NonHodgkin's Lymphoma with Peritoneal Localization.

The gastrointestinal tract is the most common extranodal site involved with lymphoma accounting for 5-20% of all cases. Lymphoma can occur at any site of the body, but diffuse and extensive involvement of the peritoneal cavity is unusual and rare. We report a case of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in a 57-year-old female infiltrating the peritoneum and omentum and presenting with ascites and pleural effusion. The performed examinations did not discover any pathological findings affecting the digestive tract or parenchymal organs, except for diffuse thickening of the peritoneum and omentum. Peripheral, mediastinal, or retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy was not registered. The blood count revealed only elevated leukocytes and on examination there were no immature blood cells in the peripheral blood. The cytology from the ascites and pleural effusion did not detect any malignant cells. Due to the rapid disease progression the patient died after twenty-two days of admission. The diagnosis was discovered postmortem with the histological examination and immunohistochemical study of the material taken during the surgical laparoscopy performed four days before the lethal outcome. Although cytology is diagnostic in most cases, laparoscopy with peritoneal biopsy is the only procedure which can establish the definitive diagnosis of peritoneal lymphomatosis.

Correlation of serum leptin with anthropometric parameters and abdominal fat depots determined by ultrasonography in overweight and obese women.

Leptin is an adipocytokine that has an important role in energy homeostasis and therefore in the patho-physiology of obesity. Leptin levels are influenced by many factors such as gender, race, energy intake, fat mass, etc. The aim of our study is to investigate the relationship of circulating leptin levels to anthropometric parameters and to the subcutaneous and visceral fat tissue determined by ultrasonography in healthy overweight and obese women. The study included 50 healthy women, with body mass index (BMI) above 25 kg/m2. Measurements of anthropometric parameters were performed with a standardized technique. The subcutaneous and visceral fat tissue was measured with ultrasound 1 cm above the umbilicus. Leptin was determined by radioimmunoassay. The serum leptin levels presented a positive correlation between the levels of leptin and BMI (r-0.73, p<0.05) waist circumference (r-0.73, p<0.05) hip circumference (r-0.74, p<0.05), thigh circumference (r-0.56, p<0.05) and abdominal subcutaneous fat tissue (r- 0.46, p<0.05). There was no correlation between leptin and visceral fat tissue, waist to hip and waist to thigh ratio. The results of our study confirmed the correlation between leptin and BMI. The correlation between leptin and all measured circumferences cannot be attributed to a particular fat depot, but rather reflect the correlation between this adipocytokine and the total body fat. The subcutaneous fat depot determined by ultrasound showed a correlation with leptin, while this kind of connection was not established for the visceral fat tissue.

Small bowel diverticulosis as a cause of ileus: a case report.

Small bowel diverticulosis (SBD) is a rare condition. In most cases it is asymptomatic, but sometimes it can be manifested with chronic non-specific or acute symptoms. Because of the absence of pathognomonic signs and symptoms and truly reliable diagnostic tests, SBD is hard to diagnose and this is usually done incidentally by radiographic examination or during laparatomy. For uncomplicated patients, those with chronic abdominal pain, syndromes of malabsorption related to jejunoileal diverticulosis, bacterial overgrowth or an episode of intestinal obstruction, as in our case, conservative management is the initial option for treatment. A case of a patient with obstructive symptoms of the gastrointestinal tract due to SBD that was conservatively treated and had a positive outcome is presented.

Choledochal cysts: diagnosis and treatment.

The aim of this study is to show the different diagnostic procedures and treatment in patients diagnosed with congenital choledochal cysts. Choledochal cysts are congenital anomalies of the bile ducts and include cystic dilatation of the extrahepatic and intrahepatic biliary ducts or both. The study shows ten patients diagnosed as having choledochal cysts. Diagnosis was established by clinical and radiographic findings including: ultrasound (US), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatograpy (MRCP), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography (PTC) and cytological examination of the bile juice. In the study choledochal cysts were classified according to the Todani classification. Most common cysts were type I (six cases); type III (one case), type IVa (one case) and two patients were type V cysts (Caroli disease). The most frequent symptoms were abdominal pain, jaundice and cholangitis. US findings were sensitive for the preliminary diagnosis of choledochal cysts in all the patients. MRCP accurately defined the cyst anatomy and the site of the biliary origin in all the cases with extrahepatic cysts. In three cases ERCP clearly demonstrated the cyst and by PTC smaller cysts were well defined. Cytological examination of the bile juice obtained during the PTC procedure showed malignant cells in one case. Therefore pancreaticoduodenectomy was performed and pathological examination showed associated cholangiocarcinoma. Five years after the operation the patient was well and free of the disease. Five patients underwent surgical treatment with a total cyst excision and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy while the surgical approach in two patients was partial cyst excision and cystojejunostomy. Patients with Caroli disease were conservatively treated and 3 with interventional endoscopic procedures. Despite US evidence suggesting choledochal cyst diagnosis, other supportive radiographic imaging modalities such as MRCP, ERCP and PTC are required to define the precise cyst anatomy and are essential for the preoperative assessment. Total cyst excision is recommended for reducing cyst-related complications and risk of cholangiocarcinoma.

Obstructive jaundice caused by pancreatic head malignancies are there predictive factors for successful endoscopic biliary stenting?

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography provides precise imaging of malignant biliopancreatic strictures and allows palliative treatment with endoscopic stenting. Initial successful biliary stenting can be achieved in about 69-100% of patients with pancreatic head malignancies. Preliminary data from our Clinic reported a much lower success rate of endoscopic biliary stenting in obstructive jaundice caused by pancreatic head malignancies. These findings may be because patients are referred at more advanced stages, which could contribute to the lower success rate of biliary stenting. We aimed to determine the success rate of endoscopic biliary stenting prospectively in 50 patients with pancreatic head malignancies and to asses if clinical, laboratory and ultrasound findings can be predictive of success and safety in biliary stenting. Initial successful biliary stenting was achieved in 70% of our patients. No major complications (perforation, severe pancreatitis, massive bleeding, death) were noted. We were able to identify factors predictive of a lower success rate which were associated with a more advanced disease and a longer delay before treatment. Based on our results, we conclude that ERCP should be offered without delay as a primary treatment option for all patients with unresectable pancreatic head malignancy and as a possible treatment option in patients with resectable malignancy who are poor candidates for surgery.