• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.732-737
• /
• 2009

Background: Many video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomies are performed as a potential alternative to thoracotomy despite the controversy about the safety and the associated morbidity/mortality rates. Material and Method: Between November 2006 and August 2008, we performed 87 lobectomies (VATS 36, Thoracotomy 51) and we retrospectively reviewed the surgical treatment results. A VATS lobectomy was performed by a 4~5 cm thoracotomy without rib spreading and this included anatomic hilar dissection, individual vessel and bronchus stapling and lymph node dissection. Result: We studied 52 male and 35 female patients whose age ranged from 6 to 79 (average age: $59.8{\pm}15.0$ years). The cases were diagnosed with lung cancer (66) (SQC 24, ADC 38, others 4), pulmonary metastasis (2), carcinoid (2) and benign diseases (17). There was no intraoperative death. Postoperative complications were seen in 5 (15.6%) VATS and 33 (64.7%) thoracotomies, and perioperative death caused by adult respiratory distress syndrome occurred in 1 (2.8%) VATS and 3 (5.9%) thoracotomies. Three patients Underwent conversion to thoracotomy (8.3%). The mean time to chest tube removal was 6 days for VATS and 9.4 days for thoracotomy (p<0.001), and the mean length of the hospital stay was 8 days for VATS and 12.8 days for thoracotomy (p<0.001). Conclusion: VATS lobectomy can be performed safely with low morbidity/mortality rates. Furthermore, all the patients benefited from earlier postoperative rehabilitation and less pain and they were candidates for an earlier return to normal activities.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.725-731
• /
• 2009

Background: Lobectomy and more extended anatomic resection are regarded as standard treatment for stage Ia non-small cell lung cancer, but approximately 15~40% of patients suffer from treatment failures such as cancer recurrence or death. The authors analyzed types and causes of treatment failures in surgically treated cases of stage Ia non small cell lung cancer. Material and Method: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 156 patients who had undergone complete resection for stage Ia NSCLC between Jan 1992 and Aug 2005. Patients were divided into two different treatment failure groups: cancer-related deaths and non-cancer-related deaths. Risk factors were analyzed in each group by the Kaplan-Meyer survival method and the Cox proportional hazard model. Result: Among the 156 patients, 93 were males; the mean age was 61. The median follow-up period was 33.8 months. The 5 year survival rate was 87.6%. Microscopic lympho-vascular permeation was reported in 10 patients. Recurrence was reported in 19 patients and 12 patients died due to recurrent lung cancer. Noncancer related deaths occurred in 16 patients. Risk factors for cancer recurrence and cancer related death were microscopic lympho-vascular permeation (HR=6.81, p=0.007, HR=7.81, p<0.001); for non-cancer related death, risk factors were pneumonectomy (HR=25.92, p=0.001) and postoperative cardiopulmonary complications (HR=29.67, p=0.002). Conclusion: After complete resection of stage Ia non small cell lung cancer patients, mortality includes not only cancer related deaths but also cancer unrelated deaths. Adjuvant chemotherapy is advised for patients who show microscopic lympho-vascular permeation, which is a risk factor for recurrence and for cancer related death. Patients who had pneumonectomy or who suffered from cardiac or respiratory complications need meticulous care in order to reduce comorbidity-induced death.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.40 no.9
• /
• pp.607-612
• /
• 2007

Background: Surgical resection is a standard treatment for pulmonary metastases in patients with osteosarcoma, but the role of performing repeated resections is not clear. This study was designed to clarify the feasibility of performing a repeated pulmonary metastasectomy and the prognostic factors for pulmonary metastases in patients with osteosarcoma. Material and Method: Between January 1990 and July 2005, 62 patients with osteosarcoma were diagnosed with pulmonary metastases and 36 patients underwent pulmonary resection. We reviewed the patients retrospectively. Result: The total number of pulmonary metastasectomies was 62 in 30 patients. Among 36 patients, 18 had a second metastasectomy, 7 had a third metastasectomy, and one patient had a fourth metastasectomy. There was no distinctive difference between the first and second metastatectomy in terms of median survival time, and the 3-year and 5-year survival rate (first resection: 20.5 months, 32.0% and 29,4%; second resection: 11.3 months, 34.9% and 34.%). However, the median survival time (7.1 months) was shorter in patients with a third metastatectomy than in patients with one metastatectomy (p=0.01). In long-term survivors, the number of female patients, patients with a disease free time longer than 12 months, patients with a single metastasis and patients with anatomic resection was larger when compared to non-long term survivors, but showed no statistical significance. Conclusion: Repeated pulmonary metastasectomy is expected to prolong survival time in patients with osteosarcoma, and is expected to increase long-term survival in selected cases. Further studies with a large number of patients are necessary.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.265-274
• /
• 2001

