• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• 제24권1호
• /
• pp.111-119
• /
• 2020

In vascular smooth muscle, K⁺ channels, such as voltage-gated K⁺ channels (Kv), inward-rectifier K⁺ channels (Kir), and big-conductance Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ channels (BK_Ca), establish a hyperpolarized membrane potential and counterbalance the depolarizing vasoactive stimuli. Additionally, Kir mediates endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization and the active hyperemia response in various vessels, including the coronary artery. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) induces right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH), thereby elevating the risk of ischemia and right heart failure. Here, using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique, we compared Kv and Kir current densities (I_Kv and I_Kir) in the left (LCSMCs), right (RCSMCs), and septal branches of coronary smooth muscle cells (SCSMCs) from control and monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH rats exhibiting RVH. In control rats, (1) I_Kv was larger in RCSMCs than that in SCSMCs and LCSMCs, (2) I_Kv inactivation occurred at more negative voltages in SCSMCs than those in RCSMCs and LCSMCs, (3) I_Kir was smaller in SCSMCs than that in RCSMCs and LCSMCs, and (4) I_BKCa did not differ between branches. Moreover, in PAH rats, I_Kir and I_Kv decreased in SCSMCs, but not in RCSMCs or LCSMCs, and I_BKCa did not change in any of the branches. These results demonstrated that SCSMC-specific decreases in I_Kv and I_Kir occur in an MCT-induced PAH model, thereby offering insights into the potential pathophysiological implications of coronary blood flow regulation in right heart disease. Furthermore, the relatively smaller I_Kir in SCSMCs suggested a less effective vasodilatory response in the septal region to the moderate increase in extracellular K⁺ concentration under increased activity of the myocardium.

• Anatomy and Cell Biology
• /
• 제56권1호
• /
• pp.155-159
• /
• 2023

Studies describing the vascular systems and their variations in Situs inversus totalis (SIT) from a whole-body computed tomographic (CT) angiography perspective are lacking. We report a case of SIT in which postmortem CT angiography (PMCTA) was performed as a part of the forensic death investigation and incidentally detected several vascular variations in it. The PMCTA procedure was performed using the multiphase PMCTA protocol. Almost all major vessels were visualized, indeed in a completely reversed pattern. Contrast mixture flow interruptions were noted in the right coronary arterial branches suggesting possible blockage, upon which autopsy revealed >90% vessel occlusions at several locations. As such the cause of death was due to ischemic heart disease. Anomalous origins of the right internal mammary artery; abnormal left thyrocervical trunk and variations in the drainage of testicular veins were noted. Our findings might be helpful to clinicians and add to the body of literature on SIT.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
• /
• 제33권3호
• /
• pp.242-249
• /
• 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the dosimetry of electron beam (EB) plans and three-dimensional helical tomotherapy (3DHT) plans for the patients with left-sided breast cancer, who underwent breast conserving surgery. Materials and Methods: We selected total of 15 patients based on the location of tumor, as following subsite: subareolar, upper outer, upper inner, lower lateral, and lower medial quadrants. The clinical target volume (CTV) was defined as the area of architectural distortion surrounded by surgical clip plus 1 cm margin. The conformity index (CI), homogeneity index (HI), quality of coverage (QC) and dose-volume parameters for the CTV, and organ at risk (OAR) were calculated. The following treatment techniques were assessed: single conformal EB plans; 3DHT plans with directional block of left anterior descending artery (LAD); and 3DHT plans with complete block of LAD. Results: 3DHT plans, regardless of type of LAD block, showed significantly better CI, HI, and QC for the CTVs, compared with the EB plans. However, 3DHT plans showed increase in the $V_{1Gy}$ at skin, left lung, and left breast. In terms of LAD, 3DHT plans with complete block of LAD showed extremely low dose, while dose increase in other OARs were observed, when compared with other plans. EB plans showed the worst conformity at upper outer quadrants of tumor bed site. Conclusion: 3DHT plans offer more favorable dose distributions to LAD, as well as improved target coverage in comparison with EB plans.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• 제9권1호
• /
• pp.235-238
• /
• 1996

Hyperhidrosis is the distressing condition of abnormal sweating which affects the palm, sole and axillary region. Transthoracic endoscopic sympathectomy is recommended as the treatment of choice for hyperhidrosis, especially when the upper limbs are affected. We experienced a case of accidental cauterization of right azygos vein in a healthy 23 year old male during endoscopic transthoracic sympathectomy. We changed the single lumen endotracheal tube to a double lumen tube which made it easier to perform the explo-thoracotomy and bleeder ligation under one lung ventilation. Crystalloid and colloid solutions, and packed RBC were loaded during explo-thoracotomy. Monitoring showed the signs indicating pulmonary edema. Pulmonary arterial catheterization revealed global heart failure. The patient was transfered to ICU for intensive management for heart failure. On the 4th postoperative day, pulmonary edema and heart failure were cured; and the patient was extubated. But in the evening of the same day ST-segment elevation and Q-wave were noted on ECG monitoring. On the 13th postoperative day coronary angiography was performed. This revealed left apex focal hypokinesia, patent coronary artery and accidental right coronary spasm, treated by vasodilator. On the 14 day, after surgery, he was discharged to return to work.

