Acute urinary retention due to solitary fibrous tumor of the abdominal wall.

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a slow-growing neoplasm that affects both sexes equally but middle-aged patients more frequently. The course of the disease is unpredictable. SFT has been described in multiple locations. We present the case of a 62-year-old patient who went to the emergency room suffering from acute urinary retention due to solitary fibrous tumor of the abdominal wall. An arteriogram was performed with the decision make embolization before surgery. The SFT is a low-grade, potentially benign tumor. But the patient must be kept under strict oncological surveillance due to its uncertain behavior.

Effect of bismuth subgallate on the quality of life in patients undergoing Scopinaro's biliopancreatic diversion.

BACKGROUND: Malabsorptive techniques, such as biliopancreatic diversion, described by Scopinaro, can cause disabling steatorrhea that affects patients' quality of life. Although it usually improves over time, a reduced group of patients can require treatment. The objective of the present study was to assess the effects of bismuth subgallate on the quality of life (QoL) of patients undergoing Scopinaro's biliopancreatic diversion (SBPD) for morbid obesity. The study was conducted at the Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria, Spain, a public hospital. METHODS: A prospective, observational study in clinical practice was performed to ascertain the effects of bismuth subgallate on QoL in a group of patients undergoing SBPD who reported disabling diarrhea and related odor. Patients received treatment with 2 courses of oral bismuth subgallate, 200 mg every 8 hours for 12 weeks, with a 4-week rest period. Pretreatment and posttreatment surveys were performed. The Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) questionnaire was used, which evaluates symptoms, physical status, emotional status, social performance, and treatment effects. RESULTS: Sixty patients--90% women--with a mean age of 45.6 years were included in the study, 65% of which had superobesity. GIQLI scores obtained at treatment completion were significantly higher--both overall and in the various domains--than those obtained before treatment onset (P<.01). When the morbid obesity and superobesity groups were analyzed separately, a significant increase in the scores for both patient groups was also observed (P< .01). CONCLUSIONS: In clinical practice, treatment with bismuth subgallate resulted in a short-term improvement of QoL for patients undergoing SBPD.

Intermuscular lipoma of the gluteus muscles compressing the sciatic nerve: an inverted sciatic hernia.

The authors report the case of a 50-year-old woman with a benign intermuscular lipoma of the gluteus compressing the sciatic nerve in its course through the sciatic notch. This benign soft-tissue tumor extended into the pelvis, displacing the rectum laterally. Resection was necessary to alleviate symptoms and prevent irreversible damage of the nerve. Wide exposure of the piriformis muscle and sciatic nerve via a transgluteal approach allowed safe lesion removal, and thus avoiding a laparotomy to resect the intrapelvic extension of the tumor. This report features a curious case of soft-tissue tumor growth across the sciatic foramen forming an inverted sciatic hernia. The authors' proposed approach was simple and safe and avoided a laparotomy.