Ramsay Hunt syndrome with atypical progress in a renal transplant recipient: a case report.

Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a rare complication of herpes zoster disease in which reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus infection occurs in the geniculate ganglion causing otalgia, unilateral vesicular eruption in a restricted dermatomal distribution, and peripheral facial paralysis. Dermal infections caused by human pathogenic herpes viruses are common in organ transplant recipients. For a transplant surgeon, it is imperative to remember that viral prophylaxis is essential in the follow-up of the transplant patients.

Evaluation of intraoperative parathormone measurement for predicting successful surgery in patients undergoing subtotal/total parathyroidectomy due to secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Objectives/background: The aim of this study is to investigate the predictive value of intraoperative parathormone measurement addressing successful surgical resection in patients with secondary hyperparathyroidism.

Methods: The study included 42 consecutive patients operated on between May 2006 and July 2008. Patients were grouped according to successful surgery (Group 1, n = 36) and persistent postoperative hyperparathyroidism (Group 2, n = 6).

Calcium-sensing receptor gene polymorphisms and cardiac valvular calcification in patients with chronic renal failure: a pilot study.

Cardiac valvular calcification (VC) is a frequent finding in chronic hemodialysis patients. In addition to demographic and metabolic factors, genetic susceptibility may also influence the occurrence and severity of these abnormalities and account for interindividual variability among patients. In this report, we studied the relation of calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) gene polymorphisms to the development of VC in chronic hemodialysis patients.