Early pseudoaneurysm degeneration in biologic extracellular matrix patch for carotid repair.

A newly-approved carotid patch, derived from porcine small intestinal submucosa (SIS), is thought to allow functional tissue regeneration by acting as a biologic scaffold of extracellular matrix. We report three cases of asymptomatic pseudoaneurysm after SIS patch closure. At exploration there were intact suture lines, no growth from cultures, and central patch herniation. Histopathologic examination showed postendarterectomy neointima in the artery and disorganized collagen in the pseudoaneurysm. SIS patch remnants adjacent to macrophage infiltration and neovascularization indicated ongoing processes of degradation and synthesis. Imbalances between degradation and host tissue synthesis are problems that may unpredictably affect SIS patch integrity.

Pearls & Oy-sters: Pivoting Treatment Regimens of Pediatric Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumors to Optimize Care in Adult ATRT: A Case Report.

Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor (ATRT) is a highly malignant embryonal tumor of the CNS, largely affecting pediatric patients, with exceedingly rare cases in adults at an estimated annual incidence of 1/1,000,000. We report a unique case of ATRT in a 43-year-old female patient who first presented with progressive focal headaches. Imaging revealed a sellar mass with suprasellar extensions, which was partially removed via a transsphenoidal resection. The tumor aggressively recurred just 1 month postoperatively. Her care team pursued a novel treatment plan by using a slightly modified COG ACNS 0332 regimen, which involved radiation, followed by 4 cycles of monthly chemotherapy including vincristine, cyclophosphamide, and cisplatin. Hematopoietic stem cells were collected between radiation and chemotherapy in the event that the patient required stem cell salvage therapy postadjuvant chemotherapy. The MRIs taken at 2 and 4 months postrecurrence indicated a substantial decrease in tumor volume, with corresponding clinical improvements to cranial nerve deficits. Given the scarcity of literature on adult cases of ATRT and the lack of a standard of care for these cases, discussing the efficacy of our patient's treatment plan may aid clinical decision making for adult ATRT cases.

Internal hemorrhoid harboring adenocarcinoma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of carcinoma found within an internal hemorrhoid specimen is exceptionally rare. Further, the presence of primary anal canal adenocarcinoma within internal hemorrhoids is even more infrequent. We describe a case in which anal canal adenocarcinoma was found within an internal hemorrhoidectomy specimen and perform a review of the current literature. CASE SUMMARY: The patient was a 79-year-old male who presented with rectal bleeding and was found to have large thrombosed internal hemorrhoids during screening colonoscopy. The patient subsequently underwent a three-column hemorrhoi-dectomy. Pathologic analysis revealed one of three specimens containing a 1.5 cm moderate-to-poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma of anal origin with superficial submucosal invasion. At three-month follow up, he was taken to the operating theatre for biopsy and re-excision of his non-healing wound, which showed no recurrence. His wound has since healed and he was cancer free at ten-month follow up. CONCLUSION: When faced with primary anal canal adenocarcinoma an interdisciplinary approach to treatment should be considered. Routine pathological analysis of hemorrhoidectomy specimens may be beneficial due to the severity of anal canal carcinomas if left undiagnosed and untreated in a timely manner.

Well-Differentiated Papillary Mesothelioma with Omental Calcifications: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND Omental calcifications of the peritoneum are typically small and asymptomatic. However, larger psammomatous bodies that cause symptoms such as abdominal pain and bloating are often associated with tumors such as primary serous papillary carcinoma, mesothelioma, or metastatic ovarian cancer. CASE REPORT We describe omental calcifications in a 68-year-old woman who had been asymptomatic for the last 10 years. The case details the histomorphologic features and immunohistochemical signature of a 4.0×3.5×1.0 cm mass consisting of mature adipose tissue that was surgically removed together with an 8.5×6.5×1.8 cm irregular intra-abdominal/mesenteric mass composed of yellow-red fatty tissue. Microscopic sections contained fat with variable clustered classic/psammomatous calcifications, some with a thin epithelioid periphery, in association with a very focal and subtle papillary surface epithelial/mesothelial proliferation. Tumor cell invasion was not observed during examination. Immunohistochemical staining showed that mesothelial cells in the mass were strongly positive for calretinin and focally positive for EMA, CK903, and vimentin. Strong nuclear positivity for PAX8 was also reported. Additional stains were added in response to this pattern, showing strong positivity for CK8, moderate positivity for BAP1, focal positivity for ER, minimal positivity for CD56, and negativity for CK5/6 and D2-40. Three possible explanations are suggested for the phenomenon observed in the pathology slides: reactive mesothelial hyperplasia, well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma, or serous papillary carcinoma of the peritoneum. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that these calcifications are a benign, reactive phenomenon, and that the abundance of psammoma bodies may be related to ongoing crops of papillary mesothelial hyperplasia or benign well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma.

Hypervascular neck mass as the initial presentation of papillary thyroid cancer: A case report and review of current literature.

BACKGROUND: Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma presenting initially as a hypervascular mass is exceedingly rare. The objective of this paper was to present the rare pathology along with the utilization of multimodal imaging to establish a correct diagnosis along with current management and review of literature. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 33 year old male who presented with a left-sided neck mass. CT with contrast of the neck revealed a hypervascular, ring enhancing, complex cystic lesion in the left sub-clavicular and supraclavicular neck deep to the SCM, with accompanying edema. The differential diagnosis was broad and difficult to achieve given the fine needle aspiration biopsy was inconclusive. Eventually, the patient underwent a total thyroidectomy with a left modified radical neck dissection, central neck dissection, and partial resection of sternocleidomastoid muscle. CONCLUSION: A large hypervascular mass presenting as a papillary thyroid carcinoma is difficult to discern but with combination of ultrasonography, soft tissue CT and angiography imaging, along with fine needle aspiration, and possible use of MRI would be successful in narrowing down the differential list to the final diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma, supporting the need for punctual surgical intervention.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast - Discordant size on imaging and pathology: A case report and review of literature.

