Living-donor parathyroid allotransplantation for therapy-refractory postsurgical persistent hypoparathyroidism in a nontransplant recipient - three year results: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Therapy-refractory persistent hypoparathyroidism after extensive neck surgery is a rare but severe complication. Parathyroid allotransplantation may represent a definitive treatment option. CASE PRESENTATION: A 32-year old female was referred to our hospital with intractable persistent hypocalcemia after neck surgery for papillary thyroid cancer. Despite optimal medical treatment including calcium and vitamin D supplementation and even hormonal replacement therapy hypocalcemic symptoms failed to improve. The quality of life was considered very low. In light of the unsuccessful medical therapy and the young age of the patient parathyroid allotransplantation seemed an attractive treatment option to restore normal calcium homeostasis despite of the need for immunosuppressive therapy after the procedure. Therefore, we performed living-donor allotransplantation of two healthy parathyroid glands to the recipient's left forearm. The surgical intervention was successful. Neither the donor nor the recipient showed any complications. In the postoperative course clinical symptoms of hypocalcemia significantly improved whereas serum calcium and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels progressively increased into the normal range. Former intense replacement therapy could be discontinued completely in a stepwise fashion. To date, nearly three years after transplantation, the patient remains asymptomatic with normal serum levels of calcium and PTH. CONCLUSION: Successful living-donor parathyroid allotransplantation for postsurgical hypoparathyroidism represents an innovative therapeutic strategy that could provide the definitive treatment in those patients in which the disease is therapy-refractory. The procedure can be justified even in nontransplant recipients. Retrieval of parathyroid glands from healthy donors is feasible and safe.

Comparison between quantitative assessment of bowel wall vascularization by contrast-enhanced ultrasound and results of histopathological scoring in ulcerative colitis.

PURPOSE: In ulcerative colitis (UC), endoscopic methods are preferred for assessment of extent and activity of disease. Due to the invasive nature of endoscopical examinations, replacement by other, reliable imaging procedures would be helpful. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in combination with perfusion assessment using a specific quantification software might be such a new diagnostic tool. Thus, we compared the findings of CEUS with the results of endoscopically taken specimens applying a histopathological scoring system. METHODS: We prospectively evaluated 15 patients with proven UC undergoing endoscopy. CEUS was performed and the quantification software Qontrast® applied to obtain contrast-enhanced sonographic perfusion maps. Moreover, in each patient C-reactive protein (CRP) was measured and taken biopsies were assessed using an advanced scoring system. Four patients had to be excluded from final analysis. RESULTS: There was a trend to higher Peak (%) values with increasing histological inflammation. Furthermore, a strong negative correlation between the ratio TTP (s)/Peak (%) (Spearman's correlation r = -0.761, p < 0.01) was found. There was no significant relationship between CRP and histopathological scoring or CEUS parameters, respectively. CONCLUSION: Quantitative evaluation with CEUS, particularly the calculation of the ratio TTP (s)/Peak (%), provides a simple method for assessment of inflammatory activity in UC.

Low risk of Clostridium difficile infections in hospitalized patients with inflammatory bowel disease in a German tertiary referral center.

INTRODUCTION: Many reports, mainly from the US and Canada but also a recent report from a center in Europe, have documented the increasing impact of Clostridium difficile infections in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) during the last years. To determine the prevalence of C. difficile infections in hospitalized IBD patients in a tertiary referral center in Germany, we conducted this retrospective analysis. METHODS: Data of all IBD in-patients treated due to an acute flare of their IBD at the Department of Internal Medicine I of the University of Regensburg between January 1, 2001, and June 30, 2008, were analyzed. In patients with a concomitant diagnosis of C. difficile infection, further variables such as IBD-related treatment at the time of infection or outcome were examined. RESULTS: In total, 995 in-patients with IBD were treated in this hospital [638 patients with Crohn's disease (CD), 357 with ulcerative colitis (UC)] during the study period. Of these, 279 patients with CD and 242 patients with UC were admitted with an acute flare and suffering from diarrhea and abdominal pain. Only 10 of those were diagnosed as having a concomitant infection with C. difficile. Six patients were female and the median age was 49 years (range: 15-80). Six patients with C. difficile infections suffered from UC and 4 patients from CD, all with previous colonic involvement. Eight patients used immunosuppressive therapies; only 2 patients were treated with antibiotics before infection. CONCLUSION: In contrast to recent reports from other countries, only a low percentage of hospitalized patients with acute flares of their IBD were identified as having an underlying C. difficile infection in this German tertiary referral center. However, in IBD patients with an acute flare, a concomitant C. difficile infection should be excluded, especially in patients with immunosuppressive treatment and colonic involvement of their disease. Further research is needed to evaluate if regions with different risks of C. difficile infections exist and to find out more about potential reasons for this observation.