• 대한의생명과학회지
• /
• 제17권2호
• /
• pp.113-122
• /
• 2011

Several studies have reported a relation between serum levels of uric acid and a wide variety of cardiovascular conditions. But, the relationship between serum levels of uric acid and coronary artery disease (CAD) is still controversial. The present study was retrospectively designed to investigate whether CAD can be stratified by the level of uric acid and there are the relationships between preoperative levels of uric acid and perioperative biochemical markers in fifty-adult patients that underwent coronary artery bypass grafting surgery (CABG) and twenty-normal subjects. They were divided into the control, the unstable angina (UA-group) and the myocardial infarction group (MI-group). In preoperative levels of uric acid, the MI-group was higher than control and the UA-group. The MI-group had significantly higher correlations than the UA-group between preoperative levels of uric acid and left ventricular ejection fraction, cardiac markers (creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase and brain natriuretic peptide), renal markers (blood urea nitrogen and creatinine) or total leukocyte levels. At postoperative periods, the MI-group had higher relationships of uric acid with aspartate aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen or creatinine levels. Although there was not statistically significant, the UA-group tended to have higher correlation coefficients than the MI-group between preoperative levels of uric acid and intensive care unit-stay (ICU), or postoperative mechanical ventilation time. These results reflect that increased levels of serum uric acid may be a tool for the diagnosis of coronary heart disease and may be considered as a good predictor in assessing the cardiac and renal functions in patients with myocardial infarction or unstable angina at the preoperative period. However, further studies should be performed in a large patient population.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• 제40권3호
• /
• pp.225-227
• /
• 2007

대동맥 wrap-inclusion 술식은 고유의 Bentall 수술에서 수술 후 지나친 수술의 예방을 위해 자주 사용되었다. 비록 이 수술이 대동맥근질환이 있는 환자의 경과를 향상시켰다고는 하나 관상동맥 연결부위의 관상동맥 협착, 비틀림, 가성동맥류 형성 등의 조기 및 만기 합병증의 발생률이 높은 것으로 알려져 있다. Wrap-inclusion 술식을 이용한 복합이식 후 대동맥 주위 가성동맥류 형성은 비교적 드물지만 치명적인 합병증으로 본원에서는 45세의 여자 환자에서 inclusion technique으로 Bentall수술을 받은 후 10년만에 발생한 대동맥주위 가성동맥류를 Cabrol 방법을 이용하여 성공적으로 치료하였기에 보고하는 바이다.

• Korean Journal of Radiology
• /
• 제21권10호
• /
• pp.1165-1177
• /
• 2020

Objective: To assess the feasibility of applying a deep learning-based denoising technique to coronary CT angiography (CCTA) along with iterative reconstruction for additional noise reduction. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 82 consecutive patients (male:female = 60:22; mean age, 67.0 ± 10.8 years) who had undergone both CCTA and invasive coronary artery angiography from March 2017 to June 2018. All included patients underwent CCTA with iterative reconstruction (ADMIRE level 3, Siemens Healthineers). We developed a deep learning based denoising technique (ClariCT.AI, ClariPI), which was based on a modified U-net type convolutional neural net model designed to predict the possible occurrence of low-dose noise in the originals. Denoised images were obtained by subtracting the predicted noise from the originals. Image noise, CT attenuation, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were objectively calculated. The edge rise distance (ERD) was measured as an indicator of image sharpness. Two blinded readers subjectively graded the image quality using a 5-point scale. Diagnostic performance of the CCTA was evaluated based on the presence or absence of significant stenosis (≥ 50% lumen reduction). Results: Objective image qualities (original vs. denoised: image noise, 67.22 ± 25.74 vs. 52.64 ± 27.40; SNR [left main], 21.91 ± 6.38 vs. 30.35 ± 10.46; CNR [left main], 23.24 ± 6.52 vs. 31.93 ± 10.72; all p < 0.001) and subjective image quality (2.45 ± 0.62 vs. 3.65 ± 0.60, p < 0.001) improved significantly in the denoised images. The average ERDs of the denoised images were significantly smaller than those of originals (0.98 ± 0.08 vs. 0.09 ± 0.08, p < 0.001). With regard to diagnostic accuracy, no significant differences were observed among paired comparisons. Conclusion: Application of the deep learning technique along with iterative reconstruction can enhance the noise reduction performance with a significant improvement in objective and subjective image qualities of CCTA images.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• 제37권4호
• /
• pp.369-372
• /
• 2004

인공판막 혈전에 의한 관상동맥 폐쇄 후 발생하는 급성심근경색은 드물지만 치명적인 질환으로 환자들의 생존율을 높이기 위해서는 빠른 진단과 적절한 치료가 중요하다 본원에서는 기계승모판막 혈전에 의한 좌전하행지의 폐쇄로 급성심근경색이 발생한 환자 1예에서 중재시술 및 항혈전요법 후 승모판 재치환술을 성공적으로 시행하였기에 증례 보고하는 바이다.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• 제56권5호
• /
• pp.313-321
• /
• 2023

