Volumetric MRI analysis of hippocampal subregions in Cushing's disease: a model for glucocorticoid neural modulation.

Several preclinical studies have demonstrated neuronal effects of glucocorticoids on the hippocampus (HC), a limbic structure with anterior-posterior anatomical and functional segmentation. We propose a volumetric magnetic resonance imaging analysis of hippocampus head (HH), body (HB) and tail (HT) using Cushing's disease (CD) as model, to investigate whether there is a differential sensitivity to glucocorticoid neuronal damage in these segments. We found a significant difference in the HH bilaterally after 12 months from trans-sphenoidal surgical selective resection of the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-secreting pituitary micro-adenomas. This pre-post surgery difference could contribute to better understand the pathopysiology of CD as an in vivo model for stress-related hypercortisolemic neuropsychiatric disorders.

Psychopathology and clinical features in an Italian sample of patients with myofascial and temporomandibular joint pain: preliminary data.

OBJECTIVE: Aim of this study was to provide data on the relationships between psychopathological variables and temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Sixty-three TMD patients were investigated using clinical and anamnestical psychiatric informations and psychopathological measures. METHODS: Three groups of TMD patients were recruited according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for TMD guidelines: a group of patients presenting myofascial pain alone (RDC/TMD axis I group I), a group with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain alone (RDC/TMD axis I group IIIa, IIIb), and a group presenting both myofascial and TMJ pain. Two secondary groups were identified on the basis of the presence/absence of myofascial pain. The study design provided a psychiatric interview and psychometric assessment including the Symptom Check List-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), and the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS). RESULTS: --Psychiatric evaluation: Myofascial pain patients had higher scores for personal psychiatric history and a history of more frequent psychotropic drug use. --HDRS and HARS: The sample presented scores indicating mild depressive symptoms and moderate anxiety symptoms. --SCL-90-R: The global sample showed acute levels of psychological distress as measured by the GSI score (Global Severity Index). Myofascial pain patients scored higher than TMJ pain patients in the GSI (p = .028), PAR (paranoia; p = .015), PSY (psychoticism; p = .032), and HOS (hostility; p = .034) subscales. CONCLUSIONS: TMD patients showed elevated levels of depression, somatization, and anxiety. These characteristics did not differ significantly between patients with myofascial or TMJ pain. Other specific psychopathological dimensions, detected with SCL-90-R, appeared to be closely associated to the myofascial component.

Intermediate results of extended pancreaticoduodenectomy. Verona experience.

BACKGROUND: Extended pancreaticoduodenectomy (EPD) with retroperitoneal lymphatic, neural, and connective clearance has been proposed to improve survival in patients with carcinomas of the head of the pancreas. The open questions are: does EPD allow better staging of the tumor? Does it reduce local recurrences? And does it improve survival? METHOD: We treated 26 patients by EPD between January 1994 and September 1996. Eighteen patients had pancreatic ductal carcinoma, 7, periampullary carcinoma; and 1, intraductal papillary mucinous carcinoma. RESULTS: The pancreatic cancers were International Union against Cancer (UICC) stage I in 3 patients, stage III in 14, and stage IV in 1. Two patients with stage III disease would have been considered as having stage I without EPD. Pancreatic cancer and periampullary carcinoma patients had a 3-year actuarial survival of 32% and 86%, respectively. At a mean follow-up time of 22.5 months (range, 6-39 months), 3 pancreatic cancer patients (16.6%) had loco-regional recurrences, 6 patients (33%) had distant metastases, and 1 (5.5%) had distant and loco-regional recurrences. Only 1 of 7 patients with periampullary carcinoma had distant metastasis 20 months after resection. CONCLUSION: EPD seems to decrease the rate of local recurrences and allows more correct staging. The intermediate survival results are encouraging but a definitive conclusion awaits longer follow-up.

Strangulated traumatic hernia of the diaphragm. A report of two cases.

