• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.449-452
• /
• 1986

A patient with benign superior vena cava syndrome caused by the thrombus and fibrotic membrane in superior vena cava is described. Surgical treatment of superior vena cava syndrome remains controversial still. After endvenectomy and thrombectomy of superior vena cava, angioplasty with use of Gore-Tex patch and bypass graft using 10mm diameter Dacron vessel graft from left innominate vein to right atrial appendage were performed. The early postoperative course was uneventful with achievement of good decompression. But 12 months later, the symptoms of superior vena cava syndrome were reoccurred.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.32 no.12
• /
• pp.1111-1114
• /
• 1999

Cor triatriatum is a rare congenital heart disease that is often lethal in children if not correctly identified and properly managed, Characteristically an anomalous membrane divides the left atrium into two chambers one located posterosuperiorly which is connected to the common pulmonary venous trunk and the other anteroinferiorly which is connected to the left atrial appendage and the mitral valve. Eight patients with Cor triatriatum were been seen at our hospital from 1984 to 1999. The clinical presentation diagnostic evaluation and surgical results are outlined in this retrospective review. Resection of the obstructing anomalous atrial membrane was performed using a hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass in all cases. Right atriotomy was performed in all patients and left atriotomy was performed in a patient who had poor preoperative general conditions and serious cardiac defects(TAPVR & hypoplastic left ventricle) died of low cardiac output during the immediate postoperative period. The postoperative course has been excellent in the remaining. Cor triatriatum is amenable to surgical repair with excellent results when diagnosed early and in those who are not complicated by other complex cardiac anomalies.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.75-82
• /
• 1983

This report is concerned to our experience of 10 cases of open heart surgery under the extracorporeal circulation at the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Capital Armed Forces General Hospital during the period between May, 1982 and February, 1983. 1. Six cases were male and two cases were female. Age was varied from 21 years to 50 years and mean age was 34 years. 2. The cases included 2 Ventricular Septal Defects, 1 Atrial Septal Defect, I Tetralogy of Fallot and 6 acquired valvular heart diseases. 3. The surgical managements were 3 primary repairs for Ventricular Septal Defects and Atrial Septal Defect, I total correction for Tetralogy of Fallot and 6 mitral valve replacements with bovine xenograft by Ionescu-Shiley combining 3 Tricuspid annuloplasties [ De Vega method ] and 1 deauricularization of left atrial appendage for acquired valvular heart diseases. 4. The average cardiopulmonary bypass time was 37 minutes for acyanotic congenital heart diseases and 92 minutes for cyanotic heart disease and acquired valvular heart diseases. And the average aortic cross clamping time was 19 minutes for the former and 70 minutes for the latter. 5. Postoperatively, there were 1 hemolytic anemia, 1 congestive heart failure, 1 hemolytic jaundice and 1 thermal burn as complications, but there was no operative mortality. 6. All patients received valve replacement were recommended anticoagulation with Persantin and Aspirin.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.331-336
• /
• 1983

Cor triatriatum is a rare congenital malformation of the heart, in which a septum stretches in a transverse or oblique plane through the left atrium, thus separating it into two compartments. The upper one connects with the pulmonary veins, and the lower one connects with the left ventricle. Due to the rarity of, and great difficulty in-diagnosing, cor trlatrlatum, data On the surgery of this disease are of necessity very limited and so accurate pre-operative diagnosis was very difficult to make. `We experienced a case of the cyanotic congenital heart disease which was diagnosed as a large atrlal septal defect with streaming venous blood from inferior vena cava to left atrium through atrial septal defect in August, 1982. We found that there were transverse septum in the left atrium through atrlal septal defect, the pulmonary venous drainage were located in the upper chamber of the left atrium, and the lower chamber was connected with the left atrial appendage, mitral valve and `left ventricle. But our case had not any opening in this transverse septum and the right atrium was connected with the upper chamber of the left atrium through the upper part of the atrlal septal defect, and was communicated with the lower chamber of the left atrium through the lower part of the atrlal septal defect. We excised the transverse septum and repair this atrial septal defect with Woven Dacron patch accompanying with the drainage of coronary sinus to right atrium. The post-operative course was not eventful and he was discharged with good result on the post-operative 8th day, and has been in good .condition up to now for longer than 10 months.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
• /
• v.56 no.3
• /
• pp.273-276
• /
• 2024

Spontaneous echo contrast is a swirling, smoke-like echographic pattern observed in B-mode ultrasound imaging, typically arising in areas of blood stasis or low-flow states. This hemodynamic disturbance generates low shear stress due to sluggish flow, leading to endothelial dysfunction and facilitating the activation of fibrinogen, a coagulation factor. Consequently, blood cells, including erythrocytes, readily aggregate, forming a spontaneous echo contrast, a precursor to thrombus formation. Spontaneous echo contrast is primarily found in the left atrium of patients with left atrial enlargement or the left atrial appendage of patients with atrial fibrillation. While less common, it can also be observed in the carotid arteries. This case report presents the imaging findings of spontaneous echo contrast detected during carotid duplex ultrasonography in a patient with metastatic cancer and discusses its clinical implications.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.140-144
• /
• 1979

