Metastatic Breast Carcinoma Presenting as Perforated Appendicitis.

SUMMARY: BACKGROUND: Patients presenting with symptoms from unknown metastatic breast carcinoma are becoming increasingly uncommon. Perforated appendicitis from metastatic breast carcinoma is a rare entity with only a few published reports in the literature. CASE REPORT: The case of a 76-year-old female patient who developed perforated appendicitis from previously unknown metastatic breast cancer is presented.

The role of preoperative factor V Leiden screening in different geographic populations.

Patients harboring a specific mutation in the coagulation factor V gene have been identified as being at significantly increased risk for venous thrombosis. A simple genetic test that identifies carriers of this mutation (the factor V Leiden allele) is available and may have utility in various clinical settings, including preoperative risk assessment for thromboembolic complications. In this regard, it is generally agreed that prospective studies addressing the role of preoperative factor V Leiden mutational analysis are needed to clearly define the clinical prognostic/diagnostic significance of the presence of this mutation in surgical patients.

Laparoscopic repair of a traumatic lumbar hernia: a case report.

Lumbar hernia is an uncommon flank hernia and a rare complication of blunt trauma. We present a case of acute lumbar hernia as a direct result of blunt trauma. Traditionally, exploratory laparotomy with open repair is indicated, but we report a case of a traumatic lumbar hernia explored and repaired laparoscopically.

Experiences with laser bronchoscopy.

Laser bronchoscopy was performed 87 times in 58 patients over a three-year period at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. Fifty-six patients (97 percent) had malignant disease, including bronchogenic carcinoma (46), metastatic neoplasm to bronchus or lung (eight), or direct extension of esophageal carcinoma (two); benign pathology included tracheal papillomatosis (one) and granulation tissue (one). Eighty-six percent of tumors were proximally located (trachea, carina, mainstem bronchi).