[Transient hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy]. / Ipocalcemia transitoria dopo tiroidectomia.

In a patient submitted to thyroidectomy a transitory hypocalcemia can develop, the frequency of which is very variable in reference with on international literature. Several hypotheses have been enunciated to explain the phenomenon. This study would contribute to suggest its etiology and to quantify its entity. For this purpose we selected a series of patients among those operated from September, 1989 to May, 1991. 6 of them were affected by non toxic multinodular goiter (group 1), while 12 were affected by Graves' disease (group 2). We evaluated their serum levels of calcium, parathormone (iPTH), calcitonin (CT), osteocalcin and total proteins. In both groups we registered a temporary hypocalcemia that resulted statistically significant. In group 1 the hypocalcemia was associated with a decrease in iPTH levels, so that the cause of hypocalcemia in patients submitted to thyroidectomy for nontoxic multinodular goiter seems to be a transient parathyroid failure, while in group 2 the hypocalcemia was associated with a decrease in total protein levels, showing a different pathogenetic mechanism. We conclude that the transitory hypocalcemia post-thyroidectomy relies on a different etiology in the two thyropathies.

[Cardiac echinococcosis. Case report and review of the literature]. / Echinococcosi cardiaca. Case report e revisione della letteratura.

Cardiac echinococcosis is a rare disease. We report the case of a patient affected by cardiac echinococcosis who underwent surgical treatment successfully. A forty year old woman was hospitalized referring palpitation and dyspnea. The patient had undergone surgical pericystectomy of the right lobe of the liver for echinococcosis 6 month before. Chest X-ray film showed a round opacity well delineated on the left side of the heart, Ghedini reaction was negative, ECG was normal. After a review of literature we analyze anatomo-clinic and therapeutic aspects of the disease.

Extrahepatic abdominal hydatidosis: surgical features of 11 cases.

We have described 11 cases of rare abdominal localization of hydatosis in the kidney, spleen and serous tissues. The clinical and surgical features have also been discussed.

[Focal nodular hyperplasia of the liver associated with cardial achalasia, situs viscerum inversus and gastric mucosal ectopia in the duodenum]. / Iperplasia focale nodulare del fegato associata a cardioacalasia, situs viscerum inversus ed ectopia di mucosa gastrica in duodeno.

The authors describe the clinical case of a young woman with a focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) of the liver associated with achalasia of the cardia, situs inversus totalis and ectopy of gastric mucosa in duodenum, and discuss the etiopathogenic aspects of the hepatic lesion. The frequent association of the FNH with various malformations, as the literature and this case-report relate, seems to confirm the hypothesis of a dysgenetic hamartomatous origin. Therefore any liver single mass in a patient with a malformative syndrome must rouse the suspicion of a FNH.

[Role of diaphanoscopy in breast diseases]. / Ruolo della diafanoscopia nella patologia mammaria.

The diagnostic value of diaphanoscopy in a series of 200 cases of breast diseases, all confirmed by cytohistologic examination, is illustrated. Diaphanoscopy showed a high sensitivity towards haemorrhagic cysts, early age fibroadenomas, adenosic dysplasia, haematomas as well as carcinomas.