Haemorrhage in pre-existing adrenal masses. A case series.

INTRODUCTION: Adrenal haemorrhage in the context of a pre-existing adrenal mass is a rare, underestimated and potentially fatal surgical emergency. It is a rare cause of acute abdominal pain. PRESENTATION OF CASES: Data from 13 patients with adrenal haemorrhage in a pre-existing adrenal mass were prospectively collected during a 9 year period from a single institution. All patients underwent CT imaging which formed the basis of diagnosis and a complete endocrinological evaluation. Seven out of 13 patients underwent an elective surgical procedure and 2 patients underwent emergency laparotomy. Five out of 13 patients were diagnosed with metastatic disease. One patient was diagnosed with pheochromocytoma. DISCUSSION: The likelihood of an undiagnosed pheochromocytoma renders emergency surgery extremely precarious. Complete patient evaluation includes testing for hormonally active adrenal tumors and malignancy. Emergency surgery is reserved for cases where conservative management fails. CONCLUSION: Haemorrhage of an adrenal mass constitutes a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Most patients respond well to initial resuscitation efforts. When feasible, patients should undergo a complete hormonal and oncologic evaluation before surgical intervention is considered.

Circulating thyroid cancer biomarkers: Current limitations and future prospects.

Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is the most common malignancy of the endocrine system. There has been a significant increase in its incidence over the past two decades attributable mainly to the use of more sensitive diagnostic modalities. Ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology is the mainstay of diagnosis of benign disorders and malignancy. However, approximately 20% of lesions cannot be adequately categorized as benign or malignant. In the postoperative setting, monitoring of thyroglobulin (Tg) levels has been employed for the detection of disease recurrence. Unfortunately, Tg antibodies are common and interfere with Tg measurement in this subset of patients. Despite this limitation, Tg remains the sole widely used thyroid cancer biomarker in the clinical setting. In an attempt to bypass antibody interference, research has focused mainly on mRNA targets thought to be exclusively expressed in thyroid cells. Tg and thyroid stimulating hormone receptor (TSHR) mRNA have been extensively studied both for discerning between benign disease and malignancy and in postoperative disease surveillance. However, results among reports have been inconsistent probably reflecting considerable differences in methodology. Recently, microRNA (miRNA) targets are being investigated as potential biomarkers in DTC. MiRNAs are more stable molecules and theoretically are not as vulnerable as mRNA during manipulation. Initial results have been encouraging but large-scale studies are warranted to verify and elucidate their potential application in diagnosis and postoperative surveillance of thyroid cancer. Several other novel targets, primarily mutations and circulating cells, are currently emerging as promising thyroid cancer circulating biomarkers. Although interesting and intriguing, data are limited and derive from small-scale studies in specific patient cohorts. Further research findings demonstrating their value are awaited with anticipation.

Surgery for pheochromocytoma: A 20-year experience of a single institution.

OBJECTIVE: Resection of pheochromocytomas is a challenging procedure due to hemodynamic lability. Our aim was to evaluate surgical outcomes in 67 patients with pheochromocytoma and to validate the role of laparoscopic surgery in the treatment of these tumors. DESIGN: This study is a retrospective review. A total of 68 procedures for pheochromocytoma were performed between June 1997 and February 2017. All patients were investigated and operated on using an established departmental protocol. Relevant data were retrieved from the hospital records of 533 patients who underwent 541 adrenalectomies for benign and malignant adrenal tumors in the same period. RESULTS: Sixty-nine tumors were removed from 67 patients. One patient with/MEN2A underwent bilateral resection of pheochromocytomas in two stages. Tumor size in laparoscopic procedures ranged from 1.2 cm to 11.0 cm (mean 5.87 cm). Thirty-seven patients had benign disease, 31 potentially malignant (based on PASS) and 1 malignant with metastasis. Eight were in the context of a familial syndrome. Forty-nine patients underwent laparoscopic adrenalectomy, 8 patients had open approach from the start for recurrent pheochromocytoma or large benign tumor, 1 patient had open approach due to inoperable malignant pheochromocytoma and 10 patients had conversions from laparoscopic to open procedure. Nine patients received sodium nitroprusside intraoperatively to treat hypertension. One patient developed pulmonary embolism and succumbed 1 month later. There were no recurrences of the benign or potentially malignant tumors during the follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic resection of pheochromocytomas, despite its increased level of difficulty compared to that of other adrenal tumors, is a safe and effective procedure.

Laparoscopic surgery for pancreatic insulinomas: an update.