The herniation of abdominal viscera in the thorax can immediately follow diaphragmatic rupture or be delayed even years after the injury. The herniated viscera can strangulate; this consequence may lead to a dangerous misdiagnosis which could be lethal for the patient. Radiological procedures, serial chest X-ray studies, CT and MRI scans are mandatory to confirm diagnosis. The insertion of a naso-gastric tube is a very helpful method in ruling out hypertensive pneumothorax in the presence of an air-fluid level in the thorax. We report 2 cases of strangulated traumatic hernia of the diaphragm occurring just a few hours (case 1) and 18 months (case 2) after the trauma. During thoracotomy, a rupture of the left diaphragmatic cupola was demonstrated with herniation of the stomach in case 1, the stomach, spleen and transverse colon in case 2. No postoperative mortality or morbidity were detected.

[Rupture of the diaphragm caused by closed trauma. Case contributions and review of the literature]. / La rottura del diaframma da trauma chiuso. Contributo casistico e revisione della letteratura.

AIM: Retrospective evaluation of 19 diaphragmatic ruptures due to blunt trauma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected all patients with thoracic and/or abdominal blunt trauma who were admitted to the department of surgery (Clinica Chirurgica and Chirurgia generale C) from 1970 to 1995. We selected patients with ascertained diaphragmatic rupture. RESULTS: We considered 17 cases of TDR (15 males and 4 females). Mean age was 38 years (range 16-67). Radiologic findings were consistent with TDR in 10 cases out of 17 (58.8%). Right hemidiaphragm was injured in 6 cases (31.6%). 10 patients (52.6%) presented at operation with intrathoracic visceral herniation. 8 patients underwent laparotomy, 7 both laparotomy and thoracotomy, 4 thoracotomy alone. Perioperative mortality was 15.7% (3 patients). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The clinical features were complicated by a large number of associated lesions; radiologic diagnosis is comparatively easy if visceral herniation into the thorax is present, repeated radiologic examinations facilitate diagnosis. The surgical access is determined by concomitant associated injuries which may require urgent operation.

[Role of surgical splanchnicectomy in the treatment of pancreatic carcinoma]. / Il ruolo della splancnicectomia chirurgica nel trattamento del carcinoma pancreatico.

Palliative surgical procedures offer considerable benefit for the patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer: surgical splanchnicectomy performed in conjunction with biliary-enteric by-pass offers good results as regard pain relief without increased morbidity and mortality. We treated 25 patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer by mean of biliary-enteric by-pass plus bilateral splanchnicectomy performed through different surgical approaches. In this series of patients postoperative mortality was nil, mean survival time was 7.2 months (range 3-14 months). Preoperatively, we assessed all patients as affected by visceral pain: Scott-Huskisson 10 mark-scale value in quantitative assessment of pain was equal or above the 7th mark in 87.5% of patients. One month later in the postoperative follow-up, 96% of the patients had a significant reduction in pain intensity from a preoperative median of 7 mark to a postoperative median of 1.5 mark (p = 0.0001). The mean period free of pain recurrence was 4.8 months. However, after 6 months only 46% of survivors were pain-free with such rate decreasing further to a 10% of survivors after 8 months. Nevertheless, the patients had around 70% of their survival span free of pain. We strongly believe that failure in relief of pain is due to a mistake in preoperative evaluation of the type of pain (somatic and not visceral, or both) and to the onset of somatic pain in the course of the disease rather than to surgical technical errors. Recurrence of pain has been considered inevitable in the biological progression of unresected cancer, and would be treated by combination of therapies, such as non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, transaortic coeliac plexus block, narcotics and cervical cordotomy.

Retroperitoneal paragangliomas: role of immunohistochemistry in the diagnosis of malignancy and in assessment of prognosis.

