Papillary thyroid cancer belongs to most commonly diagnosed well-differentiated malignant tumor of the thyroid gland, with only minority of cases being more aggressive, recurring locoregionally and ...developing distant metastatic foci. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical relationship between parameters of age, gender, size of primary tumor, intraglandular dissemination and regional metastatic spread and evaluate the importance of each parameter; analyze other major aggressive factors (tumor border, thyroid capsule invasion, perivascular, perilymphatic spread) on prevalence and extent of intraglandular dissemination and relation to metastatic spread in neck. This study is a retrospective analysis of clinical and pathological data from 714 patients with papillary thyroid cancer, presented and operated at the Department of ENT/Head and Neck surgery, Sisters of Charity University Hospital, Zagreb, in the period from 1980 to 2008. All patients were operated upon with total thyroidectomy and some type of neck lymphonode dissection (paratracheal or lateral). In results, we found 46.9 % tumors were aggressive; 34.7 % tumors were multicentric, with foci in the contralateral lobe nearly twice as often as in the ipsilateral lobe; 27.8 % were regionally metastatic, with equal distribution between paratracheal and lateral regions. In conclusion, we revealed contralateral lobe multicentricity and male gender as independent risk factors for regional metastatic dissemination. Nodular goiter has been identified as a protective parameter.
Background. Thyroid carcinoma is a relatively rare pediatric pathology, comprising around 3% of all childhood tumors. We investigated parameters of tumor aggressiveness, multicentricity, and ...locoregional metastatic spread patterns in patients up to 18 years of age and made comparison with the older group. All patients were operated upon with total thyroidectomy, with or without lymph-node neck dissection. Results. Patients with papillary carcinoma present with more advanced stage, larger primary tumor, and more commonly present with palpable thyroid and/or neck node. Overall, papillary cancer demonstrated pathological aggressiveness as defined by our criteria in 60%, multicentricity in 40%, and locoregional metastatic foci in 77% of cases. Multicentric tumor foci in both thyroid lobes and tumor aggressiveness were identified as a risk factor for metastatic development. Conclusion. By observing clinicopathological parameters, we demonstrated that papillary thyroid cancer behaves more aggressively in the younger group. We recommend total thyroidectomy with careful intraoperative exploration of thyroid bed and lateral neck in search for possible metastatic spread. In case of positive findings, it is obligatory to perform a standard neck dissection, keeping in mind that neck lymphonodes are primary site of locoregional recurrence. With meticulous attention to technical aspects of operation, perioperative morbidity should be minimal.
Upala vanjskog uha katkad je važan klinički problem, ponajprije u slučajevima neuspješnog odgovora na uobičajene terapijske postupke, dugotrajnijeg tijeka bolesti ili u slučaju učestalih recidiva s ...pojavom komplikacija. U tim slučajevima potrebno je obratiti posebnu pozornost na mogućnost pogreške u dijagnostici, nepravilan slijed terapijskih postupaka ili na postojanje neprepoznatih čimbenika, bilo predispozicije pacijenta, patogenosti uzročnika ili drugih razloga. U radu donosimo prikaz slučaja 84-godišnjeg pacijenta s kompliciranom upalom vanjskog zvukovoda, kratak pregled fiziologije zvukovoda i patofiziologije upale, etioloških čimbenika, dijagnostike i terapijskih postupaka te pregled mogućih postupaka u težim, tvrdokornijim slučajevima upale.
Management of Smell Dysfunction Kalogjera, Livije; Dzepina, Davor
Current allergy and asthma reports,
04/2012, Letnik:
12, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Olfaction is an essential chemosensory system in the living world. Although less appreciated in humans, smell impairment significantly affects many aspects of quality of life. Smell disorders may be ...caused by an impaired nasal airway or by lesions in the olfactory system, leading to reduced or distorted smell perception. The most common causes of smell disorders are aging, upper respiratory tract infection, sinonasal disease, and head trauma. Recovery is rarely complete. Counseling is important in progressive or severe smell loss. In patients with distorted smell perception, antidepressant medication is sometimes necessary. Best response to treatment is achieved for nasal obstruction and sinonasal inflammatory disease. Treatment of olfactory impairment caused by sinonasal disease includes medication with topical and systemic steroids, or surgery for refractory cases. Although there are reports that surgical resection of olfactory neurons may lead to reinnervation and recovery of smell, adequate treatment of the smell loss remains an unmet need.
