Orbital infarction syndrome following mechanical thrombectomy in internal carotid artery occlusion: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Orbital ischemic syndrome is a rare entity. The clinical signs typically demonstrate acute loss of visual acuity, chemosis, proptosis, ptosis, and total ophthalmoparesis. We report a case of a man who suffered an acute internal carotid artery occlusion and developed orbital ischemic syndrome after a mechanical thrombectomy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old Vietnamese (Kinh ethnicity) man was brought to the emergency room with complaints of a speech disturbance, facial palsy, and severe weakness of the left arm and leg, which had started 4 hours earlier, after waking up. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale 12 (NIHSS 12) revealed the neurological score at admission. A head computed tomography scan showed no intracranial bleeding and an Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score (ASPECTS) of 8 on the right brain. Computed tomography angiography showed an occlusion of the right internal carotid artery. After that, a mechanical thrombectomy was performed, and the internal carotid artery was completely reperfused. After 10 hours, he experienced orbital pain, proptosis, ptosis, chemosis, and ophthalmoplegia of the right orbit. He also had acute loss of visual acuity, and fundoscopic examination revealed papilledema, no retinal hemorrhage, and no bruit in orbital auscultation. Intraocular pressure in the right eye was measured at 50.5 mmHg. Computed tomography angiography showed no carotid-cavernous fistula, but slight enlargement of the right medial and lateral rectus muscles. He was treated with steroids and hyperosmolar agents and recovered 7 days later, but had persistent loss of visual acuity in the right eye. CONCLUSION: Orbital ischemic syndrome is a rare complication after mechanical thrombectomy treatment in acute ischemic stroke that can lead to loss of visual acuity.

Survival After Resection for Epidermoid Cyst-originated Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Liver: Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Epidermoid cyst is a rare type of congenital hepatic cyst. Reports on squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the liver are very limited and mostly have poor outcomes. We present a 45-year-old woman who came to our hospital due to obstructive jaundice caused by an epidermoid cyst-originated SCC. She underwent radical resection and lived for two years without signs of recurrence. The presentation, treatment, pathological results, as well as literature review, are provided below.

Highly sensitive detection of EGFR L858R mutation at the mRNA level.

The missense mutation EGFR L858R implies increased sensitivity to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKIs) therapy, despite a significant non-response rate. Currently, detection of EGFR L858R mutation is mostly DNA based, therefore, the allele-specific expression level of the mutated gene and its clinical relevance is hidden. Based on the extendable blocking probes and hot-start protocol for reverse transcription, we have developed and validated a novel one-step realtime RT-PCR assay that enables detection of EGFR L858R mutation at the mRNA level. This RNA-based assay was able to detect the EGFR L858R mutation in a 10,000-fold excess of its wildtype counterpart, indicating an analytical sensitivity of 0.01%. In comparison to the reference DNA-based assay, the RNA-based assay further detected the EGFR L858R mutation in significantly additional formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples (19.2% vs 15.0%). Interestingly, our data showed that the relative mRNA levels of EGFR L858R mutation varied greatly in tumor tissues (∼4 logs); and the circulating mRNA of EGFR L858R mutation was detectable in plasma of NSCLC patients. This novel RNA-based PCR assay provides a simple and ultrasensitive tool for detection of EGFR L858R mutation at the mRNA level as a new class of biomarkers.

Rare Condition of Intrathoracic Phrenic Nerve Schwannoma Successfully Treated with Uniportal Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery.

INTRODUCTION: Neurogenic tumors in the mediastinum account for approximately 20-30% of all types of mediastinal tumors in adults. This pathology is usually benign and has no or very few symptoms. Schwannoma rarely involves the phrenic nerve. We report a unique case of schwannoma involvement of phrenic nerve. Case Presentation. The 43-year-old female patient has an annual check-up of computerized tomography to detect the mass in the right middle mediastinum, so the patient was admitted to the hospital. Chest computerized tomography image found a mass of the middle mediastinum with the size of 23 × 22.3 mm located between the right pulmonary artery and the pericardium with uniform margins and clear boundaries, not invading the surrounding organization. Very little contrast is absorbed after injection. She underwent a uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, and this mass was found to be originating from the right phrenic nerve. Resection of the portion of phrenic nerve with mass was performed. Postoperatively, the patient was discharged from the hospital after 4 days of treatment in a clinical condition with no difficulty breathing and no chest pain; postoperative X-ray showed no abnormality, and the right diaphragm was unchanged. CONCLUSION: Although they are very rare, schwannomas of the phrenic nerve should be considered in the differential diagnosis of mediastinal tumors. Uniportal video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery is a preeminent option with properly sized tumors that deliver good results and have no postoperative complications associated with surgery.

Thoracoscopic surgery approach to mediastinal mature teratomas: a single-center experience.

BACKGROUND: Mediastinal mature teratomas are rare tumors with diverse surgical approaches. The aim of this study is to review our experience of thoracoscopic surgery management in patients with teratomas. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 28 consecutive patients with mediastinal mature teratomas who underwent thoracoscopic surgery at Viet Duc University Hospital from January 2008 to August2018. Patients were divided into 2 groups with 2 types of thoracoscopic surgery, closed thoracoscopic surgery (CTS) group and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) group. The selection of sugical approach was based on sizes, locations and characteristics of tumors. Post-operative outcomes were assessed and compared between these 2 groups. RESULTS: There were 14 female and 14 male patients with a median age of 41.2 ± 13.8 years. A total of 22 teratomas were located on the right side of the chest cavity and 6 on the left side. We performed CTS in 21 patients (75%) and VATS in 7 patients (25%) for tumor resection. There were 3 cases (10.7%) required conversion to minithoracotomy (5 cm in incision length). Skin appendages accounted for the highest rate (96.4%) in pathology. There was no record of mortality or tumor recurrence detected by computerized tomography. CONCLUSION: A thoracoscopic surgery for a mediastinal mature teratoma was a feasible choice. Challenging factors such as large tumors, intraoperative bleeding and strong tumor cell adhesion were considered handling by conversion to mini-thoracotomy that could ensure safety procedures and complete removal of tumors. Extraction of tumor contents might be performed for patients with large mature cystic teratomas to facilitate thoracoscopic surgery.