Mesothelial Cyst of the Round Ligament Misdiagnosed as Irreducible Inguinal Hernia

We report the case of a 36-year-old woman who presented with signs and symptoms of an irreducible inguinal hernia. Surgical exploration revealed a mesothelial cyst of the round ligament of the uterus. Mesothelial cysts of the round ligament are rare lesions, frequently masquerading as inguinal hernias, and should be included in the differential diagnosis of any inguinal mass. Clinical findings are those of a groin mass, discomfort, and bulging. Ultrasound and CT scans often demonstrate an aperistaltic cystic mass. Definitive diagnosis is usually made intraoperatively and confirmed histopathologically

Transient Femoral Nerve Palsy Complicating “Blind” Transversus Abdominis Plane Block

We present two cases of patients who reported quadriceps femoris weakness and hypoesthesia over the anterior thigh after an inguinal hernia repair under transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block. Transient femoral nerve palsy is the result of local anesthetic incorrectly injected between transversus abdominis muscle and transversalis fascia and pooling around the femoral nerve. Although it is a minor and self-limiting complication, it requires overnight hospital stay and observation of the patients. Performing the block under ultrasound guidance and injecting the least volume of local anesthetic required are ways of minimizing its incidence

Clinical significance of tumor-associated antigen RCAS1 expression in human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Receptor-binding cancer antigen expressed on SiSo cells (RCAS1) is a human tumor-associated antigen that induces cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis in RCAS1 receptor-expressing immune cells. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the clinical significance of RCAS1 expression in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Immunohistochemical analysis of RCAS1 expression was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue sections obtained from 76 pancreatic adenocarcinoma patients. RCAS1 positivity and overexpression and intensity of the staining were correlated with clinicopathological parameters, proliferative capacity and patient survival. Of the 76 adenocarcinoma patients, 65 (86%) tested positive for RCAS1; of these 65 RCAS1-positive cases, 36 (55%) showed RCAS1 overexpression. RCAS1 positivity was statistically significantly correlated with the histopathological grade of the tumor (P = 0.026), and it showed a trend to be correlated with tumor size (P = 0.071). RCAS1 intensity and overexpression of staining showed a trend to be correlated with the histopathological grade of the tumor (P = 0.061 and P = 0.089, respectively), whereas RCAS1 positivity and the overexpression and intensity of staining were not statistically significantly correlated with the proliferative capacity of the tumor or any other clinicopathological parameter examined nor with patients' survival. Our data provide evidence for the implication of RCAS1 in pancreatic neoplasia. However, the prediction of survival using RCAS1 expression as a marker seems uncertain for this type of cancer