Localization of parathyroid enlargement: experience with technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile and thallium-201 scintigraphy,ultrasonography and computed tomography

Technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI), like thallium-201, has recently been introduced as a myocardial perfusion agent and is now also showing very promising results in parathyroid scintigrapy. The results of ²⁰¹Tl/^99mTc-pertechnetate and ^99mTc-MIBI/^99mTc-pertechnetate subtraction scintigraphy, ultrasonography and computed tomography are presented in a series of 43 patients operated on for hyperparathyroidism. All four imaging modalities were confirmed to be reliable, scintigraphy being the most accurate. Sensitivities ranged from 81% to 95%, that of ^99mTc-MIBI being the highest. Moreover this tracer, which has more favourable physical and also biochemical properties, yielded images of superior quality. This allowed localization of the lesion by visual inspection only in as many as 86% of the patients with positive ^99mTc-MIBI/^99mTc-pertechnetate subtraction scintigraphy. We believe that the higher sensitivity, superior image quality and lower cost of ^99mTc-MIBI imaging will make ^99mTc-MIBI the new radiopharmaceutical of choice for parathyroid scintigraphy (when one takes into account the stability of labelling with large activities it is possible to perform three or four cardiac studies together with one parathyroid scintigraphic examination using one lyophililzed vial).     

β-thromboglobulin and fibrinopeptide a in diabetes mellitus as markers of vascular damage

Summary β-thromboglobulin (BTG) and fibrinopeptide A (FpA) were studied in 68 non-insulin dependent diabetic patients (NIDD) aged 32–81 with a mean duration of diabetes of 9±0.8 SEM years and 44 healthy controls, comparable for age and sex. Diabetic patients were subdivided into subsets according to the presence of microvascular disease, macrovascular disease or the absence of these lesions. Patients with microangiopathy (micro- and/or macrovascular disease) had higher HbA (p<0.01), higher blood pressure (p<0.05) than both healthy controls and uncomplicated diabetics. Plasma BTG was higher in diabetic patients than in healthy controls (p<0.02), and was higher in complicated than in non-complicated diabetic subjects. Fpa was higher in complicated than in non-complicated diabetes (p<0.05). No differences were observed between the two subsets of complicated patients. In conclusion, we have shown that increased plasma- and platelet-BTG levels are present in non-insulin dependent diabetic subjects, with normal renal function and that plasma BTG is higher in patients with than in those without vascular disease. Fibrinopeptide A, a sensitive marker ofin vivo fibrin formation, was significantly increased in NIDD with vascular complications. This study was supported by the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Grant N. 184066 and by the National Research Council of Italy,Progetto Finalizzato di Medicina Preventiva e Riabilitativa, Sottoprogetto 4.     

Surgery after intracranial investigation with subdural electrodes in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy: outcome and complications

Video-EEG monitoring with intracranial subdural electrodes is a useful assessment tool for the localization of the epileptogenic zone in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy. We aimed at assessing the morbidity related to electrode implantation and the surgical outcome in patients who underwent epilepsy surgery after intracranial EEG monitoring. All patients (N?=?58) admitted to our Epilepsy Surgery Centre for drug-resistant focal epilepsy who underwent resective surgery after intracranial monitoring with subdural electrodes and were followed up for at least 2?years were included in the study. Their mean age was 30.4?years (range 8-60?years), 25 (43?%) were female, and 44 (76?%) had a preoperatively detected structural lesion. The mean duration of invasive recording was 2.3?days (range 1-14?days). Extraoperative ECoG allowed the identification of the epileptogenic focus in all cases. The temporal lobe was involved in 21 (36?%) patients, whereas extratemporal foci were identified in 24 (41?%) patients. Thirteen patients (23?%) had multilobar involvement. Functional brain mapping was performed in 15 (26?%) patients. Transient complications related to electrode implantation occurred in three patients. Among patients with evidence of lesion on preoperative MRI, lesionectomy alone was performed in 12 cases (27?%), while it was combined with tailored cortical resection in the remaining cases. Tailored cortical resection was also performed in patients without evidence of lesion on MRI. After resective surgery, transient neurological deficits occurred in five cases, while another patient experienced permanent lateral homonymous hemianopia. At the last follow-up observation, 34 (57?%) patients were seizure-free (Engel class I). This study suggests that invasive EEG recording with subdural electrodes may be useful and fairly safe for many candidates for epilepsy surgery.     

