An apparent primitive mass of the mesentery: A case report.

Introduction: Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are rare tumors. 55% of NETs originate in the gastrointestinal tract and the liver is the most common site of distant metastases. Serum chromogranin A is the most common biomarker for assessing the extent of disease and monitoring treatment; carcinoid syndrome occurs in 19% of NETs and is characterized by chronic diarrhea or flushing.

Prognostic value of mediastinal lymph node enlargement in chronic interstitial lung disease.

Purpose: Mediastinal lymph node (MLN) enlargement detected on chest computed tomography (CT) is frequent in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and is shown in approximately 70% of cases of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We hypothesized that enlarged MLNs might be a predictor of poor prognosis, associated with lower survival and stronger disease severity.

Methods: This study included patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) or nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) from January 2009 to December 2018.

Surgical Resections of Superinfected Pneumatoceles in a COVID-19 Patient.

Emerging studies on radiologic findings in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) report a high incidence of bilateral lung involvement, with ground-glass opacities imaging being the most common pattern on computed tomography. Cystic lesions, such as pneumatoceles, are rare, although they may occur in 10% of cases. Cyst formation may be explained by a focal pulmonary trauma caused by mechanical ventilation or infection-related damage to the alveolar walls leading to pneumatoceles.

Comorbidities in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: an underestimated issue.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and fibrosing lung disease with a poor prognosis. Between 60% and 70% of IPF patients die of IPF; the remaining causes of death may be due to comorbidities occurring in this ageing population. Interest in the role played by comorbidities in IPF has increased in the past few years.

Lung Cryobiopsy for the Diagnosis of Interstitial Lung Diseases: A Series Contribution to a Debated Procedure.

: Transbronchial cryobiopsy is an alternative to surgical biopsy for the diagnosis of fibrosing interstitial lung diseases, although the role of this relatively new method is rather controversial. Aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance and the safety of transbronchial cryobiopsy in patients with fibrosing interstitial lung disease. : The population in this study included patients with interstitial lung diseases who underwent cryobiopsy from May 2015 to May 2018 at the Division of Pneumology of San Giuseppe Hospital in Milan and who were retrospectively studied.

Placebo or trimetazidine (99m)Tc tetrofosmin myocardial SPECT and low-dose dobutamine echocardiography in hibernating myocardium.

Background: Trimetazidine (TMZ) improves (99m)Tc sestamibi uptake in myocardial single photon emission tomography (SPECT). This study compared TMZ (99m)Tc tetrofosmin SPECT and low-dose dobutamine echocardiography (LDDE) as predictors of functional recovery of hibernating myocardium after coronary revascularization.

Methods: Thirty-one patients with prior myocardial infarction and left ventricular dysfunction underwent coronary angiography, LDDE, placebo SPECT and TMZ SPECT.

Prognostic value of plasma brain natriuretic peptide, urea nitrogen, and creatinine in outpatients >70 years of age with heart failure.

This study analyzed the relevance of plasma brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and echocardiography in predicting cardiovascular events in a large population >70 years old with heart failure (HF). Three hundred four outpatients with HF (51.6% men, mean age 78.

The acute administration of trimetazidine modified myocardial perfusion and left ventricular function in 31 patients with ischaemic ventricular dysfunction.

Unlabelled: Trimetazidine (TMZ) increases the mithocondrial oxidative metabolism and improves Tc-99m sestamibi uptake in myocardial single photon emission tomography (SPECT). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the acute administration of TMZ improved myocardial perfusion and modified left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in ischaemic left ventricular impairment.

Methods: Thirty-one patients (23 males, age 66 years) with prior myocardial infarction (>6 months) and echocardiographic LVEF < or = 45% underwent coronary angiography, rest basal myocardial SPECT (after 3-day placebo administration) and rest TMZ myocardial SPECT [after 3-day TMZ administration (60mg/die)].

Comparison of frequency of insulin resistance after coronary stenting in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus with versus without coronary restenosis.

The large incidence of restenosis after coronary angioplasty in diabetic patients renders this procedure less effective than in nondiabetics, and insulin resistance could be a relevant cause of restenosis in such patients. This study assessed insulin resistance and biologic markers of metabolic control in type 2 diabetic patients treated with stented angioplasty. Seventy-four patients were studied prospectively.

Association study of the I/D polymorphism and plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) as risk factors for stent restenosis.

The ID (insertion/deletion) polymorphism of the ACE (angiotensin-converting enzyme) gene controls plasma ACE levels. Both have been correlated with ISR (in-stent restenosis) in preliminary analyses, but not confirmed in larger studies. In the present study, baseline and 6-month quantitative coronary analysis were performed in 897 patients who had stent implantation and the ID polymorphism genotyped.

