Proliferative myositis arising in the tongue.

We describe a rare case of proliferative myositis affecting the lateral border of the tongue. The site of the lesion and its gross pathological presentation were highly suggestive of a malignant process. Subsequent biopsy and characteristic histological appearance led to the diagnosis of this benign condition. This is the first reported case of a painful presentation of proliferative myositis involving the tongue. This report serves to remind the head and neck surgeon of the need to obtain histological diagnosis of malignancy before embarking upon radical surgical treatment. We recommend careful follow-up to ensure complete resolution of the lesion.

An unusual case of Pneumocystis carinii presenting as an aural mass.

Extrapulmonary involvement of organs with the protozoan Pneumocystis carinii is rare. We describe a case of Pneumocystis carinii presenting as an erosive aural mass in a young male patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. As far as the authors are aware such an example has never been described in a British journal and is the first case worldwide where otic pneumocystosis has extended into the middle cranial fossa. We also present a review of the literature on otological manifestations of Pneumocystis carinii.

A case of malignant otitis externa following mastoidectomy.

We present a case of a 63-year-old diabetic male who developed malignant otitis externa following mastoidectomy. Extensive skull base osteomyelitis caused thrombosis of the jugular bulb and subsequent paralysis of cranial nerves VII, IX, X and XII. He was treated aggressively with intravenous antibiotics and debridement of granulation tissue in the mastoid bowl with full recovery of the cranial nerve palsies associated with recanalization of the jugular bulb. We believe this is the first reported case of malignant otitis externa to occur following mastoidectomy with complete recovery of the cranial nerve paresis.

A paradox of cerebral hyperperfusion in the face of cerebral hypotension: the effect of perfusion pressure on cerebral blood flow and metabolism during normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of perfusion pressure on cerebral blood flow (CBF) and metabolism during normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and after weaning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two groups of mongrel dogs were studied (Group A, CPB perfusion at 50 mm Hg, n = 6; and Group B, CPB perfusion at 100 mm Hg, n = 6). All animals underwent 2 h of normothermic bypass at cardiac indexes >2.1 L/min/m2 and were weaned from pump, maintained at pressures >75 mm Hg, and followed for an additional 2 h. RESULTS: In both groups CBF increased over 85% from baseline, in proportion to the hemodilution during the initiation of CPB. Intracranial pressure increased moderately in both groups during CPB, compromising CBF at 1 h in Group A, but not in Group B. The Group A cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2), however, remained unchanged as the percentage of oxygen extraction increased to compensate for the decreased CBF. During recovery, temperature, mean arterial pressure, and cerebral perfusion pressure were not significantly different between the two groups. However, the CBF, percentage of oxygen extracted, and CMRO2 were significantly lower in Group A. CONCLUSIONS: Normothermic CPB initiated with a crystalloid prime and performed at the lower end of a 50-70 mm Hg perfusion window resulted in a highly significant increase in CBF in order to compensate for hemodilution, while at the same time reduced the perfusion pressure available to supply the increased CBF. Together, these two events create a hemodynamic paradox of hyperperfusion in the face of hypotension. The reduction in CMRO2 in Group A is yet to be explained but seems to remain coupled to CBF and could represent a previously undescribed protective mechanism of hibernating cerebral tissue, similar to the phenomena of ischemic preconditioning in the heart, where cerebral tissue is stimulated to lower metabolism in response to inadequate CBF.

Successful small diameter arterial grafting using cryopreserved allograft arteries.

Intimal hyperplasia (IH) limits the long-term success of veins as arterial grafts. IH occurs in veins partly as an adaptive process to arterial pressure conditions. The authors have previously reported early success with cryopreserved (CP) saphenous veins as aortocoronary bypass grafts, and they have hypothesized that CP arterial segments were already structurally adapted for arterial conditions. Six femoral arterial segments were harvested from three adult donor dogs, and cryopreserved. The segments were thawed and implanted into six recipient dogs, in end-to-end fashion, as interpositional grafts in the femoral artery. A similar length of native femoral artery was removed from the implant site and grafted in the contralateral femoral artery of the same animal to serve as native autograft-matched controls. Grafts were harvested bilaterally after 2 (n = 3) and 4 weeks (n = 3), perfusion fixed (80 mmHg, 15 min), and analyzed histologically. All grafts were patent at harvest, and flows distal to the grafted segments were not significantly different between grafts within an animal either at implant or subsequent harvest. Although CP arterial grafts still showed slight but significant dilation compared with native autograft, the dilation was much less than seen previously with either CP or native venous segments. No evidence of inflammation or IH was seen in CP arterial grafts. The absence of early IH or inflammation suggests that CP small diameter arteries may perform better than many currently available allograft tissues and synthetic prosthetics.