OBJECTIVE: To present our experience of 10 patients with extra-adrenal retroperitoneal paragangliomas, and assess prognostic tests. DESIGN: Retrospective study of casenotes. SETTING: University hospital, Italy. SUBJECTS: 10 Patients who presented with paragangliomas between 1970 and 1991. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Histological and immunohistochemical results, and outcome. RESULTS: All tumours were completely resected and there was no operative mortality. Of the 8 patients who had no metastases at presentation 3 died of recurrence 3, 5, and 10 years later, respectively; 4 were alive and free of disease 2-7 years after diagnosis. The 2 patients with synchronous bone metastases at presentation died 1 and 4 years later. Immunohistochemical analysis of type I cells (chromogranin A and neurone-specific enolase) showed little correlation with progression of disease, but there was a correlation between the presence of type II cells (S100 protein) and good prognosis. CONCLUSIONS: Excision is the treatment of choice for paraganglioma. Immunohistochemical techniques may provide useful information about prognosis, in particular about those patients who are at increased risk of recurrence. Long term follow up is essential, because successful management of recurrence is dependent on early recognition.

[The treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma by chemoembolization]. / Il trattamento del carcinoma epatocellulare mediante chemoembolizzazione.

One hundred and fourteen consecutive patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma were treated by chemoembolization using ethiodized oil (Lipiodol), anticancer agents. Ninety patients had concomitant chronic liver disease. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was diagnosed by US, contrast enhanced CT, fine needle biopsy and alpha-feto-protein level. Admission criteria were as follows: tumor confined to the liver with or without hilar nodal involvement, Child class A or B, white blood cell count above 2.000/mmc and platelet count above 75,000/mmc. All the patients underwent angiographic chemoembolization with Lipiodol and anticancer agents. In 98 patients we performed transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization (TAE) with Gelfoam or for Ivalon sponge. In 16 patients TAE was not performed because of portal thrombosis (7 cases) or technical reasons (9 cases). Mitomycin was used in 40 patients and dihydroxyanthracenedione (DADH) in 58 patients. In the TAE group 83 patients were Child A and 15 Child B. In 27 patients HCC was mononodular whereas in 71 it was multinodular. In 41 patients the tumor was more than 5 cm in diameter (in multinodular tumors only the larger lesion was taken into account). In 56 patients chemoembolization plus TAE was repeated. Seven patients died within one month after treatment: two from myocardial infarction, two from liver failure, two from digestive haemorrhage and one from necrotizing pancreatitis. Long-term survival rates were investigated in relation to prognostic factors: anti-cancer agent, number of nodes, tumor size and Child stage using Kaplan-Meier method. Survival rate at 12, 24 and 36 months are 64%, 38%, and 30% respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Primary germinal tumors of the mediastinum: our experience in 9 cases]. / I tumori germinali primitivi del mediastino: nostra esperienza in nove casi.

9 patients (8 males 1 female, middle age 24.3 years, range 20-41) affected by primary mediastinal germ cell tumor were surgically treated in our department. They were 4 seminomas, 2 embryonal carcinomas, 1 malignant teratoma and 2 benign teratomas. Three patients were asymptomatic; cough, dyspnea and chest pain were the most frequently observed symptoms. The staging work-up did not show signs of metastatic disease in the malignant types. Benign teratomas underwent complete excision. In one patient suffering from seminoma radiotherapy and chemotherapy caused complete remission of the disease. In the others cases remission of the neoplasm was obtained by resection and adjuvant therapy in 3 cases, by neoadjuvant treatment and excision of the residual mass in 3 cases. Among the patients suffering from seminoma, 2 are dead at 60 months since initial treatment and 2 are alive at 132 and 120 months respectively. Among the patients with malignant nonseminomatous tumours, 2 are alive at 60 and 36 months and 1 patient is dead at 13 months. Two patients with benign teratoma are alive at 189 and 168 months respectively. At present a multimodality treatment including surgery, radiotherapy and cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy, give the most satisfactory results in the treatment of malignant mediastinal germ cell tumours.

Early graft injuries after pancreatic transplantation in syngeneic rats. Cytoprotective effects of gabexate-mesilate.

