Retropharyngeal pseudomeningocele after atlanto-occipital dislocation: report of two cases

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: We report two cases of retropharyngeal pseudomeningocele after atlanto-occipital dislocation. This is rare, with only one other reported case in the literature. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: We report two patients who presented after blunt cervical and head trauma. Plain films revealed that each patient had atlanto-occipital dislocation. Subsequent magnetic resonance imaging revealed the delayed development of retropharyngeal pseudomeningocele. Concomitant hydrocephalus was noted in both patients. INTERVENTION: The surviving patient showed marked neurological improvement and resolution of his pseudomeningocele after ventriculoperitoneal shunting. CONCLUSION: For patients with closed head injuries who develop posttraumatic pseudomeningocele, we recommend cranial computed tomography to assess for the presence of hydrocephalus. In patients with atlanto-occipital dislocation, delayed neurological deterioration warrants magnetic resonance imaging of the craniocervical junction to rule out posttraumatic pseudomeningocele.     

Artificial ureteral replacement for ureteral necrosis after renal transplantation: report of 3 cases

PURPOSE: We applied a new minimally invasive technique of artificial ureteral replacement for renal transplant ureteral necrosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Artificial ureteral replacement was performed in 3 renal transplant recipients with ureteral necrosis (complete in 1 and distal in 2) after failure of primary endoscopic treatment. Under fluoroscopic guidance a percutaneous tract is created and progressively dilated. The ureteral silicone polytetrafluoroethylene bonded tube is introduced into the pyelocaliceal renal graft cavities, tracked subcutaneously down to the suprapubic area and introduced into the bladder via a short incision. RESULTS: There were no immediate postoperative complications except for transient postoperative acute prostatitis in 1 patient. No secondary complications were observed with a mean followup of 2.5 years. All grafts have good late function and all tubes are patent with no evidence of encrustation or obstruction. The tubes are well tolerated underneath the skin. Reflux was present in all 3 cases with no clinical manifestation. An asymptomatic episode of lower urinary tract infection was observed in the female patient. CONCLUSIONS: In select cases of ureteral necrosis after renal transplantation artificial ureteral replacement by subcutaneous pyelovesical bypass offers a possible alternative to open ureteral reconstruction.     

Temporomandibular joint derangement after air bag deployment: report of two cases

BACKGROUND: The outcome of 60 renal transplantations in 53 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) because of lupus nephritis was studied retrospectively and compared with 106 controls matched for age, sex, maximum panel-reactive antibody (PRA) level, and date of transplantation. METHODS: The patients received their transplants over a 260-month period (21.5 years) between October 1971 and August 1993. The population was predominantly women (90%), and the mean age at the time of the transplantation was 33.2 years (range: 21-54 years). Fifty-six transplants (93%) were from cadaveric donors, and 4 (7%) were from living-related donors; 46 patients (86%) had primary allografts, and 7 (14%) received a second allograft. The duration of disease before transplantation was 93.6+/-6.2 months, and the duration of dialysis before transplantation was 48+/-6 months. RESULTS: No patient had clinically active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at the time of transplantation. The 1-year graft and patient survival rates were 83% and 98%, and the 5-year graft and patient survival rates were 69% and 96%. Actuarial graft and patient survival rates in SLE patients were not significantly different from those of the matched control group. Chronic rejection was the major risk factor for graft loss. Lupus nephritis recurred in the graft of one patient 3 months after transplantation, and there were extrarenal manifestations of SLE in four others. CONCLUSIONS: The present study confirms that patients with SLE can receive transplants with excellent graft and patient survival rates and a low rate of clinical recurrent lupus nephritis.     

Successful surgical treatment of a pseudoaneurysm after composite graft replacement of the aortic valve and ascending aorta: report of two cases

Composite graft replacement of the ascending aorta and aortic valve has now become a safe surgical procedure; however, early and late complications still frequently occur. Anastomotic dehiscence after a composite graft replacement is one potentially lethal complication. We herein report two cases of a pseudoaneurysm caused by dehiscence of the right coronary anastomosis, and the proximal aortic anastomosis. A follow-up with an echocardiogram and computed tomography scan was found to be very useful and accurate. We thus successfully treated two cases of pseudoaneurysm using either Bentall's or Carbrol's procedures.     