INTRODUCTION: Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is an uncommon tumour of the breast. It is known for its rare lymph node involvement and distant metastasis. A triple-negative breast cancer that has a favorable prognosis compared to other triple negative ductal carcinomas, it accounts for approximately 0.1-1% of all breast cancers. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We report a case of a 69-year-old female with a palpable left breast mass who underwent multiple imaging modalities with significant size variance between the studies. Breast conserving therapy (BCT) was performed with axillary sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) followed by radiation therapy (RT). Pathological examination confirmed the tumour as ACC. DISCUSSION: ACC, known as an persistent if low-grade malignant tumour of salivary gland, is considered to have low-malignant potential in the breast. It is a very rare subtype and from this scant data, there is minimal mention about size discrepancy between imaging modalities such as ultrasound and MRI.No consistent MRI features have been demonstrated, with the exception of T2 hyperintensity in larger lesions and T2 iso-intensity in smaller lesions. Ultrasound demonstrates primarily a hypoechoic or heterogenous mass with minimum vascularity, consistent with our radiographic findings. CONCLUSION: ACC is a rare entity in breast cancer pathology. Its size can be highly variable as measured by various radiographic modalities, and final Pathology from the surgical specimen is, as always, required for an accurate tumoral diameter. With that caveat, careful utilization of pre-operative imaging modalities is critical in pre-surgical planning to choose the appropriate surgery.

Simultaneous resection of a gastric submucosal lipoma in the setting of bariatric surgery: A case report and review of current literature.

INTRODUCTION: Gastric submucosal lipoma is an uncommon finding in the stomach. A benign fatty tumor that is asymptomatic majority of the time. However, symptomatic and bigger tumors can be difficult to manage surgically and require detailed surgical planning prior to proceeding with bariatric surgery. PRESENTATION OF CASE: 58year old female who presented for weight loss consultation. Underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) that demonstrated a 3cm mass near the incisura. Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and biopsy demonstrated a submucosal lipoma. Due to the lipoma's location, resection was critical, as it would have led to obstructive symptoms following sleeve gastrectomy. The patient underwent a simultaneous laparoscopic vertical gastrectomy, gastric lipoma excision, EGD, and laparoscopic cholecystectomy DISCUSSION: Gastric lipomas are benign gastric submucosal tumors, representing less than 3% of all benign gastric neoplasms. Computer tomography and endoscopic ultrasound are important in establishing diagnosis. In current literature, excision with negative margins is standard of care, but small asymptomatic lesions can be followed without intervention. CONCLUSION: Gastric lipoma are a rare type of gastric submucosal tumors. Size is highly variable. Observation is a reasonable approach when small and asymptomatic, but multiple surgical modalities can be utilized to remove the tumor. Careful utilization of pre-operative imaging including EUS is critical in choosing the appropriate surgery if simultaneous bariatric management is undertaken.

Serratia Liver Abscess Infection and Cardiomyopathy in a Patient with Diabetes Mellitus: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND Liver abscesses remain difficult to diagnose and treat. Risk factors include diabetes mellitus, liver cirrhosis, and immunodeficiency. The majority are pyogenic, resulting from bacterial infection. Research identifies species in the Serratia genus as the cause of pyogenic liver abscesses in only 0.25% of cases and only 1 Serratia species in each case appears to have been identified. To the best of our knowledge, the present case report is the first to involve overlapping Serratia species in a single liver abscess infection that induced cardiomyopathy. CASE REPORT A 45-year-old woman presented to our Emergency Department (ED) for severe generalized weakness. Initial test results indicated a diagnosis of microcytic anemia, hypomagnesemia, hypokalemia, hypocalcemia, hyperglycemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and severe heart failure. A computed tomography scan showed a 10-cm rim-enhancing fluid collection in the right hepatic lobe. Fluid drained from the suspected abscess tested positive for Serratia marcescens and Streptococcus viridans. The patient was treated with ceftriaxone and metronidazole, which she tolerated well. The abscess decreased to less than 9.8 mm. Twenty-one weeks after discharge, the patient received a cholecystectomy. Fluid drained from the residual abscess cultured positive for a different Serratia species, S. odorifera. CONCLUSIONS Diabetes mellitus and acute cholecystitis were key factors in the initial infections and abscess. We also suspect this is a rare case of cardiomyopathy induced by a Serratia infection. The source of the Serratia odorifera is less certain, as it postdates placement of a percutaneous drain, raising the potential for a nosocomial infection but not precluding the possibility that both Serratia species were previously present.

Metastatic recurrence to a solitary lymph node four years after hepatic lobectomy for primary hepatocellular carcinoma.

This report describes a patient that developed recurrent metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) to a suprapancreatic lymph node four years after being treated for primary HCC via complete left hepatectomy. Metastatic HCC was proven by pathologic confirmation. The report addresses the role of surgical resection as a treatment modality for recurrent HCC to solitary lymph nodes. The role of biological chemotherapy as adjuvant treatment is also addressed.