Failures in experimental and human pancreatic transplantation are mainly attributable to rejection, graft thrombosis, and technical problems. There are, however, problems related to other causes, such as preservation injuries, which we found to exhibit, at least within the first 6 h, the same histological patterns seen in experimental acute pancreatitis. We performed pancreatic transplantation in 110 syngeneic rats under different preservation techniques and administration of gabexate mesilate, a synthetic protease inhibitor. The results showed that antiprotease treatment reduces graft preservation injuries significantly.

Necrosectomy by lavage in the surgical treatment of severe necrotizing pancreatitis. Results in 263 patients.

A conservative surgical technique for treatment of necrotizing pancreatitis is described. Standardized since 1976, the technique is based on washout mechanical necrosectomy accomplished by lavages via intraoperatively placed wide-bore drainage tubes. The overall mortality rate from necrotizing pancreatitis was thereby reduced from 61% (with resective technique) to 18%, and in 106 cases observed from the onset of the disease the mortality fell to only 6.6%. The series included also patients with fulminant acute pancreatitis and multiorgan failure.

Pancreatic abscess and other pus-harboring collections related to pancreatitis: a review of 108 cases.

This is a report on 108 cases collected from 1970 to 1987, in the same department, of surgically-detected pancreatic abscesses or pus-harboring collections. The purulent areas were either of a spreading pattern or represented a clearly localized mass. To the spreading pattern belong 47 cases of necrotizing pancreatitis, without discontinuity in the clinical course from the early toxic to the late septic phase, 4 cases of acute pancreatitis, initially in remission and later complicated by septic collections, and 4 cases which developed after an acute attack of chronic pancreatitis. The abscess pattern was made up of 19 each of pseudocysts and predisposing pancreatitis, 10 cases of chronic pancreatitis, and only 5 necrotizing "nonstop" pancreatitis. The surgical treatment in all cases consisted of multiple drainages and postoperative irrigation. We exclude 3 cases of associated open packing. The etiological, clinical, and biochemical features of each group of patients are reported and discussed. Computed tomography availability seems to be the most important improvement reported as regards diagnosis and surgical tactics. The overall mortality rate was 15.7% with a significant difference between the 2 patterns (23.6% for the spreading pattern versus 7.5% for the abscess pattern). On the basis of this experience, it is possible to establish a relationship between the gross appearance of the collection and the underlying pancreatic disease with differences in terms of prognosis, morbidity, and mortality. Finally, a simple nomenclature can be chosen which is capable of distinguishing between the diverse pancreatic purulent collections. While the presence of pus may characterize the course of severe acute pancreatitis in many cases, the low incidence of "true" pancreatic abscess is emphasized.

Retroperitoneal and peritoneal drainage and lavage in the treatment of severe necrotizing pancreatitis.

In severe necrotizing pancreatitis, the retroperitoneum is the main site both of autodigestion and of the production of toxins. With the aim of removing necrotic tissues and active enzymes from the retroperitoneum, we developed a surgical approach based on a wide exposure of the pancreas and on the insertion of multiple drainages with postoperative irrigations with hypertonic solutions and antiproteases. We treated 191 patients, and our results correlated with the timing of the operation. The operative mortality rate ranges from 8.1 in patients undergoing our procedure within 48 hours from the onset of the disease to 28.4 per cent when the operation was delayed for more than 96 hours. Our technique is detailed and the indications as to the timing of surgical treatment in instances of pancreatitis are discussed.

Surgical strategy in primary retroperitoneal tumours.

Sixty-nine patients with primary retroperitoneal tumours (17 benign, 52 malignant including 4 malignant tumours of uncertain origin) were reviewed to determine the best form of surgical strategy. Total resection was performed in 88 per cent of benign cases and in 65 per cent of malignant cases. In 62 per cent of the total resections for malignant tumours, en bloc excision included adjacent organs or anatomical structures. Operative mortality rate (in terms of the total number of operations performed) was 5 per cent. Postoperative complications occurred in 14 per cent and recurrences in 35 per cent. The overall 5-year survival rate was 67 per cent in patients with totally resected tumours and zero in patients whose tumours were treated by partial resection or biopsy. An aggressive surgical approach aimed at total excision of the tumour is the best form of therapy currently available. In the totally resected retroperitoneal tumour, the use of adjuvant radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy depends on the grade of the malignancy and clearance as assessed histologically. Careful follow-up based on the use of computerized axial tomography and ultrasound allows early identification of recurrence at a stage when the recurrence is amenable to total resection.

