Adrenal Mass in a 70-Year-Old Woman.

Introduction: Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare endocrine malignancy with a bimodal age distribution pattern that affects women more than men. More than half of the patients present with hormone excess manifestations such as Cushing's syndrome and virilization. Non-functional tumors usually are diagnosed incidentally following imaging studies due to a mass effect or metastatic disease. Surgical resection is considered the best curative treatment for these tumors. Case Presentation. A 70-year-old woman presented with a 3-month history of diffuse intermittent abdominal discomfort, weight loss, and additional hair growth. Imaging investigations revealed a large 187 × 85 × 140 mm mass between the liver and upper pole of the right kidney which has displaced the adjacent structures. Hormonal evaluations detected high levels of cortisol and adrenal androgens. She underwent open adrenalectomy and right nephrectomy due to severe adhesion of the mass. Histopathological evaluations revealed adrenocortical carcinoma and the patient received adjuvant radiotherapy. Conclusion: Precise physical examination, hormonal evaluation, and imaging studies play a key role in differentiating malignant adrenal masses in all patients, especially in those with vague symptoms. Radical excision of the mass and appropriate adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy improve the outcome for patients.

Wandering spleen in an adult man associated with the horseshoe kidney.

INTRODUCTION: A wandering spleen occurs when there is a laxity of the ligaments that fix the spleen in its normal anatomical position. CASE PRESENTATION: This is a case report of a wandering spleen with horseshoe kidney in a 29-year-old male admitted with acute lower abdominal pain and vomiting to emergency department of Shariati hospital in Isfahan province. Sonographic examination showed a homogeneous 21 × 15 × 8 cm mass in the lower part of the abdomen and pelvis associated with a horseshoe kidney. Laparotomy confirmed the clinical and ultrasound findings. CONCLUSIONS: The association of horseshoe kidney with a wandering spleen in this case may be due to an embryological anomaly.

Adverse reactions of prophylactic intravenous immunoglobulin infusions in Iranian patients with primary immunodeficiency.

BACKGROUND: Although long-term intravenous immunoglobulin infusion is an effective treatment for children with antibody deficiencies, it can be complicated by systemic adverse reactions. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the adverse reactions of intravenous immunoglobulin therapy in patients with primary immunodeficiency. METHODS: Seventy-one immunodeficient patients receiving intravenous immunoglobulin were evaluated during a 7-year period (1995-2002) at Children's Medical Center in Tehran, Iran. Immunological diagnoses were as follows: common variable immunodeficiency (31 patients), X-linked agammaglobulinemia (25 patients), IgG subclass deficiency (5 patients), hyper-IgM syndrome (2 patients), and ataxia-telangiectasia (8 patients). RESULTS: One hundred fifty-two cases (12.35%) of adverse reactions occurred following 1,231 infusions in 35 patients. The most frequent immediate adverse reactions were mild reactions (131 infusions), including chills, fever, flushing, muscle pains, nausea, headache, and anxiety. Moderate reactions, such as vomiting, chest pain, and wheezing, occurred in 19 infusions. Two patients experienced severe adverse reactions. The highest proportion (23.06%) of reaction to injection was in patients with common variable immunodeficiency. CONCLUSIONS: Intravenous immunoglobulin is a well tolerated medical agent for patients with antibody deficiency. However, to prevent occurrence of immediate adverse reactions during infusion in these patients, physicians should perform a detailed history and proper physical examination and check the titer of anti-IgA.