Insulinomas are the most common functioning neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas, occurring in almost 1-4 per 1 million persons each year. In contrast to other pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, they are usually benign and solitary at the time of diagnosis. Due to their benign nature, surgical excision is the treatment of choice, with excellent long-term results. The introduction of minimally invasive techniques in the surgical treatment of insulinoma has been gaining popularity due to shorter length of hospital stay and better cosmetic results, with serious complications being comparable to those of open surgery. Preoperative localization is of paramount importance in the determination of the appropriate surgical approach. Many invasive and non-invasive methods exist for localization of an insulinoma. A combination of these modalities is usually adequate to preoperatively localize the vast majority of tumors. Laparoscopic ultrasound is mandatory to localize these tumors intraoperatively. Despite extensive experience in highly specialized centers producing encouraging results, no randomized trials have been realized to conclusively validate these case series, this partly due to the rarity of insulinoma in the population. In this article we present the current state of laparoscopic management of insulinoma delineating still unanswered issues and we underscore some of the technical details of the most common laparoscopic procedures employed.

Primary intrahepatic malignant epithelioid mesothelioma.

INTRODUCTION: Primary malignant hepatic mesotheliomas are extremely rare. We report the case of a patient with primary intrahepatic malignant mesothelioma who was treated in our department. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 66-year old male patient was admitted to our department for the evaluation of anemia. An abdominal computed tomography scan revealed a large space occupying lesion in the right liver lobe. DISCUSSION: The tumor was subsequently resected and a diagnosis of primary intrahepatic malignant mesothelioma was made after pathologic examination. The patient did not receive adjuvant therapy and is currently alive and free of disease, 36 months after the resection. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge this is the eighth adult case of primary intrahepatic malignant mesothelioma reported in the literature. These tumors are rarely diagnosed preoperatively. Absence of previous asbestos exposure does not exclude malignant mesothelioma from the differential diagnosis. Proper surgical treatment may offer prolonged survival to the patient, without adjuvant therapy.

Prevalence of thrombosis-related DNA polymorphisms in a healthy Greek population.

Genetic association studies have revealed a correlation between DNA variations in genes encoding factors of the haemostatic system and thrombosis-related disease. This study investigated the prevalence of 13 such genetic risk factors in a sample (N=400 alleles) of the Hellenic population of Greece. Some of these polymorphisms [coagulation factor V (F5) Leiden, coagulation factor II (F2) G20210A, 5,10-methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T, coagulation factor XIII A1 subunit (F13A1) Val34Leu, serpine1 (SERPINE1) 4G/5G, angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D, angiotensinogen (AGT) Met325Thr, integrin A2 (ITGA2) C807T] have been previously studied in Hellenic populations of Greece and Cyprus, while others such as coagulation factor XII (F12) C46T, plasma carboxypeptidase B2 (CPB2) C1040T, platelet glycoprotein Ib α polypeptide (GP1BA) VNTR, thrombomodulin (THBD) -A33G and protein Z (PROZ) - A13G have not. Most of the allelic frequencies observed are similar to those reported for other Southern European populations. Knowledge of the prevalence of these variations in a given population may assist in the design of effective preventive measures against cardiovascular disease.

Cyclic strain delays the expression of tissue factor induced by thrombin in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Most studies of tissue factor (TF) expression in endothelial cells (EC) are performed under stationary culture conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of mechanical stimuli such as cyclic strain (CS) on the expression of TF in EC exposed to thrombin (Thr). Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were exposed to 4 U·mL(-1) Thr in the presence or absence of 10% average CS at 60 cycles·min(-1) and then TF expression was measured. TF messenger RNA (mRNA) expression peaked at 2 hours in HUVEC exposed to Thr, but at 4 hours in HUVEC exposed to both Thr + CS. TF expression was inhibited by p38 and extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK) inhibitors. For both Thr or Thr + CS stimuli, p38 and ERK activity peaked at 5 minutes (p < 0.05). Nuclear factor-kappa B levels remained high in the Thr group but not in the Thr + CS group, while Egr-1 levels were elevated in the Thr + CS group. We demonstrated CS-delayed, Thr-induced TF mRNA expression in HUVEC, which may be modulated by p38 and ERK inhibitors.

The critical role of hemodynamics in the development of cerebral vascular disease.

Atherosclerosis and intracranial saccular aneurysms predictably localize in areas with complex arterial geometries such as bifurcations and curvatures. These sites are characterized by unique hemodynamic conditions that possibly influence the risk for these disorders. One hemodynamic parameter in particular has emerged as a key regulator of vascular biology--wall shear stress (WSS). Variations in geometry can change the distribution and magnitude of WSS, thus influencing the risk for vascular disorders. Computer simulations conducted using patient-specific data have suggested that departures from normal levels of WSS lead to aneurysm formation and progression. In addition, multiple studies indicate that disturbed flow and low WSS predispose patients to extracranial atherosclerosis, and particularly to carotid artery disease. Conversely, in the case of intracranial atherosclerosis, more studies are needed to provide a firm link between hemodynamics and atherogenesis. The recognition of WSS as an important factor in cerebral vascular disease may help to identify individuals at risk and guide treatment options.