PlasmaKinetic™ (bipolar) transurethral resection of prostate: a prospective trial to study pathological artefacts, surgical parameters and clinical outcomes.

INTRODUCTION: The aims of the study were to compare the degree of cautery artefacts in prostatic chips between monopolar and PlasmaKinetic™ transurethral resection of prostate (TURP), and to determine if there is any difference in the intraoperative and post surgical parameters between them. METHODS: After institutional review board approval, patients were prospectively enrolled to undergo PlasmaKinetic™ TURP. Their parameters were compared with those of the historical monopolar TURP controls. All histological specimens were reviewed by a single senior pathologist. RESULTS: 46 patients were recruited to undergo PlasmaKinetic™ TURP. The resection time was significantly longer for the bipolar group compared to the monopolar group (50.2 versus 36.7 min, p-value is 0.001). The speed of resection (resection weight/time) was lower for the bipolar group (0.45 versus 0.56 g/min, p-value is 0.017). More irrigant was used for the bipolar group (21.2 versus 15.6 litres, p-value is 0.001) intraoperatively. There was no statistically significant difference in terms of intraoperative drop in haemoglobin and serum sodium change between the two groups. There seems to be a lesser degree of cautery artefacts in the PlasmaKinetic™ group than the monopolar group (42.17 versus 45.07 microns); however, this was not statistically significant (p-value is 0.452). CONCLUSION: Bipolar TURP seems to result in a lesser degree of cautery artefacts when compared to conventional monopolar TURP, albeit statistically insignificant, compared to monopolar TURP. TURP also resulted in a longer resection time and increased irrigant use, but no difference in blood loss and serum sodium levels.

Clinical application of fluorescence endoscopic imaging using hypericin for the diagnosis of human oral cavity lesions.

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of oral cancer is conventionally carried out using white light endoscopy and histopathology of biopsy samples. However, oral tumours are mostly superficial and the lesion and its margins can be difficult to visualise under white light. We present clinical data on fluorescence diagnostic imaging of oral lesions using hypericin, a plant-based photosensitiser. METHODS: Fluorescence images of lesions and normal tissue were captured using an endoscope after hypericin administration. The images were analysed to extract their colour parameters, which, along with the red-to-blue intensity ratios, were analysed and used to discriminate between tissue types. The results were correlated with those from histopathology. RESULTS: The red-to-blue intensity ratio increased from normal to hyperplastic to cancerous tissue and was a good parameter to discriminate between these tissue types, with sensitivity and specificity levels of 90% and above. CONCLUSION: Our results show that hypericin fluorescence imaging has the potential to be used for the clinical diagnosis of oral cancer. Further study to enhance the clinical potential of this technique includes the development of a real-time image processing and analysis system interfaced to the endoscope to enable same-day cancer diagnosis and demarcation of lesion margins in a clinical setting.

Clinical mimicry of hepatocellular carcinoma: imaging-pathological correlation.

This pictorial essay aims to show the clinical mimicry of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and its diagnostic difficulty, and to create awareness among clinicians and radiologists of potential diagnostic pitfalls. A selected consecutive series of hepatectomies with proven HCC over a three-year period, identifying clinical presentation, blood results and imaging of patients with difficult preoperative diagnosis, was reviewed. The imaging of the focal liver lesions is presented pictorially with pathological correlation. Six patients out of 34 cases of resected HCC were diagnosed to have benign (three liver abscesses) and neoplastic (one Klatskin tumour, one colorectal liver metastasis, one gallbladder cancer) conditions. Compared to the rest in the series, all six patients had normal serum alpha fetoprotein levels. On computed tomography, the mosaic appearance of HCC mimicked locules of liver abscess while HCC with pseudocapsule (rim enhancement) was misdiagnosed as unilocular abscess or metastatic lesion. Arterial enhancement on contrast-enhanced triphasic computed tomography was useful in diagnosis of HCC. In summary, HCC can mimic benign and neoplastic clinical syndromes. The diagnosis of liver abscess can delay subsequent diagnosis of HCC and potentially complicate the treatment plan. Contrast-enhanced triphasic computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging is useful to resolve difficult diagnosis, especially when the serum alpha fetoprotein level is not raised.

