Richard T. Myers

Paraganglioma of the thyroid gland.

A case of a paraganglioma located within the thyroid gland is reported, and the light- and electron-microscopic features are described. Review of the literature reveals only one other case of intrathyroidal paraganglioma, which was associated with bilateral carotid body tumors. Regarding the present case, no similar tumors have been noted elsewhere. The findings support the view that the thyroid gland should be included among the unusual sites at which primary paragangliomas may occur.

Morbidity and mortality rates in major blunt trauma to the upper chest

It is widely believed that fractures of the first rib are associated with more severe injuries than fractures of other ribs. To confirm or refute that belief, we conducted a retrospective review of 168 patients with major blunt trauma resulting in fractures of the upper ribs treated at the North Carolina Baptist Hospital. A comparison of morbidity and mortality rates in relation to highest rib fractured showed essentially no correlation. We concluded that all patients with deceleration or crushing injuries involving upper-rib fractures must be suspected of having significant multiple organ system trauma and evaluated accordingly.

Inhibition of bacterial adhesion by antibacterial surface pretreatment of vascular prostheses

Polytetrafluoroethylene grafts were pretreated with oxacillin, with the cationic detergent benzalkonium, or with both substances, either at room temperature or at 90 degrees C. Inhibition zones ranging from 6.4 to 15.2 mm formed around all grafts incubated on Staphylococcus aureus-streaked agar plates except control disks and those treated with oxacillin. Treated grafts were exposed in vitro to S. aureus in high concentration, followed by distilled water lavage. The graft surface was then stained with ruthenium red to stain polysaccharides and studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Colonization of the graft surface by adhesive bacteria was demonstrated in all cases, although it was less prevalent on grafts pretreated with benzalkonium bound at 90 degrees C.

Carcinoma of the Parathyroid

We report on eight cases of parathyroid carcinoma seen at the Bowman Gray School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, since 1969. Diagnosis of a parathyroid disorder was made on the basis of elevated serum calcium levels and associated disorders such as renal calculi, peptic ulcer disease, pancreatitis, and demineralization of bone. Six of the involved glands were on the left side. In seven patients, the disease was localized to the gland or adjacent structures; one patient had cervical lymph node invasion. Except for the last patient, in whom radical neck dissection and wide excision was done, local excision with adequate margins was the only procedure done. The patient with metastases died of his disease four years later. One patient died of myocardial infarction two years later, but had been normocalcemic in the interval between operation and death, and one patient is hypercalcemic and has had two local recurrences within a 3 1/2 year period. The other five patients are alive and well. The routine use of automated serum level determinations of all hospitalized patients has led to early detection of this malignancy, while it is still a stage I lesion in many instances. On the basis of this material, we conclude that radical neck dissection can no longer be advocated as a routine measure in the treatment of parathyroid carcinoma.

The significance of nuclear diameter in the biologic behavior of thyroid carcinomas: A retrospective study of 127 cases

The relationship between nuclear diameter and biologic behavior was studied in 127 cases of thyroid carcinoma. Using a sonic digitizer coupled to a minicomputer, nuclear diameters of 200 randomly selected cancer cells from each case (hematoxylineosin-stained paraffin sections) projected at X 400 magnification were traced and averaged. A total of 25,400 measurements were made. The nuclear diameters varied from 4.7 to 13.1 micron. By analysis of variance, the nuclear diameters were significantly different (p = 0.0007) among the four types of thyroid cancers, being largest in the undifferentiated cancers (8.7 +/- 0.8 micron) and smallest in the medullary cancers (6.6 +/- 0.1 micron). Nuclear diameter was also significantly correlated with degree of tumor differentiation (p = 0.002), maximal tumor diameter (p = 0.03), mitotic rate (p = 0.002), and 5-year survival (p less than 0.05) for all types of tumors. The correlation between nuclear diameter and disease stage was significant only for undifferentiated cancers (p = 0.04). No significant correlations were seen between nuclear diameter and duration of disease, sex, or age of the patient.

The significance of mitotic rate: A retrospective study of 127 thyroid carcinomas

The association between mitotic rate and biologic behavior was studied in 127 cases of thyroid cancer. Based on the observation of 12,700 high-power fields (HPF), the mitotic rate varied from 0 to 316 (33.3 +/- 4.9) mitoses/100 HPF. Mitotic rate differed among the four types of thyroid cancers and correlated inversely with the differentiation of the tumors, being highest (156.8 +/- 32.9) in the undifferentiated tumors and lowest (17.3 +/- 2.4) in the papillary tumors. By analysis of variance (AOVA), the relations between mitotic rate and the sex or age of the patient, maximal diameter of the tumor, and vascular or capsular invasion were assessed, but significant relations were not found (r2 = 44.2 per cent). Follow-up observation, possible in 74 patients, showed mitotic rate to be significantly related to the survival period (Students t-test; P values ranging from 0.02 to 0.05). The patients who were alive five and ten years after surgery had had lower mitotic rates than those who had died during the same follow-up period. The correlation of low mitotic rate with a high degree of differentiation and low potential for invasion might, in part, explain the better surgical cure rates for papillary thyroid carcinoma than for other types of thyroid cancers.

