Mitral annular calcification and brown tumor of the rib in a child with chronic renal failure

Mitral annular calcification and liquefaction necrosis of this lesion mimicking intracardiac tumor because of secondary hyperparathyriodism have been described in adult patients with chronic renal failure, but have not been reported in children. Chronic renal failure is one of the predisposing factors of this condition. We report the case of a 13-year-old patient with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis with severe hyperparathyroidism who was found to have intracardiac and rib lesions considered to be brown tumors.     

Intraspinal metalloma resulting in late paraparesis

The metal-related complications caused by orthopedic implants have long been a concern, but these problems have been considered mostly in the field of arthroplasty or internal fixation of fractures. The recent prevalence of spinal instrumentation has evoked a similar concern among spine surgeons. Here, we present a case of intraspinal metallosis adjacent to the pedicular hook occurring after treatment of vertebral fracture by posterior spinal instrumentation and fusion, and causing paraparesis at the 3rd postoperative year. Metallic granulomas can appear around the pedicular hooks as in the reported case. Crevice and fretting corrosion are results at the junctions of rod-screw, rod-hook, transverse connector rod and other connector rods in modular spinal implants. Adequate usage of transpedicular screws may inhibit the occurrence of such a complication. For this reason, further studies are necessary to increase metallic corrosive resistance to inhibit crevice and fretting corrosion.     

Effects of Gender on the Severity of Sepsis

Purpose To investigate the differences between male and female rats and the effects of sex hormones on tissue changes in the lung and liver in a sepsis model.Methods Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups of ten. Groups 1 and 2 were the control male and female groups, respectively, subjected only to sepsis; groups 3 and 4 were the male and female groups, respectively, subjected to sepsis, then given 0.04mg/kg estrogen + progesterone (E-P) intramuscularly (i.m.); and groups 5 and 6 were the male and female groups, respectively, subjected to sepsis, then given 0.5mg/kg testosterone (T) i.m. The rats were killed and the histopathological changes in the lung and liver were examined, and plasma endotoxin levels were measured.Results Histopathological examination revealed less congestion, portal inflammation, and focal necrosis of the liver, and less congestion, edema, and emphysematous and inflammatory changes in the lung in the E-P groups than in the other groups. Moreover, signs of systemic endotoxemia in plasma were proportionally less in the female rats and in the E-P groups than in the male rats and the T groups.Conclusion Female rats subjected to sepsis showed less liver and lung tissue damage and less systemic endotoxemia than male rats, because of the effects of female sex hormones.     

Inflammatory Myofibroblastic Tumor of the Ileocecal Mesentery Mimicking Abdominal Lymphoma in Childhood: Report of Two Cases

An inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor is an uncommon benign tumor located in various organs that can be misdiagnosed as a malignant neoplasm. We herein present two patients with ileocecal inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors. An abdominal mass was detected in a 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy who presented with paleness, fatigue, intermittent fever, and night sweating. The radiological findings confirmed a mass originating from the ileocecal region. The presumptive diagnosis was Burkitt’s lymphoma. The histopathological diagnosis was inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor. After a surgical resection, all systemic symptoms rapidly resolved. Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor is a rare pseudosarcomatous clinical and pathological entity. Although this tumor is more commonly reported in the lung, it can be detected in extrapulmonary sites, including the mesentery. Because the choice of treatment for this tumor is conservative surgery, an accurate preoperative analysis is important to avoid any unnecessary aggressive surgical intervention or other therapeutic approaches.     

Laser ablation therapies for Barrett's esophagus

The metaplastic change of the normal squamous epithelium of the distal esophagus into a specialized columnar epithelium is known as Barrett's esophagus (BE) and is associated with an increased risk of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus. It is a frequent complication of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and up to 10% of patients with GERD suffer from BE. The progression to dysplasia increases the risk of cancer development and the annual risk of developing cancer in Barrett's esophagus is estimated to be 0.5% per year. The management of BE with high grade dysplasia (HGD) is controversial. Recent innovations in endoscopic therapy have allowed for the development of multiple endoscopic techniques, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT), argon plasma coagulation (APC), and endoscopic mucosal resection. In this article, we will discuss primarily photodynamic therapy, and other ablative technologies such as argon plasma coagulation in the treatment of BE.     

