1/9. A case of spinal cord compression syndrome by a fibrotic mass presenting in a patient with an intrathecal pain management pump system.A 45-year-old woman presented with increasing low back pain, progressive anesthesia in her lower extremities and difficulty ambulating. She had a history of chronic low back pain problems for which, 26 months earlier, she had an intrathecal infusion pump permanently placed for pain and spasm control. Urgent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the lumbar spine revealed a mass at the site of the tip of the intrathecal catheter with high grade spinal cord compression at the level of L-1. At surgical laminectomy the compressing lesion was found to be a reactive tissue fibroma. As more patients receive these devices the physician should consider cord compression syndrome in patients presenting with symptoms of increasing low back pain, anesthesia and progressive proprioceptive loss.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/9. Cardiopulmonary auscultation: duo for strings--Opus 99.In spite of increasing mechanization in medicine and reliance on "high-tech" diagnostic tools, bedside clinical skills of the attending physician can still identify findings that are missed by the more sophisticated devices. Using a stethoscope, we relied on our skills in inspection, palpation, percussion, auscultation, as well as echocardiography and phonocardiography to diagnose a patient whose murmur was very reminiscent of the D-sharp pizzicato in the Cello Sonata in F, Opus 99, by Johannes Brahms. Initial echocardiography was not helpful. We suspected an anomalous chorda and confirmed this with phonocardiography and a second echocardiography. Although advances in cardiac imaging are extremely helpful, the use of simple clinical skills, in addition to being fun, is not obsolete. Cardiopulmonary auscultation should receive more emphasis in the medical school curriculum and clinical training.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/9. Papillary fibroelastoma involving the left ventricular wall.A 71-year-old white woman presented to her primary care physician for a routine visit and was found to have a new, previously undocumented cardiac murmur. A subsequent transthoracic echocardiogram revealed a 1 cm mobile mass arising from the lateral free wall of the left ventricle. Transesophageal echocardiography later confirmed these findings. The patient underwent a left ventriculotomy and excision of a.7 cm friable mass, which was later identified as a papillary fibroelastoma (PFE) by routine histopathologic studies. We present this unique case ith a review of the literature.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/9. Familial adenomatous polyposis: case report and review of extracolonic manifestations.FAP, if left untreated, results in colorectal cancer. Appropriate early surgical intervention is of utmost importance. With the reduction in mortality from colorectal carcinoma, an increasing number of patients with FAP need lifelong follow-up to screen for extracolonic manifestations. Today, the major causes of death in patients with FAP who are cured of colorectal cancer, or have had a colectomy before its development, are desmoid tumors and periampullary carcinomas. In family members at risk, screening with flexible sigmoidoscopy should be initiated in adolescence; symptoms of diarrhea and rectal bleeding would warrant an even earlier examination. The upper gastrointestinal tract should be assessed endoscopically at the time the diagnosis of FAP is made. If any polyps are detected, a biopsy is essential. If no gastric or duodenal polyps are found, repeated examinations at 3-5 year intervals probably suffice in asymptomatic patients. Surgically, colectomy will be necessary. It is usually deferred until late adolescence, when it is thought that the patient will be mature enough to handle the emotional aspects of the operation as well as the possible future morbidity due to the procedure. The presence or absence of rectal polyps as well as the site and depth of any invasive rectal carcinoma will determine the appropriate surgical procedure. Alternatives must be well understood by the physician and discussed carefully with the patient preoperatively.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/9. Occult, life-threatening, cardial tumor in syndactylism in Gorlin Goltz syndrome.Pediatric, orthopedic, plastic, and hand surgeons perform the surgical correction of syndactylism. It is sometimes forgotten, however, that syndactylism can be part of a syndrome. The components of such a syndrome can each be life threatening. A 7-month-old boy was hospitalized for correction of cutaneous syndactylism. The mother claimed that, with the exception of the syndactylism, her son was healthy. However, review of the admission documents found that the family physician suspected Gorlin Goltz syndrome. A preoperative echocardiography showed 3.9-cm intramural tumor in the wall of the left ventricle. electrocardiography documented ventricular tachycardia. Because of the danger of life-threatening malignant ventricular tachycardia, the tumor was resected. Before the resection, cardiac transplantation was considered because of the size of the tumor. Histologic examination found a fibroma. When observing syndactylism, one must always be aware of the possibility of a syndromic disease. It is particularly important that screening investigations, including electrocardiography and echocardiography, are performed before surgical treatment.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/9. Calcifying fibrous pseudotumor of the neck: diagnostic challenges of a rare benign lesion.neck masses, frequently encountered by physicians, comprise a vast range of diagnoses, with malignancy being the greatest concern. Calcifying fibrous pseudotumor (CFP) is a rare lesion with unknown pathogenesis, characterized pathologically by a predominance of abundant hyalinized collagenous tissue with focal lymphoplasmacytic infiltrate and psammomatous or dystrophic calcifications. We present the case of a 29-year-old woman who presented with a 4-cm left neck mass, accompanied by constitutional symptoms of vague weakness and lethargy. After the lesion failed to respond to a course of antibiotic therapy, fine-needle aspiration was performed, the pathology of which was indeterminate. The concern was that the lesion was a lymphoproliferative disorder-further workup was performed. CT of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis revealed no evidence of adenopathy or neoplasms. Subsequently, an incisional biopsy was performed, suggesting a diagnosis of CFP. magnetic resonance imaging with contrast, performed to delineate the anatomy, revealed the lesion in the left neck, deep to the left clavicle, that extended superiorly into the supraclavicular fossa. Complete surgical removal of the lesion was successfully performed, with immunophenotyping confirming the initial diagnosis of CFP. We present a case report of cervical CFP, discuss the approach to neck masses, and review the recent literature on this rare, benign entity.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/9. Cellular fibroma masquerading as ovarian carcinoma.The presence of a benign pelvic mass, ascites, and an elevated CA 125 tumor marker level may mimic the presentation of ovarian adenocarcinoma. Two cases of ovarian cellular fibromas are reported to illustrate that the presence of ascites in association with an elevated CA 125 serum level may mislead physicians into a diagnosis of ovarian carcinoma. Although CA 125 is helpful for following patients after ovarian carcinoma has been diagnosed histologically, it has limited value as a screening test. Exploratory laparotomy with excision of the pelvic mass remains the only reliable and acceptable method available to achieve an accurate diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/9. dermatofibrosarcoma non-protuberans: description and report of five cases of a morpheaform variant of dermatofibrosarcoma.Five cases of dermatofibrosarcoma are reported. All showed features typical of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans except that in four cases, and a portion of the fifth case, no protusion of the tumor was noted clinically despite the rather advanced stage of growth of the tumor. These lesions resembled morphea or a morpheaform basal cell carcinoma clinically but could be recognized as "dermatofibrosarcoma non-protuberans" by physicians who had observed a previous case.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/9. Fibromatosis colli: a common cause of neonatal torticollis.In infants and children, cervical masses originate from a variety of pathologic, congenital and developmental conditions, and it is important to distinguish benign from serious lesions. Fibromatosis colli is a rare cervical lesion that typically presents in the neonatal period. It is the most common cause of neonatal torticollis and should be recognized by physicians caring for neonates and infants.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physician (Clic here for more details about this article) |