Mustafa Umit Ugurlu

Diagnostic performance of diffusion tensor imaging parameters in breast cancer and correlation with the prognostic factors

To evaluate the diagnostic performances of the diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters in the diagnosis of breast cancer and to investigate the variations in DTI parameters according to the breast cancer biomarkers.

Multiparametric breast MRI with 3T: Effectivity of combination of contrast enhanced MRI, DWI and 1H single voxel spectroscopy in differentiation of Breast tumors.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of dynamic contrast enhanced breast MRI (DCE-MRI) combined with diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) and 1H single-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1HMRS) in differentiating malignant from benign breast lesions. METHODS One hundred twenty-nine patients with 138 lesions were included in the study. Multiparametric MRI of the breast was performed with a 3T unit. A DWI is followed by DCE-MRI and 1HMRS. All lesions were biopsied within one week after MRI. Histopathologic findings were accepted as the standard of reference. Probability of malignancy was assessed according to BI-RADS for DCE-MRI. ADC values were measured for DWI and choline peaks were assessed using a semi-quantitative method in 1HMRS. Two blinded radiologists evaluated findings in consensus. Diagnostic performance of DCE-MRI, DWI and 1HMRS alone or in combination for multiparametric imaging were statistically evaluated. RESULTS Histopathology revealed malignancy in 54.4% of lesions (75/138). DCE-MRI showed the highest AUC (0.978), sensitivity (97.33%) and specificity (88.89%) compared to DWI and 1HMRS. Sensitivity was 100% when a positive result from any one of three techniques was accepted as malignancy, albeit with a trade-off for 65.1% specificity. Highest specificity (98.4%) was attained when all three techniques were required to be positive, though with a lower sensitivity (82.7%) as trade-off. Logistic regression analysis confirmed significant association with DCE-MRI (p<0.001) and 1H MRS (p=0.009) but not with DWI (p=0.127). There was one case of fat necrosis which was false positive in all three techniques. CONCLUSIONS Multiparametric imaging with combination of DCE-MRI, DWI and 1HMRS does not improve, and may even reduce the diagnostic accuracy of breast MRI. Although, the specificity may be improved with a trade-off for lower sensitivity, we have not set a convenient algorithm for the combined use of these techniques.

2-(fluorine-18)-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography after breast conserving surgery: Correlation with molecular markers of breast cancer

Aim: To investigate the role of 2-(fluorine-18)-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) early after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) in patients with breast cancer (BC) and whether we can determine which molecular biomarkers of breast carcinoma put the patients at risk. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study involved 88 patients with histologically proven T1 or T2 BC, who were treated with BCS and underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT study. The correlation between biological markers (estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2], and Ki-67) of the primary tumor and 18F-FDG PET/CT findings was analyzed. Results: 18F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated the presence of BC disease (locoregional disease [LRD], distant metastases, or contralateral BC) in 26 of 88 patients (29.5%). Regarding immunohistochemical profiles, BC expressing high levels of Ki-67 were associated with an increased percentage of LRD, which was the major recurrence pattern on 18F-FDG PET/CT. Although the BC disease was observed more commonly in patients with HER2 positivity compared to those of HER2 negative, the difference did not reach statistical significance. The patients with T2 tumor or a higher histopathological grade had a higher percentage of BC disease. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that patients with early stage BC treated with BCS have a remarkable risk of the presence of BC even early after surgery, and there was a clinically important relationship between 18F-FDG PET/CT findings and biological markers of BC. These findings suggest that high-risk molecular biomarkers (Ki-67, HER2) can be taken into account in the decision-making the process for both preoperative imaging and planning of the surgical approach.