Hodgkin's disease manifested as a thyroid nodule

A case of Hodgkins disease manifested as a solitary thyroid nodule in a 64-year-old xooman is described. The patient was treated by surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy and has shown no evidence of recurrent disease for the past three years. Since chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis was apparent in the adjacent thyroid tissue, the tumor might have been derived from transformed cells in an area of sustained abnormal antigenic stimulation and chronic inflammation similar to the previously proposed origin of non-Hodgkins lymphomas of the thyroid.

Prospective, randomized, controlled trial of ticarcillin and cephalothin as prophylactic antibiotics for gastrointestinal operations

The effectiveness of ticarcillin (one 6 g dose at the start of the operation) and cephalothin (three 2 g doses given at 4 hour intervals from the start of the operation) as prophylactic antibiotics in operations on the colon, stomach, small bowel or obstructed biliary tract was determined in a prospective, randomized, blind study of 190 patients. Data from the 152 patients forming the definitive study revealed a significant reduction in the rate of wound and peritoneal infections with the use of ticarcillin (3.4 percent) and cephalothin (5.3 percent) over that with the use of a placebo (27.8 percent). Cultures showed no evidence of antibiotic resistance in the contaminant organisms of patients who later developed infections. Both antibiotic regimens offered excellent protection against infection after gastrointestinal operations; neither produced untoward side effects. The very short duration of treatment, particularly with ticarcillin, conferred the additional benefits of low cost, simplicity of drug administration, and negligible risk of the emergence of resistant bacterial strains.

Thyroid abscess in a 14-month-old child

Abstract Suppurative thyroiditis occurring in childhood is rare. Progression to abscess formation is an even more uncommon occurrence. Only four thyroid abscesses occurring in children under 15 yr of age have been reported in the past 20 yr. 1–4 A 14-mo-old white girl developed an enlarging mass in the anterior neck. Two weeks previously she was treated for otitis media by her local physician and subsequently was observed to develop a mass in the area of the thyroid gland. Her febrile course was not altered by antibiotics. Physical examination was entirely within normal limits except for the thyroid which was firm and hard with a 4-cm movable mass in the region of the left lobe of the thyroid. There was no associated erythema or apparent tenderness. Laboratory studies included a hemoglogin of 11.6 g/100 ml, hematocrit of 33.5 vol %, white blood cell count of 16,700/ml 3 with a differential count of 65 neutrophils, 30 lymphocytes, and 5 monocytes. A urinalysis revealed no abnormalities. Stool culture grew normal enteric flora. A throat culture grew non-Group A beta hemolytic streptococci. A chest film revealed no abnormalities. Studies of thyroid function included a T-3 (30.4%) within normal limits and a T-4 (10.1 μg) in the high euthyroid range. The child received erythromycin 125 mg orally at 6-hr intervals without cessation of fever for 4 days. At this time, it was felt that the fever was related to the thyroid mass which appeared unchanged from the time of admission. At operation, an abscess cavity was noted in the superion of the left lobe of the thyroid gland. Approximately 10 cc of purulent material was removed from the cavity and a Penrose drain was placed in the abscess cavity. A biopsy specimen revealed inflammation and fibrosis consistent with the wall of the abscess. Bacterial, fungal, and acid-fast cultures of the pus were negative. The child became afebrile within 24 hr after operation. The postoperative course was uncomplicated except for the occurrence of a skin abscess at the site of the operative incision. Drainage of this abscess yielded 4 cc of purulent material from which staphylococcus epidermidis was grown. Subsequently the child has not experienced any further difficulty and remains euthyroid.

Endometriosis in association with pregnancy.

ENDOMETRIOSIS has received much attention in the gynecologic literature since it was originally described by RusselP in 1899. Sampson, in 1921, was the first to propose the theory of its etiology from implantation of endometrial fragments regurgitated through the Fallopian tubes during menstruation. The apparent increase in the incidence of endometriosis has been distressing. Holmes found 80 proved cases of external endometriosis in 307 gynecologic laparotomies, an incidence of 26 per eent. Sampson has reported finding endometriosis in 43 per cent of abdominal operations performed on women between the ages of 30 and 50 years. Meigs5 made a gross diagnosis of endometriosis in 36 per cent of 400 consecutive female patients at laparotomy, with pathologic confirmation in 28 per cent. Our experience with patients on the private gynecologic service of the North Carolina Baptist Hospital has closely paralleled that of this last group. The literature has been concerned primarily with the etiology, pathology, diagnosis, and treatment of this disease. Although numerous series of cases have been reported and the gynecologic aspect of the condition has been fully discussed, the only obstetric factors which have received much consideration arc the ineidencc of infertility and sterility, and the complications which may occur when pregnancy and endometriosis are associated. In 1944, however, Scott reviewed the literature on endometriosis in pregnancy. He found only 47 reports of such cases, and added two of his own.