Splenic calcifications caused by Trichosporon beigelli infection: CT and ultrasound demonstration.

Trichosporon beigelli is an uncommon but frequently fatal invasive fungal infection in immunosupressed patients. We report on a patient with acute myeloid leukemia who developed splenic calcifications following Trichosporon beigelli infection.

[CT-guided core needle biopsy of abdominal, pelvic and retroperitoneal masses].

CT-guided core needle biopsy of abdominal, pelvic and retroperitoneal masses is accurate and safe and can be performed on an outpatient basis. Between 1987 and 1995, 809 patients (age range 1-87 years) underwent 851 biopsies (minimal lesion diameter 1 cm). Cutting needles were always used, facilitating both cytological and histological diagnosis while minimizing risk of complications. A positive result (malignant, inflammatory or infectious) was obtained in 69% of the 809 and a negative result (normal tissue) in 17.4%, while in 13.6%, material for diagnosis was insufficient. Biopsy was repeated in 42 of them in whom radiological or clinical suspicion of malignancy was high. In 24 (60%) a positive result was obtained after the second biopsy. Significant complications occurred in 7 (0.8%). 1 hemo-rrhaged following liver biopsy and required blood transfusion. Pancreatitis occurred in 6 (2.6%) following pancreatic biopsy. An intraabdominal fluid collection in 1 necessitated percutaneous drainage. There was no mortality following the procedure and no documented case of needle-tract seeding of tumor. All outpatients were discharged within 3 hours of completion of the biopsy, without ill effects.

Metastatic carcinoma to the temporal bone.

We present a case report of a woman with adenocarcinoma of the breast and metastasis to the temporal bone. The diagnosis of metastasis to the temporal bone may be difficult to make, for the symptoms and findings may mimic those of chronic infection. A high-resolution computed tomography scan is mandatory for complete investigation.