Suspicion Of Pathology Research Articles

The Role of Endoscopy in the Diagnosis of Digestive Pathology

Nowadays, endoscopy represents one of the most useful tools in the diagnosis of digestive pathologies in human beings and animals. Whether we are talking about upper or lower gastrointestinal tract endoscopies, these procedures dramatically increase the capacity to diagnose digestive disorders in dogs and cats. The aim of the present study is to investigate the role of endoscopy in the diagnosis of digestive pathologies.This paper represents our 5 years’ experience in digestive endoscopy. During this period we performed more than 150 digestive procedures in dogs and we diagnosed a heteromorphic digestive pathology. Clinical cases were represented by client-owned dogs that were referred to our clinic with a suspicion of digestive pathology.. We diagnosed erosive esophagitis and esophageal foreign bodies, hemorrhagic gastritis and ulcers, gastric and intestinal tumors, infiltrative enteritis, cecal intussusception, and colorectal carcinoma. It must be stressed that these diagnoses were missed using other investigative methods, and we can sustain that endoscopy dramatically increases our diagnostic capacity. Moreover in some conditions (for e.g. esophageal or gastric foreign bodies) endoscopy could also be used as a therapeutic tool.We recommend endoscopy in every case where there is a suspicion of digestive pathology and where other diagnostic tools did not reveal any abnormalities. The main disadvantages of endoscopy were the need for anesthesia in case of upper G.I. series and the cost of the procedure. We did not encounter any complications related to anesthesia or the procedure itself.

Abstract 11107: The ECG has a Low Diagnostic Yield in Active Individuals With Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Introduction/Objective: Around 90% of patients with HCM have an abnormal ECG; however there is paucity of data on the ECG in DCM. Approximately 14% athletes show an LV cavity >60mm and 1-2% reveal a borderline low LVEF which overlaps with DCM. The role of ECG in facilitating the differentiation between physiologic LV enlargement and DCM has not been investigated. We sought to ascertain the utility of the various ECG screening criteria in differentiating physiology from pathology in a cohort of individuals with LV dilatation. Methods: 89 individuals with a dilated LVEDD (43 asymptomatic athletes from cardiac screening (male=37, female=6) and 46 non-ischaemic DCM NYHA class I from a cardiomyopathy clinic (males=33, female=13) were included. Fourty (87%) of the DCM patients were on a beta-blocker. The 2010 ESC, ‘Seattle’ and the novel ‘Refined’ screening criteria were applied to the most recent ECG in both cohorts to assess whether ECG screening would have accurately raised suspicion of pathology. Results: Using the ESC criteria 11 DCM patients had a normal ECG and 6 had group 1 changes; therefore 40.0% of DCM patients would have been considered to have an ECG compatible with athletic training. Excluding sinus bradycardia, the most common group 1 change was early repolarisation. The sensitivity and specificity of the ESC criteria for detecting pathology in our cohort was 63.0% and 69.0% respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the ‘Seattle’ criteria is 50% and 76.7%. The ‘Refined’ criteria was less sensitive at 41.3% but had a higher specificity of 79.2%. Conclusions: It is often assumed the ECG is abnormal in patients with a dilated cardiomyopathy. In our cohort 40% of the ECGs in our DCM patients would have not prompted further investigation if seen at pre-participation screening. This study demonstrates the ECG is not a particularly useful investigation in distinguishing physiological from pathological LV dilatation.

Aortic Dissection with Hemopericardium and Thrombosed Left Common Iliac Artery Presenting as Acute Limb Ischemia: A Case Report and Review

Aim: An aortic dissection is an uncommon serious condition, which usually presents with chest pain or upper back pain. Symptoms of aortic dissection may mimic those of other diseases, often leading to delay in diagnosis. Methods: We report an unusual case of aortic dissection with hemopericardium and thrombosed left common iliac artery presenting as acute limb ischemia. Conclusion: Maintaining a high index of clinical suspicion for aortic pathology could possibly lead to identification and timely management of a greater number of patients who have atypical presentations. This would be especially true for patients who have catastrophic presentations with unexplained symptoms.

Yeast model analysis of novel polymerase gamma variants found in patients with autosomal recessive mitochondrial disease.