Stage I pure bronchioloalveolar carcinoma: recurrences, survival and comparison with adenocarcinoma of the lung.

OBJECTIVE: Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) is considered a subtype of adenocarcinoma of the lung, without pleural, stromal or vascular invasion (World Health Organization (WHO) classification). Previous reports had demonstrated a better prognosis following surgery for patients affected by early stage BAC than those affected by other type of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We aim to analyse differences between stage I peripheral nodular BAC and stage I peripheral adenocarcinoma of the lung, METHODS: From January 1, 1993 to December 31, 1999, 1158 patients were submitted to surgical resection for NSCLC. Out of them, 28 patients (2.4%) resulted affected by stage I peripheral pure BAC and 80 (6.9%) by stage I peripheral adenocarcinoma. We made a comparison between these two groups. RESULTS: The percentage of females in BAC patients was similar to that registered in adenocarcinoma patients (21.4 vs. 17.5%). No differences were detected between smokers in BAC and adenocarcinoma patients (P=0.331). The upper lobes were the most common sites of the primary tumour in both tumour subtypes (71.4 vs. 67.5%). Relapse of disease was less frequent in BAC than in adenocarcinoma patients (14.2 vs. 33.7%); recurrent disease developed intrathoracic with higher frequency in BAC patients (75 vs. 33.3%). Both 5-year disease-free and long-term survival were significantly higher in patients affected by BAC (81 vs. 51% and 86 vs. 71%, respectively) (P<0.05); when analysis is performed by dividing stage IA from IB tumours, BAC patients resulted to have higher DFS (stage IA, 93 vs. 58% - P=0.044; stage IB, 61 vs. 32.5%) and higher long-term survival (stage IA, 92 vs. 79%; stage IB, 75 vs. 56%). CONCLUSION: Patients with stage I pure BAC have significantly longer disease-free and overall survival than those with similar stage adenocarcinoma. Even if classified as subtype of adenocarcinoma, BAC is characterised by clinical behaviour less aggressive than similar stage adenocarcinoma.     

Complete surgical resection of a huge thoracic mass consisting in a localized fibrous tumor simulating a high-grade malignant neoplasm

Solitary fibrous tumour is an infrequent neoplasm generally arising from the parietal and visceral pleura. The diagnosis may be difficult in the presence of a history of malignant disease owing to the different presentations and to radiological findings of evident invasiveness. The authors report the case of a woman with a right giant fibrous solitary tumour of the pleura twenty years after a subcutaneous mastectomy with axillary dissection and radiation therapy for breast cancer. The biopsy diagnosis was consistent with a probable solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura but the discrepancy with the radiological images and the difficult differential diagnosis versus a malignant sarcoma, possibly radio-induced, prompted us to verify the real features of the disease. The patient was submitted to a right anterolateral thoracotomy and partial sternotomy and the giant mass was resected enbloc with the phrenic nerve and diaphragm which proved to be the only structures tightly adhering to the neoplasm. Histological examination confirmed the diagnosis of a solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura. The patient is still alive and disease-free 30 months after the surgical operation. Fibrous solitary tumour is a disease generally characterised by a good prognosis but in particular cases, with unmistakable radiological findings of invasiveness, a precise diagnosis must be obtained in order to choose the most appropriate therapy.     

Adrenal incidentalomas: indications for surgery

Adrenalectomy represents the gold standard treatment for hyperfunctioning adrenal incidentaloma. In cases of silent adrenal masses, on the other hand, the surgical removal of an adrenocortical cancer entails the sacrifice of a large number of safe benign masses, and in most cases surgery is therefore unjustified. The aim of this paper was to clarify the surgical indications for adrenal incidentaloma by reviewing our experience in comparison with the main reference literature. Over the period from 1995 to 2001 we managed 40 cases of incidentaloma. US and CT abdominal scans, adrenal scintigraphy and biochemical tests were performed on an outpatient basis. Seven pre-Cushing syndromes were removed. Ten incidentalomas measured 4 cm or more in diameter: 5 of these were operated on and in 5 cases surgery was not feasible or was refused. Only one malignant mass was detected (an angiosarcoma). Four postoperative minimal complications (18.7%) were observed. The follow-up (median: 48 months) was uneventful. The surgical approach was traditional in 11 cases and laparoscopic in 1 case. Surgery should be considered mandatory in cases of hyperfunctioning adrenal masses in the presence of suspect radiological evidence, in cases of discordant CT and scintigraphy findings and when the maximum diameter is 4 cm or more.     