A case of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx manifesting as acute abdomen.

INTRODUCTION: Squamous cell head and neck cancers are usually confined to local and regional sites but occasionally, patients may present with rare manifestations of distant metastases. CLINICAL PICTURE: A 23-year-old female was treated with concurrent chemo-radiotherapy for stage IVA post-cricoid squamous cell carcinoma. A month later, she presented with acute abdomen and was found to have extensive peritoneal nodules at laparotomy. Intestinal obstruction soon followed. TREATMENT: She was managed conservatively for the intestinal obstruction and given weekly paclitaxel. OUTCOME: She continued to deteriorate and succumbed shortly after the diagnosis of carcinomatosis peritoneii. CONCLUSION: This rare and aggressive presentation reminds us to be cognizant of relapsed head and neck cancers manifesting atypically, and the need for more aggressive search of distant disease in at least some subgroups of head and neck cancer.

Abnormalities of the ARF-p53 pathway in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is associated with heavy smoking and drinking, but the molecular pathway of tumorigenesis is not understood. Inactivation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene is likely to play an important role since p53 mutation is frequently found. The p14ARF tumor suppressor gene is functionally linked to p53, because it is activated by oncogenes and causes p53-dependent growth arrest and apoptosis. The relationship between p14ARF and p53 inactivation has not been described for OSCC. We studied 25 cases of OSCC to determine if there is an inverse correlation between p53 mutation and p14ARF inactivation by homozygous deletion or mutation. p53 mutation was found in 16 of 25 cases (64%), including nine missense and seven truncating mutations. While all cases with missense mutations showed abnormal accumulation of p53 protein, there were also five carcinomas which showed increased p53 staining in the absence of mutation. p14ARF deletion or mutation was found in eight cases (32%), six of which also demonstrated p53 mutation. Our findings indicate that OSCC often involves loss of both p14ARF and p53 function and suggest that inactivation of these two tumor suppressor genes are not functionally equivalent during tumorigenesis.

Multicentricity in papillary thyroid carcinoma: analysis of predictive factors.

OBJECTIVES: Multicentricity has been cited as a rationale for total thyroidectomy in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) confined to one lobe. The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of multicentricity of PTC in a cohort of 165 patients with PTC confined to one lobe and to examine clinical and pathologic features that may help predict for the presence of contralateral disease. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Tertiary care hospital. METHOD: A retrospective review of 165 patients with PTC confined to one lobe treated at the Toronto General Hospital from 1992 to 1997 was performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The predictive factors affecting the presence of multicentricity of PTC were analyzed. RESULTS: The incidence of PTC present in the contralateral lobe was 56.3%. We were unable to find any correlation of multicentricity with age, sex, tumour size, extrathyroidal spread, thyroiditis, or tall cell variant of PTC. There were trends toward higher incidence of contralateral disease in those patients with a prior history of irradiation and those with lymphatic metastases, but these trends did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of contralateral disease in papillary thyroid cancer treated at the Toronto Hospital was 56.3%. There was a higher incidence of contralaterality in those patients with a previous history of irradiation and in those with lymphatogenous metastases, but this did not reach statistical significance.

Amelioration of disease severity by intraarticular hylan therapy in bilateral canine osteoarthritis.

