Extramuscular soft tissue myxoma of the lateral neck.

Myxomas are rare benign connective tissue tumours of unclear histogenesis. In this case a lateral neck tumour initially behaved, both clinically and radiographically as a lipoma, and was therefore managed conservatively. Subsequently the lesion caused pressure symptoms and therefore a surgical approach was taken with subsequent histology confirming a myxoma. Only five cases of soft tissue myxoma of the lateral neck have been reported in the English literature of which two were extramuscular. This is the largest reported myxoma of the head and neck region and was treated with simple enucleation. There has been no evidence of recurrence five years after surgery.

[Malnutrition in hospitalized patients: a prospective and randomized study]. / Malnutrición en pacientes hospitalizados: estudio prospectivo y aleatorio.

UNLABELLED: Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM), is probably underestimated in our hospitals. We did this study with the aim of knowing the incidence, distribution and evolution of PEM in a University Hospital with 538 beds. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 301 hospitalized patients, randomly selected, were subjected to a nutritional evaluation upon admittance and after 7 days, by determining albumin and body weigh/ideal weight ratio. RESULTS: The age was 56.7 +/- 18.4 years (x +/- SD), the hospital stay was 7.84 +/- 7.12 days, 194 patients were hospitalized in Medical departments and 107 in Surgical or Medical-surgical departments. The incidence of PEM upon admittance was n = 160 (53%): mild in 93 (30.89%), moderate in 56 (18.60%), and severe in 11 (3.65%). The patients who continued to be hospitalized after 7 days were n = 99 (32.89%), and in these patients the incidence of PEM was n = 66 (66.6%): mild in 33 (33.3%), moderate in 30 (30.3%), and severe in 3 (3.3%). The incidence of PEM was higher at more advanced age (p < 0.05), in patients hospitalized in medical departments (p < 0.05) or in those subjected to surgery (p < 0.05). The hospital stay was longer in those patients who presented PEM upon admittance (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition has an increased incidence in hospitalized patients, it is higher in patients of advanced age or subjected to surgery, and it increases during their stay. The existence of malnutrition upon admittance is related to a longer hospital stay.

[Surgical management of polycystic liver]. / Manejo quirúrgico de la poliquistosis hepática.

Three patients with polycystic liver disease, needing surgical treatment, are reported. In two cases surgical indication was continuous pain and compressive symptoms from an abdominal mass, and in the third case was an infection of the cyst. All patients were treated by fenestration combined with resection of cysts. The postoperative course was uneventful in two patients, but hepatic failure developed in the third case, needing hepatic transplantation. This patient died during this operation. The complications of the disease and its surgical management are revised.