Association of a Cor Triatriatum Sinister and a right partial anomalous pulmonary venous return. A case report.

A 56-day old baby girl referred for recurrent respiratory tract infections and stridor, showed a rare association of a Cor Triatriatum Sinister (CTS) and a right Partial Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (PAPVR), in the form of a stenosed Scimitar vein, draining the right pulmonary veins to the subdiaphragmatic inferior vena cava (IVC), on echography and angiography. The baby underwent successful surgical repair of the CTS, by resection of the obstructive false membrane and reconnection of the Scimitar vein to the left atrium. At the age of 5 years, the child is doing well without any evidence of obstruction on the right or the left pulmonary venous drainage.

Diabetes mellitus after liver transplant new etiologic clues and cornerstones for understanding.

A retrospective study was performed on all orthotopic liver transplant (OLT) recipients (n = 167) from a major French transplant center from January 1998 to December 2000. The investigation sought to determine the prevalence, predictive factors, and outcome of post-liver transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM). PTDM was defined at 6 months post-OLT as hyperglycemia requiring treatment with insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents. The incidence was assessed for patient features, cause of liver disease, and immunosuppressive regimen. PTDM occurred in 45 of 143 OLT (31%), including 27 patients with pre-OLT persistent DM, whereas 26 developed de novo PTDM. Eight patients were cured of their post-OLT DM. PTDM treatment consisted of mainly insulin (n = 43). Patients given tacrolimus (n = 40) had a greater incidence of PTDM. Pre-OLT DM (n = 27), alcoholic cirrhosis (n = 30), and male gender (n = 38) were independent predictors of PTDM. Recipient HLA, steroid dosage, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and cholestatic liver disease were not predictive of PTDM. The incidences of graft loss as well as other morbidities and death rates were similar between the two groups. In conclusion, PTDM, common occurrence associated with male gender, alcoholic cirrhosis, and pre-OLT DM, seems at midterm follow-up to have no pejorative evolution when compared to patients without this complication.

A bizarre giant leiomyoma.

We report the clinical and imaging features of a huge deep leiomyoma of the rectus abdominis treated surgically in an 84-year-old man. Hypotheses are put forward to elucidate the etiology of this enigmatic localization, apparently the first described in the literature.

Peritoneovenous shunt in malignant ascites. The Bordet Institute experience from 1975-1998.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This is the review of our experience in the treatment of malignant ascites using Le Veen and Denver peritoneovenous shunt. METHODOLOGY: From 1975-1998, 24 peritoneovenous shunts were inserted in 22 patients with malignant ascites. RESULTS: All patients benefited from the procedure. The principal cause of failure was shunt occlusion (n = 5). CONCLUSIONS: This study permits us to conclude that a preoperative appropriated selection of patients, should decrease failure rate. Patients should be sent to surgery as soon as the diagnosis of recalcitrant ascites is confirmed, to obtain a longer and more comfortable quality of life with terminal cancer.

[Extensive intramural hematoma of the thoracic aorta]. / Hématome intramural extensif de l'aorte thoracique.

A[TRACE;del] 53-year-old hypertensive patient presenting with acute chest pain was found to have an intramural haematoma (IMH) of both ascending and descending aorta associated with a 6 cm ascending fusiform aortic aneurysm. Six weeks of antihypertensive treatment allowed complete resolution of the intramural haematoma of the descending aorta. Limited surgical repair of the ascending aorta by Gore-Tex graft prosthesis interposition was then performed. The patient was in good health with a one-year follow-up.

Peroneus quartus muscle: a case report and review of the literature.

The peroneus quartus is a supernumerary muscle of the lateral compartment of the lower leg. There are several variations of this accessory muscle, and its terminology is very confusing. The peroneus quartus is found with a frequency varying from 10 to 21.7% of observed individuals. It is rarely involved in pathologic processes of the foot and ankle. Only a few reports exist in the literature involving peroneus quartus in a "retromalleolar conflict" (lateral ankle stenosis), sometimes in association with longitudinal attrition and tears of the peroneus brevis. We present a novel case, together with a review of the clinical, anatomic, and radiologic references about this muscle, and we try to make order in classification and terminology of its different forms.

Late onset of tonsillar metastasis from breast cancer.

A 71-year-old woman non-smoker referred for repeated haemoptysis showed a tumoral lesion of the left tonsil. Pathological analysis of the biopsy showed characteristics compatible with a breast carcinoma metastasis, in which oestrogen and progesterone receptors were present. The patient had undergone mastectomy and had received adjuvant radiotherapy 24 years previously for a breast cancer with no complaints or signs of recurrence since. Investigations showed disseminated bone metastases but no other soft-tissue deposits. Anti-oestrogen therapy was applied. Only seven similar cases of tonsillar metastasis from breast cancer have been reported.

Cranio-facial and humeral melorrheostosis.

First described by LERY and JOANNY in 1992, melorrheostosis is an uncommon linear hyperostosis of unknown aetiology, which may be associated with soft tissures changes. Although all bones may be affected, cranio-facial involvement is very rare. Only six such cases have been found in the literature. This report describes a case of cranio-facial and left humeral melorrheostosis with symptomatic radial nerve involvement. Resection of the melorrheostotic bone was performed because of involvement of the radial nerve.