a 78-year-old male, and he originally presented with acute-onset shoulder pain and hoarseness. Patch repair of the perforated arch and the proximal descending thoracic aorta was successfully done under total circulatory arrest.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.148-151
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• 1999

This report is a case of 62-year-old man with anterior chest pain and pin pricking pain with allodynia affecting left T5 sensory dermatome for 3 months without history of vesicular skin eruption. He had a history of diabetes mellitus for 10 years and insulin therapy for recent 1 year. EKG, chest PA and rib series were normal. Serologic evaluation of IgG antibody to varicella-zoster virus was positive and was diagnosed as post herpetic neuralgia after zoster sine herpete. He was treated with left T5 nerve root block followed by thoracic epidural blockade and intercostal nerve block for 2 weeks. His VAS score decreased from 10 to 2 after 2 weeks of treatment. After 3 months, he revisited our clinic complaining right side chest pain followed by vesicular skin eruption 8 days after the onset of pain. He was treated as herpes zoster and tolerates well after 4 months.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.2 s.271
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• pp.140-142
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• 2007

Vascular involvement is a rare and life threatening complication of type I neurofibromatosis. A twenty-eight years old female with a family history of type I neurofibromatosis had sudden onset of upper back pain and dyspnea. Chest CT showed right massive hemothorax with aneurysmal rupture of the intercostal artery. She underwent an emergency operation on unstable hemodynamic status. We report a case of surgical treatment of spontaneous hemothorax in a patient with type I neurofibromatosis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.142-148
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• 1998

Video-assisted thoracic surgery(VATS) is emerging as a viable alternative to thoracotomy when surgical treatment of spontaneous pneumothorax is required. 20 patients with spontaneous pneumothorax underwent bullectomy between July 1995 and May 1996. The patients were divided into two groups : Control group ; the patients who received with mid-axillary approach(n=10), Experimental group ; the patients who received with VATS (n=10). The results were as follows ; 1. The total sex distribution was male predominance (male:female=17:3). Mean age of control group was 29.6$\pm$9.8 years and experimental group was 27.2$\pm$11.9 years. 2. The mean period of postoperative chest tube indwelling duration and hospital stay were 3.3$\pm$0.8 days and 7.9$\pm$1.2 days in control group and 2.1$\pm$0.9 days and 5.2$\pm$3.1 days in experimental group(p=0.005 and p=0.02). 3. The mean time of operation, vital signs and arterial blood gas analysis did not showed any statistical differences between the groups. 4. Percent recovery of tidal volume and forced vital capacity were significantly improved in experimental group comparing with control group (p<0.05). 5. The patients undergoing VATS experienced significantly less postoperative pain and limitation of motion. In conclusion, VATS is safe and offers the potential benefits of shorter postoperative hospital stays and less pain with cosmetic benefits.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.525-530
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• 1998

Thoracoscopic thoracic sympathectomy for primary palmar hyperhidrosis has been known to be effective and to have cosmetic merits compared to conventional open sympathectomy. In spite of its cosmetic advantages over thoracotomy, VATS using 5 mm or 10 mm instruments still has the problem of operative wound as well as pain on trocar sites. Recently, 2 mm thoracoscopic instruments have been used. The purpose of this study was to examine the results of thoracoscopic sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis with 2 mm thoracoscopic instruments. From January 1997 to April 1997, 46 patients underwent bilateral thoracoscopic sympathectomy with 2mm instruments at Seoul National University Hospital. T-2 ganglion was carefully dissected and resected out in all patients. In one patient, the lower third of T-1 ganglion was inadvertently resected together with T-2 ganglion due to poor anatomical localization. In 4 patients who also complained of excessive axillary sweating, T-3 ganglion was resected as well. The instruments were removed without leaving any chest drain after reexpansion of the lung. Trocar sites were approximated with sterile tapes. All patients were relieved of excessive sweating in their upper extremities immediately after the operation. Nine patients(19.6%) showed incomplete reexpansion of the lung, and two of them required needle aspiration. Complications related to the surgical procedures, such as Horner's syndrome, hemothorax, and brachial plexus injury, were not detected in any cases. Most patientsdid not complaine of pain. All patients were discharged from the hospital on the day of operation. Despite a narrow operative viewfield, thoracic sympathectomy with 2 mm thoracoscopic instruments can be performed without increasing any severe complications. We recommend 2 mm instruments for thoracoscopic sympathectomy because they make as the more cosmetic, less painful, and equally effective compared to thoracoscopic sympathectomy using 5 mm or greater instruments.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.171-176
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• 2021