Clinical feature and bowel ultrasound in Crohn's disease - does additional information from magnetic resonance imaging affect therapeutic approach and when does extended diagnostic investigation make sense?

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Some suggest MRI to be superior to ultrasound in Crohn's disease. We analyzed how often MR enterography (MRE) following a routine ultrasound leads to a change in therapeutic decision. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 47 patients with Crohn's disease undergoing routine ultrasound examination. Actual medical history, complete blood count, C-reactive protein (CRP), and sonographic findings were assessed independently by two specialists who retrospectively provided a therapeutic proposal. Additionally, all patients received MRE. Thereafter, the specialists had to provide a new therapeutic concept regarding all the available information. RESULTS: Evaluation of the rectum was not successful by ultrasound, but MRE gave good results. Only 1 of 7 abscesses was identified sonographically. Three of the abscesses missed at sonography were localized in the perirectal/perianal region. MRE detected more inflamed bowel segments, but ultrasound assessment of anatomically fixed bowel parts showed good recognition by MRE. With increasing CRP values, we found more positive results of ultrasound and MRE. Therapeutic change was suggested in only 18 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound should be performed by an experienced examiner, and a proctological examination should be added. MRE is justified in cases of discrepancy between clinical findings and the results of diagnostic ultrasound and, moreover, if Crohn's lesions are suspected at sites proximal to the terminal or neoterminal ileum.

Transabdominal ultrasound with echoenhancement by contrast media in the diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

According to the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) and the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), ultrasound (US) is the recommended tool for surveillance of patients at risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Larger HCCs can be diagnosed with a high accuracy by conventional US. However, the differentiation of smaller malignant lesions in cirrhotic livers can be improved by contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Second-generation contrast agents consisting of microbubbles enable us to visualize specific tumor vascularization patterns. With CEUS, it is not only possible to detect and characterize HCC nodules, but to control the effects of ablation techniques of HCC as well, evaluating the former lesion with respect to complete necrosis or residual viable tumor. Limitations of CEUS are its inability to characterize lesions distant to the applicator. Moreover, so far the use of contrast agents in US did not result in increased sensitivity in the detection of small HCCs (<1 cm). Thus, there is currently no indication to use contrast agents to increase the detection rate of HCC in patients undergoing US surveillance.

Tumor-Induced Osteomalacia: Increased Level of FGF-23 in a Patient with a Phosphaturic Mesenchymal Tumor at the Tibia Expressing Periostin.

In our case, a 45-year-old male patient had multiple fractures accompanied by hypophosphatemia. FGF-23 levels were significantly increased, and total body magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a tumor mass located at the distal tibia leading to the diagnosis of tumor-induced osteomalacia (TIO). After resection of the tumor, hypophosphatemia and the increased levels of FGF-23 normalized within a few days. Subsequent microscopic examination and immunohistochemical analysis revealed a phosphaturic mesenchymal tumor mixed connective tissue variant (PMTMCT) showing a positive expression of somatostatin receptor 2A (SSTR2A), CD68, and Periostin. Electron microscopy demonstrated a poorly differentiated mesenchymal tumor with a multifocal giant cell component and evidence of neurosecretory-granules. However, the resected margins showed no tumor-free tissue, and therefore a subsequent postoperative radiotherapy was performed. The patient is still in complete remission after 34 months. Tumor resection of PMTMCTs is the therapy of choice. Subsequent radiotherapy in case of incompletely resected tumors can be an important option to avoid recurrence or metastasis even though this occurs rarely. The prognostic value of expression of Periostin has to be evaluated more precisely in a larger series of patients with TIO.