• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.217-222
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• 2012

Purpose: Diaphragmatic rupture following trauma is often an associated and missed injury. This report is about our experience with treating traumatic diaphragmatic rupture (TDR). Methods: From January 2007 to September 2012, 18 patients who had a diaphragmatic rupture due to blunt trauma or penetrating injury underwent an operation for diaphragmatic rupture at our hospital. We retrospectively reviewed their medical records, including demographic factors, initial vital signs, associated injuries, interval between trauma and diagnosis, injured side of the diaphragm, diagnostic tools, surgical method or approaches, operative time, herniated organs, complications, and mortality. Results: The average age of the patients was 43 years, and 16 patients were male. Causes of trauma included motor vehicle crashes (n=7), falls (n=7), and stab wounds (n=5). The TDR was right-sided in 6 patients and left-sided in 12. The diagnosis was made by using a chest X-ray (n=3), and thorax or upper abdominal computed tomography (n=15). Ten(10) patients were diagnosed within 12 hours. A thoracotomy was performed in 8 patients, a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery in 4 patients, a laparotomy in 3 patients, and a sternotomy in one patient. Herniated organs were the omentum (n=11), stomach (n=8), spleen and colon (n=6), and liver (n=6). Eighteen diaphragmatic injuries were repaired primarily. Seven patients underwent ventilator care, and two of them had pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome. There were no operative mortalities. Conclusion: Early diagnosis and surgical treatment determine the successful management of TDR with or without the herniation of abdominal organs. The surgical approach to TDR is chosen based on accompanying organ injuries and the injured side.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2010

Background: Patients with vascular diseases commonly have coronary artery disease and associated cardiac problems. Therefore, their underlying heart diseases may be induced or exacerbated after vascular surgery. The effectiveness of SPECT imaging, which is a relatively simple and non-invasive imaging modality, for assessing these underlying heart diseases is still controversial. This study was performed to evaluate the clinical effect of tests and treatment based on SPECT imaging prior to vascular surgery on the development of post-operation cardiac complications. Material and Method: Sixty three patients who were treated at Inje University Pusan Paik Hospital between April 2004 and September 2007 and who underwent adenosine infusion technetium-99m (Tc-99m) tetrofosmin SPECT imaging prior to vascular surgery were selected for this study and we retrospectively reviewed their records. Result: The sensitivity and specificity of detecting a perfusion defect on SPECT to predict the development of cardiac complications was relatively low at 41.2% and 52.2%, respectively. However when coronary angiographies were done on the patients with abnormal SPECT and this was followed by aggressive treatment such as coronary artery intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting based on the angiography results, there was a tendency for lower cardiac complication rates. Conclusion: SPECT imaging shows low effectiveness as a screening test for predicting cardiac complications after vascular surgery.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.75-79
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• 2013

Application of the left lateral tilt position has been recommended during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) of pregnant patients. However, the left lateral tilt could displace the left ventricle (LV) besides the gravid uterus and may compromise the cardiac pump mechanism of CPR. Thus, we investigated the effect of left lateral tilt on the spatial relationship between the anterior-posterior axis (AP axis), which represents the direction of sternal displacement during CPR, and the LV. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scans of 90 patients who underwent virtual gastroscopy using MDCT. Virtual gastroscopy was performed with the patient both in the left lateral tilt position and in the supine position. On an axial image showing the maximal area of the LV, the angle between the AP axis and the LV axis ($Angle_{AP-LV}$), the shortest distance between the AP axis and the mid-point of LV cavity ($D_{AP-MidLV}$) and the shortest distance between the AP axis and the LV apex ($D_{AP-Apex}$) were measured. In the supine scans, the LV was situated on the left side of the AP axis in 87 patients (96.7%). On the left lateral tilt scans, the mean tilt angle was $43.4{\pm}11.0^{\circ}$. $D_{AP-MidLV}$ and $D_{AP-Apex}$ were significantly longer in the left lateral tilt position (p<0.001), but $Angle_{AP-LV}$ was comparable between the positions. This study indicates that the left lateral tilt position may compromise the cardiac pump mechanism of chest compression in pregnant cardiac arrest patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.8
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• pp.558-563
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• 2007

