1/18. The diagnostic dilemma of incidentalomas. Working through uncertainty.The clinical evaluation of incidentally found nodules in the adrenal, thyroid, and pituitary glands is a challenge for physicians, regardless of their level of expertise. Choosing the most direct and cost-effective diagnostic approach and deciding when to treat or not to treat are common dilemmas in clinical practice. This article outlines one diagnostic approach using medical decision-making techniques such as heuristic thinking, critical appraisal of the literature, treatment threshold probability assessment, Bayes' theorem, and discriminant properties of diagnostic tests. These skills are usually discussed in postgraduate training curricula. Nevertheless, they often seem foreign to many clinicians. Evidence suggests that training in these techniques can improve clinical decision making. Use of the skills outlined herein provides a framework to work through the diagnostic uncertainty common in the evaluation of incidentalomas. This approach does not provide perfect answers, as noted in examplar 3 in which two experts argued about the actual pretest probability and treatment thresholds for pituitary incidentalomas. Even if there were no such disagreement, each patient presents unique issues, and there will always be some uncertainty. Nevertheless, this approach provides a starting point from which critical decisions can be made for individual patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/18. Three cases of papillary carcinoma and three of adenoma in thyroglossal duct cysts: clinical-diagnostic comparison with benign thyroglossal duct cysts.The clinical and diagnostic findings of 3 cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma in thyroglossal duct cyst (TDC) were compared to those of 3 cases of adenoma in TDC and 2 cases of benign TDC. The neck masses of the subjects with benign TDC grew slowly, whereas those of 2 patients with papillary carcinoma and 1 of the patients with adenoma grew rapidly (especially those with carcinoma). On the other hand, one case of carcinoma, and two cases of adenoma in TDC were diagnosed incidentally. Benign TDC had an anechoic pattern at US, whereas the cysts containing carcinoma and adenoma showed the presence of a mural nodule at US. Microcalcifications in the mural mass were present in one patient with carcinoma. The 3 patients with carcinoma in TDC underwent total thyroidectomy. The histology was negative in all 3 patients for thyroid cancer and thyroid nodules. However, in 2 of them it revealed the carcinoma invading the cyst wall and adjacent tissues, 1 of which also exhibited 2 metastatic lymph nodes in the central neck area. The cases reported illustrate the utility of enhancing one's clinical suspicion of carcinoma in patients bearing TDC, even when incidentally discovered. In particular, rapid growth of the cystic mass, and the presence of a mural nodule on US, especially with calcifications, must raise the physician's suspicion for a cancer arising in TDC.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/18. Giant mediastinal parathyroid adenoma with hypercalcemia.Parathyroid disease is uncommon, but when found it is always of interest to the physician. Most patients with parathyroid disease also have hypercalcemia. Benign adenomatous disease is the most frequent surgical parathyroid lesion seen. Most of these lesions occur in the neck and are usually <2 cm in diameter. We report the case of a 50-year-old patient with familial neurofibromatosis, a serum calcium of 19 mg/dl, nephrocalcinosis, and renal failure. Evaluation revealed a large (5.7 x 4.5 x 2.9-cm) mediastinal adenoma. At resection, the tumor weighed 39.5 g. Symptomatology rapidly improved postoperatively.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/18. Empty sella following spontaneous resolution of a pituitary macroadenoma.BACKGROUND/AIM: Empty sella is a radiological finding characterized by the presence of arachnoid herniation into the sella, resulting in compression of the pituitary against the sella wall. The objective of this case presentation is to discuss secondary empty sella in a patient with spontaneous resolution of a pituitary macroadenoma. methods: A case of empty sella syndrome is presented. Static and dynamic testing was performed. Etiology, pituitary function, and imaging are discussed. RESULTS: A 69-year-old African-American woman was referred by her primary care physician for evaluation and treatment of 'hypothyroidisim'. Thyroid tests were performed because of muscle and joint tenderness and revealed low free thyroxine and normal thyroid-stimulating hormone levels. The diagnosis of secondary hypothyroidism was made, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the pituitary revealed an empty sella turcica. In retrospect, the patient had presented 11 years earlier with tinnitus, and an MRI of her auditory canals demonstrated an 'incidental' 1.5-cm pituitary tumor. No endocrine evaluation was done at that time, and neurosurgical follow-up of the pituitary tumor by serial MRIs demonstrated the genesis into empty sella. CONCLUSIONS: In our patient the natural history of her pituitary tumor was that it involuted and resulted in an empty sella. Although oftentimes speculated as a cause of empty sella, tumor involution has rarely been shown to be causative. In this instance, empty sella was associated with hypopituitarism. This case illustrates the importance of endocrine evaluation of patients with this radiological finding.