[Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus--detection of circulating tumor cells].

Primary malignant melanoma of esophagus (PMME) is a rare tumor; therefore, the prognostic factors, predictive factors, and difference in biological behaviors of cutaneous melanoma and primary esophageal squamous cell carcinoma remain uncertain. Although we did not adopt a standard therapeutic strategy, we performed surgical resection, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy either alone or in combination; all procedures resulted in poor outcomes. A 67-year-old woman presented with a swallowing disorder.

[Ruptured descending aortic aneurysm in a young woman with systemic lupus erythematosus].

We report here a case of ruptured descending aortic aneurysm in a 35-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). She was diagnosed with SLE in 1985, and had been receiving steroid therapy for 23 years. In February 2009, she presented with sudden back pain.

The accuracy of (18)[F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography, ultrasonography, and enhanced computed tomography alone in the preoperative diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of [(18)F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D: -glucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography, ultrasonography, and enhanced computed tomography alone in the preoperative diagnosis of lymph node metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Methods: In a prospective study performed between January 2007 and December 2009, 74 patients with a diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma confirmed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy were referred to our institution for surgery. Preoperative assessment of metastasis in the central and lateral cervical lymph nodes was done using [(18)F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D: -glucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography, ultrasonography, and enhanced computed tomography.

Paranasal sinus mucoceles with visual disturbance.

Objective: Paranasal sinus mucoceles may cause visual disturbance in patients because of their close proximity to the orbit. We aimed to investigate visual prognosis to determine whether it is influenced by the interval before surgery and the severity of visual disturbance, and to heighten the physician's awareness of the occurrence of this disease.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed eight surgically treated patients with paranasal sinus mucoceles accompanied by visual disturbances between March 2005 and January 2009, and examined the visual acuity outcome of the patients.

Non-organic hearing loss in childhood.

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the etiology, symptoms, diagnosis and prognosis of pediatric patients with non-organic hearing loss (NOHL), and to heighten awareness of this disorder among physicians.

Methods: Between January 2000 and July 2009, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 47 pediatric patients (aged 6-18 years of age) diagnosed with NOHL. The diagnosis was made when there were audiometric discrepancies between the subjective and objective hearing thresholds of the patient in the absence of any organic disease.

[Pulmonary embolism during palliative chemotherapy including cetuximab for metastatic colorectal cancer].

In May 2007, a 48-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital for acute intestinal obstruction, and she was subsequently diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer in the sigmoid colon. Jejunum-ileum anastomosis and colostomy were performed as palliative surgery because the locally-advanced primary tumor had involved the ileum and other surrounding organs and formed huge mass. After placement of a central venous port, palliative chemotherapy mFOLFOX6 was commenced.

[Evaluation of early results of re-coronary artery bypass grafting].

Redo surgery is more difficult than primary operation. From January 2002 to December 2008, 19 patients underwent re-coronary artery bypass grafting (re-CABG) [6.4 percent of the total CABG] : CABG (16) and CABG + combined procedure (3).

A case of idiopathic lymph leakage in the neck.

A 48-year-old female patient was seen in our institution complaining of sudden onset of swelling and tenderness in the left side of her neck. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed abundant effusions in this area. Since these narrowed the patient's airway, we performed incisional drainage and intra-operatively we observed a transparent, colorless lymph fluid that oozed from the operative field, which was mainly a fatty layer at the supraclavicular area.

[A case of stage IV breast cancer with large cancer ulcer responding to combination therapy of capecitabine and medroxyprogesterone acetate and cyclophosphamide].

A 53-year-old woman suffering from nausea and vomiting was admitted to our hospital. There was a large ulcer from her left anterior chest to her right side chest. After pathological examination from the ulcer, she was diagnosed as breast cancer, scirrhous carcinoma.

[An autopsied case of thoracic esophageal cancer with polymyositis].

A 47-year-old woman patient who presented with weakness in the proximal parts of the upper and lower limbs and difficulty in swallowing was given a diagnosis of advanced esophageal cancer complicated with polymyositis. Steroid therapy was initiated for the polymyositis, but the CK level remained high. Chemotherapy was then selected as the preferred treatment option for the esophageal cancer, however, the treatment was ineffective and the patient died of respiratory failure.

