The Implications of Mental Health and Trauma in Interstitial Cystitis.

This review aims to assess the relationship between interstitial cystitis (IC) and significant traumatic events or PTSD. It was shown that there is a strong correlation between past trauma and the development of interstitial cystitis, as well as a much higher incidence of PTSD in patients diagnosed with IC. It was also established that for individuals with early traumatic experiences, the more likely the development of IC later in life, and with more severe symptoms and adverse effects on quality of life. We describe three distinct hypotheses for the possible physiologic mechanism for development of IC with relation to mental health and trauma, although definitive evidence in this area is still lacking, which poses interesting avenues for further research. This review also revealed an apparent lack of, and need for, trauma informed care and screening for PTSD in patients diagnosed with IC or other chronic pain syndromes.

The use of flutamide for the neoadjuvant treatment of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma: a review of the literature comparing results by pubertal status and tumor stage.

BACKGROUND: Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA) is a rare but potentially life-threatening fibrovascular tumor that is seen almost exclusively in adolescent males and usually presents with symptoms of nasal obstruction or severe epistaxis. The current gold standard of treatment consists of complete surgical resection; however, this is inherently challenging because of the tumor's invasive nature and a substantial risk of intraoperative hemorrhage. Flutamide, an anti-androgen antineoplastic agent, has been used preoperatively in attempts to reduce tumor volume allowing for surgical resection with more conservative procedural techniques and reduce intraoperative blood loss. METHODS: A literature review of PubMed and CINAHL was used to identify and analyze 29 male patients with JNA to determine the efficacy of the preoperative use of flutamide. RESULTS: Our analyses indicate that flutamide may be effective as a neoadjuvant agent by reducing tumor volume prior to resection in some patients but seemed to be more effective in the early stages of JNA without advanced tumor invasion. However, individual tumor response to flutamide was variable. Additionally, postpubertal patients seemed to demonstrate a greater reduction in tumor volume with flutamide compared to their prepubertal counterparts. Dosing regimen and side effects associated with flutamide therapy are also discussed. CONCLUSION: Flutamide may be an effective neoadjuvant therapy in some cases of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma, but larger scale, case-control studies are likely needed to further expand on this conclusion. Postpubertal males with early-stage disease seemed to be the population that may benefit most from this treatment protocol.

An unusual pediatric case of atypical spitzoid neoplasm.

Spitzoid melanocytic lesions describe a spectrum of pediatric melanocytic proliferations ranging from benign Spitz nevi to malignant spitzoid melanomas typically arising within the first two decades of life. Atypical spitzoid neoplasm (ASN) is a poorly defined category within this spectrum that poses a unique diagnostic challenge due to histologic findings with insufficient atypical characteristics to make the diagnosis of melanoma. This report presents an exceptionally rare case of an ulcerative atypical spitzoid neoplasm mimicking an infantile hemangioma in a two-month-old girl treated with pulse dyed laser (PDL) and surgical excision. Our patient ultimately underwent five excisions over a 2-year period, with successful maintenance of function and dexterity of the affected fingers.