A case of malignant thymoma mimicking thyroid carcinoma: a pitfall in fine-needle aspiration

A case of malignant thymoma presenting as an anterior neck mass is reported. The tumor extended from the thyroid gland to the superior mediastinum. It did not accumulate Tc-99m pertechnetate, but continued to accumulate Tl-201 at the late phase. A fine-needle aspiration cytology from the tumor showed tight clusters of epithelial cells with crowded ovoid nuclei. The tumor was initially diagnosed as thyroid carcinoma, clinically and cytologically. A thymoma with a dominant epithelial component has to be considered in the differential diagnosis of a suspected papillary carcinoma of the thyroid.     

Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal reservoir

International Journal of Colorectal Disease -     

Intraperitoneal exfoliated cancer cells in patients with colorectal cancer

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to evaluate potential predictors of exfoliated free cancer cells in the peritoneal cavity and to assess intraoperative peritoneal lavage cytology as a prognostic indicator in patients with colorectal cancer. METHODS: From 1985 to 1987, intraoperative peritoneal lavage cytology was performed in 140 patients with colorectal cancer. Among them, 88 patients underwent curative resection and 52 patients had noncurative surgery. Cytology was examined twice,i.e., immediately after opening the peritoneal cavity (precytology) and just before closing the abdomen (postcytology). One hundred milliliters of saline was poured into the peritoneal cavity and it was retrieved by suction after irrigation. Cytologic examination was performed after staining with Papanicolaou, Giemsa, periodic acid-Schiff, and Alcian blue stains. RESULTS: Among the 140 patients examined, the incidence of positive cytology in the prelavage was 15 percent, and that in the postlavage was 9 percent, although it was 16 percent in either lavage. Among patients with curative resection, 10 percent had positive cytology. Seven characteristics were identified as features of tumors which are prone to exfoliate cells into the peritoneal cavity: 1) macroscopic peritoneal dissemination, 2) liver metastasis, 3) more than 20 ml of ascites, 4) ulcerated tumors without definite borders, 5) invasion of the serosal surface or beyond, 6) semiannular or annular shape, and 7) moderate or marked lymphatic invasion. In patients undergoing curative surgery, among these features, circumferential involvement was the only one correlated closely with positive cytology (P<0.02). Positive cytology was associated with a worse outcome. In patients who were resected curatively, the postcytology had a stronger influence on local recurrence than the precytology; the local recurrence rate in patients with positive postcytology was higher than in those with negative postcytology, regardless of the precytology. All patients with cancer cells in the peritoneal cavity at the end of surgery had recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Seven characteristics were identified as risk factors for exfoliation of cancer cells into the peritoneal cavity in patients with colorectal cancer. These findings may be helpful for the choice of laparoscopic surgery in this era of increasing port-site metastases after laparoscopic procedure. The results of peritoneal lavage cytology at the end of surgery were correlated with the long-term postoperative outcome of colorectal cancer. Thus, meticulous follow-up and possibly adjuvant chemotherapy may be beneficial for patients with free cancer cells in lavage fluid, even after curative surgery.     

Lectin staining of neoplastic and normal background colorectal mucosa in nonpolyposis and polyposis patients

A lectin histochemistry approach was adopted for comparative assessment of a colon cancer risk. Binding of Ulex europaeus agglutinin-I (UEA-I), peanut agglutinin (PNA), Griffonia simplicifolia agglutinin-II (GSA-II), and Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) was investigated in tumor and background tissue from a total of 34 adenoma and 44 cancer patients and compared with reaction patterns in control and familial adenomatous pplyposis (FAP) patients. Adenoma patients with UEA-I positive rectal mucosa were found to have a 33.3 percent familial history of large bowel cancer, which was significantly higher (P <0.05) than the respective 4.0 percent figure for patients with negative rectal mucosa. In the cancer patients, an even stronger correlation was noted, with a 63.2 percent UEA-I positive family history association being recorded, as opposed to 4.0 percent in the negative rectal mucosa patients (P <0.01). Thus, the results suggest that, apparently, normal rectal background mucosa of individuals genetically at high risk for colon and rectal cancer demonstrates a specific lectin binding ability similar to that of FAP patients and that the simple method using UEA-I staining of rectal biopsy specimens can be of practical use in identification of high-risk colorectal cancer.     