The Preventive Effect of Dopamine Infusion in Rats with Abdominal Compartment Syndrome

ABSTRACT Background: The most significant perfusion disorder of the intra-abdominal viscera occurs in the abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). Free oxygen radicals diffuse into the body during the reperfusion phase of ACS. Our aim was to determine the effects of dopamine infusion (3 μg/kg/min) on renal perfusion, cytokine levels, free oxygen radicals, and renal histopathological changes in the presence of ACS in a prospective randomized manner. Methods: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups (n = 6). Group 1 was used as control. In group 2, air was inflated until the intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) reached 20 mmHg. In group 3, dopamine was infused for 60 min meanwhile IAP was kept at 20 mmHg. In group 4, dopamine was infused for 60 min before IAP rise. After this phase, renal artery (RA) perfusion was measured continuously. Myeloperoxidase activity (MPO), glutathione (GSH), and lipid peroxidation (MDA) levels were measured in tissue samples and histopathological scoring was performed. Results: Dopamine treatment before and during ACS significantly decreased MPO and MDA levels and also increased renal blood flow and GSH levels. However, histopathological damage was improved simultaneously. Conclusion: Dopamine infusion before and during ACS, increases renal perfusion and decreases free oxygen radicals. According to our findings, dopamine infusion may be proposed for the treatment of ACS and perfusion disorders in critically ill patients.

Minimally invasive thyroid anaplastic carcinoma with long survival

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is a highly lethal malignancy. Previously, only five cases of a noninvasive form of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma with excellent prognosis were reported. We report a case of a 68-year-old man who presented with a 3.8 cm thyroid nodule diagnosed by fine needle aspiration biopsy as poorly differentiated spindled and epithelial malignant cells. Lobectomy and isthmusectomy were performed, and the final diagnosis was microinvasive anaplastic thyroid carcinoma arising in a poorly differentiated carcinoma. The patient remains disease-free after six years, even after hemithyroidectomy and radiation treatment. Noninvasive/microinvasive anaplastic thyroid carcinoma appears to be a different disease entity from classical anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, with favorable prognosis and long disease-free survival.

Laparoscopic resection for colorectal diseases: short-term outcomes of a single center

OBJECTIVE Even though, laparoscopy is not accepted as the current gold standard in colorectal surgery, it can be performed as safely as open surgery. It is also widely accepted that the technique has many advantages. In this study, we evaluated the results of 33 patients with laparoscopic colorectal resection. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty-three patients who underwent laparoscopic colon surgery between January 2013 and September 2014 in the General Surgery Clinic at Marmara University Hospital were included in the study. Patients were evaluated in terms of their demographic and tumor histopathologic characteristics, type of surgery and early postoperative complications. RESULTS Laparoscopic colorectal resection was performed for 33 patients who had malignant or benign lesions. The median age was 60 (35-70), and 18 (55%) were male patients. The majority of the patients (90%) were diagnosed with colorectal adenocarcinoma. Half of the patients were T3 and 67% had N0 stage. The median number of retrieved lymph nodes was 17 (4-28). Negative surgical margins were obtained in all patients. The postoperative hospital stay was 5 (4-16) days. Postoperative early complications were observed in only 5 patients. The majority of complications were treated without the need for surgery. No mortality was recorded in this series of patients. CONCLUSION This study showed that laparoscopic colorectal surgery could be performed safely based on its low complication rate, short length of hospital stay, providing sufficient surgical resection and lymph node dissection.

Evaluation of controlled prescriptions with a diagnosis of surgical intervention.

OBJECTIVE Drugs subject to control (DSC) are commonly used in the preoperative, per-operative and postoperative periods. In this study, details of DSC use, that are required to be prescribed to green prescriptions (GP) or red prescriptions (RP), for a surgical diagnosis were evaluated. MATERIAL AND METHODS Controlled drug prescriptions (CDP) between January to December 2009 were investigated in the archives of the Istanbul Local Health Authority. 660 CDPs indicating a surgical diagnosis were retrospectively evaluated and those prescribed by surgical departments (SD)were compared to those written by internal medicine departments (ID). RESULTS SD physicians prescribed 72.7% of CDPs and 89.5% of prescriptions were for GP, and 10.5% were for RP. The physicians of SD were found to prescribe more RP than ID physicians. Most of the CDPs were written for women (58.8%) and mostly in private hospitals (40.9%). Among all the physicians, orthopedic surgeons prescribed these drugs the most (20.9%). Tramadol was the most common drug found in CDPs (55.5%). CONCLUSION DSCs, which have difficult prescription procedures, are used frequently in surgical interventions. The study shows that not only SD physicians, but also ID physicians prefer CDP. The study provides important clues to the usage patterns of DSCs. Recently evolving health care systems including prescriptions should use these findings obtained from the study.