[A case of bilateral T4 breast cancer with different responses to chemotherapy].

It is recognized that hormone receptors and HER2 are important as prognostic factors in breast cancer. Moreover, it seems likely that hormone receptors and HER2 are important predictive factors for response to chemotherapy in breast cancer. We report a case of bilateral T4 breast cancer with different expression for hormone receptors and HER2.

[Treatment of massive endobronchial hemorrhage after cardiopulmonary bypass by selective coil embolization of the bronchial artery].

A 68-year-old woman underwent aortic valve replacement to treat her aortic regurgitation. The operation was performed successfully. Just before coming off cardiopulmonary bypass, massive hemorrhage occurred through the endotracheal tube.

The number of microbleeds on gradient T2*-weighted magnetic resonance image at the onset of intracerebral hemorrhage.

Objective: Deep intracerebral hematoma (ICH) is frequently associated with microbleed (MB) arising from degenerated MB. Increased numbers of MB are correlated with increased age, and we examined a possible relationship between MB number and ICH onset in younger patients.

Methods: Excluding patients with ICH and a history of ICH, we examined the number of MB and other risk factors in 195 patients with deep ICH (97 male, 98 female) consecutively admitted to our hospital.

[A case of recurrent breast cancer with multiple liver metastases responding to combination therapy of capecitabine and MPA].

The patient was a 68-year-old woman who underwent left partial mastectomy on February 1999. The stage was T2N1. There were positive for estrogen and progesterone receptors in the tumor.

[Clinical significance of cerebral microbleed and its diagnostic criteria].

Cerebral microbleed (CMB) on gradient-echo T2*-weighted MR imaging (T2*-w MR imaging) is associated with microangiopathy. Number of CMBs and new appeared CMBs are markers for stroke recurrence and the performance state. After CMB was reviewed in this manuscript, criterion for CMB is proposed as below.

Dynamics of dot-like hemosiderin spots on T2*-weighted MRIs associated with stroke recurrence.

Background And Purpose: Dot-like low-intensity spots (dot-like hemosiderin spots: dotHSs) on gradient echo T2*-weighted (-w) brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) are frequently associated with cerebral small vessel disease (SVD), including deep intracerebral hemorrhages and lacunar infarctions. This study investigated how numbers of newly appeared dotHSs contribute to recurrent SVD.

Methods: We prospectively analyzed numbers of newly appeared dotHSs in 12 patients with prior SVD (8 males, 4 females; mean 67.

[A case of rectal cancer with multiple liver metastases responding to TS-1].

A 63-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with complaints of anal pain, constipation and abdominal distention caused by a rectal tumor. After examinations, she was diagnosed as rectal cancer with multiple liver metastases. The CEA level was 70.

Hematoma size in deep intracerebral hemorrhage and its correlation with dot-like hemosiderin spots on gradient echo T2*-weighted MRI.

Background And Purpose: Dot-like low intensity spots (dot-like hemosiderin spots: dotHSs) on gradient echo T2*-weighted MRI have been histologically diagnosed to represent old cerebral microbleeds associated with microangiopathies. They have also been correlated to the fragility of small vessels and the tendency to bleed. Therefore, a substantial number of dotHSs might be associated with a large-sized, deep intracerebral hematoma (ICH).

[Study on hemosiderin deposition after intracerebral hemorrhage].

Background And Purpose: Hemosiderin degenerated from intracerebral hematoma (ICH) can be visualized as low intensity on gradient-echo T2*-weighted (T2*-w) MRI, which is sensitive for hemosiderin. We studied the factors associated with the hemosiderin deposition on T2*-w MRI after ICH.

Methods: We analyzed T2*-w MRIs in 72 outpatients with past ICH (46 males, 26 females, 28-89 (60.

[A case of Giant GIST of the stomach successfully treated with imatinib mesylate neoadjuvant therapy and followed postoperatively].

Since the advent of imatinib mesylate (IM), its clinical efficacy against gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) has been widely acknowledged, and therapeutic strategies for this disease have undergone great changes. We recently experienced a case of giant GIST of the stomach that was successfully treated with IM neoadjuvant therapy prior to surgical resection, but liver metastasis recurred 1 year and 7 months after the operation. The patient was a 65-year-old male who presented at our department with the chief complaints of dizziness, malaise, and fever in April 2002.