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/18. Discovery of unsuspected thyroid pathologic conditions after trauma to the anterior neck area attributable to a motor vehicle accident: relationship to use of the shoulder harness.OBJECTIVE: To alert physicians to the possibility of antecedent trauma to the neck in patients presenting with a thyroid nodule or with symptoms and signs related to the thyroid gland. methods: We present five case reports in which the cause of thyroid nodular disease was suspected to have been trauma to the anterior neck area during an earlier motor vehicle accident in which the shoulder harness impacted the neck. RESULTS: In five female patients, shoulder harness trauma from an automobile accident led to the subsequent discovery of a thyroid lesion. Four of the five patients underwent surgical removal of the thyroid nodule. Although traumatic injury of the thyroid may be common, we found only one report in the medical literature regarding the discovery of a thyroid nodule or thyroiditis in the setting of traffic accident-related trauma to the thyroid gland. CONCLUSION: In the initial assessment of patients with thyroid nodular disease, we emphasize the importance of obtaining a detailed and comprehensive history, including inquiry about trauma to the neck. Prompt diagnostic accuracy will help avoid unnecessary costs and risks in the workup of such patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/18. Dependency and analgesia related to treatment with subcutaneous octreotide in patients with growth hormone-secreting tumors.OBJECTIVE: To describe three patients diagnosed with somatotropinomas in whom the analgesic effect of octreotide was observed, along with dependency to the drug. methods: These patients had pituitary macroadenomas treated with transphenoidal surgery and pituitary radiotherapy, and received high daily doses (>900 microg/day) of subcutaneous octreotide because of persistent high levels of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor i (IGF-I). RESULTS: headache occurred prior to drug administration in all three cases, with relief soon after. We also observed tolerance to octreotide's analgesic and anti-secretory actions (one patient), craving for the drug (two patients), withdrawal syndrome (one patient), and drug abuse (one patient). CONCLUSION: Dependency syndrome may occur when high doses of octreotide are used, sometimes leading to drug abuse. Tolerance to the growth hormone anti-secretory effect of the drug may encourage physicians to increase doses to levels at which drug dependency has been observed. Sustained release somatostatin analogs may represent a solution to this problem.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/18. Intraductal serrated adenoma of the pancreas. A case report.Case report: A 48-year-old male with known hypothyreosis consulted his physician for symptoms compatible with TIA (transient ischemic attacks). Computer tomography (CT) in December 2001 revealed an irregular, lobulated mass in the processus uncinatus of the pancreas head. A CT examination 14 months later revealed status quo. In July 2004, a new CT showed an increase in size of the expansive pancreatic mass. The patient was operated on in August 2004 with a preliminary diagnosis of incidentaloma of the pancreas. The pathological examination showed a 4 x 3.5 x 2.5 cm large tumour. histology revealed an intraductal serrated adenoma. The epithelial fronds had sawtooth-like configurations. An area with early invasive carcinoma was found. The tumour had progressed slowly during the 2.7 years of surveillance. Serrated neoplasia in the duodenum may result in similar cases in the future.