• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.357-361
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• 2013

Left ventricular free wall rupture (LFWR) is rare, but is one of the most serious complications of myocardial infarction and is associated with high mortality. Several operative techniques have been attempted, but early diagnosis and prompt surgical management are crucial for a positive patient outcome. We report three cases of LFWR successfully treated with surgical methods.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.404-407
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• 2021

We present a case study of necrotizing fasciitis (NF), a very rare but dangerous complication of chest tube management. A 69-year-old man with shortness of breath underwent thoracostomy for chest tube placement and drainage with antibiotic treatment, followed by a computed tomography scan. He was diagnosed with thoracic empyema. Initially, a non-cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon managed the drainage, but the management was inappropriate. The patient developed NF at the tube site on the chest wall, requiring emergency fasciotomy and extensive surgical debridement. He was discharged without any complications after successful control of NF. A thoracic surgeon can perform both tube thoracostomy and tube management directly to avoid complications, as delayed drainage might result in severe complications.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.277-279
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• 2018

A 68-year-old man presented with a posterior tracheal wall injury caused by percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy. The wound was immediately covered with an absorbable polyglycolic acid sheet. Ten days after the injury, the perforation was closed with knotless sutures using a Castroviejo needle-holder through the tracheostomy. The successful repair in this case indicates the feasibility of the knotless suture technique for perforations. The technique is described in detail in this report. The patient was weaned from the mechanical ventilator on postoperative day 25. In cases of posterior tracheal posterior wall perforation, every effort should be made to repair the perforation through an existing opening.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.239-243
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• 1996

Chest wall reconstruction Is difficult because of the physiological and anatomical functions of thoracic cavity where the thoracic cavity must be stabilized in order to prevent paradoxical motion, and adequate protection must be provided to the mediastinal structures. A 37-year-old male patient with full-thickness defect on the left anterior thoracic cavity due to traffic accident was treated. Emergency operation was performed for debridement and bleeding control, and on postoperative 25 days, chest wall reconstruction was performed as a second-stage operation. Left anterior chest wall was reconstructed with latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap which had thoracodorsal arterial pedicle, and split-thickness skin grift from the left thigh was done. After chest wall reconstruction, spontaneous self-respiration was possible without ventilatory support. The pulmonary function test performed at postoperative 3 months revealed 80% of predicted values (FVC, FEV1.0). The postoperative result of chest wall reconstruction using latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap was excellent anatomically, physiologically and aesthetically.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.149-151
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• 2014

Hemangioma of the heart, presenting as a primary cardiac tumor is extremely rare; it accounts for approximately 2% of all primary resected heart tumors. In our patient, the tumor was located in the orifice of the right lower pulmonary vein. Few cases of cardiac hemangiomas have been reported to arise from the left atrial (LA) wall. Left atrial hemangiomas, especially those attached to the LA wall, may be erroneously diagnosed as myxomas. Cardiac hemangioma is a rare disease; furthermore, a tumor arising from the LA wall and misconceived as a myxoma is extremely rare. We removed a mass misdiagnosed as a myxoma; it was pathologically confirmed to be a cardiac capillary hemangioma. Therefore, we report a rare case of a cardiac hemangioma misconceived as a myxoma; the tumor was removed successfully.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.40 no.7 s.276
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• pp.523-525
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• 2007

Cystic lymphangioma is also called cystic hygroma, and it usually appears in the cervico-facial and axillary regions. It is usually apparent at birth and 90% of the cases appear at the end of second year. We have experienced a 64 year-old-male who had a large cystic lymphangioma in the left posterior chest wall. Surgical excision was done, and his postoperative course was uneventful. He has been well for two years postoperatively.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.4 s.261
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• pp.343-346
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• 2006

An 81-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with bilateral chest wall mass in the infrascapular region. Considering the possible diagnosis of a malignant chest wall tumor at such location, we performed excision and biopsy. Both masses were histologically diagnosed as elastofibroma. We experienced this rare disease, bilateral elastofibroma, so we report this case with a bibliography.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.2
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• pp.183-187
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• 2022

Flail chest is a critical medical condition in which multiple segmentally fractured adjacent ribs cause paradoxical movement of the thoracic cage in patients with severe blunt trauma injury. Surgical stabilization is considered essential in patients who require mechanical ventilation. However, there is no consensus on which surgical procedure to choose among the various available techniques or when to perform surgery. We report the case of a patient with traumatic anterior flail chest due to bilateral multiple fractures of the ribs requiring surgical stabilization in whom weaning from mechanical ventilation had failed. The Nuss procedure using double bars with the bridge technique was performed for chest wall stabilization. The patient was weaned from mechanical ventilation on postoperative day 44 and she underwent bar removal on postoperative day 71. After extensive rehabilitation for multiple trauma, she was discharged successfully. The patient currently shows no recurrence of chest wall depression in outpatient follow-up.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.67-69
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• 2016

Nodular fasciitis is a benign reactive proliferation that usually involves the deep fascia. Although it is relatively common in the adult population, it is often misdiagnosed as sarcoma due to its rapid growth and pathological features. It rarely presents as a chest wall tumor in young patients. Here, we report a case of nodular fasciitis involving the chest wall of an 18-year-old woman and its surgical management. This case underscores the need to consider nodular fasciitis in the differential diagnosis of chest wall tumors in young patients.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 1975

We have experienced 49 cases of tumors of chest wall at St. Mary`s Hospital from Jan. 1963 to Dec.1974. In four cases of them, the reconstruction of chest wall defects performed. 1] Out of 49 cases of tumors of the chest wall, 27 cases were benign tumors, 14 cases metastatic malignant tumors, and 8 cases primary malignant tumors. 2] Twenty-six cases [50%] of tumors of the chest wall were on the bony cage. Among them benign tumors were 9 cases [35%], metastatic malignant tumors 14 cases [53%], and primary malignant tumors 3 cases [12%]. Of these, 24 cases were located on the ribs and 2 cases on the sternum.3] The malignant tumors of bony chest wall were excised in en bloc resection including involved ribs. The wide defects of bony chest wall were reconstructed by means of displacement of neighboring ribs and mobilized diaphragm, in the two osteogenic sarcomas of rib, and of prosthesis with silastic sheets in one rhabdomyosarcoma and one metastatic adenocarcinoma of lung.