Ovarian metastasis of a malignant melanoma: A case report.

Malignant melanoma represents 3% of cancers at the woman. The metastatic gynecological localization are rare and ovary is an exceptional site. Prognosis of metastatic ovary malignant melanoma is pejorative (5% 5 years survival). We report a case observed in a 65-year-old patient, who developed 2 melanomas of the left leg and presented a right ovarian tumor during a supervision tomodensitometric 7 years after diagnostic initial. The immunohistochemical assays after annexectomy confirmed the diagnostic of ovarian metastasis. To evoke an ovarian metastasis localization of a malignant melanoma in front of the increasing incidence is a decisive for prognosis.

[Delayed necrotizing fasciitis: a complication of stress incontinence surgery by suburethral sling]. / Fasciite nécrosante tardive : une complication de la chirurgie de l'incontinence urinaire par bandelette sous-urétrale.

We report a 50-year-old woman case with an extensive necrotizing fasciitis (NF). The NF appeared 10 years after a tension free vaginal tape procedure for urinary stress incontinence. Vital prognosis was engaged due to the initial sepsis severity. This kind of complication is rare and could be under estimated. NF usually appear soon after surgery, whatever within the year following implantation. Anyway, NF are always related to a vaginal erosion of the tape.

[Secondary psoas actinomycosis: a complication of an intra-uterine contraceptive device]. / Actinomycose secondaire du psoas : une complication du dispositif intra-utérin.

Genital-pelvic actinomycosis is an uncommon disease which often arises on women with long term use of intrauterine device. Its diagnostic remains difficult. Even if different clinical locations has been reported, location to the psoas muscle is exceptional. We report such a case, diagnosed on a 53 years old woman. Both a tumoral and a severe infectious syndrome appeared three months after an intra-uterine device removal. The septic syndrome led to a laparotomic approach. Unusual clinical presentation, delay between device removal and septic syndrome and lack of genital infection explain the issues to reach the final diagnosis.

[Spontaneous hepatic rupture during an uncomplicated twin pregnancy]. / Rupture hépatique spontanée au cours d'une grossesse gémellaire non compliquée.

Liver subcapsular haematoma and its consequence, spontaneous hepatic rupture, are very rare complications of pregnancy. They are mainly associated with pre-eclampsia. The diagnosis is difficult and the maternal and fetal mortality rates are high. We report the case of a spontaneous hepatic rupture on a normal liver during an uncomplicated twin pregnancy with a favorable outcome for both the mother and the newborns.

[Radiation-induced breast angiosarcoma following breast-conserving therapy. Report of two cases]. / Angiosarcome mammaire radio-induit après traitement conservateur du cancer du sein. A propos de deux cas.

Breast angiosarcoma is a rare but serious complication of radiotherapy. We report two cases of radiation-induced breast angiosarcoma in two patients having benefited from breast conserving surgery with radiation. We shall put emphasis on the etiopathogeny of these tumours and their clinical and therapeutic aspects.

[Heterotopic ovarian hydatidiform mole. A case report]. / Môle hydatiforme hétérotopique ovarienne. A propos d'un cas.

We report a case of ruptured ovarian molar pregnancy, diagnosed in the context of haemorragic shock 19 days following evacuation of an intrauterine hydatiform mole. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of heterotopic molar pregnancy.

[Ovarian remnant syndrome: diagnostic difficulties and management]. / Syndrome de l'ovaire rémanent: difficultés diagnostiques et stratégies thérapeutiques.

OBJECTIVES: The ovarian remnant syndrome is a rare condition after unilateral or bilateral oophorectomy, with or without a hysterectomy. This syndrome occurs when a fragment of ovarian tissue is left behind and becomes functional and cystic. The purpose of this study is to report the cases of patients treated surgically for an ovarian remnant syndrome during the last 10 years and to recall the diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective, observational study was carried out between 1997 and 2006. Seven patients were treated surgically for an ovarian remnant syndrome. Perioperative data analysis (history, surgical techniques, and postoperative follow-up) was carried out. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 46 years (36-55). The number of previous abdominal surgical procedures ranged from 2 to 5. The syndrome appeared after a mean period of 4 years and 4 months (range 5 months-12 years) after oophorectomy. Among the 7 patients, 3 had had a previous hysterectomy. Pelvic pain was found in all cases. Gonadotropin-releasing hormones agonists were used in 1 patient without success. Aspiration was performed in 2 cases before surgical treatment. Two patients underwent a laparotomy in the first place. Laparoscopy was performed in 5 cases and laparoconversion was necessary in 1 case. Intraoperative difficulties and anatomic variations were found in all cases. Ureteral catheters were placed in 2 cases. Radiotherapy was performed in 1 patient who had a recurrent ovarian remnant. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The ovarian remnant syndrome is a rare complication. Surgery, either by laparoscopy or by laparotomy, is the recommended treatment. These operations are often difficult and associated with a high risk of complications. Histologically, remnant ovarian tissue associated with hemorragic corpus luteum cysts is the most common finding. The prevention of the ovarian remnant syndrome is based on rigorous surgical treatment during the oophorectomy so as not to leave behind ovarian tissue.