Because of its high molecular weight, the glycosaminoglycan molecule hyaluronan is responsible for the viscoelastic properties of normal synovial fluid. In osteoarthritis, the concentration and molecular weight of hyaluronan in synovial fluid is diminished: this impairs the ability of synovial fluid to effectively lubricate joints, absorb loads, and exert anti-inflammatory effects. Using a bilateral anterior cruciate-ligament transection and partial neurectomy canine model of osteoarthritis, this study examined the effect of viscosupplementation with hylan G-F 20 as a treatment for osteoarthritis. Twelve dogs underwent bilateral arthroscopic anterior cruciate-ligament transections and partial neurectomy of the knee joints. Beginning 1 week after the operation, six dogs received three weekly 500-microl injections of hylan G-F 20 in one knee and a sham injection of saline solution in the contralateral knee (early-treatment group). The remaining six animals underwent the same treatment 2 months following the procedure (late-treatment group). All dogs were killed at 8 months, and both knees were evaluated for gross pathology, histology, and proteoglycan content. In addition, with use of 500-MHz [1H] magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the synovial fluid from both knees was assessed for changes in metabolic profile. Differences in outcome were analyzed with paired t tests. Gross pathological and histological examination revealed significantly less severe changes of osteoarthritis in knees treated with hylan G-F 20 2 months after surgery than in the contralateral untreated knees. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the specimens in this late-treatment group showed significantly decreased glucose concentrations and significantly elevated isoleucine levels in the synovial fluid from knees treated with hylan G-F 20 compared with the controls. Previous magnetic resonance spectroscopy had shown that glucose concentrations increase with the onset of osteoarthritis and eventually diminish in end-stage osteoarthritis. The three injections of hylan were given after osteoarthritis was established, and the severity of the disease was ameliorated in the treated knees 6 months after treatment. This occurred although hylan G-F 20 is almost certainly cleared from joints by lymphatics within 4 weeks of injection, suggesting that hylan therapy can retard the progression of osteoarthritis for periods of time extending beyond the intraarticular residence time of the injected molecules and that hylan injections given at relatively early stages of osteoarthritis may have a chondroprotective effect. No changes in outcome were noted in the animals that received hylan G-F 20 immediately following surgery.

A central giant cell granuloma influenced by pregnancy.

A case of a 17-year-old patient with exacerbation of a central giant cell granuloma of the mandible during pregnancy is reported. The possible relationship of the giant cell lesion to a pre-existing fibrous dysplasia is considered although there was lack of histological evidence.

Pediatric malignant ovarian tumors: a 43-year review.

Thirty-eight girls with malignant ovarian tumors were reviewed and studied during a 43-year period, 1945 to 1988 inclusive. The age range was 3 to 16 years. Eighteen girls were prepubertal and 16 were pubertal at diagnosis. Precocious puberty was noted in 4 children. The most common presenting symptoms and signs were pain, abdominal swelling, and pelvic mass. Emergency surgery for acute pain (? appendicitis) was needed in only 7 patients. Tumor size and cysts did not relate to histology or outcome. Tumors were classified histologically (germ cell, sex cord/stromal, epithelial tumors). Twenty-one (54%) of the patients survived 1 to 27 years (median, 8 years). Sixteen were left with ovarian tissue, 11 functioning. Diagnosis and treatment have been aided by better noninvasive radiological methods, tumor markers, newer and better chemotherapy, and pathological review and reclassification of these tumors as pediatric experience slowly increases. We can make at least four statements that differ from our past experience: (1) pure endodermal sinus tumor was previously confused histologically with embryonal carcinoma; (2) gonadoblastoma is associated with 45,X/46,Y, 45,X, or 46,Y karyotype and is known to be premalignant; (3) sex cord/stromal tumors are not necessarily malignant and metastatic behavior cannot be predicted from the histology; and (4) currently, epithelial tumors are classified as cystadenomas and are considered to be borderline malignancy. Current management should aim at both cure and preservation of fertility with conservative surgery whenever possible. The future must lie in chemotherapy.

Acinic cell tumour: a metastasis in the lung diagnosed by electron microscopy of aspirated material.

A case of acinic cell carcinoma, metastatic to lung is presented. Fine needle aspiration showed a low-grade adenocarcinoma. Electron microscopy of the aspirated material, however, allowed definite preoperative diagnosis of metastatic acinic cell carcinoma. The lesion was successfully resected and diagnosis confirmed on histology. Ten years previously an acinic cell carcinoma of similar histology had been excised from the left parotid region.

