A prospective study of postoperative lymphedema after surgery for cervical cancer.

Objective: Lymphedema is a severe postoperative complication in oncological surgery. Multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MFBIA) is a new method for early lymphedema detection. The objective was to establish the methodology of MFBIA for lower-limb lymphedema and to detect a lymphedema in patients undergoing cervical cancer surgery.

Evidence for natriuretic peptides A and B as non-invasive markers in congenital and valvular heart disease.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic utility of natriuretic peptides of type A and B as noninvasive markers in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital and valvular heart disease.

Methods: Blood samples from 82 patients with various congenital and valvular heart diseases were measured for A and B natriuretic peptide levels and levels compared with those in a reference group of blood donors. Electrochemiluminiscence immunoassay and immunoluminometric essay were used for quantification of natriuretic peptides A and B.

Caustic ulcers caused by cement aqua: report of a case.

Chromium is widely used in various industries including construction sector. Skin contact with cement has been associated with allergic or irritant contact dermatitis. Contact dermatitis is one of the most frequently reported health problems among construction workers.

Colophony, a hidden allergen on ECG electrodes in a boy after cardiovascular surgery.

We report on the first case identifying colophony as a hidden allergen in declared acrylate-based conductive and adhesive foam electrodes. This surgery was followed by continuous electrocardiogram monitoring. The patch tests showed strong positive reactions to colophony.

Bacterial infection complications in children with cochlear implants in the Czech Republic.

Objective: Studies describing wound infections after cochlear implantation are rare. Meticulous operative techniques and sufficient surgical skill can help to avoid severe postoperative complications. Minor complications such as seromas, superficial wound infections, skin emphysema, and swelling can all be successfully treated using conservative methods.

Exercise with visual feedback improves postural stability after vestibular schwannoma surgery.

We analyzed the effect of 2-week individualized visual feedback-based balance training on the postural control of patients undergoing retrosigmoid microsurgical removal of vestibular schwannoma. We performed prospective evaluation of 17 patients allocated into two groups: feedback group (9 patients, mean age 37 years) and standard physiotherapy group (8 patients, mean age 44 years). Patients in both the groups were treated once per day by intensive rehabilitation from 5th to 14th postoperative day.

Subacute thyroiditis confused with dental problem.

Subacute thyroiditis is an inflammatory disease of the thyroid gland, most probably preceded by viral infection. Common symptoms include fever, thyroid tenderness associated pain, and initial hyperthyroidism sometimes followed by a transient period of hypothyroidism with generally favourable outcomes as self-limited entity. It was known that it may be confused with pharyngitis; however search on Medline using key words (dental pain, subacute thyroiditis, and differential diagnosis) in combination recently produced no reports.

Congenital gastric outlet obstruction by pyloric membrane: prenatal and postnatal diagnosis and management.

Congenital gastric outlet obstruction is a rare condition representing only 1% of all gastrointestinal atresias. Prenatal diagnosis is uncommon and mostly confined to the third trimester of cases presenting a combination of polyhydramnios with dilated stomach. We report a case of congenital gastric outlet obstruction by pyloric membrane which was diagnosed prenatally in the third trimester by sonography and magnetic resonance imaging.

Transoral and combined transoral-transcervical approach in the surgery of parapharyngeal tumors.

The goal of parapharyngeal space (PPS) tumor surgery is to obtain adequate visualization to ensure complete removal with preservation of the surrounding nerves and vessels. Different surgical approaches have been described. Transoral approach is the most controversial one due to cited limited exposure, risk of tumor spillage, and possibility of neurovascular injury.

The knee in full flexion: an anatomical study.

There has been only one limited report dating from 1941 using dissection which has described the tibiofemoral joint between 120 degrees and 160 degrees of flexion despite the relevance of this arc to total knee replacement. We now provide a full description having examined one living and eight cadaver knees using MRI, dissection and previously published cryosections in one knee. In the range of flexion from 120 degrees to 160 degrees the flexion facet centre of the medial femoral condyle moves back 5 mm and rises up on to the posterior horn of the medial meniscus.

Pilot newborn screening project for cystic fibrosis in the Czech Republic: defining role of the delay in its symptomatic diagnosis and influence of ultrasound-based prenatal diagnosis on the incidence of the disease.

The objective need for cystic fibrosis (CF) newborn screening (NBS) in the Czech Republic has recently been substantiated by a significant delay of its symptomatic diagnosis. This trend most likely resulted from the process of decentralisation of health care which led to the deterioration of care for patients who need specialised approaches. Applied newborn screening model (IRT/DNA/IRT) was efficacious enough to detect CF cases with median age at diagnosis of 37 days.

Expression of endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase and caspase-3 in tonsillar cancer, chronic tonsillitis and healthy tonsils.

Neoangiogenesis and inhibition of apoptosis are two factors considered as major leading causes of tumorigenesis. NO, synthesized by NOS, plays an important role in tumour growth, dissemination and vascularization. Caspase-3 is an executive enzyme of apoptosis.

Wilson disease as a cause of liver injury in cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis-related liver disease affects approximately one third of all patients with cystic fibrosis. Initial signs of other liver diseases including the genetically determined disorders of the liver co-inherited with cystic fibrosis may be obscured by or ascribed to cystic fibrosis-related liver disease. We report a patient shown to suffer simultaneously from cystic fibrosis and hepatic Wilson disease.

Angiosarcoma of the thyroid.

