• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.204-207
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• 2010

A 68 year-old man visited our institution due to chest pain. Coronary angiography revealed triple vessel disease. A computed tomographic angiogram performed as a routine preoperative examination demonstrated an intraluminal spider-web-like mass from the infrarenal abdominal aorta to both common iliac arteries. The infrarenal aorta and both common iliac arteries were excised and replaced with concomitant off-pump coronary artery bypass grafts. Histologic examination of the aorta suggested an intimal sarcoma. A postoperative computed tomographic angiogram performed 3 months postoperatively showed no evidence of a residual or a recurred lesion.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.24-29
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• 2012

Background: The conventional method of aortic cross-clamping is very difficult and increases the risk of cerebral infarct due to embolism of the calcified aorta in these patients. Accordingly, we analyzed our experience with 11 cases of ascending aorta and aortic valve replacement with hypothermic circulatory arrest. Materials and Methods: From January 2002 to December 2009, 11 patients had ascending aorta and aortic valve replacement with hypothermic arrest at our hospital. We performed a retrospective study. Results: There were 5 males and 6 females, with a mean age of 68 years (range, 44 to 82 years). Eight patients had aortic stenosis, and 3 patients had aortic regurgitation. An aortic cannula was inserted into the right axillary artery in 3 patients and ascending aorta in 6 patients. Two patients with aortic regurgitation had a remote access perfusion catheter inserted though the right femoral artery. The mean cardiopulmonary bypass time was 180 minutes (range, 110 to 306 minutes) and mean hypothermic circulatory arrest time was 30 minutes (range, 20 to 48 minutes). The mean rectal temperature during hypothermic circulatory arrest was $21^{\circ}C$ (range, $19^{\circ}C$ to $23^{\circ}C$). No patient had any new onset of cerebral infarct or cardiovascular accident after surgery. There was no hospital mortality. Early complications occurred in 1 patient who needed reoperation due to postoperative bleeding. Late complications occurred in 1 patient who underwent a Bentall operation due to prosthetic valve endocarditis. The mean follow-up duration was 32 months (range, 1 month to 8 years) and 1 patient died suddenly due to unknown causes after 5 years. Conclusion: Patients with a calcified aorta can be safely treated with a technique based on aorta and aortic valve replacement under hypothermic circulatory arrest.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.305-313
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• 1985

Surgical therapy for dissection of the aorta has had a high mortality. One contributing factor has been hemorrhage from the prosthesis and the suture lines. Recently, a new method of treatment with an intraluminal graft that requires no end-to-end anastomosis has been developed. Of the four patients with dissecting aneurysm of the aorta treated by inserting sutureless ringed intraluminal graft at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, S.N.U.H., three were DeBakey type I [one with associated aortic insufficiency] and the other was DeBakey type III. Suspected etiology of the dissection was Marfan`s syndrome in one and hypertension in the others. Total cardiopulmonary bypass was utilized in repairing dissecting aneurysms of the ascending aorta [type A] and simple aortic crossclamping was used for the patient with dissecting aneurysm of the descending aorta. The basic technique consists of inserting the whole ringed graft into the true lumen of the dissected aorta and circumferentially ligating the aorta against the groove in the rings. The proximal ring of the graft effectively stabilized the flail aortic valve in patient with aortic insufficiency associated with dissection of the ascending aorta. There were no hospital deaths and one patient with type III dissecting aneurysm developed postoperative paraparesis and renal insufficiency which was resolved. Follow-up has been from 1 month to 16 months with no evidence of prosthetic problems, such as erosion, migration, or thrombosis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.509-512
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• 2021

Extensive thoracic aortic disease involving the ascending aorta, the aortic arch, and the descending thoracic aorta may require multiple surgical and interventional managements, which impose a burden in terms of cumulative surgical trauma and the risk of interval mortality. Herein, we describe a single-stage arch and descending thoracic aorta replacement via sternotomy in a patient with multiple comorbidities presenting with an extensive thoracic aortic aneurysm.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.394-398
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• 1994

Takayasu`s arteritis is one of chronic inflammatory disease characteristically involving the aorta and it`s major branches. We experienced two surgical cases of Takayasu`s arteritis associated with the stenosis of the descending thoracic aorta. One case was 15 year-old girl and she was admitted because of dyspnea on exertion for 12 months. Aortogram showed the stenosis of the descending thoracic aorta from just below left subclavian artery to the 9th thoracic vetebra. The other case was 10 year-old girl and she was admitted because of URI and hypertension. Aortogram showed narrowing of right innominate artery, but developed collateral circulation, and the stenosis of the descending thoracic aorta near the 9th thoracic vertebra. In each case, bypass graft from the ascending aorta to the abdominal aorta just above the inferior mesenteric artery was performed with satisfactory result.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.54-58
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• 2016