[Tamoxifen in the adjuvant setting for breast cancer: Reflexions about the risk of uterine carcinosarcoma]. / Traitement adjuvant du cancer du sein par le tamoxifène : réflexions sur le risque de carcinosarcome utérin.

A descriptive analysis of available data on reported cases of uterine carcinosarcomas associated with tamoxifen therapy is undertaken. The role of aromatase inhibitors as alternative to tamoxifen therapy in the adjuvant setting of breast cancer is discussed. The eventual implications of the presumed association of uterine carcinosarcoma and tamoxifen therapy on the choice of the therapeutic agent in the adjuvant setting of hormone-sensitive breast cancer are discussed.

[Spontaneous rupture of the unscarred uterus during labor. Case report]. / Rupture spontanée de l'utérus non cicatriciel pendant le travail. A propos d'un cas et revue de la littérature.

We report a case of spontaneous uterine rupture in a 19 year-old patient Gravida 1 para 2 with no past history of uterine surgery. The diagnosis of uterine rupture, evoked in the early post-partum in the presence of acute abdominal pain, collapsus and haemoperitoneum on ultrasonography, was confirmed by laparotomy. Treatment consisted in hysterorrhaphy. The etiopathogenesis, clinical and therapeutical aspects of spontaneous unscarred uterine ruptures are discussed throughout a literature review.

[Hysterectomies performed for presumed leiomyomas: should the fear of leiomyosarcoma make us apprehend non laparotomic surgical routes?]. / Hystérectomies pour léiomyomes présumés : la crainte du léiomyosarcome doit-elle faire appréhender la voie d'abord chirurgicale autre que laparotomique ?

OBJECTIVES: The presenting symptoms of leiomyosarcoma (LMS) are the same as those of leiomyoma. The diagnosis of LMS is usually achieved retrospectively after pathological analysis of hysterectomy specimens. The aim of surgery in uterine sarcomas being resection without tumor morcellation, LMS poses the problem of the choice of surgical route because it is more likely to occur in relatively young women. This study was undertaken to determine, firstly, the frequency of LMS in a series of hysterectomies performed for presumed leiomyomas, secondly, if there exist any particular context in which LMS should be considered and how this may modify the choice of surgical route, thirdly, to discuss about the therapeutical aspects of those cases of LMS diagnosed incidentally after uterine morcellation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review, from 1996 to 2005, of cases of LMS diagnosed retrospectively in patients having benefited from hysterectomy for presumed leiomyomas, at the department of Obstetrics-Gynaecology, Belfort Hospital. RESULTS: From 1996 to 2005, 1297 hysterectomies have been performed for presumed leiomyomas in our department. Patients' mean age was 48 years (34 to 77 years). Menometrorraghia was the most common symptom having motivated surgery (57%), followed by pelvic pain (31%) and the notion of a rapidly growing uterine mass (12%). The distribution of surgical route was as follows: laparotomic route, n=393 (30%); vaginal route, n=855 (66%) and laparoscopic assisted vaginal route, n=49 (4%). Pathological analysis had revealed LMS in three patients (0.23%). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: LMS is usually diagnosed incidentally on hysterectomy specimen analysis. Indeed, the surgeon may find himself in a therapeutic dilemma in cases where vaginal extraction has required tumour morcellation with an increased risk of peritoneal and/or vaginal dissemination. However, given the extremely low incidence of LMS in series of hysterectomies performed for presumed leiomyomas and the lack of specific preoperative context to clearly evoke this diagnosis, the fear of leiomyosarcoma should not make us apprehend nonlaparotomic surgical routes.

[Uterine carcinosarcomas associated with tamoxifen therapy. Report of two cases and review of the literature]. / Carcinosarcomes utérins associés au traitement par le tamoxifène. A propos de deux cas et revue de la littérature.

