An apparent primitive mass of the mesentery: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) are rare tumors. 55% of NETs originate in the gastrointestinal tract and the liver is the most common site of distant metastases. Serum chromogranin A is the most common biomarker for assessing the extent of disease and monitoring treatment; carcinoid syndrome occurs in 19% of NETs and is characterized by chronic diarrhea or flushing. Primary mesenteric NETs are rare and have been described only in case reports in literature; our case is an apparent primary mesenteric NETs with a surgical program to remove the mesenteric mass and subrenal interaortocaval and retrocaval lymphadenectomies. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 73-year old man came to us because he had been experiencing abdominal pain for a year and he had recently developed diabetes mellitus. He was an active smoker with arterial hypertension. DIAGNOSIS: After a computed tomography scan and 68 Gallium-positron emission tomography, a diagnosis of what appeared to be a primary mesenteric NET with retrocaval and interaortocaval lymph nodes was made. Laparoscopic biopsy showed NET G2 positive for serotonin, chromogranin A, synaptophysin. INTERVENTIONS: The intraoperative finding of a primitive ileum-NET changed the surgical program. We removed the mesenteric mass with the lymph nodes of the superior mesenteric vessel and the middle distal ileum along with the cecum. OUTCOMES: The postoperative course was normal, and the patient was discharged on the seventh postoperative day without signs of short bowel syndrome. Follow-up at 6 months revealed no evidence of short bowel syndrome or disease progression. CONCLUSION: 68 Gallium-positron emission tomography does not show NETs smaller than 0.5 mm. Accurate palpation of the intestine is essential during surgery for NETs for two reasons: to find the primitive, and because of the risk of multiple intestinal primitives.

Prognostic value of mediastinal lymph node enlargement in chronic interstitial lung disease.

PURPOSE: Mediastinal lymph node (MLN) enlargement detected on chest computed tomography (CT) is frequent in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and is shown in approximately 70% of cases of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We hypothesized that enlarged MLNs might be a predictor of poor prognosis, associated with lower survival and stronger disease severity. METHODS: This study included patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) or nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) from January 2009 to December 2018. Baseline chest CT scan and one-year follow-up scan of the patients were reviewed for the extent of lung fibrosis and MLNs. Two radiologists independently assessed MLN diameter and location. Patients with drug toxicity-related ILD, sarcoidosis, chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis and other rare idiopathic interstitial pneumonias were excluded. The primary endpoint was survival. Secondary endpoints included number of hospitalizations for respiratory causes, lung function evaluated by forced vital capacity (FVC) and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and lung fibrosis score determined by CT scan. RESULTS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical registries of 110 patients with chronic pulmonary fibrosis (mean age 71 years, 60.4% male). Nine participants were excluded because the CT scans were of poor diagnostic quality for the evaluation of the mediastinum or unavailable for review. The analysis of 101 patients showed that enlarged MLNs (short axis diameter ≥10 mm) were present in 50.5% (n=51) and strongly predicted survival (HR= 2.11, 95% CI 1.12-3.96, p = 0.020). Patients with MLN enlargement experienced greater number of hospitalizations for respiratory causes (mean 2.5 vs. 1.8, p = 0.010) and had significantly worse lung function parameters (FVC, 71% vs. 81%, p = 0.018 and DLCO, 40% vs. 50%, p = 0.001) and a higher lung fibrosis score (50% vs. 39%, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: In patients with IPF and NSIP, enlarged MLNs predict survival, are associated with increased number of hospitalizations, and show signs of poorer lung function and more severe fibrosis.

Surgical Resections of Superinfected Pneumatoceles in a COVID-19 Patient.

Emerging studies on radiologic findings in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) report a high incidence of bilateral lung involvement, with ground-glass opacities imaging being the most common pattern on computed tomography. Cystic lesions, such as pneumatoceles, are rare, although they may occur in 10% of cases. Cyst formation may be explained by a focal pulmonary trauma caused by mechanical ventilation or infection-related damage to the alveolar walls leading to pneumatoceles. The superinfection of pneumatoceles is a potential life-threatening condition for which no standardized therapeutic algorithm has been accepted. We report a case of a COVID-19 patient successfully treated by lung resections for infected pneumatoceles.

