A case of dual ectopic thyroid accompanied by positive antithyroid antibodies.

Ectopic thyroid tissue is an uncommon congenital aberration that is seldom present at two different sites simultaneously. The patient was a 32-year-old woman with dual ectopic thyroid accompanied by positive antithyroid antibodies. The simultaneous occurrence of dual ectopic thyroid and positive antithyroid antibodies has been documented in only two cases: the case discussed here and one previous case. The cervical ectopic thyroid was followed up by ultrasound, which showed an increase in the size of the lesion and an internal echo texture that became slightly heterogeneous after the patient had her second child. We speculated that these changes resulted from the changes in hormone demand brought on by pregnancy and parturition.

Increased nitroglycerin-mediated vasodilation in migraineurs without aura in the interictal period.

PURPOSE: Migraine is associated with vascular disorders, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Nitric oxide (NO) sensitivity is believed to play a major role in migraine pathophysiology. We investigated flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD) and nitroglycerin-mediated vasodilatation (NMD) of the brachial artery by means of a key molecular mediator, NO, in patients with migraine without aura in the interictal period whether the abnormality is found. METHODS: A total of 12 patients with migraine without aura and 12 matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. FMD and NMD were measured in all patients and controls using brachial artery ultrasonography. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in brachial artery diameter between migraineurs and nonmigraineurs (3.39 ± 0.68 vs 3.89 ± 0.67 mm, respectively; p = 0.083). A significant difference in FMD was not found between migraineurs and nonmigraineurs (6.94 ± 5.72 vs 6.08 ± 2.98%, respectively; p = 0.651). However, NMD in migraineurs was significant higher than that in nonmigraineurs (21.56 ± 7.36 vs 14.23 ± 7.41%, respectively; p = 0.024). CONCLUSION: We think that patients with migraine without aura in the interictal period have selective sensitivity in dilator response to nitroglycerin and may have systemic NO sensitivity.

Nodular fascitis in the thigh followed up using ultrasonography.

A 41-year-old woman noticed a mass on the inside of her right thigh in April 2003. Ultrasound examination revealed a mass measuring 18 mm × 10 mm × 10 mm in the subcutaneous fatty tissues. Its boundary was relatively clear, with rough edges. The interior of the lesion was hyperechoic and contained an irregular hypoechoic area in its center; a color Doppler sonographic examination detected no blood flow signals. Incision biopsy examination seemed warranted. Pathologically, the specimen showed a proliferation of fibroblast-like spindle-shaped cells but no atypical cells. Immunologic staining revealed that sections were positive to vimentin; negative to CD34, CD68, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), and S-100 protein; and mildly positive to HHF35. These results led to a diagnosis of nodular fascitis. Nodular fascitis is not common, and few studies have described its sonographic characteristics. We therefore used ultrasound to follow up the patient and found that the lesion was markedly smaller 3 months after the first examination, at which time it was hardly discernible as a mass. Here we compare the ultrasound and pathologic findings, and report the results of a bibliographic study.

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy associated with diabetes mellitus, cataract, and corpus callosum atrophy.

A 44-year-old woman with mitochondrial encephalomyopathy noticed weakness of the lower extremities at the age of 30 years. She also has type 2 diabetes mellitus, posterior subcapsular cataracts in both eyes, and corpus callosum atrophy. Family history showed that a maternal cousin had a myopathy, 3 maternal aunts had diabetes mellitus, and her mother and 2 maternal aunts had cataracts. External ophthalmoplegia, proximal myopathy, and absent deep tendon reflexes were noted. The mitochondrial DNA 3243 point mutation was negative. Muscle biopsy showed ragged-red fibers, cytochrome c oxidase (COX)-positive fibers, and COX-negative fibers.