Epitheloid hemangioendothelioma of the submandibular region

@#<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>OBJECTIVES:</strong> To  present  an  uncommon  cause  for  a  submandibular  mass  and  review  of  the literature.<br /><strong>METHODS:</strong><br /><strong>Design:</strong> Case Report<br /><strong>Setting:</strong> Tertiary Government Hospital<br /><strong>Patient:</strong> One<br /><strong>RESULTS:</strong> A  25-year-old  lady  presented  with  a  painless  chronic  submandibular  swelling. Ultrasound identified a solid mass following which an uncomplicated core biopsy was performed obtaining    an    accurate    pre-operative    histopathological    diagnosis.    Pre-operative    arterial embolization of this vascular mass led to a relatively bloodless wide local excision. Radiological imaging for distant metastases was negative.<br /><strong>CONCLUSION:</strong> Epitheloid  Hemangioendothelioma  is  an  uncommon  cause  for  a  submandibular mass.   A malignant   vascular   soft   tissue   tumor   with   morphologic   characteristics   similar   to carcinomas, melanomas and epitheloid sarcomas, it has a high rate of metastasis and morbidity when it affects the soft tissues and viscera. Immunohistochemistry provides clues to differentiation and recommended treatment consists of a surgical wide local excision with regional lymph node resection. As there are no established standard therapeutic protocols for this disease due to its rarity, an individual case-by-case approach and follow-up needs to be undertaken.</p>

Urogenital Melioidosis: A Review of Clinical Presentations, Characteristic and Outcomes

Introduction: Melioidosis is endemic to the tropical regions, in particular Thailand and Northern Australia. Any organ can be affected by melioidosis. Involvement of the urogenital system is common in Northern Australia, but is less common in other regions. This study assesses the characteristics of melioidosis affecting the urogenital system treated in a tertiary referral centre in Brunei Darussalam. Material and Methods: All patients treated for melioidosis of the urogenital system were identified and retrospectively reviewed. Results: There were 9 patients with 11 episodes of urogenital infections treated over 13 years. The median age at diagnosis was 38 years old (range 29 - 63) with men predominantly affected. The major risk factor was underlying diabetes mellitus (n=9), including three patients diagnosed at the time of diagnosis of melioidosis. The median glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) was 12.8% (range 6.4 to 16.6%). One patient’s risk factor was only moderate alcohol consumption. Common symptoms included; fever, lethargy, rigor and anorexia. Dysuria was reported by two patients. The median duration of symptoms before presentation was 7 days (range 2 to 21 days) and the median number of sites involved were 3 (range of 2 to 6). Urogenital involvement included prostate (n=6), kidney (n=8), seminal vesicles (n=1) and testis (n=1). Radiological imaging showed that large prostate abscesses (>4.5cm) were common, and in some patients, the kidney abscess had the ‘honeycomb’ previously described as typical for melioidosis liver abscess. All patients were successfully treated for melioidosis and at a median follow up of 34 months (range 1 - 97), there was one death from complications of diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: Urogenital melioidosis only accounted for a small proportion of all melioidosis involvement, with prostate and kidney most commonly affected. Concomitant involvement of other sites were common. The major risk factor was poorly controlled diabetes mellitus.