Replication of the mitochondrial genome depends on the single DNA polymerase (pol gamma). Mutations in the POLG gene, encoding the catalytic subunit of the human polymerase gamma, have been linked to a wide variety of mitochondrial disorders that show remarkable heterogeneity, with more than 200 sequence variants, often very rare, found in patients. The pathogenicity and dominance status of many such mutations remain, however, unclear. Remarkable structural and functional conservation of human POLG and its S. cerevisiae ortholog (Mip1p) led to the development of many successful yeast models, enabling to study the phenotype of putative pathogenic mutations. In a group of patients with suspicion of mitochondrial pathology, we identified five novel POLG sequence variants, four of which (p.Arg869Ter, p.Gln968Glu, p.Thr1053Argfs*6, and p.Val1106Ala), together with one previously known but uncharacterised variant (p.Arg309Cys), were amenable to modelling in yeast. Familial analysis indicated causal relationship of these variants with disease, consistent with autosomal recessive inheritance. To investigate the effect of these sequence changes on mtDNA replication, we obtained the corresponding yeast mip1 alleles (Arg265Cys, Arg672Ter, Arg770Glu, Thr809Ter, and Val863Ala, respectively) and tested their effect on mitochondrial genome stability and replication fidelity. For three of them (Arg265Cys, Arg672Ter, and Thr809Ter), we observed a strong, partially dominant phenotype of a complete loss of functional mtDNA, whereas the remaining two led to partial mtDNA depletion and significant increase in point mutation frequencies. These results show good correlation with the severity of symptoms observed in patients and allow to establish these variants as pathogenic mutations.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00439-015-1578-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Cryptococcoma in Idiopathic CD4 Lymphopenia

Idiopathic CD4 lymphopenia is a rare immune disorder that renders patients vulnerable to unusual infections. A 25-year-old female had been diagnosed with idiopathic CD4 lymphopenia (CD4 count of 50/uL) at age 14 after pulmonary infection with atypical mycobacterium, but had since been asymptomatic on Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole prophylaxis. She presented now with 5 weeks of headache, vomiting, diplopia, and vertigo. This had been diagnosed as benign positional vertigo. However, neuro-ophthalmologic exam revealed gaze-evoked nystagmus, impaired smooth pursuit, a left hypertropic skew deviation, left sensorineural hearing loss, gait ataxia and left limb dysmetria. MRI brain showed a 15 mm extra-axial enhancing mass at the left cerebellopontine angle, and chest CT showed pulmonary lesions. CSF Cryptococcal antigen was highly positive (> 1:1024) and CSF culture grew Cryptococcus neoformans variety grubii. She was treated with amphotericin B 175 mg daily and 5-Flucytosine 1000 mg QID for 4 weeks, followed by Fluconazole 400 mg daily, and made an excellent recovery. Cryptococcal infection usually presents as a meningitis, but can occasionally present as a mass lesion. Cryptococcal infection is one of the most common complications in idiopathic CD4 lymphopenia. This case illustrates the importance of neurologic signs in correctly localizing the lesion and the need for high suspicion of serious pathology in patients with rare immune disorders.

Resultados histerosonográficos en pacientes con infertilidad

Objetivos: Describir los hallazgos de la histerosonografía de mujeres en estudio de infertilidad y en relación a su edad. Diseño: Estudio descriptivo retrospectivo. Institución: Clínica Procrear, Lima, Perú. Participantes: Mujeres en estudio por infertilidad. Métodos: Se realizó el procedimiento de histerosonografía en 305 pacientes, como parte del estudio de infertilidad, entre enero y abril del 2013. Para su análisis se usó el programa SPSS 15. Principales medidas de resultados: Hallazgos en la cavidad endometrial. Resultados: Se realizaron 305 procedimientos en pacientes con promedio de edad de 36 años. Hubo hallazgos anormales de la cavidad endometrial en 25,2% (77/305) de los casos, siendo los más comunes los pólipos endometriales en 50 (16,4%), las sinequias uterinas en 9 (3%), miomas submucosos en 6 (2%) y otros en 12 casos. De estas patologías, el grupo etario que presentó más patologías intrauterinas fue el de 31 a 40 años en 29%, y el grupo etario con menos patologías el de 18 a 30 años, con solo 13% de anormalidad. Conclusiones: La histerosonografía es un procedimiento que debería realizarse a todas las pacientes con infertilidad, porque mejora la evaluación de la cavidad endouterina, evitaría fallos de implantación por patología endometrial y permite valorar la permeabilidad del endocérvix.

