Arterial endofibrosis in professional cyclists.

External Iliac Artery Endofibrosis (EIAE) is an uncommon disease usually affecting young, otherwise healthy, patients. It usually involves cyclists but cases have been reported in other groups of endurance athletes. The external iliac artery is the most affected anatomical site but other locations are described too. The precise pathophysiology and long-term evolution of the disease still remain unknown. The diagnosis may be challenging and delayed as the patients usually present symptoms only in extreme conditions and physical and instrumental examinations may be normal at rest. We present two cases of young professional cyclists who suffered of exercise-induced leg pain which led them to reduce running. Both patients were firstly treated with balloon angioplasty that rapidly failed to improve their symptoms. The successive open surgery with endofibrosectomy and autologous saphenous vein closure patch completely resolved physical limitations. EIAE is a rare disease that can induce arterial stenosis, thrombosis, dissection and secondary atheroma. After-exercise ankle-brachial index represents a useful diagnostic criterion. Careful observation of angio-CT may strengthen the suspect. Knowledge of the these features allows a better pre-operative assessment and an early effective treatment. Surgical revascularization remains the gold standard approach.

Cystic adventitial disease of the popliteal artery: report of two cases and review of the literature.

Cystic adventitial disease (CAD) is a rare vascular disease that causes a localized stenosis or occlusion in absence of alterations of blood vessels in other sites of the body. CAD is predominantly located to the popliteal artery, although cases have been described involving other arteries. Typically it affects young men with minimal cardiovascular risk factors, presenting a short history of progressive claudication. Imaging is based on US, CTA and MRA. Suspected diagnosis is confirmed at the time of the surgery. We report two cases of CAD involving the popliteal artery. In the first case a 59 year-old man was treated by resection of the popliteal artery and a reversed saphenous vein was used to restore circulation. In the second case a 53 year-old man was treated by resection of the popliteal artery and a cryo-preserved arterial graft was used to restore circulation. We also made a review of the literature on this subject.

One stage or two stage treatment of colorectal cancer associated to abdominal aortic aneurysm: morbidity and mortality.

The coexistence of colorectal cancer and abdominal aortic aneurysm has been observed with increasing frequency, raising several questions about therapeutic and surgical strategies for management of both diseases. This study has reviewed 440 cases (359 cases analyzed) of colorectal cancer associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm recovered in the literature from year 1987 to 2010. In 120 cases, patients were treated in one stage; in 239 cases, they were treated in two stages. The treatment in two stages was associated with a morbidity of 26.4%, with a mortality of 5% and prosthetic infection of 0.8%. The treatment in one stage had rates of complications and mortality of 13.3% and 4.2% respectively and no cases of prosthetic infection. Analysis of the literature shows that the treatment in two stages exposes patients to a higher risk of complications and prosthetic infection.

Upregulated expression of Toll-like receptor 4 in peripheral blood of ischaemic stroke patients correlates with cyclooxygenase 2 expression.

OBJECTIVES: An inflammatory process following stroke in human brains and systemic inflammatory responses after stroke in humans have been reported by numerous investigators. The aim of the study was to investigate if genes involved in the cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) pathway are upregulated at peripheral level in patients after transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and stroke. DESIGN OF STUDY: Blood samples were obtained from two groups of patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. The first group included 25 patients who presented TIA or ischaemic stroke. The second group included 35 patients who had an asymptomatic internal carotid artery stenosis. Total RNA was isolated and the expression of Toll-like Receptor 4 (TLR4), COX-2, membrane-associated Prostaglandin E synthase (mPGES-1), Prostaglandin E2 receptors (EP3 and EP4) was analysed by real time RT-PCR. RESULTS: Expression of COX-2 and TLR4 were significantly increased in symptomatic patients (p < 0.001). Correlation analysis showed that TLR4 expression significantly correlated with COX-2 expression (R = 0.65; p < 0.01) in ischaemic stroke patients. This correlation was not observed in TIA and asymptomatic patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the peripheral mechanism of inflammatory injury after stroke may be mediated by TLR4 through a COX-2-dependent pathway.

Treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms associated with pancreatic tumors: personal experience and review of the literature (1967-2006).

The aim of the present study was to discuss the approach to a rare, but challenging, clinical situation: the coexistence of an abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and a pancreatic tumor. The authors present their experience and a review of the literature of the last 40 years. From January 1988 to December 2006 the authors faced 3 cases of associated AAA and pancreatic neoplasia. Through a Medline search the authors found 15 cases of this comorbidity reported in the literature from 1967 to 2006, obtaining a total number of 18 cases. The treatment of the two diseases was in a single stage in 4 cases (22%) and in two stages in 5 cases (28%), while only one pathology was treated in 7 cases (39%) and no treatment at all was attempted in 2 cases (11%). Mortality was 0%, while morbidity was 22%, i.e. in 4 cases out of 18, although no aortic prosthesis infection was recorded. From literature analysis and their experience the authors concluded that the surgical strategy in cases of AAA and a pancreatic tumor is to be chosen depending on the pancreatic tumor prognosis, the AAA dimensions and the schedule of chemotherapy. According to the authors, AAA surgical repair is recommended in case of pancreatic cystic adenoma and neuroendocrine neoplasia, in view of their good prognosis, while endovascular repair (EVAR), when feasible, is better in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Surgical treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm with concomitant renal cell carcinoma: a single-centre experience with review of the literature.

AIM: The association between abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and renal cancer is becoming more frequent, raising several questions about therapeutic and surgical strategies of management for both diseases. METHODS: Between October 1988 and May 2004, 913 AAA patients underwent surgical or endovascular repair at the I Division of General Surgery of the University of Verona (Italy). In 61 cases (6.7%) an association with a solid neoplasm was found; in 12 cases (1.3%) the neoplasm was a renal cell carcinoma. RESULTS: Ten patients underwent a simultaneous approach to AAA and renal cancer, with aneurismectomy performed first. In 2 cases a two-stage procedure was preferred; 1 patient underwent aneurismectomy first for AAA rupture while a second patient was even affected by gastric cancer and was submitted to nephrectomy and total gastrectomy as primary procedures. There was no mortality and only one postoperative complication was registered. CONCLUSIONS: A simultaneous surgical approach can be done safely, performing aneurismectomy as first step without significant risk of graft infection. Simultaneous treatment has the advantage of avoiding a second major abdominal procedure and eliminate the risk of postoperative aortic aneurysm rupture. Performing a two-stage approach, the procedure for the disease regarded as life-threatening is performed first. Priority should be given to renal cell neoplasm in selected cases.

Experience of endoscopic ultrasound in staging adenocarcinoma of the cardia.

AIM: The introduction of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) has generally resulted in a more accurate assessment of gastrointestinal regional tumour stage. Knowing the stage and the extent of oesophageal involvement is extremely important as a guide to the choice of surgical approach in cardia cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of EUS to accurately predict depth of tumour invasion (T), node involvement (N) and the tumour's invasion length along the oesophagus. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty-five patients with adenocarcinoma of the cardia were studied by EUS and the EUS pre-operative findings were compared with the pathology findings. RESULTS: The overall accuracy in T staging was 55.2% (16/29 cases). The sensitivity in evaluating T1, T2 and T3 classes was 80%, 38.5% and 70%, respectively. The sensitivity was excellent in evaluating N0 class (100%) (5 cases), but it fell to 66.7% in N1 cases. EUS correctly determined the extent of oesophagus invasion in 75.9% (22/29) of cases; moreover, it had a very high accuracy in distinguishing between tumours with an oesophageal invasion greater or lower than 2 cm (93.1%) (27/29 cases). CONCLUSION: EUS proved to be useful in pre-operative staging of cardia adenocarcinoma and, in particular, in the pre-operative identification of the extent of oesophageal invasion.

