Coincidental diagnosis of an occult hilar steroid cell tumor of the ovary and a cortisol-secreting adrenal adenoma in a 49-year-old woman with severe hyperandrogenism.

OBJECTIVE: To report an exceptional association between an occult ovarian steroid cell tumor and a cortisol-secreting adrenal adenoma. DESIGN: Case report. SETTING: Endocrinology and nutrition unit at a general hospital in Spain. PATIENT(S): A 49-year-old woman who presented with persistence of severe hyperandrogenism after removal of a left adrenal adenoma. INTERVENTION(S): An endocrine study evaluating serum androgens, adrenal function, and tumor markers was ordered. Transvaginal sonography was done to rule out an ovarian tumor. Finally, a selective catheterization of ovarian veins allowed the correct diagnosis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Clinical and endocrine description of the patient and preoperative localization of the source of T secretion. RESULT(S): After adrenal surgery, urinary free cortisol levels decreased to normal values, but serum T remained within the tumoral range (3.04 ng/mL). Selective catheterization of ovarian veins revealed a gradient of T concentration in the right ovary. After bilateral annexectomy, a microscopic steroid cell tumor of hilar type was found in the right ovary. Serum T fell within the normal range, and hirsutism progressively improved. CONCLUSION(S): This unusual association between an occult-virilizing ovarian steroid cell tumor and a cortisol-secreting adrenal adenoma illustrates the value of an accurate preoperative workup in women with severe hyperandrogenism.

[Definition of processes and indicators for the management of vascular accesses for hemodialysis]. / Definición de procesos e indicadores para la gestión de accesos vasculares para hemodiálisis.

INTRODUCTION: The prevalence of renal replacement therapy has increased, affecting 885 patients per million inhabitants. More than 50% of these patients require hemodialysis with permanent vascular access. In our center a multidisciplinary group was organized to manage processes related to vascular access for hemodialysis. OBJECTIVES: To define processes for the management of vascular access for hemodialysis and to evaluate these processes. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Setting. Level III hospital in the autonomous community of Madrid serving 485,000 inhabitants. STUDY PERIOD: 2002-2004. METHODOLOGY: A multidisciplinary working group was set up. The three most frequent processes were defined and described. Flow charts were used for graphical representation. Quality criteria and indicators were defined with prospective monitoring of electronic medical records, design of a specific surgical protocol, and retrospective analysis. RESULTS: Comparison of the results with the literature. First vascular access. The percentage of patients with arteriovenous fistulas on starting hemodialysis. Percentage of prevalent patients with venous access (autologous fistula, prosthetic device, catheter). Maintenance of access: Rate of thrombosis in autologous-prosthetic arteriovenous fistulas. Percentage of rescued arteriovenous fistulas after thrombosis. Rate of temporary catheters. Resource management. Percentage of ambulatory interventions. Rate of admissions related to arteriovenous fistulas. CONCLUSIONS: Arteriovenous fistulas are the main source of morbidity and hospital admission in patients with chronic renal failure in hemodialysis programs. Multidisciplinary management achieves results above the standards described in the literature. There do not appear to be other determining factors for these results, since the technical procedures performed do not differ from those described in the literature.