PANCREATIC CANCER CT IMAGING: COMPARISON WITH SURGERY

AIM

To establish the best protocol for pancreatic computer tomography and criteria for staging (mainly for vascular invasion).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Our research included 49 consecutive patients with pancreatic cancer examined at the Iasi "Sf. Spiridon" Hospital between January and December 2014 with a Siemens 16 Emotion CT unit. CT protocol included no enhanced CT and pancreatic phase of the superior abdomen, portal venous phase of the abdomen and pelvis.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The study patients were stratified into 5 age groups and the most frequently affected by pancreatic cancer were the patients aged 60 to 79 years. For T staging the extension in the per pancreatic fat tissue, into surrounding organs (5 patients had extension in other organs) and vessels was evaluated. We determined the degree of contact between the tumor and the artery, thrombosis and deformity of the veins and we have found 8 resettable lesions, 28 tumors in stage T3 and 13 pancreatic cancers in stage T4. Thirty-three patients had lymphadenopathies and 31 of them had distant metastases.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study proved that computed tomography is a good method of examination for pancreatic cancer when the right imaging protocol is used; during the pancreatic phase the arteries and the tumor are well depicted, liver metastases are best evaluated during the portal venous phase. The best criterion for arterial invasion is tumor contiguity with more than half of vessel circumference, and for vein invasion deformity or thrombosis. Comparison with surgical staging was o good backup for the radiologist and depicted several differences with imaging staging, more often understating than over staging.

Correlations between the presence of sigmoid interventricular septum and increased relapse risk of stroke in hypertensive patients

OBJECTIVES

Comparison between cerebrovascular accident (CVA) relapse in hypertensive patients with sigmoid interventricular septum (SIS) and CVA relapse in hypertensive patients without SIS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We selected 36 hypertensive patients, all of them complicated with previous CVA; 18 patients had SIS (Group A) and 18 patients didn't have SIS (Group B). The utilized methods were the following: clinical examination, electrocardiogram, transthoracic echocardiogram, biochemical findings and complete blood count, performed every 3 months, during 2 years of observation. Another method, addressed for CVA relapse patients, were cerebral computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging .The recommended treatment was administered according to the European therapeutic guidelines.

RESULTS

6 (out of 18) patients with SIS presented a CVA relapse and only 1 (out of 18) patient without SIS revealed a CVA relapse.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results support recent conclusions from another publications: patients with SIS (an apparently benign condition, which is a part of the cardiac modifications usually discovered in elderly people) have a higher cardiovascular risk for acute events, than the patients without SIS.

An Atypical Temporal Sequence for Right Heart Endocarditis: Case Report

In 2010, an 82-year-old patient received a diagnosis of stage IV chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischemic dilated cardiomyopathy, severe secondary pulmonary hypertension, atrial fibrillation with slow ventricular response, and severe tricuspid regurgitation. In December 2011, he was hospitalized for exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The patient received antibiotics via injections (for 2 weeks through a peripheral venous catheter). In February 2012, he returned to the hospital with congestive heart failure and vascular purpura skin lesions. The echocardiography examination revealed a rupture of cordage afferent to the septal tricuspid valve. Because blood cultures were sterile after 10 days and no vegetation was revealed, the Duke criteria were not fulfilled. In March 2012, the patient returned with congestive heart failure, fatigue, and anorexia. Echocardiography evaluation then revealed attached septal tricuspid valve vegetation. The Duke criteria were now satisfied. The patient received antibiotics at doses recommended for infective endocarditis, with a favorable outcome.

Lichen planus secondary complications associated with the use of biologic therapy for rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVES

Biologic therapy such as Etanercept, which is a tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) inhibitor, has been extensively used as election therapy in rheumatoid arthritis. The purpose of this case presentation was to inform about the possibility that lichen planus lesions could potentially become complicated by secondary infections in patients treated with Etanercept. Furthermore, we aimed at analyzing if the complication of the cutaneous lesion was coincidental or it was due to the immunosuppressive systemic therapy, and whether the infected lesion would respond to antibiotic therapy.

CASE SUMMARY

The patient was a 59-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis and that have had lichen planus lesions for approximately 25 years. Only recently, she had been received immunosuppressive therapy (Etanercept and Methotrexate). Further on, the lichen planus flared up with a secondary infection determined by a Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. Uncommon myocardial complications were also characteristic of this case.

RESULTS

While a case report described already the appearance of lichen planus following Etanercept therapy (Battistella M et al., 2008), the possibility that the lesion could become secondary complicated following this therapy was never reported before, according to our knowledge. Additionally, we describe in this case the interplay between Etanercept therapy and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

CONCLUSIONS

Our case is not a lichen planus induced by Etanercept, but it is aggravated and secondary infected with Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus during the therapy. The additional cardiac complication (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) may represent solely an evolutive sign of rheumatoid arthritis and therefore not influenced by Etanercept.