Background: This study evaluated the early, 1-year, and 3-year graft patency rates and mid-term clinical outcomes after no-touch saphenous veins (NT-SVs) were used as aortocoronary grafts in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods: In total, 101 patients who underwent CABG using NT-SVs as aortocoronary grafts were included. The 2 most common indications for performing aortocoronary grafting with NT-SVs were unavailability of the left internal thoracic artery (n=36) and moderate lesions where flow competition was expected (n=27). Early (median, 1 day; interquartile range [IQR], 1-2 days), 1-year (median, 13 months; IQR, 11-16 months), and 3-year (median, 34 months; IQR, 27-41 months) graft angiography was performed in 98 (97.0%), 84 (83.2%), and 40 patients (39.6%), respectively. The median follow-up duration was 43 months (IQR, 13-76 months). Overall survival rates and the cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiac events were evaluated. Results: The operative mortality rate was 2% (2 of 101 patients). Early postoperative patency rates for overall and aortocoronary NT-SV grafts were 98.2% (223 of 227 distal anastomoses) and 98.2% (164 of 167), respectively. The 1- and 3-year patency rates for aortocoronary SV grafts were 94.9% (131 of 138) and 90.6% (58 of 64), respectively. The overall survival rates at 5 and 10 years were 81.7% and 59%, respectively. The cumulative incidence of major adverse cardiac events at 5 and 10 postoperative years was 20.7% and 39%, respectively. Conclusion: The feasibility of using NT-SVs as aortocoronary grafts in CABG was shown in this study, based on the graft patency rates up to 3 years and the mid-term clinical outcomes.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
• /
• 제38권9호
• /
• pp.609-615
• /
• 2005

배경: 관상동맥루 환자의 수술 적응증과 수술시기에 대하여 여러 가지 논란이 있으나 최근 들어서는 수술의 위험성이 거의 없고 장기 성적을 개선하는 역할을 한다는 이유로 진단이 되면 수술을 하는 것이 대부분의 병원의 치료 전략이다. 본 연구에서는 과거 20년간 본 병원에서 경험한 관상동맥루의 해부학적 다양성과 수술결과를 분석하였다. 대상 및 방법: 1986년부터 2005년까지 단일 병원에서 관상동맥루로 수술 받은 20명의 환자를 대상으로 후향적으로 의무기록을 검토하였다. 결과: 12명($60.0\%$)의 환자들은 술 전 자각 증상이 없었으며 모든 환자를 대상으로 술 전 심전도와 심초음파를 시행하였고 17명의 환자는 관상동맥 조영술까지 시행하였다. 형태학적으로 동일 환자에서 두 군데 이상의 관상동맥루가 있었던 경우는 없었으며 동맥루의 기시부가 좌관상동맥이었던 경우가 11예, 우관상동맥이었던 경우가 9예였다. 관상동맥루의 심장 내 유입위치는 우심실인 경우가 11예, 우심방인 경우가 3예, 주폐동맥인 경우가 2예, 상대정맥인 경우가 1예였으며 좌심실로 유입되는 경우는 3예였다. 병변 부위의 관상동맥은 확장되거나 동맥류를 만들고 있었는데 관상동맥의 확장과 함께 동맥경화가 동반되어 있었던 경우가 1예 있었으나 술 전 심전도상 심근 허혈의 증거는 없었다. 수술은 심장외폐쇄술과 심장내폐쇄술, 혹은 두 가지 방법을 함께 사용하였는데 심장외폐쇄술만을 시행한 경우가 13예로 이 중 관상동맥루의 결찰술만을 시행한 경우가 7예, 결찰술과 추벽성형술을 함께 시행한 경우가 3예, 관상동맥루 종절개를 통해 추벽성형술을 시행한 경우가 2예, 첩포폐쇄술을 시행한 경우가 1예였다. 심장내페쇄술만을 시행한 경우는 5예였고 심장외측에서의 결찰술과 심장내폐쇄술을 함께 시행한 경우가 2예 있었다. 수술 사망은 없었으며 술 후 합병증으로 일시적인 동성부정맥이 2예, 완전방실차단이 1예, 심실기능저하가 2예, 심실성빈맥이 1예, 심막염이 1예, 간질성 발작이 1예 있었으나 퇴원 당시 모두 소실되었다. 평균 추적 관찰 기간은 55.1$\pm$50.2개월(4개월${\~}$18년)이었으며 재발한 경우는 없었으나 우관상동맥에 발생한 관상동맥루에 대해 첩포폐쇄술 후 발생한 근위대동맥의 동맥류성 변화로 인한 2차 수술이 1예 있었다. 결론: 저자 등은 본 연구를 통해 관상동맥루의 해부학적 다양성을 확인할 수 있었으며 정확한 술 전 진단 하에 외과 교정을 시행하였을 때 경험한 모든 경우에 서 재발을 포함한 증상의 잔존 없이 완치가 가능하여 향후에도 진단이 되면 수술하는 것을 본 질환의 치료 원칙으로 삼고자 한다.