[Diagnostic and therapeutic management of operable bronchopulmonary carcinoid tumours]. / Prise en charge diagnostique et thérapeutique des tumeurs carcinoïdes broncho-pulmonaires opérables.

INTRODUCTION: Bronchial carcinoid tumours (CT), divided into typical carcinoid (TC) or atypical carcinoid (AC), are rare tumours whose therapeutic management remains unspecified. METHODS: Retrospective study collecting cases of bronchial CT operated at the thoracic surgery department of Abderrahmane-Mami hospital of Ariana and recruited from the pneumology departments of Northern Tunisia, during a 12-year period. RESULTS: Ninety patients were collected (74 cases of TC and 16 cases of AC). The mean age was 45 years and the sex ratio H/F=0.5. The chest X-ray was normal in 11 cases, as well as flexible bronchoscopy in seven cases. The tumour was classified: stage IA (10 cases), IIA (28 cases), IIB (31 cases), IIIA (15 cases) and IIIB (six cases). Surgery resulted in a complete resection in 78 patients, an extensive resection in six patients, and a conservative resection in six patients. Adjuvant chemotherapy was given in 10 patients. The survival was 84% at five years and 42% at 10 years. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of CT depends directly on the histological subtype. It is excellent for TC after complete resection, unlike ACs that are similar to well-differentiated bronchial carcinomas.

[Prevalence and risk factors for fatty liver in Tunisian adults with obstructive sleep apnea]. / Prévalence et facteurs de risque de stéatose hépatique chez les adultes tunisiens atteints de syndrome d'apnées hypopnées obstructives du sommeil.

INTRODUCTION: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is commonly associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Early identification of NAFLD in OSA patients is important in order to try to prevent its evolution to advanced stages. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors for the occurrence of NAFLD in OSA patients. METHOD: A cross-sectional analysis including 124 OSA patients examined in the pulmonology department of Abderahmane Mami Hospital between January 2017 and March 2018 was undertaken. NAFLD was diagnosed using an abdominal ultrasonography. Data were analysed in a univariate and multivariate fashion in order to determine the characteristics of OSA patients with and without NAFLD. RESULTS: NAFLD was found in 62.9 % patients, with a frequency according to OSA severity of 51.3 %, 56.5 % and 72.6 % in mild, moderate and severe OSA, respectively. Severe OSA multiplies by 2.32 the risk of having NAFLD. The comparison between groups with and without NAFLD reveals that patients with the disease were younger, more obese, had more severe OSA, lower nocturnal oxygen saturation during sleep, and higher ALAT levels. Multivariate analysis showed a statistically significant link between NAFLD and serum ALAT elevation and the oxygen desaturation index. CONCLUSIONS: NAFLD is a frequent comorbidity in OSA, correlated to the severity of the disease. Thus, early screening of the disease in OSA patients especially in younger obese patients with high ALAT serum levels and a high oxygen desaturation index is proposed.

[Tuberculous pneumothorax: Diagnosis and treatment]. / Pneumothorax tuberculeux : prise en charge diagnostique et thérapeutique.

BACKGROUND: Pneumothorax is a serious complication of cavitary pulmonary tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to describe clinical futures, to highlight challenges of its management. METHODS: A retrospective multicentric and descriptive study including 65 patients treated for PT (1999-2015) was conducted to figure out clinical futures and its work-up. RESULTS: The mean age was 37.8 years. The sex ratio was 3.6. Smoking history and incarceration were noted respectively in 67.6 and 15.3% of cases. Acute respiratory failure and cachexia were reported in 26.1 and 10.7% of cases. The PT was inaugural in 41.5% of cases. Pyo-pneumothorax was noted in 69.2% of cases. The duration of antituberculous treatment ranged from 6 to 15 months for susceptible TB and was at least 12 months for resistant TB (4 cases). Thoracic drainage was performed in 90.7% patients. Its average length was 47 days. The drain drop was noted in 20% of cases. Bronchopleural fistula was diagnosed in 6 cases and pleural infection in 5 of cases. Surgery treatment was necessary in 6 cases. Mean time to surgery was 171 days. Six patients had pleural decortication associated with pulmonary resection in 4 cases. Persistent chronic PT was noted in 12.6% and chronic respiratory failure in 3% of cases and death in 15.3% of cases. CONCLUSION: The diagnosis of the PT is often easy. Its treatment encounters multiples difficulties. Duration of thoracic drainage and anti-TB treatment are usually long. Surgery is proposed lately.

