• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.42-56
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• 2019

Background: Individuals with mechanical neck pain show biomechanical and neurophysiological changes, including cervical spine muscle weakness. As a result of deep muscle weakness, it causes stability disability and reduced upper thoracic spine mobility, which finally leads to functional movement restriction such as limited range of motion and dysfunction. Recent studies have shown that thoracic spine manipulation and mobilization could reduce symptoms of mechanical neck pain in patients. Objects: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of thoracic mobility exercise on cervicothoracic function, posture feature, and pain intensity in individuals with mechanical neck pain. Methods: The study subjects were 26 persons who were randomly assigned to the experimental (with thoracic mobility exercise) and control groups (without thoracic mobility exercise), with 13 subjects in each group. The cervicothoracic function (neck functional disability level and cervicothoracic range of motion), posture feature, and pain rating (using a quadrupled visual analogue scale [QVAS]) were measured before, after 3 weeks, and after 6 weeks. Results: Statistically significant group-by-time interactions were found with repeated analyses of variance for the Korean neck disability index (KNDI), all cervical range of motion (CROM), all thoracic range of motion (TROM), cranial rotation angle, sagittal shoulder posture (SSP), and QVAS (p<.05). All groups showed significant improvements from all times in all the evaluated methods. The KNDI, CROM, TROM of left rotation, and SSP in the experimental group showed significant improvements after 3 weeks, and the TROM of the right rotation and QVAS in the experimental group showed significant improvements after 6 weeks when compared with the control group. Conclusion: Thoracic mobility exercise during 6 weeks might be effective intervention to improve the functional level, posture feature, and QVAS pain rating for managing individuals with mechanical neck pain.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.61-68
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• 2018

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the effects of self-stretching (SS) and joint mobilization (JM) on pain, craniovertebral angle (CVA), autonomic system function in chronic cervical pain patient with forward head posture (FHP). METHODS: A total of 30 male college students were selected as study subjects, and were divided into Group I (general physical therapy; GPT, n=10), Group II (GPT+SS, n=10), Group III (GPT+JM, n=10). All groups were evaluated three times a week for 4 weeks. Pain was measured by visual analogue scale (VAS), CVA was measured using digital goniometer and autonomic system function (heart rate; HR, skin conductivity; SC, LF norm, HF norm, LF/HF ratio) was measured by Biofeedback ProComp Infiniti. After 4 weeks, paired t-test was used to compare the changes within the group and one way ANOVA was used to compare those between the groups. RESULTS: In Group I, VAS was significantly decreased. In Group II and III was a significantly change in all items. In comparison between Group I and II was a difference in all items except HR. In comparison between Group I and III was a difference in all items. In comparison between Group II and III was a difference in VAS, LF norm and LF/HF ratio. CONCLUSION: This study showed that SS and JM can effectively reduce pain and normalize the autonomic system function.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.339-344
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• 1981

Eight patients underwent tracheal resection and reconstruction for tracheostomy and postintubation injuries from 1971 to early 1981. The ages ranged from 12 years to 59 years. The patients had 7-cuff stenosis and one stomal lesion in whom intubated long. Four male and four female patients were treated. Cervical approach was used in one, cervicomediastinal in 3 and transthoracic in four. The longest length of resection extended to 4 cm in whom cervico-upper half mediastinal incision and neck flexion were applied. Techniques for obtaining tension-free anastomosis included cervical flexion or division of the inferior pulmonary ligament and mobilization of the right hilum. Concurrent tracheostomy was not needed in all. There was one death at the end of emergency operation from anesthetic accident. Granulations at the anastomosis line, necessitating bronchoscopy, were noted in two and the lesion did not recurred after removal. No restenosis or other complications occurred during long follow-up.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 1977

