• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.379-382
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• 1999

Background: There are several advantages to the ministernotomy approach. The skin incision is much smaller than the traditional median sternotomy incision. This approach allows the patients to return to normal life more quickly and provide them with good self-image. Material and Method: From April to July 1998, we performed a ministernotomy via lower half sternum in 25 patients. There were 10 males(40%) and 15 females(60%) with a mean age of 30${\pm}$16 years(range 3 to 55 years). The body surface area ranged from 0.58 to 1.9 m2(mean 1.5 to 0.4 m2). A vertical skin incision of 11cm in mean length was made in the midline over the sternum extending inferiorly from the third intercostal space. The sternum was divided vertically in the midline from the xyphoid process to the level of second intercostal space using a standard saw and then transversely to the left(n=17) or to both sides(n=4) of the second intercostal space using an oscillating saw. The sternum was divided vertically only in children (n=4). Result: The ministernotomy was used in 25 consecutive patients undergoing mitral valve replacement(n=10), repair of ventricular septal defect(n=4) and atrial septal defect(n=11). There was no significant complication related to ministernotomy. The mean ICU stay time 20 hours. Patient and family acceptance was very high. Conclusion: We concluded that minimally invasive cardiac surgery via ministernotomy can be done safely. These methods may benefit the patients with lesser discomfort, smaller incision, and earlier ICU discharge than the traditional incision.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.38 no.4 s.249
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• pp.301-307
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• 2005

Primary cardiac tumors are known to be rare. We studied the surgical results for primary cardiac tumors. Material and Method: Between August 1980 and December 2003, we classified 86 patients who had operation for primary cardiac tumors in our center into 3 groups; myxoma, nonmyxoma benign tumors, and malignant tumors. The mean age was $44.3\pm20.8$ years and 59 patients $(66.3\%)$ were female. In postoperative pathologic diagnosis, there were 81 cases $(94.2\%)$ of benign tumors in which myxoma was the most common tumor $(70\;cases,\;78.7\%);$ 5 fibroma $(5.6\%)$, 3 rhabdomyoma $(3.4\%)$, and 5 malignant tumors $(5.8\%)$. Result: $86.4\%$ of benign tumor was myxoma and the mean age was $50.4\pm15.4\;(range\;7\~80)$ years. Tumor was more common in females (49 cases) and most common preoperative symptom was dyspnea $(62.9\%)$. 57 cases were located at left atrial septum and only one case, which was located at right ventricular septum, was resected incompletely. There were no hospital deaths and one patient had mitral valve replacement on the first operative day due to newly developed postoperative mitral regurgitation. The mean follow up period was $109.3\pm71.8$ months and there was no evidence of recurrence in this period. 11 cases $(12.8\%)$ were non myxoma benign tumors; 5 fibromas, 3 rhabdo-myomas, etc. There were two hospital deaths and the causes of death were fungal endocarditis and hypoxia. There were no reoperations in nonmyxoma benign tumors. Malignant tumors were in 5 cases $(5.8\%);$ undifferentiated sarcoma in 2, rhabdomyosarcoma in 1, etc. Although there were no hospital mortalities, 3 patients who were followed up died from complications of tumors. Conclusion: Myxomas showed very excellent prognosis after complete resection and nonmyxoma benign tumors showed relatively good results for relief of symptoms. Surgery helped to relieve symptoms for malignant tumors, but the prognosis was poor.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.142-149
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• 2003

To know the feasibility of the coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) for multivessel coronary artery disease with purely bilateral internal thoracic arteries (ITAs), we analyzed the short-term clinical results and the coronary angiography of the patients. Material and Method: From March 2001 to June 2002, four hundred and five patients underwent CABG. Purely bilateral ITAs were used in 159 patients (39.3%). We analyzed these patients retrospectively The mean age of these patients was $61.2{\pm}8.5$ (range: 30 ~80) years and there were 123 male patients. The preoperative risk factors were as follows: diabetes in 54 patients (34.0%), history of acute myocardiac infarction within 4 weeks in 29 (18.2%), and emergency operation in 6 (3.8%). Off-pump CABG was carried out in 128 patients (80.5%). Associated procedures were mitral valvuloplasty (5), aortic valve replacement (3), Dor procedure (1), and so on. Result: The mean number of distal anastomoses was $3.1{\pm}0.9$ (range: 2~6), the mean duration of hospital stay was $8.4{\pm}4.5$ days. There was one (0.6%) operative death. Except for one early death, no other patients suffered from low cardiac output. The other postoperative complications were occurred as follows: reoperation due to bleeding in 3 patients, perioperative myocardiac infarction in 1, transient cardiac arrest in 2, transient cognitive dysfunction in 7, and transient ischemic attack in 1, and deep sternal wound infection in 1 patient. Recently, early postoperative angiography was performed in 19 patients who had triple vessel disease. The total number of distal anastomosis was 78 (mean $4.1{\pm}0.8$/patient). All distal anastomosis sites were patent, but competition flow was observed at the bypass sites where the native coronary artery stenosis was not significant. Conclusion: The CABG with purely bilateral ITAs for triple vessel disease was performed safely. The early patency rate was relatively good in small number of patients. However the long-term patency rate and the functional study to evaluate the sites where competition flow was observed should be followed.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.901-908
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• 2001

Background : Coronary artery bypass graft(CABG) in patients with advanced left ventricular dysfunction has often been regarded as having high mortality rate, despite the great improvement in operative result of CABG. With recent advances in surgical technique and myocardial protection, surgical revascularization improved the symptom and long-term survival of these high risk patients more than the medical conservative treatment. Material and Methold : Clinical data of 31(4.1％) patients with preoperative ejection fraction less than 30% among 864 CABGs performed between January 1995 and March 1999 were retrospectively analyzed and pre- and postoperative changes of the ejection fraction on echocardiography were analyzed. There were 26 men and 5 women. The mean age was 60.7 years(range 41 to 72 years). History of myocardial infarction(30 cases, 98％) was the most common preoperative risk factor. There were seven irreversible myocardial infarction on thallium scan. Most patients had triple vessel diseases(26 cases, 84％) and first degree of Rentrop classification(16 cases, 52％) on coronary angiography. The mean number of distal anastomosis during CABG was per patient was 4.9${\pm}$0.8 sites in each patient. In addition to long saphenous veins, the internal mammary artery was used in 20 patients. Total bypass time was 244.7${\pm}$3.7 minutes(range, 117 to 567 minutes), and mean aortic cross-clamp time was 77.9 ${\pm}$ 1.6 minutes(range, 30 to 178 minutes). There were five other reparative procedures such as two left ventricular aneurysrmectomy, two mitral repair, and one aortic valve replacement. There were twelve postoperative complications such as three cardiac arrhythmia, two bleeding(re-operation), one delayed sternal closure, eleven usage of intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation for low cardiac output. Two patients died, postoperative mortality was 6.5% . Twenty-nine patients were relieved of chest pain and left ventricular ejection fraction after operation was significantly higher(38.5${\pm}$11.6%, p 0.001) as compared with preoperative left ventricular ejection fraction(25.3${\pm}$2.3%). The follow up period of out patient was 25. 3 months. Conclusion: In patients with coronary artery disease and advanced left ventricular dysfunction, coronary artery bypass grafting can be performed relatively safely with improvement in left ventricular function, but it will be necessary to study long term results.