Cytomegalovirus colitis: a cause of severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

Cytomegalovirus infection is an uncommon illness that mainly affects immunocompromised subjects being associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Reactivation or reinfection of the virus causes various symptoms ranging from asymptomatic forms to severe organ-specific complications, such as severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding. Once diagnosed the infection it is important and necessary to establish an adequate treatment with antivirals, with the surgical option for those cases with gastrointestinal complications depending on the patients clinical situation. We report two cases of immunocompromised patients that after presenting rectal bleeding, were diagnosed of cytomegalovirus colitis, requiring urgent surgery.

La infección por citomegalovirus es poco frecuente, afecta sobre todo a sujetos inmunocomprometidos y los pacientes de este grupo tienen una alta morbilidad y mortalidad. La clínica de la reactivación o reinfección del virus puede variar desde formas asintomáticas hasta complicaciones graves específicas de órgano, como la hemorragia del tracto gastrointestinal masiva. Es de vital importancia un tratamiento adecuado con antivirales; la opción quirúrgica se reserva para las complicaciones gastrointestinales de acuerdo con la situación clínica del paciente. Se presentan los casos de dos pacientes inmunocomprometidas que luego presentar episodios de rectorragia se diagnostican con colitis por citomegalovirus que exige tratamiento quirúrgico.

Intimal sarcoma of the pulmonary artery with multiple lung metastases: Long-term survival case.

Pulmonary artery intimal sarcoma (PAIS) is a rare tumor with a very poor prognosis. Clinical and radiological findings usually mimic thromboembolic disease, leading to diagnostic delays. The treatment of choice is surgery, and adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy have limited results. We report the case of a 48-year-old male patient, initially suspected with pulmonary thromboembolism. The angio-CT revealed a filling defect in the pulmonary artery trunk. The patient underwent surgery, resulting in with complete resection of the mass with a diagnosis of PAIS. The tumor progressed rapidly in the lung, requiring surgery of multiple lung metastases. The patient was treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) on two occasions for new pulmonary lesions. In the last followup (4 years after initial diagnosis), the patient was disease-free. In conclusion, SBRT proved to be an alternative treatment to metastasectomy, allowing palliative chemotherapy to be delayed or omitted, which may result in improved quality of life.

La duplicación gástrica en el adulto: una entidad desconocida dentro del espectro de lesiones submucosas gástricas / Adult gastric duplication: an unknown condition within the spectrum of gastric submucosal lesions

Introducción: La duplicación gástrica es una entidad poco frecuente en el adulto que supone solo el 4-8% del total de las duplicaciones gastrointestinales. Consiste en una tumoración quística en el espesor de la pared gástrica rodeada de capa muscular lisa y revestida por mucosa gástrica. Suele ser asintomática, pudiendo presentar síntomas abdominales inespecíficos, así como complicaciones del propio quiste como hemorragias digestivas, úlceras e incluso episodios de pancreatitis. Son difíciles de diferenciar del resto de lesiones submucosas gástricas, ya que pueden simular una tumoración gastrointestinal (GIST) e incluso un quiste mucinoso pancreático. La ecografía endoscópica destaca como método diagnóstico, sin embargo, el diagnóstico definitivo es histológico. Caso clínico: Presentamos el caso de una paciente mujer de 36 años de edad con antecedentes de un episodio de úlcera gástrica perforada 'contenida' que fue manejado de forma conservadora. En la actualidad es diagnosticada de un GIST gástrico, motivo por el cual es intervenida y se le realiza una gastrectomía subtotal laparoscópica con reconstrucción en Y de Roux con buena evolución postoperatoria. Discusión: El diagnóstico histológico definitivo informa de una duplicación gástrica, por lo que el antecedente de úlcera gástrica perforada 'contenida' presentado por la paciente se corresponde con una complicación de la propia duplicación gástrica (AU)