Background: Traumatic aortic rupture is a highly fatal condition in which a patient's outcome is strongly affected by other associated injuries. Selection of the appropriate surgical timing and the management plan is important. Material and Method: The medical records of the 15 traumatic descending thoracic aortic rupture patients who underwent the clamp & sew technique were retrospectively reviewed and checked for the presence of associated injuries and the postoperative course. Result: The hospital mortality was 6.07% (one patient). This patient died intra-operatively and the cause of the death was delayed hemoperitoneum. The mean operative time and aortic clamp time were $231{\pm}53.1$ and $13.1{\pm}5.3$ minutes, respectively. One patient complained the bowel obstructive symptoms at postoperative 10 days. We found the mechanical bowel obstruction on computed tomography of the abdomen, and segmental bowel resection was done. Conclusion: Although several surgical strategies may be appropriate for managing traumatic aortic rupture, the clamp & sew technique is a safe and effective method for the treatment of traumatic aortic injury.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.6-12
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• 2014

Background: Although a residual intimal tear may contribute to the dilatation of the descending aorta following surgical repair of acute type I aortic dissection (AD), its causal relationship has not been elucidated by clinical data due to the limited resolution of imaging modalities. Methods: This study enrolled 41 patients (age, $55.2{\pm}11.9$ years) who were evaluated with dual-source computed tomography (CT) imaging of the whole aorta in the setting of the surgical repair of acute type I AD. Logistic regression models were used to determine the predictors of a composite of the aortic aneurysm formation (diameter >55 mm) and rapid aortic expansion (>5 mm/yr). Results: On initial CT, a distal re-entry tear was identified in 9 patients. Two patients failed to achieve proximal tear exclusion by the surgery. Serial follow-up CT evaluations (median, 24.6 months; range, 6.0 to 67.2 months) revealed that 14 patients showed rapid expansion of the descending aorta or aortic aneurysm formation. A multivariate analysis revealed that the residual intimal tear (odds ratio [OR], 4.31; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02 to 19.31) and the patent false lumen in the early postoperative setting (OR, 4.64; 95% CI, 0.99 to 43.61) were predictive of the composite endpoint. Conclusion: The presence of a residual intimal tear following surgery for acute type I AD adversely influenced the expansion of the descending aorta.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.64-72
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• 2020

Background: It is generally agreed that using a bilateral internal thoracic artery (BITA) composite graft improves long-term survival after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Although the left internal thoracic artery (LITA)-based Y-composite graft is widely adopted, technical or anatomical difficulties necessitate complex configurations. We aimed to investigate whether BITA configuration impacts survival or patency in patients undergoing coronary revascularization. Methods: Between January 2006 and June 2017, 1,161 patients underwent CABG at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, where the standard technique is a LITA-based Y-composite graft with the right internal thoracic artery (RITA) sequentially anastomosed to non-left anterior descending (LAD) targets. Total of 160 patients underwent CABG using BITA with modifications. Their medical records and imaging data were reviewed retrospectively to investigate technical details, clinical outcomes, and graft patency. Results: Modifications of the typical Y-graft (group 1, n=90), LITA-based I-graft (group 2, n=39), and RITA-based composite graft (group 3, n=31) were used due to insufficient RITA length (47%), problems using LITA (28%), and target vessel anatomy (25%). The overall 30-day mortality rate was 1.9%. Among 116 patients who underwent computed tomography or conventional angiography at a mean interval of 29.9±33.1 months postoperatively, the graft patency rates were 98.7%, 95.3%, and 83.6% for the LAD, left circumflex artery, and right coronary artery territories, respectively. Patency rates for the inflow, secondary, and tertiary grafts were 98.2%, 90.5%, and 80.4%, respectively. The RITA-based graft (group 3) had the lowest patency rate of the various configurations (p<0.011). Conclusion: LITA-based Y composite graft, showed satisfactory clinical outcomes and patency whereas modifications of RITA- based composite graft had the lowest patency and 5-year survival rates. Therefore, when using RITA-based composite graft, other options should be considered before proceeding atypical configurations.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.31-35
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• 2012

Background and Objectives: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) represents approximately 80% of all lung cancers. Unfortunately, at their time of diagnosis, most patients have advanced to unresectable disease with a very poor prognosis. The oriental herbal medicine HangAm-Plus (HAP) has been developed for antitumor purposes, and several previous studies have reported its therapeutic effects. In this study, the efficacy of HAP was evaluated as a third-line treatment for advanced-stage IIIb/IV NSCLC. Methods: The study involved six patients treated at the East- West Cancer Center (EWCC) from April 2010 to October 2011. Inoperable advanced-stage IIIb/IV NSCLC patients received 3,000 or 6,000 mg of HAP on a daily basis over a 12-week period. Computed tomography (CT) scans were obtained from the patients at the time of the initial administration and after 12 weeks of treatment. We observed and analyzed the patients overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Results: Of the six patients, three expired during the study, and the three remaining patients were alive as of October 31, 2011. The OS ranged from 234 to 512 days, with a median survival of 397 days and a one-year survival rate of 66.7%. In the 12-week-interval chest CT assessment, three patients showed stable disease (SD), and the other three showed progressive disease (PD). The PFS of patients ranged from 88 to 512 days, the median PFS being 96 days. Longer OS and PFS were correlated with SD. Although not directly comparable, the OS and the PFS of this study were greater than those of the docetaxel or the best supportive care group in other studies. Conclusion: HAP may prolong the OS and the PFS of inoperable stage IIIb/IV NSCLC patients without significant adverse effects. In the future, more controlled clinical trials with larger samples from multi-centers should be conducted to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of HAP.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.58 no.1
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• pp.68-73
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• 2005