Variation of plasma D-dimer following surgery: implications for prediction of postoperative venous thromboembolism.

The prognosis of venous thromboembolism is considerably influenced by an accurate and fast diagnosis. Although the role of D-dimer testing in the diagnosis of suspected venous thromboembolism is well established for outpatients, there is controversial evidence on the clinical usefulness of its measurement in surgical patients. In order to recognize patterns of variation of D-dimer following surgery and identify potential pitfalls in prediction of venous thromboembolic complications, plasma D-dimer was assayed in 30 patients undergoing major elective hip surgery and 20 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. The postoperative variation of plasma D-dimer differed widely between the two subgroups. Patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy showed D-dimer concentrations persistently increased from the baseline to the 15th postoperative day, whereas patients undergoing hip surgery were characterized by a double peak, on the 1st and 7th postoperative days. Mean inter-individual daily coefficient of variations of plasma D-dimer throughout the postoperative period were 49% (range 39%-61%) for laparoscopic cholecystectomy and 101% (range 72%-156%) for orthopedic surgery. The markedly heterogeneous fluctuation of plasma D-dimer suggests that the postoperative activation of the hemostatic system depends on the type and time since surgery, thus limiting the clinical usefulness of D-dimer testing in the diagnostic approach to postoperative venous thromboembolism.

Vater's papilla and periampullary area villous adenoma: personal experience about nine cases and review of the literature.

Villous tumor of the duodenum is a rare disease. The authors report their personal experience from 1987 to 1993 with nine cases of duodenal villous tumors. The treatment was pancreatoduodenectomy in four cases, segmental resection of the duodenum in two cases and submucosal excision in three cases. The authors review the literature of the last 15 years in which only 241 cases of duodenal villous tumors are reported; in this review the clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic characteristics of the disease are analyzed. This malignancy presents peculiar characteristics for histologic diagnosis and pathology classification. For this reason, even surgical treatment deserves careful reflection to guarantee a curative procedure and to formulate a positive prognosis.

Aneurysm of the celiac trunk: diagnosis with US-color-Doppler. Presentation of a new case and review of the literature.

Aneurysms of the celiac trunk are the rarest forms of aneurysms of the visceral arteries. Since 1958, when Schumaker reported the first case to be successfully treated surgically, only 69 cases have been reported in the international literature. The detection of such aneurysms, which are often asymptomatic, is mostly occasional. Approximately 15-20% of cases may be complicated by rupture with a mortality rate of around 80%. This eventuality makes surgical treatment mandatory even in asymptomatic cases. The authors report on their experience with the surgical treatment of one case of aneurysm of the celiac trunk and then go on to review the relevant literature.

Extraintestinal infection by group C Salmonella: a case report and review of the literature.

Infected or mycotic aneurysms of the aorta are not very frequent but they are associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. Vascular infections due to Salmonella are not very frequent, but in recent years the reports of infections of this type have been on the increase. The authors report their experience with a case of aneurysm of the abdominal aorta infected by group C Salmonella and go on to review the literature on the subject.

[Aneurysm of the celiac trunk. Presentation of a clinical case and review of the literature]. / Aneurisma del tripode celiaco. Presentazione di un caso clinico e revisione della letteratura.

The aneurysms of the celiac trunk are the rarest aneurysms of the visceral arteries. From 1958 only 69 cases have been reported in the international literature. They are frequently asymptomatic and their discovery is more often occasional. They can rupture in 15-20% of the cases with a mortality approaching 80% of the cases. This explains the need of a surgical treatment even in the asymptomatic cases. Personal experience in the surgical treatment of a case of aneurysm of the celiac trunk is reported and a survey of the literature on this matter is made.