The spectrum of lymphoma in Malaysia: a histopathological study utilizing immunophenotyping.

A retrospective study was made to determine relative incidence of lymphoma subtypes in Malaysia. High grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was found to be common. Low grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease were relatively rare in this Malaysian series. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of B-cell immunophenotype was four times as common as that of T-cell lineage. There was a high incidence of primary extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Magnetic resonance imaging of cystic, partially differentiated nephroblastoma.

The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance of a cystic, partially differentiated nephroblastoma is described, together with pathologic correlation. The difficulty in reaching a correct preoperative diagnosis even with multimodal imaging techniques is emphasized. MRI is an adjunct to ultrasonography and may be superior to computerized tomography (CT) scan in the evaluation of a child with multiloculated cystic renal mass.

Rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate in childhood: current challenges.

Since 1978, six boys with prostatic rhabdomyosarcoma have been treated at our institution. Three had localized disease and were managed by initial biopsy, vincristine, actinomycin-D, and cyclophosphamide (VAC) chemotherapy, and bladder-sparing surgery with or without irradiation. Further combination chemotherapy ("pulse" VAC, Adriamycin, VP-16, cisplatin, and ifosfamide) was continued for 20 to 22 months following the induction course. Two boys had microscopic residual disease undetected by frozen section and unresponsive to radiotherapy. Subsequent total cystectomy 4 and 7 months later resulted in eradication of disease. In one patient, preservation of the bladder was achieved at the age of 3 months for 8 years. Artificial sphincter inserted to cure his urinary incontinence failed because of ischemia secondary to cuff compression and scar tissue. He is alive today with a modified Koch pouch urinary diversion. Of the 50% who had metastatic disease at presentation, two were dead within 12 months despite aggressive chemotherapy and irradiation. The third is currently on treatment. Although chemotherapy has markedly improved the prognosis, surgery is still necessary in most cases for cure. Bladder salvage is a desirable goal; however, residual microscopic disease, difficulty with frozen-section disease detection, and poor tissue vascularization for subsequent sphincter replacement remain significant obstacles.

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy: report of two cases.

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of childhood is a rare lesion, but its presentation appears to be quite characteristic and a clinical diagnosis may be made with some confidence. Although this is an extremely rapidly growing, aggressive tumor, local excision appears to be adequate for cure.

Mesenchymal hamartoma in a 10-month-old infant: appearance by magnetic resonance imaging.

A previously well 10-month-old infant boy presented with a large hepatic tumor. Its sonographic and computed tomographic appearances were similar to those reportedly found in mesenchymal hamartomas. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed a multiseptated mass with fluid-filled compartments and some displacement of major intra-abdominal vessels. This appears to be the first report of MR imaging of a mesenchymal hamartoma.

Effect of esophageal ligation on the growth of fetal rabbits.

Controversy continues regarding the nutritional value to the fetus of swallowed amniotic fluid. To clarify this issue further, esophageal ligations were performed to prevent deglutition in utero in 63 fetal rabbits during the final trimester of pregnancy. Compared with sham-operated littermate controls, the fetuses that were ligated for periods of 4, 5, or 6 days showed significant reductions in weight of 6.1, 18.9, and 9.2%, respectively. These results compare well with the magnitude of weight reduction seen clinically in patients with esophageal atresia. Significant but less consistent reductions were also noted in crown-rump length and biparietal diameter. No significant differences were seen in either body composition or gastrointestinal tract histology. These results indicate that swallowed amniotic fluid does play a role in fetal nutrition and may be particularly important in the later stages of gestation when placental function is limited.

Fibrous hamartoma of infancy.

We report a case of recurrent fibrous hamartoma of infancy in the inguinal region. To our knowledge this is the first such case reported, and it illustrates the benign nature and recurrent potential of the tumor.