Long-term prognosis of polyvascular patients with associated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate by various tools the prognosis of the polyvascular patients (defined as the presence of more than one affected vascular bed), who also associate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Fifty-eight patients discharged after an episode of acute cardiorespiratory failure were examined at 3 month-intervals for 1, 2 and 3 years (2010-2012). The following were performed: physical examination, biochemical and hematological tests, spirometry, electrocardiography, transthoracic echocardiography, brain computer tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. All patients in our study were smokers with chronic pulmonary obstructive disease. Treatment relied on the European recommendations for cardiac pathology and associated medical conditions.

RESULTS

A favorable clinical course was noticed in compliant patients. Patients with metabolic syndrome and/or old stroke, and peripheral arterial disease have a poor prognosis. A strong link seems to exist between systolic function of the right ventricle and cardiovascular mortality. The association of this condition to ischemic heart disease modifies the right ventricle hemodynamics.

CONCLUSIONS

Polyvascular patients in acute cardiorespiratory failure have a mortality of 36% in the first 3 weeks. After 3 years, 86% of the patients survive. The modern methods of diagnosis and treatment allow improving the quality of life and increasing its duration.

[Multivalvular infective endocarditis with Enterococcus faecalis]

Infective endocarditis (IE) is a relatively rare disease that can take part of sepsis and may be a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Polyvalvular location of El is rare. We present a patient of 60 years diagnosed with plurivalvular infective endocarditis by Enterococcus faecalis with septic complications, visceral, dragged, hospitalized for a psychiatric pathology, who raised the problems of diagnosis and treatment, without being able to make assessments on the entrance gate. For help in diagnosing this case proved that cardiac ultrasound studies recommended that a screening method for patients with bacteremia, but the presence of vegetation is the major criterion for diagnosis of EI. Blood cultures and echocardiography led to the diagnosis of infectious endocarditis. Also abdominal ultrasound confirmed the clinical suggestion of gravity, the septic multiviscerale release by splenic abscess image objectivity. Under vigorous antibiotic treatment and symptomatic treatment in combination evolution was to worse, death occurring after 15 days of hospitalization, toxic-septic shock being irreversible. Our case is particular by locating polyvalvular vegetation, the germ involved, the court altered the immunological and disseminator septic complications that have limited therapeutic options and made predictable fatal diagnosis.

[Malignant hydatid disease--clinical case]

We report the case of a 79-year-old woman admitted for sepsis from a hepatic hydatid cyst with multiple disseminations diagnosed one month earlier who refused the surgical treatment. Her family history was irrelevant with regard to the circumstances leading to Taenia Echinococcus infestation, and given her poor health status and absence of previous medical documents no useful information was obtained from her medical history. The patient also presented chronic ischemic heart disease and anemia secondary to a bleeding duodenal ulcer, found at necropsy, which worsened the already unfavorable course by the acute hepatic and renal failure secondary to toxic and septic shock. Despite the complex treatment, death occurred 6 days later, following a second episode of upper digestive hemorrhage. Particular to this case is the absence in patient's history of the anaphylactic/allergic reactions suggestive of hepatic hydatid cyst dissemination.

Evaluation of at-home phlebotomy for iron overload: feasibility and satisfaction of patients and healthcare workers

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate at-home phlebotomy and the satisfaction of iron-overload patients and healthcare workers with the procedure.

METHODS

Forty-two patients underwent at-home phlebotomy between 2003 and 2006. The phlebotomy was performed by the patient's nurse, who was trained by the private healthcare firm that also took charge of the disposal of the blood products. Data concerning these phlebotomies were collected via telephone interviews with all 42 patients, as well as 35 nurses and 40 primary-care physicians. The Limousin Regional Health Observatory processed the data collection.

RESULTS

Ninety percent (38/42) of the patients, 80% (28/35) of the nurses and 67% (27/40) of the primary-care physicians responded. For 80% of the patients, phlebotomy volume and frequency were as prescribed. Patients chose home phlebotomy for personal reasons, or because of the limited availability of French Blood Establishment facilities (68%), or in response to being offered it by their hospital physician (32%). For 81.6% of the patients, at-home phlebotomy was more satisfactory than phlebotomy in hospital or at the French Blood Establishment and, for 84%, the constraints required were fully acceptable. The nurses considered that these homecare procedures were within their area of responsibility (100%), but felt that the remuneration was insufficient (65%). Ninety-six percent of the primary-care physicians said they were correctly informed, but only 40% felt that they were truly committed to the procedure.

