• Korean Journal of Bronchoesophagology
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2005

Background : It is well-known that esophageal perforation (EP) is difficult in diagnosis and has high mortality rate despite proper management. There are disputes in regarding the reatment in cases of delayed diagnosis although in the early diagnosed cases, operation is recommended without arguments. Methods: From April, 2001 to December, 2004, nine patients who were diagnosed as EP in our hospital were analyzed retrospectively about the causes, the interval between the cause and the treatment, and operation methods. Results: There were 8 male and one female with men age of 49.3 years (range: 25-67 years). The causes of EP included perforations following operations of corvical spine in three cases, spontaneous perforation(Boehaave syndrome) in two cases, foreign bodies in two cases, operation of esophageal diverticulum in one case and blunt trauma bytraffic accident in one case. Mean interval between the first treatments and the causes was 11.6 days (range: 2-30 days). The sites of perforation were upper third of esophagus in three cases, middle third in three cases and lower third in three cases. All except two cervical cases presented as mediastinitis or empyema at the time of diagnosis. Primary repair and irrigation had been performed in 7 cases but five cases out of them required more than two procedures. Conclusions : More than one procedure wasrequired in the treatment of EP because of contaminations and infections which had been spread at the time of initial manifestatios, howeverprimary closure and massive irrigation is the best method in order to preserve esophagus unless the remaining esophagus is extensively damaged.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.10
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• pp.1123-1128
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• 1996

A clinical study was performed on 152 cases of surgical esophageal disease treated by the Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery of Korea University Hospital from Jan. 1989 through July 1994. The most common esophageal disease was cancer which was seen in 73 cases (48%) among 152 cases. All were treated surgically' 52 patients (71%) were managed by curative or palliative resection with reconstruction and feeding gastrostomy or jejunostomy, otherwise Celestine tube insertion was performed on the remaining 21 patients for palliatio'n. Esophageal leiomyoma occurred in 6 cases(3.9%), among them 1 case was performed with trio recoscopic enucleation . Achalasia were in 7 cases (4.6%) and was treated with modified Heller's m otomy and with Belsey Mark IV operation. Diverticulum were in 11 cases (7.2%). Esophageal stricture occurred in 20 cases (14.1 %) and 17 of 20 cases were managed with bypass surgery. Esophageal perforation was seen in 20 cases, its cause was instrumental trauma in 7 cases, stab wound in 4 cases, foreign body in 4 cases, spontaneous perforation in 3 cases, and others 1 case Other disease including congenital lesion was seen In 1 Scases.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.3 s.260
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• pp.214-219
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• 2006

Background: Perforation of esophagus is relatively uncommon. but it is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Treatment and outcome are largely determined by the time of presentation. We performed a retrospective review of patients with esophageal perforation to assess the outcome of current management techniques. Material and Method: A retrospective chart review was performed on all patients treated for perforation of esophagus from March 1990 to March 2005. There were 28 patients (22 men and 6 women: mean age 51 years, range 17 to 82 years) The causes of the perforations were as follows: foreign body retention (9 patients), trauma (7 patients), spontaneous rupture (7 patients), and iatrogenic (5 pati-ients). 18 patients were presented within 24 hours and 10 patients were presented after 24 hours., Esophageal repair was performed in 21 ($75\%$) of them, 4 patients were treated with esophagectomy, 3 patients were treated with feeding gastrostomy and drainage. Result: Hospital mortality was $18\%$ and iatrogenic was increase the mortality rate (p < 0.05). Site of perforation, time from perforation, and treatment method had no influence on mortality. Postoprative leaks occurred in 4 patients after primary repair and were treated conservatively. Conclusion: Esophageal perforation remains a devastating event which is difficult to diagnose and manage. Primary repair can be performed in most patients with esophageal perforation regardless of time to presentation with a low mortality. Accurate diagnosis and early treatment are essential to the successful management of patients.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.172-175
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• 2019

Although thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) has grown to become the standard of care to treat blunt thoracic aortic injury (BTAI), the long-term effects of TEVAR are still unclear. We here present a 72-year-old man with BTAI due to a traffic accident. He successfully underwent TEVAR and was transferred to another rehabilitation hospital 2 months after the accident. However, 1 month later, he underwent gastroscopy with fever and hematemesis and was diagnosed with aorto-esophageal fistula (AEF). After being re-transferred to Niigata University Medical and Dental Hospital, we tried to convince him to undergo surgical treatment, but he strongly refused. He received palliative care and died due to rupture of the aortic pseudoaneurysm 3 days after the hospital transfer. Fatal complications like AEF may occur after TEVAR, so clinicians need to carefully follow patients who underwent TEVAR.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.261-267
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• 2015

Purpose: Pediatric chest pain is considered to be idiopathic or caused by benign diseases. This study was to find out how much upper gastrointestinal (UGI) diseases are major causes of chest pain in pediatric patients. Methods: The records of 75 children (42 boys and 33 girls, aged 3-17 years old) who have presented with mainly chest pain from January 1995 to March 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Chest X-ray and electrocardiography (ECG) were performed in all aptients. Further cardiologic and gastrointestinal (GI) evaluations were performed in indicated patients. Results: Chest pain was most common in the children of 6 and 9 to 14 years old. Esopha-gogastric diseases were unexpectedly the most common direct causes of the chest pain, the next are idiopathic, cardiac diseases, chest trauma, respiratory disease, and psychosomatic disease. Even though 21 showed abnormal ECG findings and 7 showed abnormalities on echocardiography, cardiac diseases were determined to be the direct causes only in 9. UGI endoscopy was performed in 57 cases, and esophago-gastric diseases which thereafter were thought to be causative diseases were 48 cases. The mean age of the children with esophago-gastric diseases were different with marginal significance from that of the other children with chest pain not related with esophago-gastric diseases. All the 48 children diagnosed with treated with GI medicines based on the diagnosis, and 37 cases (77.1%) subsequently showed clinical improvement. Conclusion: Diagnostic approaches to find out esophageal and gastric diseases in children with chest pain are important as well as cardiac and respiratory investigations.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.8
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• pp.765-767
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• 1999