A 49-year-old male presented with chills and a fever. Five years previously, he underwent ascending aorta and aortic arch replacement using the elephant trunk technique for DeBakey type 1 aortic dissection. The preoperative evaluation found an esophago-paraprosthetic fistula between the prosthetic graft and the esophagus. Multiple-stage surgery was performed with appropriate antibiotic and antifungal management. First, we performed esophageal exclusion and drainage of the perigraft abscess. Second, we removed the previous graft, debrided the abscess, and performed an in situ re-replacement of the ascending aorta, aortic arch, and proximal descending thoracic aorta, with separate replacement of the innominate artery, left common carotid artery, and extra-anatomical bypass of the left subclavian artery. Finally, staged esophageal reconstruction was performed via transthoracic anastomosis. The patient's postoperative course was unremarkable and the patient has done well without dietary problems or recurrent infections over one and a half years of follow-up.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.257-259
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• 2012

Descending thoracic aorta to femoral artery bypass has been used as a remedial operation after aortic or axillofemoral graft failure or graft infection and other intra-abdominal pathologies not amenable to standard aortofemoral revascularization. It can avoid abdomen approach and has been known as a durable procedure with excellent long-term patency. We reported descending thoracic aorta to femoral artery bypass grafting for primary revascularization in a 55-year-old male with hostile abdominal conditions.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.513-516
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• 2021

An 87-year-old man presented with a saccular aneurysm at the proximal descending thoracic aorta. As computed tomography revealed a shaggy aorta, we planned hybrid thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) with embolic protection devices (EPDs) in both internal carotid arteries to prevent a cerebrovascular accident. We inserted an Emboshield NAV⁶ Embolic Protection System (Abbott Vascular, Abbott Park, IL, USA) into both internal carotid arteries before performing the TEVAR procedure. The patient was discharged from the hospital on postoperative day 4 without any neurological complications.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2017

Complex lesions of the thoracic aorta are traditionally treated in 2 surgical steps with the elephant trunk technique. A relatively new approach is the frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique, which potentially allows combined lesions of the thoracic aorta to be treated in a 1-stage procedure combining endovascular treatment with conventional surgery using a hybrid prosthesis. These are very complex and time-consuming operations, and good results can be obtained only if appropriate strategies for myocardial, cerebral, and visceral protection are adopted. However, the FET technique is associated with a non-negligible incidence of spinal cord injury, due to the extensive coverage of the descending aorta with the excessive sacrifice of intercostal arteries. The indications for the FET technique include chronic thoracic aortic dissection, acute or chronic type B dissection when endovascular treatment is contraindicated, chronic aneurysm of the thoracic aorta, and chronic aneurysm of the distal arch. The F ET technique is also indicated in acute type A aortic dissection, especially when the tear is localized in the aortic arch; in cases of distal malperfusion; and in young patients. In light of the great interest in the FET technique, the Vascular Domain of the European Association for cardio-thoracic Surgery published a position paper reporting the current knowledge and the state of the art of the FET technique. Herein, we describe the surgical techniques involved in the FET technique and we report our experience with the F ET technique for the treatment of complex aortic disease of the thoracic aorta.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.488-496
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• 1988

Thirty-seven patients of aortic aneurysm underwent operations during January 1984 December 1987 at our hospital. Twenty-six patients had aneurysms involving ascending aorta, three patients had aneurysms involving both ascending aorta and abdominal aorta. and eleven patients had aneurysms involving descending thoracic or abdominal aorta. Among the patients who had aneurysms involving ascending aorta, annuloaortic ectasia with aortic regurgitation were thirteen and all of these underwent ascending aorta graft replacement + AVR with composite graft. The patients who had aortic regurgitation due to ascending aortic dissection were three and all of these underwent intraluminal ringed graft insertion at ascending aorta + aortic valve resuspension. Intraluminal ringed graft insertion was safe, simple, and fast method in the operation for aortic aneurysm. Eleven patients were underwent this operation and the results were good. Major causes of death of the patients who underwent aortic aneurysm operation are underlying cardiovascular diseases or delayed rupture of the aneurysm or complications related newly appeared aneurysm. Among our patients, dissection progressions were appeared in two but neither severe nor complicated. And no patient died from delayed rupture of aneurysm or complications related newly appeared aneurysm. All patients were followed up via OPD and were controlled hypertension or heart failure if present. Operative mortality is 18.9\ulcornera in all, 23% in patients who had aneurysms involving ascending aorta and 7.6` who had aneurysms involving descending thoracic or abdominal aorta. Comparing with other reports, our operative mortality is still high but improved steadily. So we recommend aggressive surgical management of the aortic aneurysm.