The present treatment of respiratory failure, using cuffed endotracheal and tracheostomy tube has produced, apparently with increasing frequency, three lesions which have serious ceminical manifestations such as tracheal stenosis, tracheomalasia, and localized tracheal erosion. Extensive resection and reconstruction of the trachea must be necessary because conservative treatment has generally failed in the fully developed stenotic lesion. of the mediastinal trachea following extensive resection is best accomplished by direct anastomosis of the patient`s own tracheobronchial tissue. Any replacement of the mediastinal trachea must be air tight and laterally rigid, and must heal dependably. A variety of materials has been used for substitution following circumferential excision of tracheal segments within the mediastinum. These attempts have often failed because of early leak or late stenosis. We have successfully performed circumferential resection and primary end-to-end anastomosis of the trachea for 4 cases of post-intubation tracheal stenosis located a few centimeter below the tracheostomy stoma in the period of 3 years between 1974 and 1976. The lesion in one patient was found in the upper trachea which was approached anteriorly through a cervicomediastinal incision with division of the upper sternum. Other three located in the lower half of the trachea were operated through a high transthoracic incision with appropriate hilar mobilization in addition to cervical flexion for the development of the cervical trachea into the mediastinum. There were no hospital death, but suture line granulations occurred in two patients were managed by bronchoscopic removal of granulations without difficulties.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.139-147
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• 1982

In case of segmental injury of trachea, the primary repair is very difficult, because the trachea is fixed in place without movability from the surrounding tissue. In addition to special anatomical situation of trachea, any ideal artificial prosthesis for tracheal replacement is not still appeared. Many authors proposed several procedures for the tracheal repair, but satisfactory results were few. Among the proposed procedures end to end anastomosis of trachea was noted superior when both ends of trachea could be approximated by mobilization of upper and lower injured trachea. The author's experiment was designed to determine the effect about decreased tension on trachea when the hyoid bone was released downward from the surrounding muscular structures. The experimental dogs were divided into two groups, suprahyoid releasing group (SH R) and control group of intact hyoid. SH R group was subdivided into two groups accord ing to he degree of tension. The experimental results were as follow; 1. SH R group: In view of X-ray, the distance between the angle of mandible and the displaced hyoid bone was lengthened downward. And it's range was from 1.3cm (38%) minimally to 2.7cm(108%) maximally. 2. Control group: The distance between the angle of mandible and hyoid was same in both pre and postoperation. As the result of this experiment study, the suprahyoid release technique seems to be the efficient method that enable of release the trachea maximally. And it should be expected that the SH R technique is applicable clinically.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.15-25
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• 1991

From February 1988 to December 1990, 42 patients underwent so called REV operation for pulmonary stenosis or atresia with or without anomalies of ventriculoarterial connection and truncus arteriosus. The principles of operative technique are mobilization of pulmonary arterial tree beyond the pericardial reflection, transection of pulmonary trunk between the pulmonary ventricle and pulmonary artery, suture of distal pulmonary arterial stump to the upper margin of Pulmonary ventriculotomy site with absorbable suture, and anterior patch with 0.625% glutaraldehyde fixed autologous pericardium with monocusp inside it. Age at operation ranged 3-156months [mean 41.8 month] with twelve of whom infants. Operative indications were pulmonary atresia, with ventricular septal defect[16], and pulmonary stenosis with double outlet right ventricle[8], with ventricular septal defect[16], with double outlet right ventricle[8], with complete transposition of the great arteries[8], with corrected transposition of the great arteries[6], with Fallot`s tetralogy[3], and truncus arteriosus[1]. There were six hospital deaths[14%] and no late death. Twenty-four of 36 survivals were followed up more than 12 months with good clinical results. Postoperative angiocardiogram was performed in fifteen patients. Hemodynamically, two patents had residual pressure gradients along the pulmonary outflow tract, one patient showed severe pulmonary regurgitation; morphologically, there were six significant stenosis of left pulmonary arterial tree, two of whom showed significant pressure gradients. Our present experience with REV operation suggests that this technique make it possible to perform anatomic repair in a wide variety of congenital anomalies of abnormal ventriculoarterial connection associated with pulmonary outflow tract obstruction without using the prosthetic material, even in infants, with relatively low mortality and morbidity.