Purpose : Proctitis is one of acute complications encountered when radiotherapy was appled to the pelvis. Radiation-induced proctitis represents similar microscopic findings that are observed in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in the inflammatory process and many data suggest a close relationship between NO production and gastrointestinal inflammation. This study was aimed to establish the optimal radiation dose for radiation-induced proctitis in rat and to find a relationship between radiation proctitis and NO production. Materials and methods : Female Wistar rats, weighing from 150 to 220 g, received various doses(10-30 Gy) of radiation to the rectum. On the 5th and 10th day after irradiation, rectal specimens were evaluated grossly and microscopically. In addition, the degree of NO production by irradiation dose was evaluated by study with NOS expression and nitrite production in the irradiated rectal tissue. To evaluate relationship between radiation proctitis and NO, we administered aminoguanidine, iNOS inhibitor and L-arginine, substrate of NOS to rats from 2 days before to 7 days after the irradiation. Results : There were obvious gross and hostological changes after 17.5 Gy or higher radiation dose but not with 15 Gy or less radiation dose. Twenty Gy or higher dose of radiation caused Grade 4 damage in most of rectal specimens which were more likely to be related to the late complications such as fibrosis, rectal bleeding and rectal obstruction. A single fraction of 17.5 Gy to the rat rectum is considered to be an optimal dose to produce commonly experienced proctitis in the clinic. The result demonstrated that severity of microscopic damage of rectal mucosa from irradiation significantly correlated with iNOS over-expression. However, administration of iNOS inhibitor or substrate of iNOS did not influence the degree of rectal damage. Conclusion : A single fraction of 17.5 Gy irradiation to the rat rectum considered to be an optimal dose for radiation induced proctitis model. These results indicated that an excess production of NO contributes to pathogenesis of radiation-induced proctitis in part but was not the direct cause of rectal damage.

• Archives of Hand and Microsurgery
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.230-238
• /
• 2018

Purpose: Metacarpal fractures are common injuries of the hand. They are treated using closed reduction (CR) or open reduction (OR) techniques. The management strategy depends on fracture site characteristic and fixation methods. In this study, we evaluated pre- and postoperative fracture angulation, when metacarpal fractures bad been treated using two different techniques: CR with parallel transverse pinning and OR with plate fixation. Methods: Forty-six patients undergoing anatomic reduction to treat extra-articular metacarpal fractures were recruited. They were included in one of two therapeutic groups: Group 1, CR with parallel transverse pinning (n=21); Group 2, OR with plate fixation (n=25). Fracture angulation values have been measured on pre- and postoperative radiologic images. Values were compared between pre- and postoperative states, and between corresponding measurements of each group. Results: All extra-articular metacarpal fractures were successfully treated without wound related complications or the limit of joint motion. Both groups demonstrated adequate reduction at immediate postoperative period (postoperative angulation of group 1, $20^{\circ}{\pm}7^{\circ}$; group 2, $19^{\circ}{\pm}5^{\circ}$). During the observation at follow-up period, Group 1 exhibited slight recurrence (follow-up angulation of group 1, $24^{\circ}{\pm}10^{\circ}$). Nonetheless, Group 2 showed adequate reduction state in both immediate postoperative and long-term follow-up periods (follow-up angulation of group 2, $18^{\circ}{\pm}6^{\circ}$). Conclusion: Extra-articular metacarpal fractures were successfully restored without functional complications. CR with parallel transverse pinning method exhibited recurrence after pin removal, which necessitates cautious postoperative exercise and monitoring.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
• /
• v.53 no.6
• /
• pp.513-521
• /
• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness and complications of an ultrasound-guided axillary brachial plexus block performed by orthopedic surgeons. Materials and Methods: From March to May 2017, an ultrasound-guided axillary brachial plexus block was performed on a total of 103 cases of surgery. A VF13-5 transducer from Siemens Acuson X300 was used. The surgical site was included in the range of the anatomic sensory distribution of the blocked nerve, except for the case where an operation time of more than 2 hours was expected due to multiple injuries and the operation of the upper arm. The procedure was performed by 2 orthopedic surgeons in the same method using 50 ml of solution (20 ml of lidocaine HCl in 2%, 20 ml of ropivacaine in 0.75%, 10 ml of normal saline in 0.9%). The success rate of anesthesia induction during surgery, anesthetic induction time, anatomical range of operation, duration of postoperative analgesia and complications were investigated. Results: The results from the 2 practices were similar. The anesthesia was successful in 100 out of 103 patients (97.1%). In these patients, the average needling time was 5.5 minutes (2.5-13.2 minutes), the average induction time to complete anesthesia was 18.4 minutes (5-40 minutes), and the average duration of postoperative analgesia was 402.8 minutes (141-540 minutes). The post-anesthesia immediate complications were dizziness in 1 case, nausea and vomiting in 4 cases, and peri-oral numbness in 2 cases, but surgery was performed without problems. All these 7 cases with complications recovered on the same day. A total of 3 cases failed with anesthesia, and they were treated by an injection with local anesthesia in the operation room in 2 cases and switched to general anesthesia in 1 case. Conclusion: An ultrasound-guided axillary brachial plexus block, which was performed by orthopedic surgeons allows anesthesia in a brief period and the high success rates of anesthesia for certain surgeries of the elbow and surgeries on forearm, wrist and hand. Therefore, it can reduce the waiting time to the operating room. This technique is a relatively safe procedure and dose selective anesthesia is possible.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
• /
• v.54 no.4
• /
• pp.343-352
• /
• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to document the sonographic morphology of the subscapularis footprint, particularly the 1st facet, of the non-pathologic subscapularis tendon and footprint, and analyze the correlation between the size of the 1st facet and the demographic variables. Materials and Methods: Between March 2015 and December 2017, retrospectively data analysis was performed for the ultrasound (US) scans of 115 consecutive shoulder (mean age 53.4 years, range 23-74 years) with non-pathologic subscapularis tendon and footprint. The sonographic findings of the 1st facet of the subscapularis footprint was a very unique, flat, broad, and plane angle in the upward direction, which were distinguished from the other facets. On US, the transverse (medio-lateral) and longitudinal (superior-inferior) length of the 1st facet on axis of the humerus shaft were recorded. The demographic variables, including age, site, body height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and arm length, were reviewed. Results: On US, the mean transverse length of the 1st facet was 12.75 mm (range 10.54-14.50 mm, standard deviation [SD] 0.712) and the mean longitudinal length was 12.22 mm (range 9.20-13.30 mm, SD 0.888). The transverse and longitudinal length of the size of the 1st facet were significantly greater in males than in females (p<0.001, p=0.001). Of the demographic data (body height, weight, BMI, arm length) that showed a significant positive linear correlation, the correlation with body height (transverse r=0.749, p<0.001; longitudinal r=0.642, p<0.001) showed the strongest relationship, and the correlation with the BMI was weakly related. The relationships between the size of the 1st facet to site/age were not statistically significant or appeared to have no linear correlation. Conclusion: The structural and morphologic features of the 1st facet of the subscapularis footprint on the US were identified. This will provide anatomic knowledge of an US examination for subscapularis tendon pathology.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.44 no.1
• /
• pp.136-145
• /
• 1997

