Mediastinal papillary thyroid carcinoma treated by video-assisted thoracic surgery - Case report.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: The mediastinal ectopic thyroid gland is rare and usually asymptomatic. Ectopic thyroid tissue has malignant potential, but ectopic thyroid cancers are extremely rare, particularly mediastinal thyroid cancer, with only five cases reported in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: A 73 years-old male patient diagnosed with multinodular goitre with two FLUS cytology was summited to an uneventful total thyroidectomy. Pathology revealed 8 synchronous papillary carcinomas in both thyroid lobes. Follow-up identified persistent elevation of thyroglobulin. A cervical ultrasound and cervical and thoracic CT scan were performed, identifying a mediastinal tumour of 6 × 3 cm. Resection was performed by video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). Pathology identified an ectopic mediastinal thyroid with a 4 mm papillary microcarcinoma. Recovery was uneventful and the patient is currently asymptomatic. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: There is no consensus on the best treatment strategy for mediastinal ectopic thyroid, but surgical resection is advised as being the only method allowing for a complete cure. Although both thoracotomy and sternotomy approaches have been usually used for mediastinal thyroid tumours resection, the thoracoscopic approach has been used with good results in recent years. Thoracoscopy has better visualization, less morbimortality, and faster recovery. Giant masses (>10 cm) are the only limitation for VATS. CONCLUSION: Ectopic mediastinal thyroid is extremely rare, and its malignant transformation is even rarer. There is no consensus on the best treatment strategy, but surgical resection of the mediastinal thyroid is advised. VATS is a safe and feasible minimally invasive technique with good outcomes.

Hepatic resection due to a fish bone.

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE: Hepatic abscess due to foreign body is rare. Diagnosis is difficult and drainage may not be enough. Hepatic resection may be indicated. CASE PRESENTATION: A 76yo male patient resorted to the emergency room because of fever and abdominal pain. Abdominal CT diagnosed a hepatic abscess in the left lobe due to a fishbone. Percutaneous and surgical drainage failed. Laparotomic hepatic resection was necessary. The patient was discharged asymptomatic. CLINICAL DISCUSSION: Liver abscess due to foreign body usually occur in the left lobe. Drainage and removal of the foreign body are mandatory and can be achieved either by percutaneous or surgical drainage. Resection is rarely indicated but sometimes is the only way. The authors found only ten cases of hepatic resection due to pyogenic abscess because of a foreign body. CONCLUSIONS: Hepatic resection is rarely needed to treat a pyogenic abscess, but surgeons must be aware and able to proceed with it.

Inflammatory Pseudotumor of the Pancreas Mimicking a Pancreatic Neoplasm.

A 78-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with a pancreatic tumor, incidentally discovered in an abdominal ultrasound exam. She was asymptomatic and without any previous personal pathological condition. The computed tomography (CT) and the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan showed a mass lesion of 4 cm in diameter, located in the pancreatic body, conditioning the invasion of the splenic vein. The patient was admitted to surgery. During the laparotomy, we found a tumoral lesion highly suspicious of pancreatic neoplasia located in the transition of the head/body of the pancreas, with an invasion of the portal vein and several peri-regional lymph nodes. We performed biopsies of the pancreatic mass and lymphadenectomy of the peri-regional pancreatic lymph nodes. Histological analysis found an inflammatory pseudotumor of the head/body of the pancreas, without signals of malign epithelial neoplasm and also without criteria for immunoglobulin G4-related disease. During the follow-up, a PET/CT and MRI confirmed that the pancreatic lesion had disappeared without any treatment. Inflammatory pseudotumor of the pancreas is a rare entity not fully understood. Despite this, the administration of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy could be taken into consideration as the disease carries a risk.

Acute paraparesis as presentation of an occult follicular thyroid carcinoma: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Follicular thyroid carcinoma is the second most frequent type of well differentiated thyroid tumours. It is usually confined to the thyroid gland, however it can metastasize in a later stage of the disease. Signs and symptoms associated with bone metastasis are rare as first clinical manifestations. CASE REPORT: An 84-year-old female complained with acute paraparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an extensive intraosseous infiltrating lesion compatible with a bone metastasis from an occult tumour. Biopsy samples were compatible with bone metastasis from a follicular thyroid carcinoma. The patient was submitted to total thyroidectomy followed by iodine ablative therapy. DISCUSSION: Follicular thyroid carcinoma presentation with symptoms related to bone metastasis is rare. Patients with bone lesions, such as pathological fractures or compressive symptoms should be studied since they may have clinically unapparent lesions from an unknown tumour. Patients with FTC should be submitted to total thyroidectomy. Bone lesions may be addressed to improve quality of life however this decision depends on disease extent. CONCLUSION: Acute paraparesis is a rare form of presentation of thyroid carcinoma. These neoplasms must be taken into account when investigating metastasis to the bone from unknown neoplasms.