Pneumomediastinum is a very rare and potentially catastrophic complication of dental procedures. Its common causes are tooth extraction, endodontic treatment, and subgingival curettage using handpieces and high-pressure air/water syringes. We present a case of massive pneumomediastinum with subcutaneous emphysema in a 61-year-old female who underwent bone grafting into the maxilla for pretreatment of dental implantation using a syringe. The patient suffered from abrupt severe odynophagia and loss of consciousness. The patient transferred to emergency department and images work-up revealed a pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema on the entire face and neck. We performed conservative treatments including prophylactic antibiotics, oxygen inhalation, and fasting meals, and then discharge after 7 days uneventfully. The patient's syncope might be resulting from hypotension and pain shock induced by pneumomediastinum with a sudden chest compression. The pneumomediastinum could be resulting from concurrent perforation and massive air infiltration into the maxillary sinus during bone grafting. We suggest that pneumomediastinum needs prompt diagnosis and management because of the risk of airway obstruction when a patient present syncope in the dental room.

• 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.226-232
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• 1998

With recent advancements in the instrumentation and technique of VATS, it has become the method of choice to cure facial hyperhidrosis. From July 1996 to April 1997, we performed 43 thoracic lower stellate ganglionectomy with VATS for facial hyperhidrosis. There were 33 men and 10 women whose ages ranged from 17 to 63 years(mean age, 37 years). Of those patients, 23 complained only of facial hyperhidrosis, and 20 complained of facial hyperhidrosis along with excessive sweating of the palm or foot. Thoracoscopic sympathetic ganglionectomy procedures included lower stellate ganglionectomy in 12 patients; lower stellate ganglionectomy and T2-sympathetic ganglionectomy in 28 patients; and lower stellate, T2 and T3 sympathetic ganglionectomy in 3 patients. Common complications were compensatory hyperhidrosis(36 patients) and causalgia(8 patients). At the end of the follow-up period(minimum, 3 months) ninety-five percent of the patients reported satisfactory results. Thoracic lower stellate ganglionectomy with VATS is an efficient, safe and minimally invasive surgical procedure for facial hyperhidrosis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.187-194
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• 1997

The management of post-thoracotomy pain is on of the difficult clinical problems. A variety of pain management methods have been used with variable efficacy. We compared the effect of acupuncture with the effect of analgesics for the post-thoracotomy pain control. From March 1995 to September 1995, 20 patients who underwent elective thoracotomy were randomized into two groups. The patients were treated with analgesics in control group(n=10) and acupuncture in the other group(n: 10). Postoperative analgesic effects were evaluated by the scoring system which was made by the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Korea University Medical Center. No significant difference was observed between two groups concerning the subjective pain and limitation of motion of operated side. Although the number of analgesic requirement was reduced significantly in the acupuncture group(P < 0.05). We conclude that acupuncture is an effective method to control post-thoracotomy pain and it is safer than the analgesics bacause of its lower side effects.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.162-166
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• 2001

배경: 흉선암은 드문 질환으로 치료경과 및 예후가 침윤성 흉선종에 비해 나쁜 것으로 알려져 있으며 병기의 분류나 병기에 따른 치료방법이 아직 표준화 되어있지 않아 치료에 어려운 점이 있다. 이에 본교실에서 흉선암으로 진단되었던 환자들의 피료방법 및 성적을 분석하여 그 결과를 보고하고자 한다. 대상 및 방법: 계명대학교 동산의료원 흉부외과학교실에서는 1984년 8월에서 흉선암으로 진단되었던 8례의 환자를 대상으로 의무기록을 참고하여 병기에 따른 치방법료 및 예후 등을 후향적으로 분석하였다. 결과: 연령은 23세에서 67세까지로 평균 46세였으며 전흉부통증이 주증상이었다. 조직학적으로는 임파상피양암(lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma)이 2례, 편평상피암(squamous cell carcinoma)이 2례, 기저세포암(basaloid carcinoma)이 1례, 혼합형(mixed type)이 3례 있었다. 임상적 병기분류는 Masoka의 분류법을 사용하였으며 제I기 2례, 제II기 4례, 제III기 1례, 제IVAr기가 1례 있었다. 4례의 환자에서는 종양의 완전적출이 가능했으며 3례에서는 고식적 수술을 시행하였다. 1례의 환자는 주위조직으로의 침윤과 심낭에 퍼져있어 조직생검만을 시행하였다. 전례에서 보조적 항암치료를 받았고 술후 병기가 제III기 이상이거나 종양의 절제가 불완전했던 5례의 환자에서는 보조적 방사선치료를 병행하였다. 이들 중 5례에서 술후 보조적 항암치료 및 방사선치료를 받고 현재까지 생존해있다. 평균추적기간은 55.3$\pm$64.6 개원이었고, 3례의 환자는 사망하였으며 4례의 환자는 종양의 재발증거 없이 생존해있다. 결론: 종양의 조기진단과 완전종양적출후 적극적인 보조적 항암치료 및 방사선치료가 흉선암을 치료하는데 도움이 될 것으로 사료된다.