Concordance between 11C-PIB-PET and clinical diagnosis in a memory clinic.

Today, ligands that bind to fibrillar β-amyloid are detectable by Positron Emission Tomography (PET) allowing for in vivo visualization for Abeta burden. However, amyloid plaques detection per se does not establish Alzheimer's Disease diagnosis. In this sense, the utility of amyloid imaging to improve clinical diagnosis was settled only for specific clinical scenarios and few studies have assessed amyloid molecular neuroimaging in a broader clinical setting. The aim of this study is to determine the frequency of PiB amyloid findings in different diagnostic syndromes grouped into high and low probability pre- test categories, taking into account pre-test clinical assumption of the presence of AD related pathology. 144 patients were assigned into categories of high or low pretest probability according to clinical suspicion of AD pathology. The high probability group included: amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), amnestic and other domains MCI, Dementia of Alzheimer's Type (DAT), Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA), logopenic Primary Progressive Aphasia (PPA), Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy and mixed dementia. The low assumption group included: normal controls, non-amnestic MCI, non-logopenic PPA and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). Only normal controls and DAT patients (typical and atypical presentation) were the most consistent across clinical and molecular diagnostics. MCI, non-logopenic PPA and FTD were the syndromic diagnoses that most discrepancies were found. This study demonstrates that detecting in vivo amyloid plaques by molecular imaging is considerably frequent in most of the dementia syndromes and shows that there are frequent discordance between molecular diagnosis and clinical assumption.

Is there a need for a histological examination of the adenoid tissue after adenoidectomy?

ObjectivesIn Germany there is no uniform practice regarding the histological examination of removed tissue after an adenoidectomy. In addition, the unique benefits of routine histological examination of adenoid tissue cannot be ascertained from current literature due to varying opinion and evidence. MethodsThis study was approved by the Medical Association and Ethics Committee in Cottbus, Brandenburg, Germany. We evaluated the pre- and intra-operative examination findings (direct and indirect epipharyngoscopy, digital palpation, intraoperative macroscopic assessment and examination of removed tissue) and the histopathological findings of excised adenoid tissue. A statistical analysis of obtained results was undertaken thereafter. ResultsIt was found that in all young patients included in the study, the histological results invariably represented lymphoepithelial hypertrophic mucosa with a varying inflammatory response, matching a clinical picture of adenoid vegetation and in keeping with the pre- and intraoperative investigations and findings. ConclusionThe characteristic history of adenoid vegetation in combination with a classic pre- and intraoperative clinical examination and an inconspicuous macroscopic examination of removed tissue, renders routine histopathological workup dispensable. On suspicion of deviant pathology a histopathological examination is recommended and should be undertaken.

Sebaceous Cell Carcinoma: Wide Histological Spectrum and Correlation to Prognosis. A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Sebaceous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the second most common eyelid malignancy among Caucasians, next to Basal cell carcinoma (BCC). It is an uncommon malignant neoplasm, and there are several reports describing the multiple clinical and histopathological presentations of SCC. Given its rarity, diagnosing SCC remains a challenge for ophthalmologists and pathologists, especially when conducting incisional biopsies. A 66-year-old male presented with a recurrent right upper eyelid mass for 4 years. The lesion recurred 4 times, and a biopsy was performed twice. In the first biopsy, a mild cell atypia was observed; the second biopsy was negative for atypia or cancerous cells. The patient was followed-up closely and in the 4th recurrence, a full thickness biopsy was performed. Histopathologically, areas of well-differentiated SCC were observed, as well areas of poorly differentiated SCC resembling BCC, squamous cell carcinoma in situ, and mucoepidermoid carcinoma. We highly recommend clinical and pathological suspicion of SCC in clinical cases of recurrent chalazion, treatment-resistant blepharoconjunctivitis, and undifferentiated malignant tumors of the eyelid present late in life.