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/18. muir-torre syndrome: a case of this uncommon entity.A 69-year-old Hispanic woman presented for the evaluation of nodules on the head and back. In the past, she had been treated for basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the face; the referring physician was concerned that the new lesions might also be BCC. The patient had an extensive past medical history. In addition to BCC, she had been treated for breast cancer, colon cancer, and cervical cancer prior to emigrating to the USA. Her colonic malignancy had been localized proximal to the splenic flexure. She also had a history of colonic polyps and distal colonic villous adenoma. She denied ever being treated with radiation. Further details of her medical history and cancer staging were not available. Her family history was significant for a sister with colon cancer and transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder. In addition, she had a great aunt with oral cancer and a great uncle with lung cancer. Neither the patient or her relatives had any history of tobacco use. On physical examination, in addition to scars from a radical mastectomy and midline abdominal laparotomy, four skin lesions were noted: two on the scalp, one on the tragus, and one on the mid-back. The first lesion on the vertex of the scalp was a yellow-brown waxy papule measuring 0.6 x 0.5 cm. This lesion was similar to that on the mid-back, except in size. The lesion on the back measured 1.2 x 1.0 cm. The second lesion on the frontal scalp measured 0.8 x 0.6 cm and was red-brown with a pearly appearance and some central hyperkeratosis. The tragus lesion was similar in appearance to that on the frontal scalp. Shave biopsies of all lesions were obtained. The lesions on the scalp and mid-back revealed lobules of sebaceous cells in the dermis with a minority of surrounding basaloid cells, consistent with a diagnosis of sebaceous adenoma (Fig. 1). Although the lesion on the frontal scalp also showed sebaceous differentiation, there were a greater number of basaloid cells, some with hyperchromatic nuclei and mitotic figures; this was consistent with a diagnosis of sebaceous epithelioma (Fig. 2). The final lesion (tragus) was histologically consistent with a keratotic BCC. No further treatment was required for these benign sebaceous tumors, but their presence defined our patient's condition as muir-torre syndrome. Mohs' micrographic surgery was performed on the tragus BCC and the margins were tumor free in one stage. The patient returned 1 year later with a lesion anterior to the left axilla which was biopsied to rule out BCC (Fig. 3). Histologically, this lesion was also consistent with sebaceous epithelioma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/18. acromegaly diagnosed in a young woman presenting with headache and arthritis.BACKGROUND: A 38-year-old woman presented with severe headaches to her primary-care physician. The patient had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and had begun having headache 4 years previously. An MRI scan revealed an 11-12 mm pituitary tumor. Her physical examination was unremarkable for the classic acral or facial changes characteristic of acromegaly, and she was referred for neuroendocrine consultation for a presumed nonfunctioning adenoma. INVESTIGATIONS: MRI of the pituitary, and laboratory investigations that included measurement of serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) and prolactin levels. diagnosis: In view of the elevated level of IGF1 and presence of a pituitary adenoma, the patient was diagnosed with acromegaly caused by a pituitary adenoma that secretes growth hormone. MANAGEMENT: The patient underwent trans-sphenoidal surgery, which resulted in resolution of joint pain and headache, eradication of the tumor mass, normal IGF1 levels, and appropriate suppression of growth hormone (confirmed by oral glucose tolerance test postoperatively).- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/18. Laparoscopic liver surgery: Shifting the management of liver tumors.Laparoscopic liver surgery has evolved rapidly over the past 5 years in a select number of centers. The growing experience with these procedures has resulted in a shift in the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to common liver tumors. The fact that resection of benign and malignant hepatic masses can now be accomplished laparoscopically with relatively low morbidity has influenced the decision-making process for physicians involved in the diagnosis and management of these lesions. For example, should a gastroenterologist or hepatologist seeing a 32-year-old woman with an asymptomatic 4 cm hepatic lesion that is radiologically indeterminate for adenoma or focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH): (1) continue to observe with annual computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (CT/MRI) scans, (2) subject the patient to a liver biopsy, or (3) refer for laparoscopic resection? For a solitary malignant liver tumor in the left lateral segment, should laparoscopic resection be considered the new standard of care, assuming the surgeon can perform the operation safely? We present current data and representative case studies on the use of laparoscopic liver resection at 2 major medical centers in the united states. We propose that surgical engagement defined by the managing physician's decision to proceed with a surgical intervention is increasingly affected by the availability of, and experience with, laparoscopic liver resection.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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