• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.17-25
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• 2005

Background: Traumatic rupture of the aorta is a life-threatening injury that must be diagnosed as rapidly as possible and treated immediately. The chest X-ray is a valuable tool for screening traumatic rupture of the aorta in blunt chest trauma. And various chest radiologic parameters are being used as diagnostic tools for aortic injury. The purpose of this study is to identify chest radiographic parameters that may assist in the detection of traumatic rupture of the aorta and to compare these findings with those of other reports. Methods: This study involved 30 adult patients with traumatic rupture of the aorta seen at the emergency department of the Asan Medical Center from 1997 to 2004. The control subjects were 30 healthy patients with neither lung nor cardiovascular disease. We retrospectively assessed over 14 parameters on chest X-rays. Results: In 11 of the 14 parameters, there were significant differences between the study group and the control group. There was no significant difference in the M/C ratio (mediastinumto-chest width ratio) between the two groups, and neither the left nor the right paraspinal interface was statistically significant (p value>0.05). Our study indicates that new criteria for the MC ratio and for the paraspinal interfaces are needed for screening traumatic aorta injury. The other radiographic parameters for traumatic rupture of the aorta need to be further assessed through a prospective study.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.1125-1131
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• 1992

Still a lethal injury, traumatic rupture of thoracic aorta occurs more frequently than we expect and comprises significant part of causes of deaths by blunt trauma. We recently experienced a thoracic aortic rupture accompanied by multiple injuries including pericardial and interatrial septal rupture and myocardial contusion in a patient who had been injured in a fall accident. Literatures are reviewed with the concern of early diagnosis, surgical technique and the result of operation.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.81-86
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• 2021

Purpose: This study investigated the clinical outcomes of trauma patients with blunt thoracic aortic injuries at a single institution. Methods: During the study period, 9,501 patients with traumatic aortic injuries presented to Trauma Center of Gil Medical Center. Among them, 1,594 patients had severe trauma, with an Injury Severity Score (ISS) of >15. Demographics, physiological data, injury mechanism, hemodynamic parameters associated with the thoracic injury according to chest computed tomography (CT) findings, the timing of the intervention, and clinical outcomes were reviewed. Results: Twenty-eight patients had blunt aortic injuries (75% male, mean age, 45.9±16.3 years). The majority (82.1%, n=23/28) of these patients were involved in traffic accidents. The median ISS was 35.0 (interquartile range 21.0-41.0). The injuries were found in the ascending aorta (n=1, 3.6%) aortic arch (n=8, 28.6%) aortic isthmus (n=18, 64.3%), and descending aorta (n=1, 3.6%). The severity of aortic injuries on chest CT was categorized as intramural hematoma (n=1, 3.6%), dissection (n=3, 10.7%), transection (n=9, 32.2%), pseudoaneurysm (n=12, 42.8%), and rupture (n=3, 10.7%). Endovascular repair was performed in 71.4% of patients (45% within 24 hours), and two patients received surgical management. The mortality rate was 25% (n=7). Conclusions: Traumatic thoracic aortic injuries are life-threatening. In our experience, however, if there is no rupture and extravasation from an aortic injury, resuscitation and stabilization of vital signs are more important than an intervention for an aortic injury in patients with multiple traumas. Further study is required to optimize the timing of the intervention and explore management strategies for blunt thoracic aortic injuries in severe trauma patients needing resuscitation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1212-1217
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• 1996

