Inmaculada Pinilla

Long-term liver dysfunction after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation: clinical features and course in 61 patients

This retrospective study has aimed at determining the prevalence, aetiology and clinical evolution of chronic liver disease (CLD) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). A total of 106 patients who had been transplanted in a single institution and who had survived for at least 2 years after BMT were studied. The prevalence of CLD was 57.5% (61/106). In 47.3% of cases more than one aetiopathogenic agent coexisted. The causes of CLD were iron overload (52.4%), chronic hepatitis C (47.5%), chronic graft-versus-host disease (C-GVHD) (37.7%), hepatitis B (6.5%), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) (4.9%), autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) (4.9%) and unknown two (3.3%). Twenty-three patients with iron overload underwent venesections which were well tolerated. An improvement in liver function tests (LFTs) was observed in 21 (91%) patients. All six patients with siderosis as the only cause of CLD normalized LFT as well as three patients with HCV infection. Clinical evolution was satisfactory for patients with GVHD, AIH, NASH and hepatitis B. At the last visit 23 patients continued with abnormal LFTs, and 19 of them were infected by the HCV. A sustained biochemical and virologic response was achieved in only one case out of six patients with CHC who received interferon. We have found that CLD is a common complication in long-term BMT survivors. The aetiology is often multifactorial, iron overload, CHC and C-GVHD being the main causes. The CLD followed a rather ‘benign’ and slow course in our patients as none of them developed symptoms or signs of liver failure and we did not observe an increase in morbidity or mortality in these patients, but a longer follow-up is necessary in HCV infected patients based on the natural history of this infection in other populations. Bone Marrow Transplantation (2000) 26, 649–655.

Multidetector CT Angiography for Acute Gastrointestinal Bleeding: Technique and Findings

Acute gastrointestinal bleeding is a common reason for emergency department admissions and an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Factors that complicate its clinical management include patient debility due to comorbidities; intermittence of hemorrhage; and multiple sites of simultaneous bleeding. Its management, therefore, must be multidisciplinary and include emergency physicians, gastroenterologists, and surgeons, as well as radiologists for diagnostic imaging and interventional therapy. Upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding is usually managed endoscopically, with radiologic intervention reserved as an alternative to be used if endoscopic therapy fails. Endoscopy is often less successful in the management of acute lower gastrointestinal tract bleeding, where colonoscopy may be more effective. The merits of performing bowel cleansing before colonoscopy in such cases might be offset by the resultant increase in response time and should be weighed carefully against the deficits in visualization and diagnostic accuracy that would result from performing colonoscopy without bowel preparation. In recent years, multidetector computed tomographic (CT) angiography has gained acceptance as a first-line option for the diagnosis and management of lower gastrointestinal tract bleeding. In selected cases of upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding, CT angiography also provides accurate information about the presence or absence of active bleeding, its source, and its cause. This information helps shorten the total diagnostic time and minimizes or eliminates the need for more expensive and more invasive procedures.

Cystic Adenomatoid Malformation of the Lung Presenting in Adulthood

Cystic adenomatoid malformation is an uncommon embryonic developmental abnormality usually diagnosed in neonates and infants. Its presentation in adulthood is rare, with only 27 cases reported up to now. Due to its rarity, it is seldom suspected and adult physicians are not familiar with its clinical and radiologic features. We report two cases of cystic adenomatoid malformation presenting in adults, one as a recurrent pneumonia, and another as a coincidental finding on a chest roentgenogram. We describe the clinical features, radiologic and computed tomographic findings, and the histopathologic characteristics in this article, along with a review of the literature.

A case of acute abdominal aortic dissection caused by blunt trauma

We present the case of an 18-year-old man involved in a fall with blunt abdominal trauma. The patient had hypovolemic shock and findings of an acute abdomen. Initial computed tomography (CT) showed pulmonary contusion, pneumohemothorax, hemoperitoneum, hepatic contusion, right kidney laceration and vascular avulsion, rupture of the mesenteric vein, rupture of the right rectus muscle with bowel hernia, and infrarenal aortic dissection. There were no signs of limb or medullar ischemia. After hemodynamic stabilization and surgical repair of the associated lesions, the dissection was successfully treated with a self-expanding aortic Wallstent. Postprocedure CT showed a well-positioned patent stent and the patient was discharged asymptomatic. Percutaneous endovascular stent implantation is minimally invasive and seems to be a safe treatment for traumatic dissection of the abdominal aorta.