Results of distal splenorenal shunt with versus without splenopancreatic disconnection

From December 1973 to December 1987, we performed a distal splenorenal shunt (DSRS) in 112 cases of portal hypertension, including 107 with postnecrotic liver cirrhosis and 5 with idiopathic portal hypertension (IPH). They comprised about 50% of our surgical cases with esophageal varices. In 1981, we modified our operative procedure towards a more extended splenopancreatic disconnection (SPD) in order to prevent the "stealing" of the shunt through the pancreatic vein. In one group of 69 patients who underwent DSRS alone, the operative mortality was 2.9%; postoperative encephalopathy was seen in 17.4%, late hepatic failure in 40.6%, and recurrence of varices in 4.3%. In the other group, 43 patients who underwent DSRS with SPD, there were no operative deaths, no encephalopathy (better than DSRS alone at p less than 0.05), and late hepatic failure was seen in only 9.3% (better than DSRS alone at p less than 0.025), while the recurrence rate of 7% was the only statistical increase. These data show that DSRS + SPD can improve chances of survival.     

Vipoma of the Pancreas Complicating Ulcerative Colitis

We report a case of vipoma of the pancreas in conjunction with ulcerative colitis in a 20-yr-old woman. Twenty months after the onset of ulcerative colitis, the patient complained of watery diarrhea and was found to have an electrolyte disorder. A pancreatic tumor was detected by ultrasonography and computed tomography, along with an elevation of serum vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP). The secretory diarrhea diminished dramatically, and the serum VIP level decreased into the normal range immediately after resection of the pancreatic tumor. Immunohistochemical staining revealed a pancreatic vipoma. Despite removal of the vipoma, she underwent restorative proctocolectomy and ileal J-pouch anal anastomosis 2 yr later due to progression of the ulcerative colitis. Postoperative course was uneventful, with excellent functional results. Knowledge of this rare condition accompanying ulcerative colitis may help in the management of the patient with an atypical clinical course.     

Can signal intensity of the continuous wave Doppler regurgitant jet estimate severity of mitral regurgitation?

Visual estimates of the intensity of the continuous wave (CW) Doppler regurgitant jet signal have been used to estimate the severity of valvular regurgitation. Theoretically, the strength of the reflected Doppler signal is a function of the number of scatterers. To test this approach quantitatively, free jets were produced in 27 experiments using a power injector and cornstarch suspension varying in concentration from 1% to 3%. Flow volume was varied from 5 to 15 ml, and orifice diameter varied from 2.5 to 10 mm. Machine settings were kept constant. Also, 22 patients with mitral regurgitation (MR)--5 mild, 11 moderate, and 6 severe by angiography--were studied. Average signal intensity under the CW Doppler flow curve was calculated using a computer image processor. In MR patients, average regurgitant flow (RF) intensity was compared with average mitral forward flow (FF) signal intensity. (1) The intensity under the CW flow signal in the free jet experiments correlated well with injection volume (r greater than 0.98). (2) RF average signal intensity did not correlate with angiographic MR severity (r = 0.21), but the ratio of RF to FF average signal intensity did correlate with MR severity (r = 0.73). (3) The sensitivity and the specificity of an RF/FF ratio greater than 0.65 for angiographically severe mitral regurgitation were both 83%. (4) The sensitivity and specificity of an RF/FF ratio less than 0.50 for angiographic mild mitral regurgitation were both 80%. The ratio of regurgitant to forward mitral flow CW Doppler signal intensity appears to be an accurate and clinically applicable method for estimating the severity of mitral regurgitation.