Hemangiosarcoma of the thyroid gland is a very rare entity. The therapy of this tumor is difficult because of its locally aggressive and destructive behavior with a high recurrence rate. We report a case of 60-year-old man with history of 1 month rapidly enlarging neck mass in the thyroid region.

Cystic lymphangioma of the neck in adults: a report of three cases.

Lymphangiomas are uncommon lesions of lymphatic channels that are often present at birth and diagnosed mostly (90%) before the age of two years. Lymphangiomas occur exceedingly rarely in adults and few cases are described in the literature. The treatment of choice is complete surgical removal; however, the tumor tends to spread along vital structures therefore sometimes inductive complete surgical removal is impossible.

Helicobacter pylori in tonsillar and adenoid tissue and its possible role in oropharyngeal carcinogenesis.

Helicobacter pylori is a well-known gastric pathogen. It plays a major role in the pathogenesis of chronic gastritis, duodenal and gastric ulcers, adenocarcinoma and gastric lymphoma. HP infection is one of the most common bacterial infections worldwide.

Complicated decisionmaking in indications for auditory brainstem implant (ABI) in a patient with neurofibromatosis 2.

A case of an accidental finding of neurofibromatosis 2 in a practically asymptomatic patient is described. Various therapeutic modalities, including restoration of hearing after vestibular schwannoma surgery with an auditory brainstem implant (ABI), are considered.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) profiles of vulvar lesions: possible implications for the classification of vulvar squamous cell carcinoma precursors and for the efficacy of prophylactic HPV vaccination.

The term vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (VIN) introduced in 1986 incorporates 3 grades of usual VIN (u-VIN I-III) and the differentiated VIN (d-VIN). Although u-VIN is etiologically associated with the human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, d-VIN represents an alternative HPV negative pathway of vulvar carcinogenesis. In 2004, the u-VIN I category was abandoned and u-VIN II and III were merged.

Muscle lymphocytic infiltrates in thymoma-associated myasthenia gravis are phenotypically different from those in polymyositis.

The aim of the study is to provide evidence that the lymphocytic infiltration of myasthenia gravis (MG) muscle do not represent a true autoimmune myositis, rather an infiltration by naive lymphocytes derived from lymphocyte-rich thymomas. Muscle biopsies from 179 patients with pure MG, 6 thymoma patients without MG and 15 patients with definite polymyositis were analyzed. In 18 patients with MG (all associated with lymphocyte-rich thymomas) and in two thymoma patients without MG, lymphocytic infiltrates were identified in muscles.

Endodermal sinus tumor diagnosed in pregnancy: a case report.

Pure endodermal sinus tumor (EST) of the ovary is an uncommon germ cell tumor characterized by rapid growth. Its occurrence during pregnancy is extremely rare. The case of a 34-year-old woman with EST stage IC diagnosed in the 22nd week of gestation is presented.

Quality of life following endoscopic resection or radio-therapy for early glottic cancer.

Objective: To compare post treatment quality of life (QoL) of patients treated by radiotherapy or endoscopic transoral endolaryngeal surgery using two quality of life scoring tools.

Methods: From May 1998 to July 2005, 48 patients (11 women and 37 men) with early glottic cancer were treated with curative radiotherapy (18 patients) or laser cordectomy (30 patients), and retrospectively evaluated using QoL questionnaires; European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) - EORTC-QoL Core Questionnaire (QLQ-C30 version 2.0) and organ specific EORTC - QLQ, Head and Neck Module (QLQ-H&N35) at the University Hospital Motol, Czech Republic.

The relevance of brain natriuretic peptides investigation in various cardiovascular diseases.

Background: Brain natriuretic peptides are relevant markers of heart impairment.

Aim: We investigated the relevance of investiging brain natriuretic peptides (NT-proBNP, BNP) in monitoring different types of cardiovascular disease (chronic heart failure due to coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, acquired valve disease, congenital heart diseases).

Methods: The NT-proBNP assay (Roche) was performed on 280 patients (mean age 49 years; range 20-89 years) and 48 healthy controls (mean age 43 years; range 13-65 years) and BNP assay (Bayer Shionoria) was performed in a subgroup of 42 patients (mean age 50 years; range 20-79 years).

Meconium pseudocyst secondary to ileal atresia complicated by volvulus: antenatal MR demonstration.

We report a case of meconium pseudocyst evaluated by prenatal MR imaging. The unusual features were its huge size, the absence of meconium peritonitis, and its development late in fetal life. The case also demonstrates a possible diagnostic pitfall since it suggests that rapid deterioration of a mechanically compensated bowel obstruction may occur, potentially occurring only after an MRI study has been performed.

Septal graft in laryngeal reconstruction.

A 62-year-old woman presented with symptoms of dyspnea. Ultrasonography and computed tomography examinations revealed mass extending from the cricoid cartilage to the left lobe of thyroid gland and thyroid cartilage. Cytology revealed possibility of cartilaginous origin, which was proven to be chondrosarcoma Grade 1 from the biopsy specimen obtained during panendoscopy.

In vitro assessment of dendritic cells pulsed with apoptotic tumor cells as a vaccine for ovarian cancer patients.

Surgery and chemotherapy are standard treatments in ovarian cancer, but patients have a high rate of relapse. Dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines are a new treatment option for elimination of residual tumor disease. We aim to explore the feasibility and immunogenicity of DC vaccines pulsed with autologous irradiated tumor cells from ovarian cancer patients.