Hickman nodule: a mimic of metastatic disease

A characteristic small subcutaneous soft-tissue mass can be seen on the computed tomographic scans of patients after removal of Hickman catheters. The mass is indistinguishable from subcutaneous metastatic deposits seen with a variety of malignant tumors. This potentially confusing finding can be differentiated from true metastatic disease by the characteristic location of the subcutaneous nodule in the second or third anterior intercostal space, along the midclavicular line, and by the absence of other subcutaneous masses.     

VALUE OF BASAL PLASMA CORTISOL ASSAYS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF PITUITARY-ADRENAL INSUFFICIENCY

A basal plasma cortisol value taken in a physically unstressed state in 68 patients with or without hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical disease was compared with the maximal plasma cortisol concentration during an insulin tolerance test. There was a strong positive correlation between the values. Basal cortisol levels above 300 nmol/l (RIA method) almost excluded ACTH-cortisol insufficiency and those below 100 nmol/l strongly suggested dysfunction. A repeated basal cortisol estimation within a month was especially valuable in categorizing patients with levels between 100 and 200 nmol/l. We suggest that a basal cortisol measurement may be used as a first laboratory test in patients evaluated for possible hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical insufficiency; in many patients, this approach obviates more sophisticated and expensive testing.     

High dose intravenous immune globulins and plasma exchange in Guillain-Barré Syndrome

We report the effects of treatment with plasma-exchange (PE) and intravenous immune globulins (IVIg) in 36 out of 50 patients with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) recruited by an incidence study in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Comparison of the patients treated with PE and IVIg showed no significant differences in terms of effectiveness in improving the clinical course of GBS: at one month, respectively 11.1% and 25% had recovered, and 55.5% and 58.3% had improved by at least one grade. These results are in agreement with those of the Dutch GBS trial. No relapses were observed in either group. Moreover, our results showed no difference in clinical outcome at 1 and 3 months between the patients receiving only one therapy and those receiving two; a second cycle of therapy did not seem to improve the clinical course of the disease significantly. We conclude that PE and IVIg are both safe and effective therapies for GBS.