Malignant melanoma metastatic to the gastrointestinal tract

A retrospective study of 385 melanoma patients was performed, with the goal of evaluating the clinical characteristics, the role of imaging and the impact of treatment on patients with gastrointestinal (GI) metastases. Eighteen patients (4.7%) had GI tract metastases. In 50% the primary lesion was on the lower extremities (P<0.01), while 61.1% had nodular melanomas (P<0.01). Imaging and/or endoscopy were undertaken In 72.2% of the patients, yielding positive results in all. Eight patients underwent curative surgery, two received no treatment, while the remaining eight patients had chemotherapy or immunochemotherapy. Long-term palliation was offered to 87.5% of the surgical patients compared with 50% of the patients treated medically. Median survival in the patients treated with surgery was 47.5 months compared with 5.8 months in the medical group (P<0.01). GI tract metastases were more common in patients with nodular melanoma of the lower extremities. To our knowledge, this Is the first study correlating the primary lesion’s characteristics with the development of GI tract metastases. Imaging Is effective in the diagnosis of GI tract involvement. Melanoma patients with GI tract metastases can benefit from palliation by surgical resection. Survival Is Improved when such patients are treated with curative surgery. (C) 2002 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Ultrasound findings of teres minor denervation in suspected quadrilateral space syndrome

Isolated teres minor denervation is an uncommon finding on sonographic examination. We present a case of a 64-year-old man with increased echogenity of the teres minor muscle and a slight reduction in muscle bulk. Investigation of a suspected axillary nerve lesion included a detailed sonographic examination of the posterior shoulder and the axillary space, followed by MR imaging and electrophysiologic testing. This case demonstrates the potential importance of examining rotator cuff muscles when performing sonographic examination of the shoulder in patients with persistent symptoms, no history of trauma, and absence of tendon tears. (C) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Activity of the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-I axis in critically ill children

Critical illness has an important impact on the human endocrine system. Very few studies have been performed to elucidate the alterations of the GH/IGF-I axis in acutely ill children. The aim of this study was to investigate several parameters of this axis in children with trauma (TRA) and sepsis (SEP) requiring admission to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). A total of 16 children, ten with TRA and six with SEP (age 1-10 years) as well as 18 healthy children (CS) of similar age and gender were included in the study. Two children, one with TRA and one with SEP, died. Serum, IGF-I and -II, IGFBP-1 and -3, and GH levels were measured on days 1, 3 and 7 after admission. GH levels were higher in the patients than in CS (p = 0.04), with no difference between TRA and SEP, and were elevated during PICU stay (p = 0.05). Serum IGF-I, -II and IGFBP-3 were lower in the patients than in CS (p = 0.03, 0.02 and 0.001, respectively) with a tendency to increase up to day 7. Finally, IGFBP-1 levels were similar in the patients and CS. These findings indicate that critically ill children are characterized by low levels of IGF-I and -II as well as IGFBP-3 accompanied by elevated levels of GH, probably reflecting the development of peripheral GH resistance. No significant differences were found between the different catabolic conditions, sepsis and trauma. © Freund Publishing House Ltd., London

Systemic sclerosis associated with generalized vasculitis and hypopituitarism

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a progressively evolving multisystemic disorder of unknown etiology. Beyond skin, several other organs can also be affected with a severity of involvement that is often heterogeneous. We describe a 53-year-old female patient who was admitted urgently to the hospital almost collapsed, because of numerous bleeding deep skin ulcers, located all over the body. Clinical findings and autoantibody screening were typical of SSc. Moreover, both histopathology and immunofluorescence findings were compatible with scleroderma and vasculitis as well. In addition, pituitary hormone investigation revealed severely damaged function of the gland. We assume that severe skin ulceration and serious hypopituitarism were both implications of underlying SSc-associated vasculitis. To the best of our knowledge, these peculiar clinical manifestations have not been described in the international literature to date