Emergency room decision-making for urgent cranial computed tomography: selection criteria for subsets of non-trauma patients

Computed tomography (CT) of the brain is used extensively in the urgent work-up of patients with a suspicion of intracranial pathology, but is often normal. Previously proposed selection criteria aim at limiting the ordering of urgent cranial CT in the non-trauma population, while maintaining high sensitivity for diagnoses demanding immediate attention. To retrospectively evaluate these selection criteria in a general non-trauma population from a Swedish tertiary hospital, as well as in a nested subgroup that lacks guidelines at present, namely where the chief complaint was not headache, symptoms clearly indicating stroke, seizures, or vertigo. Medical records of 346 patients (114 in the nested group) who had undergone urgent cranial CT were reviewed. Selection criteria as proposed by Rothrock (patient age ≥60 years, presence of new onset focal neurologic deficit, headache with vomiting, or altered mental status) were used. Acute cerebral infarction, intracranial hemorrhage, malignancy, infection, cerebral edema, or hydrocephalus were considered significant findings. The prevalence of significant findings was 10.1%. The Rothrock criteria had a sensitivity of 97.1% (identifying 34 of 35 significant findings) among all 346 patients and 100% (10/10) among the 114 patients in the subgroup and resulted in a potential scan reduction rate of 22.8% and 11.4%, respectively. In the patient with significant pathology, that was not selected for CT, focal neurological symptoms were not described as newly onset. Although 100% sensitivity was not achieved, our results may contribute to the evidence that in the absence of focal neurologic deficit, headache with vomiting or altered mental status in patients aged <60 years cranial tomography can be refrained from, in the general population as well as in the subgroup defined above. Further research might validate patient history as a parameter.

Do all GP referrals really need to be seen within 2 weeks in the breast clinic?

Introduction: DoH guidelines require all symptomatic patients to be seen in the Breast Clinic within 14 days, irrespective of the GP's suspicion of pathology. This has significant resource implications for breast services.

Age of Bioterrorism: Are You Prepared? Review of Bioweapons and Their Clinical Presentation for Otolaryngologists.

This review on Category A bioweapons is intended to help otolaryngologists (1) understand the concepts of bioterrorism, (2) identify a bioterrorism attack, and (3) recognize specific otolaryngologic symptoms and signs of Category A bioweapons. PubMed and Medline databases. Review of current literature regarding Category A agents of biological warfare and their relationships to otolaryngology was performed using PubMed, Medline, and articles written by experts in the field of bioterrorism. Each Category A agent was paired with the term otolaryngology and then paired with epistaxis, sinusitis, airway obstruction, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, hearing loss, otitis media, and lymphadenopathy individually. For the latest accepted treatment and diagnostic strategies, bioterrorism was searched with filters for human studies, English language, and the past 5 years. Titles, abstracts, and papers were read for relevancy. While the use of bioweapons initially leads to nonspecific symptoms, a high index of suspicion and clustering of abnormal pathology will often lead the astute physician to the correct diagnosis of bioweapons. Some disease presentations of Category A agents (anthrax, smallpox, tularemia, botulism, plague, hemorrhagic fever) will involve the realm of otolaryngology. The head and neck manifestations of a Category A bioweapon attack will require knowledgeable otolaryngologists for prompt diagnosis, treatment, and notification of public authorities. This will help decrease the morbidity and mortality of any potential bioterrorism attack.

Utility of multiparametric MRI at 3 tesla and MRI/ultrasound fusion-guided biopsy in detecting seminal vesicle invasion by prostate cancer.

