Clinical evaluation of sodium hyaluronate in the treatment of patients with sopraspinatus tendinosis under echographic guide: experimental study of periarticular injections

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of periarticular injection of hyaluronate into shoulders with supraspinatus tendinosis under echographic guide. Methods and materials. The subjects were 56 patients with clinical, echographic and magnetic resonance diagnosis of supraspinatus tendinosis. They were divided in two groups by random sampling; 28 patients were assigned in SH group (sodium hyaluronate) and 28 patients in SC group (sodium chloride). The test drug was 20 mg sodium hyaluronate (2 ml, Hyalgan®, Fidia SpA, Abano T., P.M. 500–700.000, 20 mg/2 ml). Results. Preliminary results showed that sodium hyaluronate presented the highest efficacy in the improvement of clinical symptoms and recovery of functional status in patients with supraspinatus tendinosis in fact the mean V.A.S. score (Visual Analogue Scale) at 1 month after the end of the infiltrative cycle was 8.0 in the SC group vs. 2.8 in SH group and these numerical data were substantially unchanged also after 3 and 4 months. Conclusion. Hyaluronate injection under echographic guide should be use not only as a lubricant but also to prevent articular cartilage degeneration and cover and protect the articular cartilage; indeed sodium hyaluronate can decrease inflammatory joint process.<br/

A Rare case of primary actinomycosis of the breast caused by <i>Actinomyces viscosus</i>: diagnosis by fine-needle aspiration cytology under ultrasound guidance

We report the case of a 27-year-old woman with primary actinomycosis of the breast. Diagnosis was established by culture examination of specimen recovered by fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) under ultrasound guidance. To our knowledge, this is the first description in the literature of a case of primary actinomycosis of the breast caused by Actinomyces viscosus. Twenty-nine previous cases of primary actinomycosis of the breast have been published, but these were caused by the more common species Actinomyces israelii. Targeted antibiotic therapy did not ameliorate the condition, thus drainage and excision of the mass were carried out. No other medical therapy was administered. Six years after surgery, no recurrence has been observed on both ultrasonographic and mammographic examinations

Granular cell tumor of the breast

Granular cell tumor of the breast is a rare, usually benign tumor that is encountered in women 30–50 years old, usually presenting as a palpable, painless mass. Ultrasonographic and mammographic findings are not specific for this tumor and histology is mandatory for certain diagnosis and to exclude malignancy