Background: Gastric duplication is an uncommon condition in adults representing only 4-8% of all gastrointestinal duplications. It develops as a cystic growth within the thick gastric wall that is surrounded by a layer of smooth muscle and lined with gastric mucosa. It is usually asymptomatic but may present with nonspecific abdominal symptoms as well as cyst-related complications such as gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, ulceration and even pancreatitis. They are difficult to distinguish from other gastric submucosal lesions and may also mimic a gastrointestinal tumor (GIST) or mucinous cyst of the pancreas. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is the most widely used diagnostic procedure and histology provides a definitive diagnosis. Case report: We report the case of a 36-year-old female patient with a history of a 'contained' perforated gastric ulcer that was managed conservatively. The patient was diagnosed with a gastric GIST which prompted a laparoscopic subtotal gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y reconstruction with a good postoperative outcome. Discussion: The definitive histological diagnosis was gastric duplication. Thus, the previous diagnosis of a 'contained' perforated gastric ulcer was in fact a complication of the gastric duplication itself (AU)

Cordoma cervical paravertebral, entidad que debemos conocer. A propósito de un caso / Cervical paraspinal chordoma, a condition we should know. A case report

El cordoma es un tumor raro de lento crecimiento, derivado de remanentes de la notocorda. La mayoría se localizan en la base del cráneo y en la región sacrococcígea, mostrando una localización cervical en solo el 6% de los casos. Presentamos el caso, poco frecuente (se han reportado menos de 10 en la literatura), de un cordoma paravertebral izquierdo, localizado a nivel de C2-C4, en un varón joven sin antecedentes personales de interés. Los hallazgos radiológicos sugerían que se trataba de una neoplasia de crecimiento lento, de predominio quístico, que erosionaba estructuras óseas y englobaba a la arteria vertebral izquierda. Se planificó exéresis quirúrgica y en el análisis de la pieza se observó proliferación celular con estroma de aspecto mixo-condroide, células epitelioides y fisalíferas (PAS+), todo ello compatible con cordoma

Chordoma is a rare, slow-growing tumour arising from remnants of the notochord. It is most often located in the base of the skull and the sacrococcygeal region, being located in the cervical region in only 6% of cases. A rare case is presented of a left para-spinal chordoma, of which less than 10 cases have been reported in literature. It was located at C2-C4 level in a young male with no personal history of interest. Radiographic findings suggested that this was a slow-growing tumour, of cystic dominance, which eroded the bone structures and encompassed the left vertebral artery. Surgical excision was performed, and in the analysis of the surgical piece, cell proliferation was observed, with a stromal myxoid-chondroid appearance, epithelioid and physaliphorous (PAS+) cells, all of them compatible with chordoma

Adult gastric duplication: an unknown condition within the spectrum of gastric submucosal lesions.

BACKGROUND: Gastric duplication is an uncommon condition in adults representing only 4-8% of all gastrointestinal duplications. It develops as a cystic growth within the thick gastric wall that is surrounded by a layer of smooth muscle and lined with gastric mucosa. It is usually asymptomatic but may present with nonspecific abdominal symptoms as well as cyst-related complications such as gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, ulceration and even pancreatitis. They are difficult to distinguish from other gastric submucosal lesions and may also mimic a gastrointestinal tumor (GIST) or mucinous cyst of the pancreas. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is the most widely used diagnostic procedure and histology provides a definitive diagnosis. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 36-year-old female patient with a history of a "contained" perforated gastric ulcer that was managed conservatively. The patient was diagnosed with a gastric GIST which prompted a laparoscopic subtotal gastrectomy and Roux-en-Y reconstruction with a good postoperative outcome. DISCUSSION: The definitive histological diagnosis was gastric duplication. Thus, the previous diagnosis of a "contained" perforated gastric ulcer was in fact a complication of the gastric duplication itself.

[Cervical paraspinal chordoma, a condition we should know. A case report]. / Cordoma cervical paravertebral, entidad que debemos conocer. A propósito de un caso.

Chordoma is a rare, slow-growing tumour arising from remnants of the notochord. It is most often located in the base of the skull and the sacrococcygeal region, being located in the cervical region in only 6% of cases. A rare case is presented of a left para-spinal chordoma, of which less than 10 cases have been reported in literature. It was located at C2-C4 level in a young male with no personal history of interest. Radiographic findings suggested that this was a slow-growing tumour, of cystic dominance, which eroded the bone structures and encompassed the left vertebral artery. Surgical excision was performed, and in the analysis of the surgical piece, cell proliferation was observed, with a stromal myxoid-chondroid appearance, epithelioid and physaliphorous (PAS+) cells, all of them compatible with chordoma.