128 Background: We aim to evaluate the correlation between multiparametric prostate MRI (MP-MRI) suspicion for seminal vesicle invasion (SVI) and pathology on MRI/US fusion-guided biopsy, as well as radical prostatectomy (RP). Methods: 822 patients underwent MP-MRI and MRI/US fusion-guided biopsy. 24 patients underwent targeted seminal vesicle biopsies. 5 patients had MRI findings suspicious for bilateral SVI, for a total of 29 lesions. MP-MRI targets were scored as low, moderate, or high suspicion for PCa involvement according to the validated NIH scoring system. Patient demographics were reviewed and positive predictive values (PPVs) of pre-biopsy suspicion levels were calculated with respect to correlative biopsy pathology and final RP pathology. Results: At the time of MP-MRI, the median age was 64 years with a median PSA of 10.74 ng/ml (Table). Thirteen (54.2%) had not been previously diagnosed with PCa. Of the 29 SV lesions on imaging, MP-MRI suspicions of low, moderate, and high were assigned to 3, 18, and 8 lesions, respectively. The PPVs of these MRI suspicion levels, confirmed by MRI/US fusion biopsy, were 0%, 77.7%, and 62.5%, respectively. The 3 patients in the low suspicion cohort all underwent RP, confirming targeted biopsy findings. Of those with moderate or high suspicion of SVI on MP-MRI, only 5 underwent RP, with a targeted biopsy accuracy of 80%. The overall accuracy of targeted SV biopsy was 87.5% (7/8) on final RP pathology. Conclusions: MP-MRI suspicion of SVI correlates highly with findings on targeted SV biopsy and final RP pathology, thus potentially playing a vital role in future preoperative staging for PCa. [Table: see text]

Evaluation of bowel wall thickening by computed tomography to differentiate benign from malignant lesions.

Computed tomography(CT) is an excellent non-invasive modality to evaluate bowel wall thickening.The aim of our study was to evaluate CT appearance of bowel wall thickening due to various benign and malignant conditions taking into consideration pattern of attenuation, bowel wall thickness, extent of lesion, symmetry of lesion and other associated CT findings. The prospective study was carried out on 50 patients who underwent computed tomographic evaluation of abdomen for suspicion of bowel pathology based on ultrasonography, barium studies and/or clinical grounds. The studies were conducted on Siemens ART and GE High speed CT scanners. The examination was performed as is done routinely for an abdominal scan with imaging done from diaphragm to pubic symphysis in supine position with the right lateral decubitus scans in selected cases for better characterization of gastric antral and duodenal lesions. Oral, rectal and intravenous (IV) contrast agents were administered. The diagnosis was confirmed by cytology or histopathology of any biopsy or surgical specimen. However, in cases where surgery was not done, diagnosis was confirmed by clinical response to medical treatment. Based on the various CT characteristics of abnormal bowel wall thickening, sensitivity and specificity of classifying a lesion as benign or malignant were calculated. Majority of the malignant bowel lesions were showing the following characteristics i.e. heterogeneous pattern of enhancement, marked bowel wall thickening, asymmetry of the lesion and focal/segmental bowel involvement. Overall, CT showed a sensitivity of 97% and specificity of 93% in differentiating between benign and malignant etiology of abnormal bowel wall thickening. Due to its high sensitivity and specificity, CT is an ideal imaging modality for differentiating between benign and malignant etiology of abnormal bowel wall thickening. Radiologists should be aware of the usefulness of specific CT criteria of bowel wall thickening to better differentiate benign lesions from malignant or potentially malignant lesions that warrant further diagnostic evaluation.

Cytologic-radiologic correlation using transthoracic CT-guided FNA for lung and mediastinal masses: our experience.

Background and Objectives. Thoracic lesions account for various benign and malignant conditions. Of these lung carcinoma (mainly primary) is the most common carcinoma in the world. The present study was undertaken to know the pathological spectrum of thoracic lesions and to correlate cytoradiological findings. Materials and Methods. The present study was conducted in a tertiary care center of North India on 74 patients over an 18-month period. CT guided transthoracic FNAC (TTFNA) was carried out, and aspirates were drawn, examined, and compared with radiological diagnoses. Results. The diagnostic accuracy for FNA in the present study was calculated to be 95.94% (using cytology as the gold standard). The predominant lesion was malignancy (85.1%), followed by suspicions of malignancy and inflammatory pathology (5.40% each). By cytology, the most common malignant lesion was adenocarcinoma (48%) followed by squamous cell carcinoma (40%), small cell carcinoma (8%), and undifferentiated carcinoma (4%). Cytoradiological correlation was found to be 89.2% in the present study. Conclusion. Present study thus concludes that TT FNA of thoracic lesions is a simple, safe, economically prudent technique associated with low morbidity and leading to quick and early diagnosis.