CONCLUSION

At-home phlebotomy is feasible, less costly than institutional phlebotomy and improves patient comfort.

[Some aspects of degenerative mitral valve lesions encountered in medical practice]

In recent years, degenerative valvular heart diseases have the tendency to be equal in frequency with rheumatic valvular diseases. The maximum attention has been paid on the degenerative aortic stenosis as being a lesion with maximum frequency and a severe evolution. This study, given on the 18,391 admissions in the period 1997-2001, is a retrospective analysis and it is concerned with the degenerative mitral valvular lesions. Of the 223 patients with degenerative valvular heart lesions, 139 patients (62.3%) had degenerative aortic stenosis and 96 patients (38.5%) were diagnosed with degenerative mitral valvular lesions from which 30 patients have had no association with aortic valvular lesions while 66 patients have had such an association. The pointed out types of mitral lesions were: the mitral insufficiency in 59 patients, the mitral annular calcification without hemodynamic disease in 19 patients, the mitral stenosis in 9 patients and the mitral disease in 9 patients, too. The women were affected nearly 1.7 times more frequent than the men, with a maximum average age greater with four years for women but with a low minimal average age at 60 years for women and 52 years for men. The detailed analysis of this 96 cases had shown the presence of a cholesterol value over 200 mg/dl in 50 patients (52%), the diabetes mellitus of type II in 12 patients (12.5%), an association with HTA in 42 patients (43.7%), the cardiac insufficiency in 68 patients (70.8%), a permanent atrial fibrillation in 24 patients (25%), chronic myocardial infarct in 19 patients (19.7%) and disorders in the transmission of stimuli in 8 patients (8.3%). The degenerative mitral valvular lesions had occurred more and more frequently realizing more complex features under the mitral insufficiency predominance. Its frequent association with the degenerative valvular lesions determines the evolutive and therapeutic particulars that are dominated by the high gravity prognostic.

[Acute myocardial infarction with neurological symptoms: clinical and pathologic aspects]

A variety neurological symptoms can be the onset of an acute myocardial infarction. The study includes 96 patients who have undergone necropsies (from 1978 to 2003), hospitalized at the "Sfânta Treime" University Hospital, Iaşi, in the Neurology Clinic. They were admitted for various neurological manifestations: hemiparesis, hemiplegia, aphasia, coma of the 1st degree up to the 4th. Death of these patients was due to acute myocardial infarction in the cases of most of them, even those with significant brain damage. We have taken into account the anatomic pathology of the heart, brain, kidneys and lungs. The prevalence of the factors of cardiovascular risk was considered in our study, as well as the topography of the myocardial infarction. Patients with acute myocardial infarction can present major neurological symptoms with no significant cardiovascular clinical symptoms.

[Implications of some risk factors in degenerative valvular heart diseases]

A retrospective study on 223 patients diagnosed with degenerative heart valvular lesions: 124 women with an average of 74.9 years old and 99 men with an average of 70.1 years old with the lower limit under 50 years old (one woman and one man) and upper limit over 80 years old (22 women and 11 men) revealed that 109 patients (48.8%) had arterial hypertension, 30 patients (13.4%) had diabetes mellitus, and 16 patients (7%) had obesity. Chronic alcoholism was present at 89 patients (39.9%), chronic tobacco consumption at 54 patients (24.2%), cholesterol value over 200mg/dl in 99 patients (44%) and triglycerides value over 150 mg/dl in 15 patients (6.6%). In the 15 patients with a sever form of aortic stenosis was discovered cholesterol value over 200 mg/dl as well as chronic tobacco use and alcoholism.

CONCLUSION

Degenerative heart valvular disease represents a different process from arteriosclerosis, therefore the conventional risk factors of arteriosclerosis, can not be considered as having the same significance for degenerative heart diseases.

[Some aspects regarding degenerative mitral valvular lesions encountered in medical practice]

In the last years, the degenerative valvular heart diseases have the tendency to equalize in frequency the rheumatismal valvular diseases. The maximum attention has been paid on the degenerative aortic stenosis as being a lesion with maximum frequency and a severe evolution. This study, given on the 18391 admissions in the period 1997-2001, is a retrospective analyse and it is concerned with the degenerative mitral valvular lesions. Of the 223 patients with degenerative valvular heart lesions, 139 patients (62.3%) had degenerative aortic stenosis and 96 patients (38.5%) were diagnosed with degenerative mitral valvular lesions from which 30 patients have had no association with aortic valvular lesions while 66 patients have had such an association. The pointed out types of mitral lesions were: the mitral insufficiency in 59 patients, the mitral annular calcification without hemodynamic disease in 19 patients, the mitral stenosis in 9 patients and the mitral disease in 9 patients, too. The women was affected nearly 1.7 times more frequent than the men, with a maximum average age greater with four years for women but with a low minimal average age at 60 years for women and 52 years for men. The detailed analyse of this 96 cases had shown the presence of a cholesterol value over 200 mg/dl in 50 patients (52%), the diabetic mellitus of type II in 12 patients (12.5%), an association with HTA in 42 patients (43.7%), the cardiac insufficiency in 68 patients (70.8%), a permanent atrial fibrillation in 24 patients (25%), the chronical myocardiac infarct in 19 patients (19.7%) and disorders in the transmission of stimuli in 8 patients (8.3%). The degenerative mitral valvular lesions had occurred more and more frequently realizing more complex features under the mitral insufficiency predominance. Its frequent association with the degenerative valvular lesions determines the evolutive and therapeutic particularities that are dominated by the high gravity prognostic.