[Results of preoperative staging using endosonography in rectal cancer]. / Risultati della stadiazione preoperatoria con endosonografia nel cancro del retto.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The latest reports using transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) for the preoperative staging of rectal cancer show a diagnostic accuracy between 78 and 97% with regard to the local spread of disease, and between 62 and 86% for the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis. The correct choice of surgery depends on correct preoperative staging, as does the indication for any preoperative neoadjuvant treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic precision of the method used by the authors since 1993 by comparing the preoperative transrectal ultrasound stage (uTMN) with the postoperative histological stage (pTNM). In addition, the study aimed to assess whether some anatomic and pathological characteristics of the neoplasm (differentiation, type of growth and presence of peritumoral inflammatory reaction) influenced the diagnostic precision of transrectal ultrasonography. METHODS: Forty-two patients with a preoperative histological diagnosis of adenocarcinoma localised in the rectal segment, extending up to 10 cm from the dentate line, undergoing radical surgical were selected from the group of patients with middle-lower rectal cancer studied preoperatively with TRUS. Preoperative TRUS was carried out in 42 cases by a single examiner. Anatomic and pathological examination of the removed portion was performed by examiners who were not familiar with the preoperative ultrasonographic diagnosis. RESULTS: In this study TRUS showed a diagnostic accuracy of 81% in the study of T and 71.4% in the study of N. In line with other studies, the most frequent diagnostic error was the overstaging of stage T2 tumours. Moreover, the presence of a peritumoral inflammatory reaction was found to be the only variable that significantly influenced the diagnostic accuracy of TRUS. CONCLUSIONS: TRUS was found to be a valid instrument for the preoperative staging of rectal cancer even in this preliminary study limited to 42 cases, in particular with regard to wall invasion. The limits of this method are linked to the presence of phenomena producing a situation of local infection (recent biopsies, radiotherapy, peritumoral inflammatory infiltrate) given that this prevented the correct visualisation of the layers of the rectal wall. As a result, this may limit its use in the re-staging of patients undergoing preoperative radiotherapy.

[True aneurysm of the profunda femoris artery. Case report and literature review]. / Aneurisma vero dell'arteria femorale profonda. Caso clinico e revisione della letteratura.

Aneurysms of the profunda femoris artery rarely occur as an isolated lesion because of anatomical position and characteristics of wall tissue. The case of a 79-year-old man admitted to the hospital because of acute pain and swelling of the right leg with pulsating tumor in the groin is reported. Duplex scanning and angiography, performed in order to establish the diagnosis and to plan the operation, demonstrated a right large aneurysm of the deep femoral artery (8 x 12 cm). At operation, the aneurysm was resected associated to a PTFE Stretch graft replacement because the autogenous saphenous vein was not available. A review of the literature on the clinical manifestation and management in emergency or elective surgery of the isolated true atherosclerotic aneurysm of the deep femoral artery, is presented.

[Retroperitoneal ruptures of the duodenum. Our experience]. / Rotture retroperitoneali del duodeno. Nostra esperienza.

The authors describe a case of retroperitoneal rupture of the duodenum following blunt abdominal trauma. The aetiology, symptomatology of these lesions are discussed and treatment is stressed. Duodenal fistula continues to be a serious postoperative complication. Primary repair with drainage is the preferred treatment. Gastrostomy, internal decompression and feeding jejunostomy are usefully added in the most severe duodenal injuries.

[The therapy of symptomatic and/or complicated dysontogenetic liver cysts]. / Terapia delle cisti epatiche disontogenetiche sintomatiche e/o complicate.

Congenital hepatic cysts are a frequent disease, symptomatic in the 16-18% of the cases. The authors report a review of the literature of the last 20 years about 135 treated surgically patients with symptomatic and/or complicated hepatic cysts. They analyse the different models of treatment both surgical and conservative, referring in special way about the alcoholization of the cysts. The authors finally report their personal experience about eight cases.

[Leiomyoma of the nipple (a case report and review of the literature)]. / Il leiomioma del capezzolo (presentazione di un caso e revisione della letteratura).

