Primary hydatid cyst of the right maxillary sinus: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: A hydatid cyst of the head and neck is a very rare condition, even in areas where Echinococcus infestation is endemic. CASE REPORT: We report a rare case of primary hydatid cyst of the right maxillary sinus in a 40-year-old man. The initial diagnosis of the presence of a cystic mass was the result of physical examination and computed tomography (CT) scan. We resected the cystic mass using the Caldwell-Luc procedure. A definitive diagnosis was confirmed by postoperative histopathologic examination. CONCLUSION: Hydatid cyst of the maxillary sinus is an extremely rare presentation. However, this condition should be considered in differential diagnosis of cystic lesions of the maxillary sinus.

Effect of progesterone administration on prognosis of patients with diffuse axonal injury due to severe head trauma.

OBJECTIVE: Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) has a major role in mortality rate among the other types of trauma. The aim of this clinical study was to assess the effect of progesterone on the improvement of neurologic outcome in patients with acute severe TBI. METHODS: A total of 76 patients who had arrived within 8h of injury with a Glasgow Coma Score≤8 were enrolled in the study. In a randomized style 38 received progesterone (1mg/kg per 12h for 5 days) and 38 did not. RESULTS: There was a better recovery rate and GOS score for the patients who were given progesterone than for those in the control group in a 3-months follow-up period (50% vs. 21%); subgroup analysis showed a significant difference in the percentage of favorable outcome between the two groups with GCS of 5-8 (p=0.03). CONCLUSION: The use of progesterone may significantly improve neurologic outcome of patients suffering severe TBI up to 3 months after injury, especially those with 5≤GCS≤8, providing a potential benefit to the treatment of acute severe TBI patients. Considering this drug had no significant side effects, so progesterone could be used in patients with severe TBI as a neuro-protective drug.

Rare C-6 vertebral involvement in a child with histiocytosis X: case report.

The authors present a rare case of C-6 vertebral involvement in a 12-year-old boy with histiocytosis X. The patient presented with limitation in movements of neck and upper extremities. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging were used in the preoperative workup. Surgery was performed via an anterior cervical approach along with stabilization using a fibula strut graft and plate fixation. Pathological assessment showed infiltration of Langerhans cells accompanied by a mixture of many eosinophils, giant cells, neutrophils and foamy cells. The patient went on to make a full recovery with complete resolution of his motor weakness. In an extensive review of the literature there are very few cases of cervical histiocytosis X reported. In addition, surgical management of this type of lesion has rarely been discussed.