This is a report of a case of superior vena caval syndrome due to idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis, which was surgically treated. The patient was 35-year-old Korean male who progressively complained shortness of breath about for 40 days prior to operation. Phlebogram of SVC showed indentation of SVC at the site of cavoatrial junction. The operation was performed under impression of bronchogenic cancer of right hilum. After thoracotomy, it was found a irregular mass in the mediastinum at the level of cavoatrial junction, which was developed to surrounding with SVC, pericardium, trachea and bronchus and they fixed together to immobile. Bypass graft between SVC and right atrial appendage was performed using a pericardial roll tube This is a report of a case of superior vena caval syndrome due to idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis, which was surgically treated. The patient was 35-year-old Korean male who progressively complained shortness of breath about for 40 days prior to operation. Phlebogram of SVC showed indentation of SVC at the site of cavoatrial junction. The operation was performed under impression of bronchogenic cancer of right hilum. After thoracotomy, it was found a irregular mass in the mediastinum at the level of cavoatrial junction, which was developed to surrounding with SVC, pericardium, trachea and bronchus and they fixed together to immobile. Bypass graft between SVC and right atrial appendage was performed using a pericardial roll tube [$1.3{\times}5$ cm]. After that SVC was decompressed very well. SVC pressure was markedly reduced from 32 cm $H_2O$ in preoperative to 21 cm $H_2O$in postoperative. Mediastinal fibrosis was confirmed by histopathological examination postoperatively. The postoperative course was uneventful.

• Korean Circulation Journal
• /
• v.53 no.8
• /
• pp.550-562
• /
• 2023

Background and Objectives: To identify the factors associated with adverse outcomes following surgery for functional insufficiency of the mitral valve (MV) or tricuspid valve (TV) associated with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: We evaluated 100 patients (age, 66.5±10.0 years; 47 males) who consecutively underwent surgery for functional insufficiency of the MV or TV associated with AF between January 2000 and December 2020 at our center. The primary outcome was a composite endpoint of all-cause death, valve reoperation, congestive heart failure (CHF) requiring rehospitalization, and stroke. Results: During follow-up (532 patients-years [PYs]), adverse events included death in 16 (3.0%/yr), MV reoperation in 1 (0.2%/yr), CHF in 14 (2.6%/yr), and stroke in 5 (0.9%/yr) patients, demonstrating a 5-year rate of freedom from the primary endpoint of 69.5%. The rate of postoperative AF was high even in those who underwent AF ablation (n=92), with cumulative rates of 48.1% at 1 year and 60.2% at 5 years. In multivariable analyses, the primary outcome was significantly associated with age (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.10; p=0.005), chronic kidney disease (aHR, 7.76; 95% CI, 2.28-26.38; p=0.001), left atrial appendage exclusion (aHR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.16-1.78; p=0.010), and postoperative AF as a time-varying covariate (aHR, 3.33; 95% CI, 1.50-7.40; p=0.003). Conclusion: Among patients undergoing surgery for functional atrioventricular insufficiency associated with AF, a significant proportion showed recurrence of AF over time after concomitant AF ablation, which was significantly associated with poor clinical outcomes.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.53 no.3
• /
• pp.140-143
• /
• 2020

Primary cardiac sarcoma is rare, and intimal sarcoma is an extremely rare and highly lethal disease. We report a case of a 62-year-old woman who was incidentally diagnosed with a primary cardiac sarcoma originating from the left atrial appendage and extending to the left superior pulmonary vein. The location of the tumor was very complicated, posing a major challenge for complete resection. We successfully performed complete resection of the cardiac sarcoma via cardiac autotransplantation with left pneumonectomy. The patient recovered uneventfully, without any adjuvant therapy as of 6 months postoperatively. Autotransplantation of the heart may be suggested as a reasonable surgical option for extensive left atrial tumors.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.83 no.2
• /
• pp.444-449
• /
• 2022

Most cardiac tumors are metastases, and primary cardiac tumors are rare; even among primary cardiac tumors, primary cardiac neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are extremely rare. Herein, we report a case of a patient presenting a left atrial mass without past medical history. Because of the location and movement of the mass, as well as the patient's cerebral infarction episode, the mass was initially suspected to be a thrombus. However, the mass was surgically diagnosed as NET.

• Korean Circulation Journal
• /
• v.52 no.5
• /
• pp.368-378
• /
• 2022

Background and Objectives: Recurrence rates after radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients are not low especially in non-paroxysmal AF. The diameter of left atrium (LA) has been widely used to predict the recurrence after RFCA for decades. However, LA diameter represents structural remodeling of LA and does not reflect electrical remodeling. We aimed to determine the predictive value of electrical remodeling of LA which is represented by the amount of low voltage zone (LVZ). Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of AF patients who underwent de novo RFCA in a single-center. Results: A total of 3,120 AF patients with de novo RFCA were analyzed. Among these patients, 537 patients underwent an electroanatomic mapping with bipolar voltage measurement of LA. The diameter of LA and flow velocity of LA appendage (LAA) differed significantly according to quartile group of LVZ area and percentage: patients with high LVZ had large LA diameter and low LAA flow velocity (p<0.001). Freedom from late recurrence (LR) was significantly lower in patients with high LVZ area and percentage (p<0.001). The diameter and surface area of LA had area under curve (AUC) of 0.592 and 0.593, respectively (p=0.002 for both). The predictive value of LVZ area (AUC, 0.676) and percentage (AUC, 0.671) were both superior compared with LA diameter (p=0.011 and 0.027 for each comparison). Conclusions: In conclusion, LVZ can predict freedom from LR after RFCA in AF patients. Predictive value was higher in parameters reflecting electrical rather than structural remodeling of LA.