The nodular form of local hepatic tuberculosis. A review

Local hepatic tuberculosis without active pulmonary or miliary tuberculosis is an uncommon diagnosis. Even less common is the finding of tuberculoma or tuberculous liver abscess without clinical evidence of tuberculosis elsewhere. Since 1950, 21 cases of isolated tuberculoma or tuberculous abscess of the liver have been reported in the world literature. We report an additional two cases, one tuberculoma and one with multiple tuberculous abscesses. The case reports illustrate the difficulty in reaching the correct diagnosis, unsuspected in nearly all cases and most often confused with carcinoma of the liver. The correct diagnosis was made by histology, identification of acid-fast organisms by smear, and by cultures of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but required laparotomy in 19 of the 23 cases. A greater awareness of this rare clinical entity may prevent needless surgical intervention since the vast majority of patients respond well to antituberculous chemotherapy.     

Intra‐Cavitary Masses: Rare Presentation of a Common Illness in SAARC Nation

Cardiovascular tuberculosis (TB) is a relatively uncommon manifestation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. TB can affect all three layers of the heart; endocardial tuberculoma is the rarest form. Endocardial tuberculoma, when it occurs, can easily be confused with other common causes of intracardiac mass lesions, especially in echocardiography. Timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment is essential, as only this can lessen the associated morbidity and mortality. Here, a case of cardiovascular TB has been described in a middle‐aged woman from the SAARC nation; the woman presented with simultaneous pericardial constriction and multichamber endocardial tuberculoma. Combined pharmacological and surgical approach was successful.     

肝结核瘤的诊治探讨

目的探讨肝结核瘤的诊断与外科治疗措施。方法报告１９８０年１月～１９９３年１２月施行的肝切除术患者３４３例，其中术后经病理证实为肝结核瘤者８例。对该８例患者的诊断和治疗措施进行综合分析。结果８例中５例误诊为肝脏肿瘤，仅３例确诊。所有患者均行手术治疗，随访７例４年均无复发。结论对有结核病史的肝脏占位患者应高度怀疑为肝结核瘤；Ｂ超或ＣＴ导向下的肝穿刺活组织检查能明确诊断；治疗方式为施行肿瘤所在区域的肝段切除或局灶性切除，术后应用抗结核药物治疗以巩固疗效。     

肺结核球及干酪病灶的活血化瘀治疗

本文报告我院１９９０～１９９５年间采用ＺＨＲＺＳ（Ｅ）／４ＨＲＥ（Ｚ）化疗方案并用复方丹参活血化瘀治疗肺结核球及大块干酪病灶５６例与单纯化疗５２例的结果，分析表明：化疗＋活血化瘀的６个月综合疗效：有效率（显效 有效）为９６．４％，单纯化疗组则为７６．９％，二者经卡方检验 Ｐ＜ ０．０５，具有差异性。经 ２～５年的随访，活血化瘀组有 １２例（２１． ４％）达到临床治愈，无一例复发。单纯化疗组有 ６例行外科手术治疗，另有４例复发（７．７％）。由此可见该法临床运用安全有效。对肺结核球及干酪病灶的非手术治疗开辟了一条新途径，值得进一步探讨。     

Thin-rim enhancement in Gd-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance images of tuberculoma: a new finding of potential differential diagnostic importance.

The article describes rim enhancement seen on Gd-DTPA-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) images of two patients with tuberculoma. Pathologic examination of the surgical specimens disclosed that the peripheral portion of the tuberculoma, which showed contrast enhancement, was composed mainly of a fibrous capsule and epithelioid granulomas and that the central zone, which showed no contrast enhancement, was composed of caseous necrotic material. In a retrospective study of MR images from 20 consecutive cases of surgically proven bronchogenic carcinoma, none showed a thin enhancing rim on postcontrast MR images. Although confirmation of these findings must await further experience, the postcontrast MR findings described here may prove to be of value in distinguishing tuberculoma and possibly other granulomatous lesions from bronchogenic carcinoma.     

Is preoperative chemotherapy necessary in pulmonary tuberculoma?

The results of surgical operations performed in general surgical hospitals in patients with lung tuberculoma not subjected to preoperative chemotherapy because of mistakes in the initial diagnosis were analyzed. 87 patients with tuberculosis diagnosed only during or after operations with morphological examination of the resected pathological materials were examined. High efficacy of surgical treatment in the patients with tuberculoma having no obvious signs of active tuberculosis was shown though the patients were not subjected to preoperative antituberculosis chemotherapy. Early surgical treatment of such patients without preoperative chemotherapy is considered to be advisable.     