Carcinosarcomas are rare uterine cancers and carry poor prognosis. Although these tumours usually arise de novo, some cases developed under tamoxifen therapy have been reported. We report two more cases of uterine carcinosarcoma occurring in two postmenopausal patients benefiting from tamoxifen therapy as adjuvant treatment of breast cancer. A review of the literature is undertaken.

[Pure rhabdomyosarcoma of the uterine corpus: an exceptional tumor in postmenopausal women. Report on two cases]. / Rhabdomyosarcome pur du corps utérin: une tumeur exceptionnelle chez la femme ménopausée. A propos de deux cas.

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) of the uterine corpus is rare in adult females. This tumor can be encountered in two distinct histopathological contexts: usually as a component of a malignant mixed mullerian tumor and exceptionally as a pure heterologous sarcoma. We report two cases of pure RMS of the uterine corpus occurring in postmenopausal women. The two patients suffered from vaginal bleeding and preoperative diagnosis was achieved in both cases. Both patients benefited from exploratory laparotomy, total hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. Both of them were free from the disease 15 months and 1 year respectively, after initial surgery. These two observations are worthy of publication because pure RMS of the uterine corpus is exceptional in postmenopausal women.

[Maternal death after spontaneous rupture of a uterine artery immediately following delivery: a case report]. / Décès maternel après rupture spontanée d'une artère utérine dans le post-partum immédiat : à propos d'un cas.

We report the case of a maternal death occurring after spontaneous rupture of a uterine artery immediately following delivery. The patient presented abdominal pain and a collapsus one hour after a normal delivery. Laparotomy revealed massive haemoperitoneum and intraperitoneal bleeding from the right uterine artery. Ligature of the uterine artery and hemostasis hysterectomy were performed but the patient died of multivisceral failure 18 h after the delivery. This is the first case report of maternal death occurring after spontaneous rupture of a uterine artery.

[Uterine sarcomas: clinical and histopathological aspects. Report on 15 cases]. / Sarcomes utérins: aspects cliniques et histopathologiques. A propos de 15 cas.

OBJECTIVE: Sarcoma of the uterus are rare uterine cancers with poor prognosis. They are characterised by pathological diversity and their symptomatology is not specific. The aim of this study was to review our experience with uterine sarcomas, to analyze their clinical and histopathological features, to discuss about diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties associated with these tumours and to compare our findings with previously published data. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective review, from 1996 to 2005, of cases of uterine sarcomas diagnosed and treated at the department of obstetrics-gynaecology, Belfort Hospital. Clinical and pathological features, types of treatment, tumoral stage according to the FIGO histological classification and patients' outcome were recorded. RESULTS: From 1996 to 2005, 15 cases of uterine sarcomas have been diagnosed in our department. Our study included six histological types: carcinosarcoma (n=5), leiomyosarcoma (n=3), rhabdomyosarcoma (n=2), adenosarcoma (n=2), stromal sarcoma (n=2), and undifferentiated sarcoma (n=1). Patients' mean age at the time of diagnosis was 67.6 years (range: 48-91 years). Vaginal bleeding was the most common presenting symptom, being present in 10 patients (67%). The mean time from onset of symptomatology and pathological diagnosis of sarcoma was 17.1 weeks (range: one to 60 weeks). In 10 patients (67%), definitive diagnosis of sarcoma was achieved only after surgical specimen analysis and in only three of them (30%), physical examination combined with pelvic ultrasonography had suspected malignancy. Dilation and curettage was performed in nine patients and failed to rule out neoplasia in three cases (33.5%). Fourteen patients (93%) underwent surgery: total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy in all of them and pelvic lymphadenectomy in four of them. Eight patients were in FIGO stage I, one patient in stage II, three patients in stage III and two patients in stage IV. Six patients benefited from adjuvant treatment: external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy in three cases, brachytherapy in one case and chemotherapy in two cases. At the time of analysis, four patients were lost to follow-up, four patients were dead and with an average follow-up of 25 months, seven patients had a favourable outcome. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Uterine sarcomas are rare cancers with poor prognosis. Their symptomatology is non-specific and they are characterized by histopathological diversity. Early diagnosis is essential because patients' survival is correlated to tumour stage. However, preoperative diagnosis is often difficult and definitive diagnosis is frequently achieved after pathological analysis of hysterectomies specimens.