Abstract P2-18-04: No further axillary dissection in sentinel lymph node-negative breast cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with initial cytologically-proven axillary node metastasis

Abstract Background In patients with fine needle aspiration (FNA)-proven axillary lymph node metastasis at diagnosis (cN+), the current standard surgical procedure is axillary lymph node dissection (ALND) at definitive surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). However, growing evidences suggest that SLNB after NAC is feasible and may demonstrate acceptable performance in selected patients. We performed sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients treated with cytologically-confirmed axillary lymph nodes metastases at presentation, who converted to a clinically negative axillary status after NAC (ycN0). Patients and methods We retrospectively evaluated 240 patients with invasive breast cancer with ultrasound-guided FNA-proven axillary nodal metastases at the time of diagnosis. All patients received NAC and underwent surgery at Samsung medical center between October 2007 and May 2013. Among these patients, 75 patients underwent SLNB. These patients converted to clinically node-negative disease (ycN0) after NAC on breast MRI or PET/CT scan. A combined detection technique was used with radioisotope and blue dye for the detection of SLN. Patients with negative SLN on frozen pathology and low clinical suspicion of metastasis during operation were not performed further ALND. Results The detection rate of SLNB was 93.3% (70/75), and median number of retrieved sentinel lymph nodes was 3.0 (range 1-8). False negative rate was 6.7% (1/15). Of these 75 patients, 35 (46.6%) patients had positive sentinel lymph nodes (ypN+) and underwent ALND. Thirty-five (46.6%) patients had tumor-free sentinel lymph nodes (ypN0sn) and 20 patients of them were followed without subsequent ALND. In these SLN-negative patients without further ALND, 9 patients were HER2-enriched subtypes and 9 patients, TNBC subtypes. Only two of them were Luminal B subtypes. The median follow-up period was 12.0 months (range 0-26 months) with 2 events; 1 regional recurrence in ipsilateral supraclavicular node and 1 systemic recurrence in brain on postoperative 7 months and 5 months, respectively. There has not occurred an ipsilateral axillary recurrence so far. Conclusions Although the follow-up was not long enough to conclude, this study tried to demonstrate that SLNB after NAC was feasible and further ALND may not be necessary in patients with SLN-negative disease (ypN0sn). Citation Information: Cancer Res 2013;73(24 Suppl): Abstract nr P2-18-04.

EComment. Fatal purulent mediastinitis after endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration and mediastinoscopy

In our opinion the presented case is a good example of successful tissue sampling from mediastinal adenopathy after lung resection (which may be difficult) and also a successful management of mediastinitis [1]. Unfortunately, unrecognized tracheo-bronchial lesion after endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) may lead to fatality and this should lead to an improved post-procedural surveillance protocol. A 61-year old female patient presented in our unit with signs of purulent mediastinitis and airway rupture, with external purulent blowing fistula through a cervical surgical wound, moderate dispnoea, no fever. She had had an EBUS-TBNA and then a Carlens mediastinoscopy (both in another country) for a visceral compartment mediastinal mass, 6 days before presentation, with inconclusive diagnosis - pathological suspicion of Hodgkin lymphoma. At tracheobronchoscopy 2-round solutions of continuity with mediastinum were found: one on the carina (2-3 mm) and one on the right mainstem bronchus medial wall (5-6 mm), with abundant purulent secretions and air emerging from the mediastinum into the trachea. CT-scan showed the mediastinal non-invasive mass, pneumomediastinum with cervical extension and broken cartilages of the lower trachea. Despite transcervical mediastinal drainage, low-volume intermittent mediastinal lavage, repeated tracheobronchoscopic aspirations and all intensive care, cardiac arrest occurred after 16 days. We believe that the patient developed an unrecognized mediastinal infection, which opened into the airway through the 2 low-resistance spots after 2-needle passages during EBUS-TBNA. It is unclear when exactly the fistula occurred, before or after the mediastinoscopy (which may have worsened the local condition). This may be the 6th communication of mediastinal infection after EBUS-TBNA [2–5], which in this case proved to be fatal. Although very rare, mediastinal infection after EBUS-TBNA is a severe complication; after EBUS-TBNA, control bronchoscopy and CT scan in symptomatic patients should be seriously considered. Conflict of interest: none declared

The role of unenhanced CT alone for the management of headache in an emergency department. A feasibility study

