Fatty bronchogram: a sign of cystic teratoma rupture in the lung.

A 47-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for septic fever. Multidetector computed tomography showed a pulmonary cavitated consolidation that was partially filled by low-density material and an interrupted rim of soft tissue in adjacent mediastinum, lining an inhomogeneous fat density area. Lung consolidation presented a bronchogram fluid sign with a -40 Hounsfield unit density value, which indicated a fatty bronchogram. Mediastinal cystic teratoma rupture in the lung was derived from a bacterial infection, with the lipoid material pouring into the lung and its drainage bronchus.

Hippocampal asymmetry with hippocampal sulcus remnants in a patient with mild cognitive impairment. A case report.

A 65-year-old woman underwent MRI for a mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). MRI showed hippocampal sulcus remnants bilaterally, although they were larger on the right, and left hippocampal atrophy with increased left fimbriosubicular distance (right side: 1.2 mm; left side: 2.0 mm). The meaning of these findings in relation to clinical aspects is discussed and reviewed according to data from the literature.

Radiofrequency ablation of bone metastases induces long-lasting palliation in patients with untreatable cancer.

INTRODUCTION: In oncological patients, life quality can be greatly impaired by the presence of painful bone metastases, as standard forms of treatment often achieve inadequate palliation. The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) with respect to pain relief in patients with refractory bone metastases or who are ineligible to conventional treatments. METHODS: 12 patients with 13 painful osteolytic skeletal metastases, and who were unresponsive to analgesic drug therapy, underwent one (seven lesions) or two (five lesions) RFA sessions under computed tomography (CT) guidance. The RFA procedure was completed in all patients without complications. One patient also received cementoplasty after the RFA procedure. To obtain semiquantitative pain scores, the brief pain inventory (BPI) was administered before treatment and during follow-up. The local effects of RFA were monitored for at least one year in eight of 12 patients with CT and/or magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Immediate pain relief after treatment was experienced by nine of 12 patients, but in two cases, pain recurred within the first week. Long-lasting palliation was obtained in seven of 12 patients. BPI mean scores for worst and average daily pain decreased from 7.7 and 5.0, respectively, at baseline, to 3.1 and 1.8, respectively, at one year. Imaging follow-up showed large areas of necrosis in nine of 12 lesions. CONCLUSION: In our preliminary experience, RFA showed good and long-lasting efficacy for pain control in bone metastases. A possible role of RFA as a coadjuvant palliative treatment in these cases is suggested.