Pulmonary sequestration is a very rare congenital malformation in which a mass of pulmonary tissue is detached from the normal lung and receives its blood supply from a systemic artery. It may be clinically asymptomatic or it has a wide spectrum of various clinical manifestations. The clinical therapeutic approach is to resect the sequestered lobe to prevent frequent complication such as infection. The arterial embolization of feeding artery is a new technique and a less invasive treatment than conventional surgical removal. We have experienced a 17-year-old male with pulmonary sequestration whose complaints were pain in left lower chest. He was diagnosed by computed tomography and aortography and successfully treated with embolization of feeding artery. We report a case of pulmonary sequestration treated with arterial embolization instead of surgery.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.71 no.3
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• pp.202-209
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• 2011

Background: A tuberculous destroyed lung is sequelae of pulmonary tuberculosis and causes various respiratory symptoms and pulmonary dysfunction. The patients with a tuberculous destroyed lung account for a significant portion of those with chronic lung disease in Korea. However, few reports can be found in the literature. We investigated the computed tomography (CT) findings in a tuberculous destroyed lung and the correlation with lung function. Methods: A retrospective analysis was carried out for 44 patients who were diagnosed with a tuberculous destroyed lung at the Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital between January 2004 and December 2009. Results: A chest CT scan showed various thoracic sequelae of tuberculosis. In lung parenchymal lesions, there were cicatrization atelectasis in 37 cases (84.1%) and emphysema in 13 cases. Bronchiectasis (n=39, 88.6%) was most commonly found in airway lesions. The mean number of destroyed bronchopulmonary segments was 7.7 (range, 4~14). The most common injured segment was the apicoposterior segment of the left upper lobe (n=36, 81.8%). In the pulmonary function test, obstructive ventilatory defects were observed in 31 cases (70.5%), followed by a mixed (n=7) and restrictive ventilatory defect (n=5). The number of destroyed bronchopulmonary segments showed a significant negative correlation with forced vital capacity (FVC), % predicted (r=-0.379, p=0.001) and forced expiratory volume in one second ($FEV_1$), % predicted (r=-0.349, p=0.020). After adjustment for age and smoking status (pack-years), the number of destroyed segments also showed a significant negative correlation with FVC, % predicted (B=-0.070, p=0.014) and $FEV_1$, % predicted (B=-0.050, p=0.022). Conclusion: Tuberculous destroyed lungs commonly showed obstructive ventilatory defects, possibly due to bronchiectasis and emphysema. There was negative correlation between the extent of destruction and lung function.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.83 no.2
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• pp.157-166
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• 2020

Background: Infectious conditions may increase the risk of venous thromboembolism. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the risk factor for combined infectious disease and its influence on mortality in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). Methods: Patients with PE diagnosed based on spiral computed tomography findings of the chest were retrospectively analyzed. They were classified into two groups: patients who developed PE in the setting of infectious disease or those with PE without infection based on review of their medical charts. Results: Of 258 patients with PE, 67 (25.9%) were considered as having PE combined with infectious disease. The sites of infections were the respiratory tract in 52 patients (77.6%), genitourinary tract in three patients (4.5%), and hepatobiliary tract in three patients (4.5%). Underlying lung disease (odds ratio [OR], 3.69; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.926-7.081; p<0.001), bed-ridden state (OR, 2.84; 95% CI, 1.390-5.811; p=0.004), and malignant disease (OR, 1.867; 95% CI, 1.017-3.425; p=0.044) were associated with combined infectious disease in patients with PE. In-hospital mortality was higher in patients with PE combined with infectious disease than in those with PE without infection (24.6% vs. 11.0%, p=0.006). In the multivariate analysis, combined infectious disease (OR, 4.189; 95% CI, 1.692-10.372; p=0.002) were associated with non-survivors in patients with PE. Conclusion: A substantial portion of patients with PE has concomitant infectious disease and it may contribute a mortality in patients with PE.