Liver transplantation in the treatment of severe iatrogenic liver injuries

The place of liver transplantation in the treatment of severe iatrogenic liver injuries has not yet been widely discussed in the literature. Bile duct injuries during cholecystectomy represent the leading cause of liver transplantation in this setting, while other indications after abdominal surgery are less common. Urgent liver transplantation for the treatment of severe iatrogenic liver injury may-represent a surgical challenge requiring technically difficult and time consuming procedures. A debate is ongoing on the need for centralization of complex surgery in tertiary referral centers. The early referral of patients with severe iatrogenic liver injuries to a tertiary center with experienced hepato-pancreatobiliary and transplant surgery has emerged as the best treatment of care. Despite widespread interest in the use of liver transplantation as a treatment option for severe iatrogenic injuries, reported experiences indicate few liver transplants are performed. This review analyzes the literature on liver transplantation after hepatic injury and discusses our own experience along with surgical advances and future prospects in this uncommon transplant setting.     

Tuberculomas of the brain

Literature data and individual observations of 5 cases with a rare disease, like tuberculoma of the brain, are presented. From the clinical point of view, the disease in children, aged 4-9 years, proceeds like cerebral tumor. A surgical intervention has revealed a tuberculoma of the cerebellum in 4 and that of the truncus cerebri in 1 patient. The diagnosis of tuberculoma of the brain was confirmed histologically. Clinico-laboratory data and the impact of tuberculostatic therapy in the postoperative period were studied.     

多层螺旋CT对胸膜结核瘤的诊断价值

目的探讨多层螺旋CT对胸膜结核瘤的诊断价值,提高对胸膜结核瘤的认识。 方法回顾性分析经临床或手术病理证实的胸膜结核瘤13例的多层螺旋CT表现及后处理图像表现。结果单发胸膜结核瘤10例,多发3例,CT表现为紧贴胸膜并突入肺内的乳头状结节5例,圆形、椭圆形结节6例,不规则形结节2例,多数病灶密度均匀,少数可见低密度坏死区或高密度小钙化灶,病灶边缘光整,增强后病灶多数无强化或轻度强化,邻近胸膜多有局限性增厚、黏连和钙化,9例并有胸腔积液,10例伴有肺内结核灶,7例伴有纵隔淋巴结肿大、钙化。多层螺旋CT后处理图像可更全面的、直观的、立体的显示病变特征。结论MSCT后处理技术弥补了轴位CT图像的不足,在诊断胸膜结核瘤中有很高的临床应用价值,可提高胸膜结核瘤的诊断准确性。     

Hepatic vasculitis presenting with multiple sterile liver abscesses in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus

Although biochemical evidence of liver disease is common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), clinical liver disease is uncommon. We report on a 26‐year‐old woman who presented with acute febrile illness, right upper abdominal pain and multiple hypo‐dense lesions in the liver in a computed tomographic study that mimicked multiple liver abscesses. Multiple necrotizing hepatic granulomas and old occlusive hepatic arteritis were observed in the surgical liver specimen. She was later found to have SLE. This patient represented a rare case of SLE that had hepatic vasculitis with hepatic infarction mimicking multiple liver abscesses as an initial manifestation.     

Chest wall tuberculoma with tumor-like appearance

We report a rare case of chest tuberculoma with tumor-like appearance of which diagnosis was made by surgery. A 40-year-old woman presented to our hospital with a complaint of a right chest mass. Her past history was pulmonary tuberculosis. One year prior to this presentation, she was treated. Chest MRI revealed a solid and oval mass in the right lateral chest wall. Then, surgical resection was performed. Histopathological examinations revealed caseous necrosis, epithelioid cell granuloma, and multinucleated Langhans' giant cells, but no neoplastic cell was found. We confirmed that the mass was clinically compatible with tuberculoma. The characteristic presentation of the chest wall tuberculosis is abscess, which is frequently cystic, doughy, or soft. However, there is no report with chest wall tuberculoma as the initial presentation of tuberculous lesion arising in chest wall in a review of the English literature.     

Cholangiopathy and the biliary cast syndrome

Biliary casts are uncommon but are more frequently described in liver transplant patients. To our knowledge there have been only two published cases describing biliary casts in non-liver transplant patients. The aetiology of cast development is not fully known but is likely to be multifactorial with the presence of biliary sludge being a prerequisite for cast formation. Bile duct damage and ischaemia, biliary infection, fasting, parenteral nutrition, abdominal surgery and possibly other factors, are all thought to be implicated in cast pathogenesis via sludge development. Endoscopic management has been shown to be effective in a minority of cases and may act as a temporary measure in others but surgical removal of casts is usually necessary. With a greater understanding and improvement in liver transplant surgical techniques and the management of post-operative complications, the development and severity of biliary sludge and casts have decreased.     