Integrated 18FDG PET/CT: Utility and Applications in Clinical Oncology

Accurate diagnosis and staging are essential for an optimal management of cancer patients. Positron emision tomography with 2-deoxy-2-fluorine-18-fluoro-D-glucose ( 18 FDG-PET) and, more recently, 18 FDG-PET/computed tomography ( 18 FDG-PET/CT) have emerged as powerful imaging tools in oncology, because of the valuable functional information they provide. The combined acquisition of PET and CT has synergistic advantages over its isolated constituents and minimizes their limitations. It decreases examination times by 25%–40%, leads to a higher patient throughput and unificates two imaging procedures in a single session. There is evidence that 18 FDG-PET/CT is a more accurate test than either of its components for the evaluation of various tumors. It is a particularly valuable tool for detection of recurrence, especially in asymptomatic patients with rising tumor markers and those with negative or equivocal findings on conventional imaging tests. Yet, there are some limitations and areas of uncertainty, mainly regarding the lack of specificity of the 18 FDG uptake and the variable 18 FDG avidity of some cancers. This article reviews the advantages, limitations and main applications of 18 FDG-PET/CT in oncology, with especial emphasis on lung cancer, colorectal cancer, lymphomas, melanoma and head and neck cancers.

Nasolacrimal Stents for the Treatment of Epiphora: Technical Problems and Long-Term Results

Purpose: To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of nasolacrimal stents for the treatment of obstructive epiphora, and the complications related to the procedure. Methods: This study is a non-randomized prospective clinical trial. Eighty-five patients underwent fluoroscopally-guided placement of polyurethane stent in 86 lacrimal systems for the treatment of severe idiopathic obstructive epiphora. The sites of obstruction were: sac-duct junction (n = 65), sac (n = 10), and nasolacrimal duct (n = 11). The procedure was performed in an outpatient basis under local anesthesia. Patients were followed for a mean of 24 months (1-84) with clinical examinations and/or dacryocystography. Clinical success was defined as symptoms resolution or improvement, and the patency of the lacrimal system to irrigation. Results: Stent placement was technically successful in 76 (88.4%) eyes. Technical failures (11.6%) were caused by inability to pass the guide-wire through the lacrimal system. Immediate complications occurred in 19 (22%) eyes, were mild and included: self-limited epistaxis (7), mild palpebral hematoma (7), moderate pain (3), lacrimal puncta bleeding (1), palpebral emphysema (1), and false passage (1). Of the 76 inserted stents, 33 (43.4%) became occluded, and 43 (56.6%) remained patent after a mean of 24 months. Mean duration of stent patency was 38 months. Clinical success was achieved in 40 (52.6%) of the successfully implanted stents. Conclusions: The procedure is well tolerated and can be performed on an outpatient basis. Patency decreases with follow-up, and, in the long-term, the success rate is inferior to that achieved by external dacryocystorhynostomy. However, it many be considered as a valid alternative to surgery in selected patients.

Tumor inflamatorio miofibroblástico pulmonar

Myofibroblastic inflammatory tumor is a controversial entity that shows great variability in clinical presentation, histological findings, evolution, and prognosis. It is a rare cause of primary lung tumor in adults; however, it is the most common cause of lung tumors in children. The diagnosis is fundamentally histological, although histological diagnosis is not easy because myofibroblastic inflammatory tumor is characterized by a polymorphic cellular infiltration of variable cellular composition that could be similar to other diseases such as lymphoma or low-grade sarcoma. We report the case of a 23-year-old woman in whom a solitary pulmonary nodule was discovered incidentally at plain-film chest x-ray.