The leiomyoma of the nipple is a very rare affection. No more than 20 cases are reported in the literature of the last 50 years. This neoplasm presents a difficult differential diagnosis with the remaining phlogistic and neoplastic breast diseases. We report a personal case with a review of the literature.

[Echo-guided compression in the treatment of femoral pseudoaneurysms secondary to cardiological interventional procedures]. / La compressione eco-guidata nel trattamento degli pseudoaneurismi femorali secondari a procedure interventistiche cardiologiche.

PURPOSE: To analyze perspectively a set of 13 patients affected by femoral artery pseudoaneurysm treated with Us-guided compression. MATERIAL AND METHODS: From January to December 1997 we observed 13 patients (7 females and 6 males; mean age: 67.4 years old) affected by femoral artery pseudoaneurysm which were treated with Us-guided compression. The compression was repeated for 15 minutes up to complete closure of the pseudoaneurysm. Every patient was followed up 24 hours after the procedure, before the discharge and every 3 months. RESULTS: In 6 cases the cardiologic procedure had diagnostic purposes while in 7 cases had interventional purposes. The pseudoaneurysm was located in the common femoral artery in 10 cases, in the superficial femoral artery in 2 cases and in the profunda femoris in the last case. The fistula between the aneurysmatic chamber and the arterial lumen had a mean length of 1 centimeter (range: 0.5-2.5 cm) and the mean diameter of the pseudoaneurysm was 3 centimeters (range: 1.5-6 cm). The mean length of the compression was 34 minutes (range: 10-120 min). The technical success rate was 92.3% with one case of failure in the unique localization in the profunda femoris. The procedure was well tolerated from the patients, with minimal discomfort. After the treatment the mean hospital stay was 2 days and to date we have had no recurrences after a mean follow-up of 18 months. CONCLUSIONS: In accordance with the data of the literature, Us-guided compression is the treatment of choice of femoral pseudoaneurysms after cardiac catheterization. The procedure is well tolerated in almost all the patients and it deters the need of surgery with reduction of complications, costs and hospital stay.

[The perforation of a para-Vater's duodenal diverticulum (a report of 2 clinical cases)]. / Sulla perforazione del diverticolo duodenale paravateriano (presentazione di due casi clinici).

Duodenal diverticulum is not a rare disease, with a frequency of 1-3% in radiologic review and of 2.8-20% in pathology review; The spontaneous perforation of a perivaterian duodenal diverticulum is a rare complication, with about 100 cases reported in the literature. The post-traumatic perforation of a perivaterian diverticulum is an exceptional event, reported in single cases of the oriental literature. The authors report their personal experience about two cases of diverticular duodenal perforation, one spontaneous, the other post-traumatic, discussing the surgical problems that this rare complication present.

[Primary hepatic actinomycosis: a clinical case report and review of the literature]. / Actinomicosi epatica primitiva: presentazione di un caso clinico e revisione della letteratura.

Primitive actinomycotic abscess of the liver is extremely rare: in the world literature are reported twenty cases. The authors report a case of a 73-year-old patient admitted at our hospital in poor general conditions, with twelve kilograms weight loss in the last year, recurrent fever and tenderness in right hypochondrium. CT scan, ultrasonography and angiography showed the presence of a seven-centimeters hypovascularized mass in the fourth segment of the liver. The patient was submitted to surgical segmentectomy of the fourth segment. The histologic examination and the histochemical colorations made on the specimen have given the diagnosis of hepatic actinomycotic abscess. No clinical evidence of other intra-abdominal or extra-abdominal localizations were found. From 1928 to date only twenty similar cases have been reported in the world literature. The mean time between the beginning of the symptoms and the diagnosis was 11.1 months (range: 2-54 months): this to confirm the diagnostic difficulties of the disease. The hepatic lesions are described as single in eight cases and multiple in thirteen. Thirteen patients have been treated only with medical therapy: nine recovered and four died for disease spread. Of the six patients with resectable lesion treated surgically, five recovered and one died for pulmonary recurrence.