Identification of Two Different Phenotypes of Patients with Amiodarone-Induced Thyrotoxicosis and Positive Thyrotropin Receptor Antibody Tests.

Serum thyrotropin (TSH) receptor antibodies (TRAbs) are occasionally found in patients with amiodarone-induced thyrotoxicosis (AIT), and usually point to a diagnosis of type 1 AIT (AIT1) due to Graves' disease (GD). However, the TRAb role and function in AIT have not been clarified. A retrospective cohort study of 309 AIT patients followed at a single academic center over a 30-year period.

Late-onset postsurgical hypoparathyroidism following parathyroidectomy for recurrent primary hyperparathyroidism: a case report and literature review.

Purpose: Previously in 1987, a 21-year-old male was diagnosed with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) when a right inferior parathyroid adenoma was removed. PHPT recurred after 3 and 6 years and on both occasions was cured by resection of parathyroid adenomas. At 52 years of age, the patient developed a late-onset hypoparathyroidism (HP), even though postsurgical HP typically occurs as a transient or permanent form soon after neck surgery.

Astrocytes increase ATP exocytosis mediated calcium signaling in response to microgroove structures.

Following central nervous system (CNS) injury, activated astrocytes form glial scars, which inhibit axonal regeneration, leading to long-term functional deficits. Engineered nanoscale scaffolds guide cell growth and enhance regeneration within models of spinal cord injury. However, the effects of micro-/nanosize scaffolds on astrocyte function are not well characterized.

[Multiple primitive lipoma of the transverse mesocolon: a rare disease].

The Authors describe a case of multiple lipomatosis of the mesocolon and, after a careful review of the literature, they examine particular findings and discuss diagnostic difficulties, anatomopathological features and treatment. Intraabdominal lipoma is very rare and presents difficulties in diagnosis, both for aspecific symptoms and for the unusual site which does not allow early identification. As it is a tumor which arises from primitive and totipotent mesenchymal cells, radical surgery is the only therapeutic option.

[Endoscopic prosthetic treatment of the esophagojejunal leaks after total gastrectomy: clinical experience].

The Authors, on the basis of their experience on the use of self-expanding prostheses in abdominal surgery, report on the use of these prostheses in two patients who, having undergone a gastrectomy for cancer, developed a fistula of the esophago-jejunal anastomosis. Given recent data from literature, using a prosthesis for an anastomotic fistula may be a valid alternative to a second operation, which, apart from obvious difficulties, has a high mortality rate in patients in weakened general health conditions. In these cases, after the application of a stent, excellent results can be obtained and, after some days, the patients can begin a semi-liquid diet, then proceeding to a semi-solid diet, improving quality of life; in addition, within a reasonable time span, after the healing of the fistula, the prosthesis can easily be removed by endoscopy.

[Caroli's disease: literature review and characteristics of a clinical case].

The Author's report the case of the simple form of Caroli's disease, a rare malformation, and review literature pointing out the difficulty of an early diagnosis, because disease can be silent for a long time too and it is identified for complication. Today, imaging, endoscopy and interventionist radiology are the most valid tools for a correct diagnosis and treatment, above all in a case of emergency, when other therapeutic solutions are not possible.

Novel use of a T-tube access to perform an internal/external biliary drainage.

We report a case of post-surgical temporary functional stenosis of the sphincter of Oddi and biliary leak in a patient with a previous Billroth II reconstruction who had undergone cholecystectomy, surgical choledochotomy and sphincterotomy for biliary calculi. The patient was treated by creation of an internal/external biliary drainage using the T-tube access with an unreported technique.

Combined antegrade and retrograde ureteral stenting: the rendezvous technique.

Ureteral stenting is a routine procedure in endourology. To increase the success rate in difficult cases, it may be helpful to use the rendezvous technique, a combined antegrade and retrograde approach. We performed 16 urological rendezvous in 11 patients with ureteral strictures or urologic lesions.

Nonoperative management of iatrogenic lesions of celiac branches by using transcatheter arterial embolization.

We present our experience in the nonoperative management of iatrogenic lesions of celiac branches by using transcatheter arterial embolization. We treated 6 pseudoaneurysms (5 intrahepatic and 1 of the gastroduodenal artery), 6 vessel lacerations (1 common hepatic artery, 1 right hepatic artery, 1 gastroduodenal artery, 2 pancreatoduodenal, 1 polar intrasplenic artery), 1 arterioportal fistula, and 1 arteriobiliary fistula; all the bleeding lesions were secondary to surgical, endoscopic, or interventional radiologic procedures.

Multiple hypervascular pancreatic metastases from renal cell carcinoma: dynamic MR and spiral CT in three cases.

Pancreatic metastases are rare. Melanoma, lung cancer and breast carcinoma are the most common origin of pancreatic metastases, whereas renal cell carcinoma is counted in only 1-2%. Renal cell carcinoma usually leads to a solitary pancreatic metastasis, whereas multiple pancreatic metastases are uncommon.

Interventional radiology in the preoperative management of stromal tumors causing intestinal bleeding.

Purpose: Our experienee in the preoperative diagnostic and therapeutic management of small bowel gastrointestinal stromal tumors, cause of intestinal bleeding, by means of interventional radiological procedures is reported.

Materials And Methods: From October 1999 to October 2001 6 patients admitted for melena due to bleeding of a gastrointestinal stromal tumor were treated. In all cases the lower and/or upper gastrointestinal endoscopy were the first diagnostic approaches.

Embryologic and acquired anomalies of the inferior vena cava with recurrent deep vein thrombosis.

Anomalies of the inferior vena cava theoretically favor venous stasis and development of deep vein thrombosis. We report two cases of repeated deep vein thrombosis in patients with embryologic and acquired anomalies of the inferior vena cava, in which hypercoagulability syndrome was ruled out.

Intrapleural fibrinolysis in the management of empyemas and haemothoraces. Our experience.

Purpose: We evaluate our experience in the management of empyemas and haemothoraces by means of intracavitary trans-catheter instillation of urokinase (UK).

Material And Methods: We reviewed 54 patients (44 men and 10 women) ranging in age from 12 to 86 years (average 56.3) admitted between May 1999 and April 2001 with loculated pleural effusions (45 empyemas and 9 haemothoraces) and treated by percutaneous drainage and intrapleural urokinase instillation.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the stomach: clinical-pathological features, nosologic setting, and surgical therapy. Report of a case.

Vascular tumors of the stomach represent 0.9%-3.3% of all gastric neoplasms.

[Endovascular repair of abdominal aortic aneurysm: helical CT findings].

Endovascular repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms is currently widely diffuse. Imaging plays a major role in the preprocedural patient evaluation, implantation of stent-graft, and patient follow-up. The aim of this paper is to describe the more frequent findings that can be seen in CT examinations after endovascular repair of infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm.

[Clinical and etiopathogenetic evaluation of a rare cause of spontaneous pneumoperitoneum and volvulus of the ileum: pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis. Report of a case].

A case of pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis with pneumoperitoneum and volvulus complications is reported. After careful examination of the literature, etiopathogenic, pathophysiological and clinical features of the disease are analyzed by the Authors, also in the light of recent findings. Major diagnostic and therapeutic implications are discussed regarding possible complications requiring a different therapeutic approach.