Kinetics of parathyroid hormone after parathyroidectomy in chronic hemodialysis patients

Secondary hyperparathyroidism is a common complication in chronic renal failure. The treatment in some cases requires parathyroidectomy. The kinetics of the parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels after surgery helps to evaluate the efficacy of parathyroidectomy. Prospective analysis was made of the kinetics of intact PTH (iPTH) after parathyroidectomy in 10 chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients who had secondary hyperparathyroidism. We determined the levels of iPTH before surgery and its evolution after parathyroidectomy at regular intervals: Day 0, D7, D15, D30 and D90. The mean age of our patients was 40 ± 13 years, with a sex ratio of 1. The mean duration on HD was 122 ± 63 months. The duration of secondary hyperparathyroidism varied from one year to 12 years. All patients had received medical treatment for hyperparathyroidism. The indications for parathyroidectomy included resistance to medical treatment in seven cases, development of brown tumors in two cases and soft tissue calcifications in one case. All patients had radiographic evidence of hyperparathyroidism. The parathyroidectomy was sub-total in all patients, 6/8 in four cases and 7/8 in six cases. The mean iPTH level was 2341 ± 1946 pg/mL before surgery. A sharp drop in this level was noticed on D0, with a median of 92 pg/mL and, thereafter, the levels were 79 pg/mL on D7, 25 pg/mL on D15 and 36 pg/mL after 1 month. At 3 months post-surgery, the mean iPTH level was 302 pg/mL. Histological examination of the resected gland showed parathyroid hyperplasia in all patients. In our series, the efficacy of sub-total parathyroidectomy was satisfactory with rapid normalization of PTH, which is consistent with the literature data. Sub-total parathyroidectomy still has a place in the treatment of secondary hyperparathyroidism in chronic renal failure. Its indications should be limited to cases resistant to medical treatment and, in particular, in cases with occurrence of complications

Mixed cryoglobulinemia-associated Sjögren's syndrome leading to spontaneous rupture of the kidney: a case report

Intissar Haddiya,1 Hakim Hamzaoui,1 Zitouna Alhamany,2 Fatime-zohra Berkchi,1 Hakima Rhou,1 Loubna Benamar,1 Naima Ouzeddoun,1 Rabea Bayahia1 1Department of Nephrology-Dialysis-Renal Transplantation, Ibn Sina University Hospital, Rabat, Morocco; 2Department of Pathology, Rabat Children's Hospital, Ibn Sina University Hospital, Rabat, Morocco Background: Spontaneous rupture of the kidney is uncommon and is mainly caused by renal tumors. Only a few cases are caused by vasculitis. We report here the first case of spontaneous rupture of kidney resulting from mixed cryoglobulinemia. Case presentation: A 44-year-old man presented with sudden onset of fever, acute pulmonary edema, left flank abdominal pain unassociated with trauma, and rapidly progressive renal failure requiring dialysis. Computed tomography of the abdomen revealed a large perirenal hematoma of the left kidney. During conservative surgery, the patient underwent renal biopsy that showed renal vasculitis and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis with intracapillary microthrombi. Tests were positive for mixed cryoglobulinemia caused by Sjögren's syndrome. The patient was better after immunosuppressive therapy, with the disappearance of clinical symptoms and the recovery of baseline renal function. Conclusion: We report on this case and discuss a possible link between spontaneous rupture of kidney and mixed cryoglobulinemia-associated Sjögren's syndrome. Keywords: mixed cryoglobulinemia, Sjögren's syndrome, spontaneous rupture of kidney, renal hematoma, Wünderlich syndrom

Villous tumour of the stomach: which particularities?

Les adénomes villeux gastriques sont très rares. Ils se caractérisent par leur grand potentiel de transformation maligne et leur association avec d’autres néoplasies du tube digestif. Les auteurs rapportent quatre cas de tumeurs villeuses gastriques dont trois diagnostiquées au stade de transformation maligne en insistant sur leurs caractéristiques cliniques, radiologiques et endoscopiques ainsi que sur leur prise en charge thérapeutique

Ovarian tumours in children: A review of 18 cases

Background: To review the experience of Children’s Hospital of Rabat in managing ovarian tumours in children.Materials and Methods: There were 18 patients between 2 and 15 years of age who presented with an ovarian tumour at Children’s Hospital of Rabat between January 2000 and December 2008. Data collected from the  hospital medical records included age at diagnosis, patient’s history, presenting complaints, radiological examination, tumour markers,  management, operative procedure, histopathological examination and outcome of the patients.Results: The most common presenting complaint was abdominal pain in 10 (55%) patient. 77% of ovarian tumours were germ cell tumours; 71% of these were teratomas which were benign in 66% of cases. Unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was the most common surgical procedure  performed in 15 patients (83%) through laparotomy. Laparoscopic ovarian cystectomy was carried out in 2 (11%) patients with benign cystic teratoma. Of the 7 (39%) patients with malignant tumours, three received  postoperative chemotherapy. Outcome was good in most cases. There were no cases of resistance to treatment, or death.Conclusion: Early diagnosis of ovarian tumours in children and adolescents is important. Since most of these tumours are benign, surgical treatment should be conservative to minimise the risk of subsequent infertility, while the treatment of malignant tumours should include complete staging, resection of the tumour, postoperative chemotherapy when indicated, to give the patient a chance for future childbearing.Key words: Children, fertility, germ cell tumours, ovarian preservation, ovarian surgery, ovarian tumours, teratom