Comorbidities in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: an underestimated issue.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and fibrosing lung disease with a poor prognosis. Between 60% and 70% of IPF patients die of IPF; the remaining causes of death may be due to comorbidities occurring in this ageing population. Interest in the role played by comorbidities in IPF has increased in the past few years. The optimal clinical management of IPF is multifaceted and not only involves antifibrotic treatment, but also vaccinations, oxygen supplementation, evaluation of nutritional status as well as psychological support and patient education. Symptom management, pulmonary rehabilitation, palliative care and treatment of comorbidities represent further areas of clinical intervention. This review analyses the major comorbidities observed in IPF, focusing on those that have the greatest impact on mortality and quality of life (QoL). The identification and treatment of comorbidities may help to improve patients' health-related QoL (i.e. sleep apnoea and depression), while some comorbidities (i.e. lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases and pulmonary hypertension) influence survival. It has been outlined that gathering comorbidities data improves the prediction of survival beyond the clinical and physiological parameters of IPF.

Lung Cryobiopsy for the Diagnosis of Interstitial Lung Diseases: A Series Contribution to a Debated Procedure.

Introduction: Transbronchial cryobiopsy is an alternative to surgical biopsy for the diagnosis of fibrosing interstitial lung diseases, although the role of this relatively new method is rather controversial. Aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic performance and the safety of transbronchial cryobiopsy in patients with fibrosing interstitial lung disease. Materials and methods: The population in this study included patients with interstitial lung diseases who underwent cryobiopsy from May 2015 to May 2018 at the Division of Pneumology of San Giuseppe Hospital in Milan and who were retrospectively studied. All cryobiopsy procedures were performed under fluoroscopic guidance using a flexible video bronchoscope and an endobronchial blocking system in the operating room with patients under general anaesthesia. The diagnostic performance and safety of the procedure were assessed. The main complications evaluated were endobronchial bleeding and pneumothorax. All cases were studied with a multidisciplinary approach, before and after cryobiopsy. Results: Seventy-three patients were admitted to this study. A specific diagnosis was reached in 64 cases, with a diagnostic sensitivity of 88%; 5 cases (7%) were considered inadequate, 4 cases (5%) were found to be non-diagnostic. Only one major bleeding event occurred (1.4%), while 14 patients (19%) experienced mild/moderate bleeding events while undergoing bronchoscopy; 8 cases of pneumothorax (10.9%) were reported, of which 2 (2.7%) required surgical drainage. Conclusions: When performed under safe conditions and in an experienced center, cryobiopsy is a procedure with limited complications having a high diagnostic yield in fibrotic interstitial lung disease.

Diffuse cystic lung diseases: correlation between radiologic and functional status.

BACKGROUND: High-resolution CT (HRCT) scanning plays an important role in the diagnosis of diffuse cystic lung diseases (DCLDs). However, its role in the clinical evaluation of patients affected by DCLD has not yet been well-clarified. At present, pulmonary function tests are the only methods available for the evaluation of lung impairment due to these diseases, but their sensitivity and reliability are still limited. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to correlate the quantitative score of cystic-aerial lesions obtained by a HRCT density mask (DM) software with pulmonary function data in DCLDs. METHODS: Spirometry, lung volumes, diffusion capacity, arterial blood gas (ABG) analysis, 6-min walking test (6-MWT), and HRCT with DM quantitative evaluation were performed in a cohort of 25 patients (lymphangioleiomyomatosis [LAM], 13 patients; Langerhans cells histiocytosis [LCH], 12 patients). Linear regression was used for the statistical analysis. The sum and mean of the air-trapping percentages at three different levels of DM study (ie, aortic arch, left lower lobe bronchus origin, and 2 cm from the diaphragmatic muscle), and various functional parameters and exercise performance values were matched for the analysis. RESULTS: An obstructive pattern was present in 13 patients (52%; LCH group, 8 patients; LAM group, 5 patients). A predominant restrictive pattern was detected only in three patients (12%; LCH group, two patients; LAM group, one patient). Nine patients (36%) walked < 350 m, and 14 of 23 patients (61%) had a significant decrease in arterial oxygen saturation during exercise (> 4 U). The results of DM quantitative study (sum and mean) significantly correlated with FVC (r = - 0.56; p < 0.001), FEV(1)/vital capacity (r = - 0.94; p < 0.002), midexpiratory phase of forced expiratory flow (r = - 0.84; p < 0.05), FEV(1) (r = - 0.82; p < 0.05), and diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (r = - 0.82; p < 0.05), bronchial airway resistance (r = 0.79; p < 0.05), and distance walked on the 6-MWT (r = - 0.53; p < 0.05). No significant correlation was found with the results of ABG analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In DCLDs, HRCT scans with quantitative assessment performed by a DM software showed a very good correlation with functional parameters. Therefore, DM could be considered, in combination with a complete functional assessment, in the initial evaluation of patients affected by DCLDs. However, further studies are needed to assess its usefulness in the follow-up of these patients.