Induction chemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil followed by chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy alone in the treatment of locoregionally advanced resectable cancers of the larynx and hypopharynx: results of single-center study of 45 patients

BACKGROUND: Induction chemotherapy with cisplatin and fluorouracil and radiotherapy is an effective alternative to surgery in patients with carcinoma of the larynx and hypopharynx who are treated for organ preservation. METHODS: We designed a protocol to evaluate the possibility of organ preservation in patients with advanced, resectable carcinoma of the larynx and hypopharynx. Forty-five eligible patients who were followed up between April 1999 and May 2001 were enrolled. Initially, these patients were treated with two cycles of induction chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin, 20 mg/m2/day on days 1 to 5, and 5-fluorouracil, 600 mg/m2/day by continuous infusion on days 1 to 5. Patients who had a complete response to chemotherapy were treated with definitive radiotherapy; patients who had a partial response to chemotherapy were treated with chemoradiotherapy. Cisplatin, 35 mg/m2/week, was introduced throughout the duration of radiotherapy. Patients who had no response or progressive disease underwent surgery with postoperative radiotherapy. Patients with N2 or N3 positive lymph nodes underwent neck dissection after the treatment. RESULTS: The mean age was 56.6 years (range, 34-75 years). The overall response rate to induction chemotherapy was 71.1%, with a 17.8% complete response rate and 53.3% partial response rate. With a median follow-up of 13.7 months, 23 (51.1%) of all patients and 63.3% of surviving patients have had a preservation of the larynx or hypopharynx and remain disease free. The most common toxicities were nausea and vomiting and mucositis. CONCLUSION: Organ preservation, with multimodality treatment, may be achievable in some of the patients with resectable, advanced larynx or hypopharynx cancers without apparent compromise of survival.     

Complications following surgical treatment of shoulder instability and revision interventions for stabilization

A successful surgical intervention to restore glenohumeral stability should be based on the detection of all the problems and on a plan to correct all those that are reparable. Contribution of arthroscopy to better understand the pathological anatomy and to evaluate coexisting intra-articular problems, and advances in imaging modalities and in implant technology have increased the success rates and decreased complications. The best way to avoid complications is to gather all the relevant data preoperatively and during surgery to draw the correct diagnosis and to employ the most appropriate approach or approaches accordingly. Complication rates are lower with open surgical techniques, where problems mainly arise from limited joint movements, implant deficiency, and degenerative changes. Although arthroscopic surgery is associated with significantly fewer complications seen with open techniques, it results in higher recurrence rates. Revision surgery for stabilization of the shoulder should be directed to well-defined pathologies using appropriate techniques. The most common complication encountered is the recurrence of instability, which should primarily be dealt with by open surgical techniques.     

Open surgical treatment of recurrent anterior instability of the shoulder

Recurrent anterior gleonohumeral instability is the most frequent joint instability of the body. Because of the complex stability mechanisms and diverse instability patterns of the glenohumeral joint, most cases present with more than one anatomic cause. Thus, the treatment of recurrent anterior instability of the shoulder should be designed to treat these pathologies. Although arthroscopic repair has outweighed the use of open surgical methods especially for the first dislocations, recurrent dislocations still require open repair techniques to overcome capsular laxity accompanying a Bankart lesion.     

Anatomy, biomechanics, and pathophysiology of instability of the glenohumeral joint

The stability of the shoulder is dependent on both static and dynamic anatomic restraints. In most cases, there must be insufficiency of more than one restraint for the shoulder joint to become instable. Although the role of these restraints is largely known in maintaining shoulder stability, our information on their interactions is insufficient. This article reviews the anatomy and biomechanics of the shoulder and conditions causing instability of the glenohumeral joint.