Background : Tracheal Gas Insufflation (TGI) is one of the newer ancillary measures in mechanical ventilation employed to enhance carbon dioxide elimination. TGI exerts its effect through reduction of deadspace ventilation, but the factors determining its effect are not well studied yet. Method : The subjects were seven mechanically-ventilated patients ($58.8{\pm}10.6$ yrs) who showed increased physiologic deadspace greater than 60%. After 30 nun of stabilization with 100% oxygen on pressure control ventilation, continuous flow TGI was administered via the insufflation lumen of Hi-Lo Jet Tracheal Tube (Mallincrodt, USA) for 15 min at 3 L/min and 5 L/min each. Results : $PaCO_2$ was decreased ($51.4{\pm}17.6$ at baseline, $49.1{\pm}18.9$ at TGJ 3 L/min $45.0{\pm}14.9$ mm Hg at TGI 5 L/min, p=0.050), and pH was increased ($7.37{\pm}0.12$, $7.38{\pm}0.13$, $7.39{\pm}0.12$, respectively, p=0.037) while mixed expired $CO_2$ ($P_ECO_2$) was not changed significantly from baseline (p=0.336) by TGI. Physiologic deadspace(Vdphy) was decreased ($73.0{\pm}7.9$% at baseline, $69.8{\pm}10.0$% at TGI 3 L/min, and $67.1{\pm}10.1$% at TGI 5 L/min, p=0.015). $AaDO_2$(p=0.147), Vt(p=0.2140), Pmean(p=0.7788) and mean arterial pressure(p=0.4169) were not changed. The correlation between % maximal decrease of Vdphy were r=0.790 with the ratio of baseline Vdana/Vdphy(p=0.035) and r=-0.754 with baseline Vdalv(p=0.050). Conclusion: TGI was effective in reducing $PaCO_2$ and deadspace, and the deadspace-reducing effect was best correlated with baseline anatomic/physiologic deadspace ratio.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• v.42 no.4
• /
• pp.480-486
• /
• 2009