To determine whether unenhanced CT alone could be sufficient for the screening of patients admitted with a suspicion of secondary headache in an emergency center. A feasibility study including consecutive patients admitted to our emergency department for acute non-traumatic headache, in whom a brain CT was required by the emergency physician, was conducted over a 3-month period of time. Patients with a suspicion of intracranial pathology, which can only be depicted by i.v. images (arterial dissection, venous thrombosis, or postoperative complication) were recorded but excluded from analysis. All patients underwent both unenhanced and i.v. enhanced cerebral CT, including CT angiography. Unenhanced CTs were reviewed by two radiologists, blinded to the clinical data, to the radiological reports and to the i.v. enhanced images. Unenhanced CT were sorted by the radiologists into three groups: (1) normal CT, (2) benign finding that could explain headache without need of injection of contrast media, (3) evidence of an intracranial pathology, requiring further imaging. Results were compared to i.v. enhanced CT images. A brain CT was required in 105 patients (34 males, 71 females) during the study period, 74 (70%) of them met our inclusion criteria. Fifty-nine (80%) were sorted in group 1 (normal), four (5%) in group 2, 11 (15%) in group 3. No further finding that could explain acute headache was found on i.v. CT images in patients of group 1 or 2. A significant pathology was confirmed by i.v. CT in all patients of group 3. This feasibility study suggests that a normal unenhanced CT might be sufficient to exclude the cause of headache in the initial screening of a selected group of patients admitted with cephalalgia. It compels researchers to perform further prospective studies to confirm the current data on a larger amount of patients.

Mass-forming Xanthogranulomatous Cholecystitis Masquerading as Gallbladder Cancer

BackgroundMass-forming xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC), an uncommon inflammatory pathology of gallbladder (GB), masquerades as gallbladder cancer (GBC) and diagnosis is often a histological surprise. MethodsA retrospective analysis of prospectively collected database of patients with GB mass operated between August 2009 and September 2012 was conducted to determine clinical, radiological, and intraoperative findings that might aid in the preoperative diagnosis of mass-forming XGC and ascertain their optimal management strategy. ResultsOf the 566 patients with GB mass and suspected GBC, 239 were found to be inoperable on preoperative workup and 129 patients had unresectable disease on staging laparoscopy/laparotomy. Of the 198 with resectable disease, 31 were reported as XGC on final histopathology (Group A), while 167 were GBC (Group B). Of these 31 patients, six with an intraoperative suspicion of benign pathology underwent cholecystectomy with segments IVb and V resection, and frozen section histopathology. Twenty-five underwent radical cholecystectomy, with (n = 10) or without (n = 15) adjacent organ resection. In comparison, anorexia and weight loss were significantly more in Group B (p = 0.001 and <0.001). Intraoperatively, empyema and associated gallstones were more common in Group A (p = 0.011 and <0.001). On computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen, continuous mucosal line enhancement and intramural hypodense bands were significantly more in Group A (p < 0.001 and 0.025). While CT abdomen revealed one or more features suggestive of XGC in 64.5 % (20/31) of patients in Group A, 11(35.5 %) did not have any findings suggestive of XGC on imaging. ConclusionMass-forming XGC mimics GBC, making preoperative and intraoperative distinction difficult. While imaging findings can help in suspecting XGC, definitive diagnosis require histopathological examination. Presence of typical radiological findings, however, can help in avoiding extended radical resection in selected cases.

Hemomediastino por rotura de aneurisma bronquial

Hemomediastinum caused by rupture of a bronchial artery aneurysm is a very infrequent pathology. Clinical presentation can be variable; it can resemble an aortic pathology and be diagnosed in emergency situations. Computerized tomography (CT) of the thorax is the initial test for diagnosis. We present the clinical case of a 70-year-old man with an initial clinical assessment of transfixive thoracic pain resembling an acute aortic pathology. TC was carried out with a diagnosis of suspected mediastinal neoplasia (Hounsfield Units/HU 38 - soft tissue), biopsy sampling was carried out by gastroscopy and broncoscopy with haemorrhagic pap smear, presenting light anemization on admission and remaining haemodynamically stable and asymptomatic. Facing a high clinical suspicion of arterial pathology, CT was repeated in which hemomediastinum was described in resolution, with subsequent confirmation of the existence of ruptured bronchial artery aneurysm through angiography and proceeding to therapeutic embolization.