68 research outputs found
A huge posteromedial mediastinal cyst complicated with vertebral dislodgment
BACKGROUND: Mediastinal cysts compromise almost 20% of all mediastinal masses with bronchogenic subtype accounting for 60% of all cystic lesions. Although compression of adjoining soft tissues is usual, spinal complications and neurological symptoms are outmost rare and tend to characterize almost exclusively the neuroenteric cysts. CASE PRESENTATION: A young patient with intermittent, dull pain in his back and free medical history presented in the orthopaedic department of our hospital. There, the initial clinical and radiologic evaluation revealed a mediastinal mass and the patient was referred to the thoracic surgery department for further exploration. The following computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shown a huge mediastinal cyst compressing the T4-T6 vertebral bodies. The neurological symptoms of the patient were attributed to this specific pathology due to the complete agreement between the location of the cyst and the nervous rule area of the compressed thoracic vertebrae. Despite our strongly suggestions for surgery the patient denied any treatment. CONCLUSION: In controversy with the common faith that the spine plays the role of the natural barrier to the further expansion of cystic lesions, our case clearly indicates that, exceptionally, mediastinal cysts may cause severe vertebral complications. Therefore, early excision should be considered especially in young patients or where close follow up is uncertain
A role for surgery in primary pancreatic B-cell lymphoma: a case report
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens
Prosthetic repair of incisional hernia combined with elective bowel opertion
Background and aims: Incisional hernia repair with mesh is considered a
clean operation and it is not recommended to be perfomed at the same
time with a potentially contaminated operation. The aim of this study is
to assess the short-term results of a group of patients who underwent a
colon operation and simultaneous incisional hernia repair with an onlay
polypropylene mesh technique. Patients and Methods: From November to
June 2006, 19 patients underwent incisional hernia repair with
polypropylene mesh, with simultaneous colonic operation. In 13 patients
reestablishment of bowel continuity after a Hartmann procedure was done,
whereas in four patients a loop colostomy was closed. Two patients
underwent colectomy for cancer. Results: Post-operatively one patient
had a seroma and two others had wound infections which required mesh
removal. The mean follow-up was 70.15 +/- 48.40 months (range 3 to 142
months). During this period five patients died, four from progression of
malignancy and one from myocardial infarction. Three patients (15.78 %)
developed recurrence, two patients with previous Hartmann’s operation
for complicated diverticulitis and wound infection and the third patient
due to inappropriate mesh fixation with buttonhole hernia development.
Conclusion: Prosthetic repair of incisional hernias can be safely
performed simultaneously with a colonic operation, with art acceptable
rate of infectious complications and recurrence. It is unjustifiable to
avoid the use of mesh in a potentially contaminated field when an
appropriate technique is used
Colonic duplication in adults: Report of two cases presenting with rectal bleeding
Gastrointestinal duplication is an uncommon congenital abnormality in
two-thirds of cases manifesting before the age of 2 years. Ileal
duplication is common while colonic duplication, either cystic or
tubular, is a rather unusual clinical entity that remains asymptomatic
and undiagnosed in most cases. Mostly occurring in pediatric patients,
colonic duplication is encountered in adults only in a few cases. This
study reports two cases of colonic duplication in adults. Both cases
presented with rectal bleeding on admission. The study was focused on
clinical, imaging, histological, and therapeutical aspects of the
presenting cases. Gastrografin enema established the diagnosis in both
cases. The cystic structure and the adjacent part of the colon were
excised en-block. The study implies that colonic duplication, though
uncommon, should be included in the differential diagnosis of rectal
bleeding. (c) 2005 The WJG Press and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Low-Grade Appendiceal Mucinous Neoplasm Presenting as an Adnexal Mass.
Appendiceal tumors are rare, late diagnosed neoplasms that may not be differentiated from adnexal masses even by advanced imaging methods and other diagnostic procedures. They may be asymptomatic and remain undiagnosed until surgery. We report a case of an 80-year-old postmenopausal woman presenting with a pelvic mass and a history of weight loss. The patient underwent laparotomy which revealed an appendiceal mucocele, for which she received a full oncological procedure. The histology report showed a low-grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm, and the patient underwent six cycles of chemotherapy. Appendiceal tumors should be kept in mind in patients with adnexal mass
Non-parasitic splenic cysts: A report of three cases
Primary splenic cyst is a relatively rare disease, and the majority of
cases are classified as epithelial cysts. Three cases with nonparasitic
splenic cysts are presented: two epithelial and one pseudocyst. All
cases had an atypical symptomatology, consisted mainly of fullness in
the left upper abdomen and a palpable mass. Preoperative diagnosis was
established with ultrasonography and computerized tomography. Two cases
with large cysts located in the splenic hilum were treated with open
complete splenectomy. The most recent case, a pseudocyst, was managed
laparoscopically with partial cystectomy. All cases did not have any
problems or recurrence during follow-up. Laparoscopic partial cystectomy
is an acceptable procedure for the treatment of splenic cysts, because
it cures the disease preserving the splenic tissue. Complete splenectomy
is reserved for cases in which cyst excision cannot be done otherwise.
(C) 2005 The WJG Press and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
Biomolecular layer thickness evaluation using White Light Reflectance Spectroscopy
A White Light Reflectance Spectroscopy (WLRS) methodology is applied in the evaluation of the effectiveness of biomolecules immobilization onto solid surfaces as well as their subsequent reaction with counterpart biomolecules via measuring the respective layers thickness. In particular we investigated the adsorption of rabbit and mouse gamma-globulins as well as their reaction with complementary antibodies. The results obtained with the proposed methodology were compared with those received by atomic force microscopy analysis of the same samples. It was found that the developed method provides a simple, very fast and accurate approach for thin biomolecular layers thickness determination
Pheochromocytoma, diagnosis and treatment: Review of the literature
Objective. We conducted an extensive review of the literature and tried to cite the most recent recommendations concerning the pheochromocytoma (PHEO)
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