Control of aerostasis in pulmonary metastasectomy by precision resection. Standard technique versus fibrin glue modification

The control of aerostasis after performing non-anatomical pulmonary resections constitutes a serious problem. The presence of an air leak in the postoperative period requires a prolonged thoracic drainage and consequently a longer hospital stay. The aim of our study was to evaluate the usefulness of fibrin glue and its effectiveness in the prevention of air leaks. At the Department of Thoracic Surgery of the National Cancer Institute of Milan, we conducted a case-control study in 90 patients submitted to metastasectomy for secondary lung cancer, removing multiple small nodules < or = 1.5 cm using the precision resection technique. We divided the patients into two groups, both of 45 subjects: group 1 treated with fibrin glue and group 2 submitted to cauterization of the pulmonary parenchyma. The patient characteristics were well matched for age, type of approach and operation, number of resections performed and type of pathology. The assessment parameters investigated were the duration of the air leak, expected complications, drainage time and length of hospital stay. In group 1 we performed fewer than 5 precision resections in 21 cases, from 5 to 10 in 16, and more than 10 in 8. In group 2 we executed fewer than precision resections in 21 cases, from 5 to 10 in 17, and more than 10 in 7. In group 1 the duration of the air leak was 2.93 +/- 1.91 days as against 6.95 +/- 7.01 days in group 2 (p = 0.000). In group 1 we had one complication (2%) (a long-term air leak lasting > 10 days), while in group 2 we had a long-term air leak in 11 cases (24%) (p = 0.000). Mean thoracic drainage time was 4.22 +/- 1.43 days in group 1, and 8.13 +/- 7.37 in group 2 (p = 0.000). The mean postoperative hospital stay was 6.22 +/- 1.43 days in group 1 compared to 10.13 +/- 7.37 days in group 2 (p = 0.000). In the group of patients treated with fibrin glue we obtained a significant reduction in drainage time, complications and postoperative hospital stay. The results of our experience show that the use of fibrin glue in non-anatomical resections with a high risk of developing air leakage is effective in reducing the expected complications, with a favourable impact also on the quality of life of patients with metasases.     

Cost of care and quality of life for patients with hemophilia complicated by inhibitors: the COCIS Study Group

Inhibitors in patients with hemophilia are a rare complication of a rare disease causing pain and disability in patients and impairment to the quality of their lives. Recent advances in treatment have brought improvements, but they have done so by absorbing larger amounts of financial resources. This study involved 52 Italian patients with hemophilia with high-responding inhibitors who were longitudinally observed for 18 months to evaluate concomitantly cost of care and quality of life. Overall, 0.6 bleeding episodes per patient per month were recorded. This frequency of events was lower than that reported in other cohorts of patients with hemophilia who were not taking inhibitors. The average monthly cost of care was, in euros, 18,000 (18,000 US dollars) per patient, mainly because of treatment products. Recombinant activated factor VII, mostly used for orthopedic surgery, represented 50% of the expenses. Quality of life, measured through validated questionnaires, was similar to that of patients with severe hemophilia without inhibitors. In particular, physical quality of life was similar to that in patients with diabetes and on dialysis, whereas mental quality of life was comparable to that in the general population. This study shows that hemophilia complicated by inhibitors, a prototype of rare disease, requires high amounts of resources for management that provides a satisfactory quality of life.     

Consensus on melanonychia nail plate dermoscopy

This statement, focused on melanonychia and nail plate dermoscopy, is intended to guide medical professionals working with melanonychia and to assist choosing appropriate management for melanonychia patients. The International Study Group on Melanonychia was founded in 2007 and currently has 30 members, including nail experts and dermatopathologists with special expertise in nails. The need for common definitions of nail plate dermoscopy was addressed during the Second Meeting of this Group held in February 2008. Prior to this meeting and to date (2010) there have been no evidence-based guidelines on the use of dermoscopy in the management of nail pigmentation.