[Clinical results after proximal selective vagotomy (considerations on 42 cases)]. / Risultati clinici dopo vagotomia selettiva prossimale (considerazioni su 42 casi).

The authors report the results of a 6-8 year follow-up of 42 patients treated by selective proximal vagotomy with pyloroplasty for gastric or duodenal ulcer disease. On the basis of Visick's classification, the patients broke down into the following categories: Cat. 1: 66.6%; Cat. 2: 26.1%; Cat. 3: 2.3%; Cat. 4: 4.7%, with 92.7% belonging to the first two categories. These data are in agreement with other data reported in the literature, and show no significant differences as compared to follow-up one year after surgery.

[Epithelial splenic cysts]. / Cisti splenica epiteliale.

The authors describe a case of an epithelial cyst of the spleen treated successfully by splenectomy. Diagnostic techniques and the principles adopted in treatment this rare disease are discussed.

[Retroperitoneal neurilemmoma (considerations on 4 cases)]. / Il neurilemmoma retroperitoneale (considerazioni su 4 casi).

The authors show 4 cases of retroperitoneal neurilemmoma, surgically treated by simple excision of the tumour. From the general observations, as well as from the analysis of the literature, they can remark the rareness of the location in such anatomical region. The clinical symptoms are common to those of the region retroperitoneal tumours, and are due to the compressive effect developed by the tumour on the contiguous structures. As regards the diagnostic procedures, they emphasize the primary value of axial computed tomography in the evaluation of the retroperitoneal pathology. The diagnosis cannot be but histologic, and is based upon the presence of the typical histologic pictures according to Antoni A and B types.

[Benign pathology of the breast. Diagnostic protocol and therapeutic indications]. / La patologia benigna della mammella. Protocollo diagnostico ed indicazioni terapeutiche.

The frequency of benign mammary disease and the need to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors without the indiscriminate use of instrumental examinations and biopsies have prompted the Cooperative Interdisciplinary Group on Mammary Neoplasms to adopt the diagnostic protocol and propose a number of therapeutic indications. Though involving a progressive reduction in biopsies, the use of the protocol has not led to failure to recognize carcinomas, the number of identified malignancies being maintained within the anticipated limits.

[Primary malignant neoplasia of the exocrine pancreas: epidemiological findings, risk factors, early diagnosis. Personal case reports, 1970-1981]. / Neoplasie primitive maligne del pancreas esocrino: rilievi epidemiologici, fattori di rischio, diagnostica precoce. Casistica personale 1970-1981.

The Authors report their own casuistry of malignant tumours of exocrine pancreas, collected in the period from 1970 up to 1981. The question was of 214 cases, namely 136 of head and 78 of body-tail or diffused. The male/female ratio was 2.3:1, the most affected decades were 6th and 7th, with a range of 27-86 years. The resecability was 27% for tumours of head and 24% for those of tail; the operative mortality was 10.8% and 17.6% respectively; the survival after 3 years was 6.8% (head) and 5.8% (body-tail), after 5 years 6% (head) and zero (body-tail). In analysing the etiopathogenetic rôle of some factors and some pathological associations, the Authors particularly point out the predisposing rôle of both tobacco smoke and diabetes, remarked in 50% and 33% of the cases observed, respectively. From a symptomatologic standpoint, the symptoms are subdivided into initial symptoms (retrospectively interpreted as first manifestation of the disease), symptoms of alarma (leading to the attending physician's), symptoms at the entrance (hospitalization), and importance is given to the exploitation of the initial symptoms for the purpose to reach a diagnosis as precocious as possible, since 40% of the tumours of head are hospitalized only after 8-16 weeks and 33% of the tumours of body-tail after 16-32 weeks from the arising of the first symptom.