Traumatic isolated perforation of lower oesophagus.

One of the rarest cases of non-iatrogenic oesophageal perforation is falling from height. We report a case of a 26 year old man with oesophageal perforation resulting from a fall of 12 meter height. A pneumomediastinum in the absence of a pneumothorax and contrast extravasation from the oesophagus on CT evoked a perforation of the aerodigestive tract. No other injuries were seen. A non-operative management was pursued with good outcomes.

[Treatment of tuberculosis]. / Traitement de la tuberculose.

The aim of this article is to give practicing physicians a practical approach to the treatment of latent and active tuberculosis. Most patients follow TB standard treatment recommended by WHO that depend on category of patient. It is a combination of four essential tuberculosis drugs of the first group: isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamid and ethambutol; in some cases streptomycin can replace ethambutol. This initial phase of intensive treatment is followed by a consolidation phase. Drugs should be administered in the morning on an empty stomach one hour before meals. Treatment of latent tuberculosis (TB) infection is an important component of TB control programs. Preventive treatment can reduce the risk of developing active TB.

[Symptoms and natural history of hospital chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. / Symptômes et histoire naturelle de la broncho-pneumopathie chronique obstructive en milieu hospitalier.

BACKGROUND: Since few years, the data describing the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have changed and new concepts have emerged. AIM: To study the clinical characteristics and outcome of patients with COPD in a Tunisian population. METHODS: It is a retrospective study including 150 patients with COPD admitted at the pulmonary department of Charles Nicolle Hospital in Tunis, during a period of ten years. RESULTS: Data from 150 patients hospitalized at the pulmonary department of Charles Nicolle Hospital in Tunis, were analyzed. They were 126 men and 24 women with a mean age of 67 years. Tobacco was the predominant risk factor. Eighty-two (55%) patients were classified GOLD stage IV at diagnosis. The number of exacerbation varied from 1 to 7 with an average higher in patients classified as stage IV (p = 0.007). CONCLUSION: The COPD is pathology of smoking men. Comorbidities and exacerbations prevalence increase according the disease severity. In fact, better knowledge of exacerbations etiologies allows considering better measurement of prevention.

[Lung mycosis in non neuropenic patients]. / Infections pulmonaires mycosiques chez des patients non neutropéniques.

UNLABELLED: Lung mycosis is rare. Diagnosis and treatment must be done the earliest possible. METHODS: It is about a retrospective study on clinical records including patients hospitalized for lung infection. RESULTS: From 2008 to 2011, 16 patients (13 men and three women, average age 42 years) developed a pulmonary infection. Twelve of our patients had respiratory or extrarespiratory histories. None of our patients had a neutropenia. The diagnoses were lung aspergilloma in four cases, invasive lung aspergillosis in three cases, allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis in three cases, mucormycosis in three cases, trichosporonosis in a case, actinomycosis in one case and penicilliosis in one case. An antifungal treatment consisting in amphotericin B or itraconazole was given to four patients and six patients, respectively. Surgery was chosen for six patients. The evolution was good for 12 patients, one presented renal failure, and three patients died.

[Persistent pleuropneumopathy in a young woman]. / Une infection pleuropulmonaire non résolutive chez une femme jeune.

Bronchopulmonary sequestration is a rare malformation characterized by lung tissue fed by one or several aberrant systemic arteries. The authors present the case of a 35-year-old woman in whom extralobar sequestration was fortuitously detected at the time of persistent pleuropneumopathy. Computed tomography was used in the diagnosis of pulmonary sequestration. The most common and recommended treatment is the surgical removal of the pulmonary sequestration.

[Acute rhabdomyolysis during pneumococcal pneumonia: two cases]. / Rhabdomyolyse aiguë au cours des pneumonies à pneumocoque. A propos de deux observations.

Acute rhabdomyolysis is a clinical and biological syndrome generally with a toxic or traumatic cause. Only 5% of cases are infectious, and rarely in relation to a pneumococcal infection. We report two cases of acute rhabdomyolysis which developed in patients with severe Streptococcus pneumoniae pneumonia. No other cause could be identified in these two patients aged 32 and 37 years. Rhabdomyolysis was discovered in the first patient because of acute kidney failure and elevated serum transaminase levels. The second patient presented an inflammatory edema affecting the soft tissues. Blood cultures isolated a pneumococcus in both patients. The rhabdomyolysis regressed favorably in both patients despite the transient renal failure in the first patient. Prognosis is generally poor for rhabdomyolysis during the course of pneumococcal pneumonia, with increased morbidity and mortality for these infections. Early detection of bacteriemia enables rapid and adequate treatment and prevention of renal failure.