The usefulness of adenosine 99mTc tetrofosmin SPECT for the diagnosis of left anterior descending coronary artery disease in patients with chest pain and left bundle branch block.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of 99mTc tetrofosmin single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) for the diagnosis of left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery disease in 60 subjects with left bundle branch block (LBBB) admitted for chest pain.

Methods And Results: Adenosine 99mTc tetrofosmin SPECT, transthoracic echocardiogram and coronary angiography were performed, by protocol, in 60 non-infarcted consecutive patients. The mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was 41.

[Selection of contrast media for hemodynamic studies and limitation of the associated risk].

Both the choice of contrast media for use in the cardiac catheterization laboratory, and the practice for limiting patient damage, are relevant to the quality of health care. As part of our quality assurance program, and as a preliminary step to a critical reappraisal of our current protocols, an updated review has been made of existing evidence about contrast media for this use, and about measures to prevent adverse events. Consideration was also given to evidence-based measures or drug treatment in patients at risk for anaphylactoid reactions or with renal failure, as well as to the recommended course of action in diabetic patients receiving oral biguanide agents.

Diffuse cystic lung diseases: correlation between radiologic and functional status.

Background: High-resolution CT (HRCT) scanning plays an important role in the diagnosis of diffuse cystic lung diseases (DCLDs). However, its role in the clinical evaluation of patients affected by DCLD has not yet been well-clarified. At present, pulmonary function tests are the only methods available for the evaluation of lung impairment due to these diseases, but their sensitivity and reliability are still limited.

[Should we use clopidogrel instead of ticlopidine in elective coronary angioplasty?].

The use of ticlopidine in association with aspirin has reduced the incidence of subacute stent thrombosis to currently < 1% after coronary stent implantation. Clopidogrel, a more recently marketed thienopyridine derivative, has a lower incidence of side effects than ticlopidine. The use of clopidogrel in association with aspirin as compared to aspirin alone from the second through the sixth month after coronary angioplasty has been shown to reduce the 6-month incidence of major adverse cardiac events by 20-30%.

Estrogen receptor-alpha polymorphisms and angiographic outcome after coronary artery stenting.

Objective: Because of the receptor-mediated antiproliferative effects of estradiol on vascular smooth muscle cells, our study aimed at identifying a role of PvuII and XbaI polymorphisms of the alpha-estrogen receptor (alphaER) gene in the occurrence of restenosis after coronary stent implantation (in-stent restenosis [ISR]).

Methods And Results: In 858 patients (148 women), 955 lesions were treated with stent implantation, and the PvuII C/T and XbaI G/A polymorphisms of the alphaER gene were determined. Quantitative angiography was performed before and after stenting and at 6-month follow-up.

Effects of the addition of a low dose of spironolactone on brain natriuretic peptide plasma level and cardiopulmonary function in patients with moderate congestive heart failure.

Background: The purpose of our study was to assess the effects of a low dose of spironolactone in patients with moderate congestive heart failure (CHF) on the plasma level of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), echocardiographic left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and cardiopulmonary function assessed by cardiopulmonary (CP) test.

Material/methods: 51 CHF patients (74.5% males, mean age 60 years) underwent transthoracic echocardiography, CP test, and plasma BNP assay at the time of enrollment and after 6 months of standard therapy for CHF plus a low dose of spironolactone (group A).

Effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition on restenosis after coronary stenting.

The Plasma level of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) has been identified as a major risk factor for restenosis after coronary stent implantation in selected patients; ACE inhibition may therefore contribute to prevent its occurrence. The effect of oral ACE inhibition at conventional doses was analyzed retrospectively in a series of 897 patients with ischemia who received >or=1 coronary stent on 998 lesions and underwent angiographic follow-up; no exclusion criteria were introduced in this analysis. The restenosis rate in 282 patients (31.

The diagnosis of coronary artery disease in hypertensive patients with chest pain and complete left bundle branch block: utility of adenosine Tc-99m tetrofosmin SPECT.

Purpose: Hypertensive patients with complete left bundle branch block who experience chest pain present special problems in the radionuclide diagnosis of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to assess the utility of Tc-99m tetrofosmin SPECT for the diagnosis of CAD in 35 hypertensive patients with left bundle branch block hospitalized for chest pain.

Materials And Methods: Images were analyzed semiquantitatively for the presence of both fixed or reversible perfusion defects (method A) or only reversible defects (method B) in the distribution of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) territory.

Predicting cardiac events with Tl201 dipyridamole myocardial scintigraphy in renal transplant recipients.

Background: Renal transplant recipients should be screened for coronary artery disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of thallium-201 dipyridamole myocardial perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) to predict major cardiac events in these patients.

Methods And Results: Eighty-two consecutive patients (61 males) in hemodialysis (HD) treatment, awaiting renal transplantation, underwent dipyridamole Tl-201 SPECT for pretransplant risk stratification.