42例肺结核瘤临床分析

研究肺结核瘤与肺癌的鉴别诊断。方法分析４２例经病理证实的肺结核瘤病例的临床症状、胸片、断层Ｘ线片和ＣＴ等影像学表现及实验室资料并将病灶的影像和表现对照巨体标本的病理发现，寻找重要鉴别诊断征像。结果分叶轮廓，毛刺状外缘，空泡征，卫星病灶，胸膜改变，钙化点为重要征象，其中分叶轮廓、毛刺状外缘以及胸膜改变等尤其需要细致辨认。结论应用这些重要鉴别诊断征象，结合结核瘤阳性化验结果，可帮助鉴别肺结核瘤和肺癌，避免误诊     

Malakoplakia of the colon associated with colonic adenocarcinoma diagnosed in colonic biopsies

Malakoplakia, typically involving the urinary tract, is an uncommon form of chronic inflammation caused by chronic infections and characterized by accumulation of macrophages. It has also been found in many other sites such as the gastrointestinal tract, pancreas, liver, lymph nodes, skin, respiratory tract, adrenal gland, vagina and brain. We present a case of a 64-year-old man referred to our hospital with cachexia and radiologic evidence of metastatic tumor of the liver. Colonoscopy revealed a large malignant - appearing polypoid mass of the ascending colon and multiple distinct polyps throughout the rest of the colon. Biopsies of the ascending colon mass confirmed the diagnosis of adenocarcinoma. Histological examination of two of the other polyps revealed malakoplakia which was characterized by aggregates of granular histiocytes with Michaelis - Gutmann bodies and histochemically confirmed with periodic acid-Schiff and von Kossa stains. This is a rare case diagnosed on endoscopic samples. The majority of reported cases were found in surgical specimens. In addition, the endoscopic appearance of multiple polyps is unusual in rnalakoplakia.     

Nosocomial infective endocarditis in critically ill patients: a report of three cases and review of the literature.

Nosocomial infective endocarditis (NIE) is a relatively uncommon but nevertheless a serious complication affecting critically ill hospitalized patients who are frequently exposed to life-saving invasive procedures. We report three cases of NIE in a tertiary-care hospital encountered during a period of two years. The first case developed in a 50% burn-injured patient; the second in a liver transplant recipient; and the third in a renal transplant recipient. All patients met indications for cardiac surgical intervention, however, the patient who had received a liver transplant (case 2) was considered a poor candidate and unfit for surgery; she subsequently died. The other two patients underwent open-heart surgery. The burns patient (case 1) survived; conversely, the renal transplant recipient (case 3) died postoperatively. We have reviewed the literature concerning NIE in critically ill patients and describe the epidemiology, microbiology and clinical features of this uncommon infection and comment on its diagnosis and management.     

Better surgical treatment method for hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein tumor thrombus

Hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) with portal vein tumor thrombus(PVTT) is a disease that is not uncommon, but the treatments vary drastically between Eastern and Western countries. In Europe and America, the first line of treatment is systemic therapy such as sorafenib and the surgical treatment is not a recommend option. While an increasing number of studies from China and Japan have suggested that surgical treatment results in better outcomes when compared to transcatheter arterial chemoembolization(TACE), sorafenib, or other nonsurgical treatments, and two classification systems, Japanese Vp classification and Chinese Cheng's classification, were very useful to guide the surgical treatment. We have also found that surgical treatment may be more effective, as we have performed surgical treatment for HCC-PVTT patients over a period of approximately 15 years and achieved good results with the longest surviving time being 13 years and onward. In this study, we review the efficacy and principles of current surgical treatments and introduce our new, more effective surgical technique named "thrombectomy first", which means the tumor thrombus in the main portal vein, the bifurcation or the contralateral portal vein should be removed prior to liver resection. Thus, compression and crushing of PVTT during the operation could be avoided and new intrahepatic metastases caused by tumor thrombus to the remnant liver minimized. The new technique is even beneficial to the prognosis of Cheng's classification Types Ⅲ and Ⅳ PVTT. The vital tips and tricks for the surgical approach are described.     