[Analysis of some clinical aspects of degenerative valvular heart diseases in medical practice]

In a period of 5 years there were 18,391 admissions; out of them 1129 cases were diagnosed with valvular lesions: 223 (19.7%) were degenerative valvular heart disease, 608 (53.8%) had rheumatismal valvular lesions, 7 (0.6%) had congenital valvular lesions and 291 cases (25.7%) had valvular lesions of other etiologies. Out of the 223 cases with degenerative valvular lesions, 99 cases (44.4%) were men with an average age of 70.1 years old and 129 were women (55%) with an average age of 74.9 years old. The calcific aortic valve stenosis was encountered in 139 patients (62.3%), the aortic insufficiency was diagnosed in 19 patients (8.5%), the mitral insufficiency 49 patients (21.9%) and the mitral stenosis in 10 patients (4.4%) the other patients having either aortic or mitral valvular disease. The combination of an aortic stenosis with a mitral insufficiency was diagnosed in 46 cases (20.6%) from the 223. Only 14 patients were asymptomatic, most of them having heart failure (namely, 178 patients i.e. 78%) with or without angine pectoris or effort vertigo, or they had only effort angina, vertigo or effort sincope. Rhythm disorders happened in 59 patients (26.4%) while disorders in the transmission of the stimuli were diagnosed in 14 patients (5.2%). Two patients died due to cardiac causes.

CONCLUSION

Rheumatismal valve disease are nearly 2.5 times more frequent than degenerative valve disease and they became a practical reality, which is claimed by its continuously increasing frequency, by a variety of lesional aspects and by implications on the heart, and by it, presence in an age group were arteriosclerosis cumulates its risk factors.

[The implications of thromboembolism in chronic heart failure]

The goal of investigation was to determine whether long-term anticoagulant therapy influences the mortality rate in CHF. The method consisted in the calculation of the annual death rate of the patients with CHF class III-IV NYHA: group A (controls)--who did not receive anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy; group B--treated with Acenocumarol or Aspirin. The results show in group A, which included 150 patients, during the 5-year interval under study 30 deaths, representing an annual death rate of 4%. In group B, which included 325 patients of which 75 treated with Acenocumarol and 250 patients with aspirin, 20 deaths were recorded during the same 5-year interval, representing an annual death rate of 1.2%. Thus, the mortality risk proved to be 70% lower in group B than in the control group. It came out that the main mechanism of death in CHF is thrombembolism and in this circumstance anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy would be essential.

[Undesirable effects and interaction to angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors therapy]

By their intervention upon the mechanisms regulating the vascular tone, renal plasma flow and direct actions of chemical structures, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors may determine undesirable effects. These effects formed the object of a 5-year retrospective study (1995-1999) carried out at the IIIrd Medical Clinic of Iasi. During this interval ACE inhibitors were administrated to 2178 patients with hypertensive and coronary disorders or heart failure of various causes. Different generations of ACE inhibitors were used, but captopril, enalapril and lysinopril were the most commonly administered. Undesirable effects were recorded in 161 patients (7.3%). The following side-effects, single or associated, were recorded: 38 patients (23.6%) had increasing blood pressure proportional with ACEI dose, 80 patients (49.7%) had decreasing blood pressure at low doses ACEI, 23 patients (14.4%) had kidney failure, 2 patients (1.2%) had both increasing blood pressure and kidney failure, 3 patients (1.9%) had both decreasing blood pressure and kidney failure, 6 patients (3.8%) had dry cough, one patient (0.6%) had kidney failure with decrease blood pressure and allergic dermatitis, 4 patients (2.4%) had allergic dermatitis, and 4 patients (2.4%) had headache, vertigo, paresthesia.

CONCLUSIONS

The treatment with ACE inhibitors has to be carefully initiated under strict clinical and biological monitoring, preferably in hospital setting. No drug associations that favor the undesirable effects of ACE inhibitors were reported.