From Dec. 1993 to May 1995, 9 male and 5 female patients ranging in age from 25 to 65 years, were operated on for ascending aorta and/or aortic arch diseases. Six patients had acute aortic dissection, type A(ruptured in 4 cases); four had ruptured ascending aortic aneurysm; three had annuloaortic ectasia(ruptured in 1 cases); one had aortic arch aneurysm. The diagnostic procedures were echo cardiography and dynamic CT scan in all patients having acute dissection or rupture. The aortic angiography was performed in two cases. Indications for operations were rupture in five cases, acute aortic dissection in five cases, severe congestive heart failure in two cases, progressive aortic insufficiency in one case and impending rupture in one case. The emergent repair was performed in ten cases(71%). The surgical treatment consisted of 6 Cabrol operations, a Cabrol operation combined with arch replacement, a modified Bentall operation, 4 replacement of ascending aorta, a replacement of aortic arch, and a replacement of ascending aorta and aortic arch. Complications were a hypoxic encephalopathy, two atrial fibrillations, a sternal deheiscence, and a mediastinitis. Two early mortality(14%) were due to intractable bleeding and multiple organ failure, and one late mortality(7%) was due to ventricular arrhythmia. In eleven survivors, follow-up period was from 2 months to 12 months and the course was uneventful.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.35 no.8
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• pp.599-604
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• 2002

Acute or chronic aortic dissection may lead to the rupture, which is the major cause of death. A dissecting aneurysm of ascending aorta(Stanford type A dissection) can rupture into the superior vena cava producing a aortocaval fistula, which is rare, but has been reported mostly in the cases of abdominal aortic aneurysm. We report a case of 67-year-old man with type A chronic dissection and aortocaval fistula, presenting symptoms of superior vena syndrome. The preoperative diagnosis was composed of radiologic examinations, including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging angiography and aortography. The dissecting aneurysm was resected and replaced, and the aortocaval fistula was repaired under deep hypothermic circulatory arrest. The details are described here.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2015

Although development of surgical technique and critical care, ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm still carries a high mortality. In order to obtain good results, various efforts have been attempted. This paper reviews initial management of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm and discuss the key point open surgical repair and endovascular aneurysm repair.

• 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.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.71-74
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• 2014

For high-risk patients, endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) is a good option but may lead to serious complications, which should be addressed immediately. A 75-year-old man with a history of abdominal surgery underwent EVAR for an aneurysm of the abdominal aorta and iliac arteries. During EVAR, iliac artery rupture and graft limb occlusion occurred, and they were successfully managed by the additional deployment of an iliac stent graft and balloon thrombectomy, respectively. We, herein, report a rare case of the simultaneous development of the two fatal complications treated by the endovascular technique.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.899-904
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• 1988

In Behcet syndrome, cardiac involvements are rare and have been reported pericarditis, myocarditis, right heart endocardial fibrosis, right ventricle mural thrombus with pulmonary embolism, active endocarditis, granulomatous endocarditis, conduction disturbance, acute aortic insufficiency, mitral valve prolapse. Our three patients underwent AVR because of aortic insufficiency and ascending aorta enlargement combined with Behcet syndrome. Two patients had mitral regurgitation too. So one underwent MAP and the other underwent MVR concomitantly. One who underwent AVR have been well for 50 months. Another who underwent AVR+MAP and redo AVR due to aortic paravalvular leakage was died of congestive heart failure. The other who underwent AVR+MVR and repeated AVR three times because of aortic paravalvular leakage is in condition of aortic paravalvular leakage. Paravalvular leakage is considered to recur due to progressive dilatation and fragility of aortic root that is the result of pathologic change of Behcet syndrome in it. If Open heart surgery is needed in Behcet`s syndrome during inflammatory reaction is active, postoperative complications such as paravalvular leakage or suture line rupture may be prevented with pre- and postoperative anti-inflammatory management.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.881-884
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• 1995

Improvements in the operative management of traumatic aortic transection have resulted in safe and expeditious repair. Nonetheless, multisystem injuries continue to inflict significant numbers of deaths. We have experienced a case of acute traumatic aortic transection in 41 years old male patient by a traffic accident. The transection was just distal to the origin of the left subclavian artery. We have done a synthetic graft interposition under left atrium to left femoral artery bypass with centrifugal pump. His postoperative course was smooth, and discharged without any complications.