Immune reconstitution syndrome in a patient with AIDS with paradoxically deteriorating brain tuberculoma

A 54-year-old man with an underlying AIDS experienced fever and lethargy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed multiple small ring-enhancement lesions over pons, basal ganglion, thalami, and bilateral cerebral hemisphere. Because of the concurrent pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), presumptive diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis and brain tuberculoma was made. The patient's condition clinically improved after a 3-month anti-TB treatment coupled with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), and his CD4-T lymphocyte count was increased from 17 cells/mm(3) (HIV viral load, 294,000 copies per milliliter) to 153 cells/mm(3) (HIV viral load, 5930 copies per milliliter). However, the follow-up MRI disclosed disappearance of some old brain lesions and development of some new ones; some previously identified tuberculoma became smaller in size, while some other enlarger. Of note, ring-enhanced brain lesions were found over the left frontal lobe and left posterior fossa with perifocal edema and hyperintensity in diffusion weighted MRI indicating abscess formation. Steroid was added based on the presumed paradoxical reaction of brain tuberculoma. Complete resolution of brain lesions was found on MRI 9 months later. Tuberculoma should be considered in a patient with AIDS with numerous intracranial lesions if TB involving other site(s) is definitively diagnosed, especially when the patient is receiving prophylactic trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and/or serologically negative for toxoplasmosis. Our report demonstrated the peculiar phenomenon of paradoxical reaction of brain tuberculoma during immune reconstitution and strengthens the belief that additional use of steroids for paradoxical reaction of brain tuberculoma is indicated after exclusion of other causes for the progressively enlarging brain lesions.     

肺结核球手术指征的探讨

目的　讨论肺结核球误诊原因,提出手术指征及手术方式。方法 报告及分析108例肺结核球病例资料,结合文献进行讨论。结果 肺结核球108例,占同期手术总数2.2%。术前误诊37例,其中误诊为肺癌30例 (病灶＜3cm者22例),良性肿瘤6例,曲菌球1例。X线胸片表现不典型40例 (病灶边缘有毛刺、分叶状、伴有肺门及纵隔淋巴结肿大等)。病灶发生在肺上叶85例 (78.7%),有结核中毒症状者58例 (53.8%)。30例因抗结核治疗效果不佳而手术。结论 在肺部孤立病灶的诊断中应考虑结核球的可能,应结合临床全面分析,尽可能找出组织病理学依据,使部分结核球病人避免手术治疗。结合文献资料提出肺结核球的手术指征及手术方式。     

Primary Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Liver: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is an uncommon tumor primarily occurring in the salivary glands and is relatively rare in other sites. In the liver, only one primary adenoid cystic carcinoma has been reported in the English literature. Here we presented a primary hepatic adenoid cystic carcinoma in a 44 years old male. We described its histopathologic features and its immunohistochemical profile, and reviewed the literature. The surgical treatment and patient follow up information was also presented.     

Role of contrast-enhanced dynamic CT in the diagnosis of active tuberculoma

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To assess the role of contrast-enhanced dynamic CT in the diagnosis of active tuberculoma. SETTING: Hospitals with an isolated ward for tuberculosis. METHODS: Fifty-five subjects with newly diagnosed active tuberculoma and 24 subjects with inactive tuberculoma were examined and evaluated retrospectively. Six subjects with active tuberculomas and seven subjects with inactive tuberculomas were confirmed by histologic and microbiologic evaluation of resected specimens, whereas the remainder of the subjects with tuberculoma were confirmed clinically. The subjects were receiving iopamidol, 370 mg/mL IV, at a rate of 3.0 mL/s on contrast-enhanced dynamic CT. The time-attenuation curve was obtained and adapted to a gamma function. The peak height (PH), maximum attenuation subtracted by the background attenuation, relative flow (RF), and mean regional flow were used for comparison. Measurements and results: In the surgically confirmed group, the PH and RF values of six subjects with active tuberculomas were significantly higher than those of the seven subjects with inactive tuberculoma (p < 0.05). Similarly, in the subjects with noninvasive diagnoses, the PH and RF values of 49 subjects with active tuberculoma were significantly higher than those of the subjects with inactive tuberculoma (mean +/- SD PH, 43.4 +/- 4.1 Hounsfield units [HU] vs 11.6 +/- 2.7 HU, p < 0.0001; RF, 0.012 +/- 0.001/s vs 0.006 +/- 0.001/s, p < 0.05). When the cutoff value was defined as mean +/- 2 SD, the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnosis for active tuberculoma were 77.1% and 96.4% in PH, and 68.5% and 88.8% in RF, respectively. CONCLUSION: Contrast-enhanced dynamic CT is a potentially valuable tool for the diagnosis of active tuberculoma.