Background: The Fogarty thromboembolectomy catheter technique was devised to extract distal arterial emboli and it represents a milestone for the treatment of patients with acute arterial occlusion since the 1960s. The major causes of arterial occlusion have changed from emboli of a heart origin to atherosclerosis over the past 30 years. Accordingly, questions have been raised about the effectiveness of simple Fogarty thromboembolectomy. Material and Method: During the period from March 1990 through August 2008, 156 patients who requiring Fogarty thromboembolectomy were analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups: those with simple Fogarty thromboembolectomy (Group 1, 79 patients) and those with additional vascular bypass graft surgery (Group 2, 77 patients). The duration of symptoms, the cause of thrombi, admission via the emergency room, a history of acupuncture or misdiagnosis, combined diseases, the anatomic occlusion site and the cause of death were analyzed using T-tests, cross tab tests, Chi square tests and Kaplan-Meier tests, respectively. Result: The mean age was 64$\pm$10 years in the 2 groups. The duration of symptoms (pain) in Group 1 vs Group 2 was 12$\pm$4 days vs 71$\pm$14 days (p=0.001). 50 (63%) patients in Group 1 were admitted via the emergency room vs 18 (23%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.005). Misdiagnosis and the treatment for herniated intervertebral disc or acupuncture were given to, 20 (25%) patients in Group 1 vs 30 (39%) patients in Group 2. Anticoagulation treatment before admission was performed in 22 (28%) patients in Group 1 vs 11 (14%) patients in Group 2. The causes of thrombi were heart disease in, 24 (30%) patients in Group 1 vs 6 (8%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.001), atherosclerosis in 46 (58%) patients in Group 1 vs 67 (87%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.001) and trauma in 9 (11%) patients in Group 1 vs 6 (8%) patients in Group 2. The combined diseases were cerebrovascular accident, hypertension and diabetes mellitus in 22 $\sim$ 37% of the total patients. The occlusion sites were mainly in the iliac and femoral arteries. Endarterectomy was performed in 7 (9%) patients in Group 1 vs 18 (23%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.012). Treatment was successful in 27 (34%) patients in Group 1 and in 40 (52%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.019). Reocclusion occurred in 37(47%) patients in Group 1 vs 20 (26%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.000), Amputation was done in 4 (5%) patients in Group 1 vs 12 (16%) patients in Group 2 (p=0.012) and death occurred in 10 (13%) patients (Group 1) vs 3(4%) patients (Group 2) (p=0.044). Conclusion: The recent past has shown a decline in the effectiveness of simple Fogarty thromboembolectomy with a changing pattern of acute arterial occlusion from a rheumatic heart origin to atherosclerosis. Additional bypass procedures play a role for the treatment of arterial occlusion instead of always performing simple Fogarty thromboembolectomy.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.77-81
• /
• 2009

Purpose: The PET of the PET/CT (Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography) quantitatively shows the biological and chemical information of the body, but has limitation of presenting the clear anatomic structure. Thus combining the PET with CT, it is not only possible to offer the higher resolution but also effectively shorten the scanning time and reduce the noises by using CT data in attenuation correction. And because, at the CT scanning, the contrast media makes it easy to determine a exact range of the lesion and distinguish the normal organs, there is a certain increase in the use of it. However, in the case of using the contrast media, it affects semi-quantitative measures of the PET/CT images. In this study, therefore, we will be to establish the reliability of the SUV (Standardized Uptake Value) with CT data correction so that it can help more accurate diagnosis. Materials and Methods: In this experiment, a total of 30 people are targeted - age range: from 27 to 72, average age : 49.6 - and DSTe (General Electric Healthcare, Milwaukee, MI, USA) is used for equipment. $^{18}F$- FDG 370~555 MBq is injected into the subjects depending on their weight and, after about 60 minutes of their stable position, a whole-body scan is taken. The CT scan is set to 140 kV and 210 mA, and the injected amount of the contrast media is 2 cc per 1 kg of the patients' weight. With the raw data from the scan, we obtain a image showing the effect of the contrast media through the attenuation correction by both of the corrected and uncorrected CT data. Then we mark out ROI (Region of Interest) in each area to measure SUV and analyze the difference. Results: According to the analysis, the SUV is decreased in the liver and heart which have more bloodstream than the others, because of the contrast media correction. On the other hand, there is no difference in the lungs. Conclusions: Whereas the CT scan images with the contrast media from the PET/CT increase the contrast of the targeted region for the test so that it can improve efficiency of diagnosis, there occurred an increase of SUV, a semi-quantitative analytical method. In this research, we measure the variation of SUV through the correction of the influence of contrast media and compare the differences. As we revise the SUV which is increasing in the image with attenuation correction by using contrast media, we can expect anatomical images of high-resolution. Furthermore, it is considered that through this trusted semi-quantitative method, it will definitely enhance the diagnostic value.