Fractura de cuerpo cavernoso: la ecografía en el diagnóstico de urgencia

OBJECTIVE The main objective of this work is to study usefulness of ultrasound (US) for the emergency diagnosis of the penile fracture. MATERIAL AND METHODS We reviewed all the penile US studies registered in our Emergency Department between July 2007 and August 2009 with suspicion of a corpus cavernosum fracture. We compared US findings (subcutaneous haematoma, peri-albuginea haematoma, albuginea rupture and Bucḱs fascia rupture), and the clinical progress, with those of the surgery. We studied sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of US in the diagnosis of rupture of the tunica albuginea. The epidemiological data of all the cases reviewed were collected. RESULTS Twelve patients with a mean age of 37.8 years were reviewed. The most common cause of injury was sexual intercourse. A subcutaneous haematoma was found in nine patients, a peri-albuginea hematoma in eleven of the cases, and an albuginea rupture was seen in six of them. We found no Bucḱs fascia rupture. Seven patients underwent surgical treatment and in the remaining five patients, treatment was conservative. Clinical progress was good in all cases. US, as an emergency test to diagnose albuginea fracture gave 0.83 sensitivity, 1 specificity, 1 positive predictive value and 0.83 negative predictive value. CONCLUSION We believe that US is a useful procedure in the diagnosis of acute penile fracture and that it could be proposed as the diagnostic method of choice to confirm the clinical suspicion of penile fracture. Identifying the exact site of a tear in the tunica albuginea facilitates the surgical procedure.

Uso del sistema híbrido PET/TC en oncología: perspectiva radiológica

Objetivo Describir nuestra experiencia con la tecnica combinada tomografia por emision de positrones-tomografia computarizada (PET/TC) en el manejo de la patologia oncologica. Material y metodos El equipo PET/TC combina en un sistema hibrido un escaner helicoidal multicorte y un escaner PET. La tecnica es multidisciplinar interviniendo un medico nuclear, un radiologo, un fisico y un radiofarmaceutico, con funciones diferenciadas. Las indicaciones de la PET se determinan bajo uso tutelado en el Sistema Nacional de Salud (SNS), coordinado por la Unidad de Evaluacion de Tecnologias Sanitarias de la Agencia Lain Entralgo, bajo la supervision y realizacion de un medico nuclear ayudado si se requiere para interpretar la TC por un radiologo. Cuando se usa como estudio combinado, los estudios son supervisados por un medico nuclear y un radiologo. Resultados Entre septiembre de 2003 y agosto de 2005 hemos efectuado 2.459 estudios: 2.200 como PET, con TC de baja dosis (indicaciones clinicas bajo uso tutelado en el SNS) y 259 como estudios realizados en el marco de proyectos de investigacion utilizandose, en estos casos, como sistema hibrido en una unica sesion. Los resultados globales muestran los siguientes porcentajes: cancer de pulmon 14,7%, nodulo pulmonar solitario 7%, neoplasias linfoides 23,5%, cancer colorrectal 18,5%, cancer gastrico 1,9%, tumores cerebrales 2,6%, tumores de cabeza-cuello 5,5%, tiroides 5%, mama 4%, tumores de origen desconocido 4,3%, epilepsia 1,4% y otros 11,6%. Conclusion En nuestra experiencia el sistema hibrido PET/TC aporta ventajas en comparacion con la PET y/o TC aisladamente, pero son necesarios estudios de validacion diagnostica, que estamos realizando en indicaciones clinicas concretas.

Extensive Chest Wall Destruction Secondary to a Large Ventricle Pseudoaneurysm: A Surgical Challenge

Left ventricular pseudoaneurysms have become a rare complication of acute myocardial infarction, occurring in approximately 2% of cases and even less frequently when primary percutaneous intervention can be performed. Regardless of treatment strategy, left ventricle pseudoaneurysms are associated with a high mortality rate. We report on the extremely rare occurrence of a patient surviving two episodes of free wall rupture associated with extensive chest wall destruction and secondary traumatic rib fractures. The key to success in this case is related to both the cardiac and chest wall repair.