Tracheobronchial rupture following tracheal intubation is a rare complication. We experienced a case of tracheal rupture following double-lumen endotracheal tube intubation. A 76 year old female was admitted due to coughing and chest discomfort. The operation was performed with the diagnosis of congenital broncho esophageal fistula. During the operation, accidently the main trachea was ruptured longitudinally. There was no history of surgical trauma. The ruptured trachea was repaired with prolene and monofilament absorbable sutures. The cause of tracheal rupture was suspected overinflation of the cuff. The patient was discharged from the hospital without any significant complications.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.47-60
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• 1974

During the past 10 years 114 patients with empyema have been treated in hospital of Chonnam University. There were 87 males and 27 females ranging from 20 days to 70 years of age. The etiology was pyogenic pneumonia in 36.7%, tuberculosis in 22.7%, paragonimiasis in 8.8%, post-thoracotomy in 5.4%, post-trauma in 4.4%, lung abscess in 3.5%, malignancy in 3.5%, post-esophageal operation in 1.8%, and sterile in 10.5%. The over-all mortality rate was 2% [3 patients]. The majority of deaths occurred in patients with associated systemic illness [liver cirrhosis in I, and renal tuberculosis in I] and resistant tuberculosis for anti-tuberculosis drugs in one patient. Adequate drainage and obliteration of the pleural space continues to be the most important aspect of treatment and can frequently be achieved by closed chest tube thoracostomy in acute empyema especially in children. The more chronic thick-walled or loculated cavities require open drainage [open window therapy], decortication, thoracoplasty, sterilization, and myoplasty for closure of tracheobronchial fistula.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.375-377
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• 2003

Pneumomediastinum, also referred to as mediastinal emphysema or Hamman's syndrome, is defined as the presence of air or gas within the fascial planes of the mediastinum. Superior extension of air into the cervicofacial subcutaneous space via communications between the mediastinum and cervical fascial planes or spaces occurs occasionally, Pneumomediastinum frequently results from blunt tracheobronchial lesions and esophageal injuries. However, in most cases, the origin of pneumomediastinum remains unclear. an some cases, it is attributed to the Macklin effect. We report a case of patient with pneumomediastinum, that presented with Macklin effect on chest computed tomographic scan.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1110-1115
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• 1998

Esophagectomy has a high morbidity rate, mainly related to pulmonary complications. The respiratory morbidity of open esophagectomy is high, ranging from 6% to 10%. This high morbidity is partially responsible for the 6∼15% mortality rate of esophagectomy. Many techniques of esophagectomy without thoracotomy have been described since the initial report of Orringer and Sloan. Endoscopic microsurgical dissection of the esophagus was clinically introduced in 1989. Endoscopic microsurgical dissection of the esophagus was developed as a minimally invasive procedure that avoids thoracotomy and provides precise vision during the operation in order to reduce mediastinal trauma and to improve the peri- and post-operative situation. A 20 year-old women who accidentally swallowed about 150 cc of glacial acetic acid underwent an esophagectomy using the operating mediastinoscopy, cervical esophagogastric anastomosis, pyloromyotomy, and feeding jejunostomy tube placement for esophageal stricture. The postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on the 17th postoperative day. Our clinical experience shows that endoscopic microsurgical dissection of esophagus is a safe and feasible method because it offers excellent optical control and enables the surgeon to operate in a minimally invasive manner.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.475-485
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• 1980

For the past 5 year 6 months from January 1975 to June 1980, 176 patients with empyema have been treated in Chonnam University Hospital. They were 134 males and 42 females ranging from ] 8 days to 69 years of age. [mean age: 26.1 years] The duration of illness prior to treatment was relatively shorter in pediatric group than in adult group, that is, the duration of less than 1 month was 89.5% in pediatric group and 38.0% in adult group. In bacteria study there were Staphylococcus 26.1%, Streptococcus 17.6%, E. coil 10.8%, Pseudomonas 10.8%, Diplococcus pneumoniae 5.7% and Candidia. And 4 children and 3 adults had infections of two species of bacteria. The underlying pathologic lesions were pyogenic pneumonia 34.7%, tuberculosis 29.5%, paragonimiasis 15.3%, trauma 9.7% and postoperative state. The over-all mortality rate was 1.7% [3 patients]. The causes of death were sepsis In 1 child and sepsis secondary to esophageal fistula in 2 adults. Adequate drainage and obliteration of the pleural space seems to be the most important aspect of treatment and can frequently be achieved by initial tube drainage in acute empyema, especially in the pediatric group. The chronic thick walled or loculated cavities required open window therapy, decortication, resection therapy and sterilization. Modified Eloesser`s operation and 0.3-0.5% potadine irrigation brought good result in the patients who had general weakness, marked pulmonary parenchymal destruction due to pyothorax, and pyothorax with severe bronchopleural fistula.