The aim of this study is to present five surgical cases of recurrent sinonasal melanoma. We report the clinical course of this highly malignant disease and give a brief overview of the relevant ...literature. For the purpose of our presentation, inclusion criteria for all patients were initally negative surgical margins, surgery with curative intent without implementation of radiotherapy, and absence of distant metastatic spread at presentation (MO). They were diagnosed and treated at the same ENT/Head and Neck Surgery department and had clear surgical margins following first resection. The majority of five cases had local recurrences (average two) which were all amenable to at least one salvage operation. In conclusion, despite extensive disease at presentation, we recommend repeated attempts at local surgical salvage. However, this decision must be carefully considered, respecting postoperative quality of life, the estimated life expectancy as well as general socioeconomic issues in each particular case.
Otitis externa can sometimes present itself as a difficult clinical problem, in cases such as unsuccessful outcome of usual therapy, prolonged duration of symptoms or frequent recurrencies with local ...or systemic complications. In these cases more attention should be focused on possible errors made in establishing the right diagnosis, incorrect sequence of applying therapeutical measures, or presence of unrecognized problems, including individual patient factors, characteristics of the pathogen, or other. In this article we present a case report of a 84-year-old patient with complicated otitis externa, together with a short review of physiology, patophysiology, diagnostic and therapeutical measures in external otitis, and suggest a possible clinical approach in the management of problematic cases.
The primary aim of the study was to investigate microcarcinoma characteristics of aggressivity, multicentricity and metastasis. Though its features are not significantly different from those of other ...papillary carcinomas, the optimal therapeutic approach continues to be an issue of controversy, most notably appropriate surgical approach and indications for neck dissection. The study is retrospective analysis of 321 microcarcinoma cases, operated upon with total thyroidectomy, with or without neck dissection. These cases were compared to larger papillary cancers. We found that 35.1% tumors were aggressive; 25.2% were multicentric, with foci in the contralateral lobe nearly twice as often as in the ipsilateral lobe; and 18.2% were metastatic. In comparison to groups of < or = 2 cm and < or = 3 cm, microcarcinomas were less aggressive, multicentric and metastatic. Male gender and age < 45 were unfavorable parameters. Multivariate analysis revealed contralateral lobe multicentricity and male gender as risk factors for metastasis. Although microcarcinoma demonstrated better characteristics than larger tumors, this subgroup behaves aggressively and should be approached cautiously.
Patients with allergic rhinitis demonstrate hyperreactive response in distilled water nasal provocation, shown by significant increase in nasal airway resistance (NAR). Antihistamines, including ...topical antihistamine, levocabastine, reduce response in non-specific nasal provocation tests. Furosemide is a diuretic which reduces hyperreactivity in lower airways, but the mode of its action is not yet fully understood. In this study, we hypothesized that either levocabastine or furosemide pre-treatment in allergic rhinitis patients reduced response to nasal challenge with non-isotonic aerosol. To test the hypothesis, we measured the effect of pre-treatment with levocabastine and furosemide in topical application on suppression of hyperreactive response to distilled water nasal inhalation. Nasal resistance was measured, prior to and after the provocation, by active anterior rhinomanometry in two randomized groups of patients, according to pre-treatment, either by levocabastine or furosemide, 20 patients in each group, respectively. Nasal airflow resistance and level of hyperreactive response considering nasal eosinophilia were tested. Significant increase in nasal resistance following provocation was found at baseline conditions (without pre-medication); pre-treatment with levocabastine and furosemide has suppressed such response. Patients with positive nasal eosinophilia showed a significantly higher increase in nasal resistance compared to those with negative smears. Furosemide has shown significantly better protective effect on nasal resistance increase in patients with positive eosinophils nasal smears. Levocabastine and furosemide pre-treatment suppress hyperreactive response to distilled water nasal provocation. Comparison of resistances (pre-treatment vs. without) showed more protective effect of furosemide, measured on both better and worse patent side of nose, in contrast to levocabastine group for which it was shown only on better patent side prior to provocation. Protection of furosemide was significantly more pronounced in patients with significant nasal eosinophilia.
The aim of this study is to present five surgical cases of recurrent sinonasal melanoma.We report the clinical course of this highly malignant disease and give a brief overview of the relevant ...literature. For the purpose of our presentation, inclusion criteria for all patients were initally negative surgical margins, surgery with curative intent without implementation of radiotherapy, and absence of distant metastatic spread at presentation (M0). They were diagnosed and treated at the same ENT/Head and Neck Surgery department and had clear surgical margins following first resection. The majority of five cases had local recurrences (average two) which were all amenable to at least one salvage operation. In conclusion,
despite extensive disease at presentation, we recommend repeated attempts at local surgical salvage. However, this decision must be carefully considered, respecting postoperative quality of life, the estimated life expectancy as well as general socioeconomic issues in each particular case.
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