[Congenital cystic dilatation of bile ducts]. / Les dilatations kystiques congénitales des voies biliaires.

Congenital cystic dilatation of bile ducts is a rare condition. We report a retrospective study about 18 patients having congenital bile duct cysts. According to Todani's classification, 11 cases were type I and 7 were type V. Six patients from the first group had a pancreatobiliary maljunction. A total resection of the cyst was conducted in the type I cysts. Anatomopathologic examination showed an adenocarcinoma of a common bile duct cyst. In one case, a cancer of the gall bladder associated to a common bile duct cyst in another case. Three patients with segmental dilatation of intrahepatic bile ducts (type V) underwent liver resection. Four patients had a diffuse form, one of them was treated by percutaneous drainage, and in the other cases a hepatojejunostomy was performed. Postoperative course was complicated with acute cholangitis in these four cases. Percutaneous drainage and antibiotics allowed a positive outcome in most of the cases. In one case, secondary biliary cirrhosis occurred as a long-term complication. Congenital cystic dilatation of bile ducts is considered to be a precancer state. Enterocystic anastomosis is proscribed and the resection has to be as complete as possible.

[Survival and prognostic factors of colorectal adenocarcinoma: analytic multifactor review of 150 cases]. / Survie et facteurs pronostiques des adénocarcinomes colorectaux: étude analytique uni- et multifactorielle de 150 cas.

INTRODUCTION: Prognostic factors have a pivotal role in clinical oncology. They are helpful in the selection of treatment; provide insights into the disease process and the therapic response. The number of possibility useful prognosis factors in the colorectal cancer is large. This study attempts to observe the survival of colorectal adenocarcinoma and to find prognostic factors and other variables potentially associated with outcome of colorectal adenocarcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It's a retrospective study based on 150 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma from 1990 to 2002. There were 150 patients aged of 58 years (median 61 years) with 1.4 sex-ratio. 84 patients had colon adenocarcinoma and 66 patients had rectal adenocarcinoma. In histological exam the adenocarcinoma was well differenced in 69 cases (46%), and undifferentiated in 17 cases (18, 3%). RESULTS: Locoregional extension was found in 18 cases and metastatic extension in 45 cases with hepatic metastasis in 37 cases and pulmonary metastasis in 8 cases. There were 6 cases of peritoneal localized carcinosis and 6 cases of ovary metastasis. There were 6 patients (4%) Dukes stage I TNM, 61 stage II (40, 7%), 51 stage III TNM (34%) and 32 patients stage IV TNM (34%). All patients had surgical curative resection associated with adjuvant chemotherapy in 60 cases of colon adenocarcinoma and preoperative radiotherapy in 33 cases of rectal adenocarcinoma. After a follow up of 46 months, 52 patients was died (10 operative mortality), 35 patients were lost of view and 63 patients were still alive at the point date. Median survival was 20 months with 95% confidence interval: (4, 2-7, 8). Overall one year and 5 years survival were respectively 92,8% and 26,3%. Various prognostic factors had been identified through univariate (Kaplan-Meier) then multivariate (Cox) analyze. In addition to the clinical factors, we found of significant prognostic value undifferentiated adenocarcinoma and an elevated value of serum carcinoembryonic antigen>5 ng/ml.

[Huge benign lung tumor in a female smoker]. / Tumeur de 5 cm chez une femme fumeuse.

UNLABELLED: Pulmonary sclerosing hemangioma is a rare, slow-growing, benign tumor. Its potential for progression and its histiogenesis remains controversial. CASE REPORT: A routine chest X-ray revealed a right abdominal mass in 41-year-old woman. Search for a cause was negative. The patient underwent posterolateral thoracotomy for tumorectomy. Intraoperative pathology analysis revealed the benign nature of the tumor. No complication was observed postoperatively. The final pathological conclusion was sclerosing hemangioma of the lung. Pulmonary sclerosing hemangioma is a parenchymal tumor of the lung. The latest immunohistochemical studies of this lesion suggest a pneumocyte origin. Prognosis is good, but extension to lymph nodes may occur. Surgery is always required for cure, and must be associated with lymph node dissection for large tumors.