Restoration of endodontically treated teeth: review, classification, and post design

Restoration of endodontically treated teeth requires knowledge of material science, defect analysis, force analysis, and mechanical engineering principles of preparation and design. This article reviews the basic principles of the restorative concepts and presents an approach to restoration of teeth, based on a new classification. The component strength, component interface strength, and analysis of force intensity, frequency, and direction are discussed; the restoration design is reviewed, including post selection and passive engagement posts. A new post of a "segmentally parallel" design is introduced.     

Transvaginal ultrasonography of female urethral carcinoma treated with radiation therapy: report of two cases

Rats were given aflatoxin B1 (7.5 microg/200 g b.w.) and alpha-tocopherol (0.9 mg/200 g b.w.) for 14 days oral intubation to investigate the effect of alpha-tocopherol on the toxicity of aflatoxin B1 on rat's testes. There were significant alterations in testicular sorbitol dehydrogenase, lactic dehydrogenase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase; reduced quality of sperm and marked pathological changes in the testis of rats given aflatoxin B1 alone. Alpha-tocopherol supplementation increased the aflatoxin blood level. A reduction in the toxicity of free radicals by alpha-tocopherol in association with a reduction in aflatoxin metabolism seem to be responsible for the protective influence observed.     

Gastric rupture--an uncommon complication after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation: report of two cases

In 1996, a sudden increase in pertussis incidence was reported in the Netherlands (2.1 per 100,000 in 1995, 18 per 100,000 in 1996). Although not all potential surveillance artifacts could be excluded, it is highly probable that the data reflect a true outbreak. However, the cause of this increase has not yet been determined. Further research is directed to the severity of disease and a possible mismatch between the vaccine and the circulating Bordetella strains.     

Cervical adenitis: report of two cases

OBJECTIVES: A recent review or meta-analysis of epidemiologic studies concluded that persons with asbestos-related pleural plaques do not have an increased risk of lung cancer in the absence of parenchymal asbestosis. The reviewer inferred that this conclusion provided indirect supportive evidence for the proposition that asbestosis is a necessary precursor of asbestos-related lung cancer. The objective of the present communication is to contest these claims. METHODS: Finnish epidemiologic data and population statistics were used to estimate the apparent risk ratio of lung cancer associated with radiographic signs of pleural plaques. Power calculations were applied to compute the needed population sizes to demonstrate that the association is statistically significant. RESULTS: Unrealistically large population studies would be needed to observe the statistical relation between pleural plaques and lung cancer, quantitated as a risk ratio of 1.1, resulting from relatively low levels of environmental asbestos exposure. In realistic and valid epidemiologic studies on heavily exposed subpopulations, a two- or threefold risk can be identified. CONCLUSIONS: Uninformative studies should not be interpreted as providing suppressive evidence that pleural plaques are a noncausal risk indicator of lung cancer. Even for the null hypothesis, the inference that asbestosis is a necessary causal link between asbestos and lung cancer is illogical.     

Fiberglass dermatitis: report of two cases

Fiberglass is widely used for insulation and as a reinforcement filling material. Handling fiberglass products may induce contact dermatitis. We report on the first two cases of fiberglass dermatitis reported in Taiwan. The first patient suffered from a severe pruritic eruption two hours after repairing a roof with wave-form ceiling boards. Erythematous maculopapules were present on both hands and finger webs. The second patient was a quality controller of printed circuit boards (PRCBs). She presented with erythematous maculopapules on the face and excoriated papules and lichenified plaques on the trunk and forearms, which had been present for two years. Scrapings of the skin lesions from both patients showed fiberglass spicules of 7.5 to 8 microns in diameter. Similar fibers were detected in scrapings from the wave-form ceiling board and PRCB. Histopathology of the second case revealed spongiotic psoriasiform dermatitis. Patch tests in case 2 with the plastics and glues series, epoxy resin and scrapings from the PRCBs were all negative. Fiberglass dermatitis may be easily misdiagnosed. Clinically, it may resemble scabies, eczematous dermatitis, folliculitis, petechiae and urticaria. A high index of suspicion is essential for a correct diagnosis.     

Ameloblastic fibro-odontoma: report of two cases

Ameloblastic fibro-odontoma is a rare odontogenic tumour. It affects young people and is usually located in the posterior jaws. Two cases of this tumour are presented: both lesions had produced an asymptomatic swelling. The histology showed the presence of an odontogenic epithelium immersed in a fibrous mesenchyme; dental hard tissues were also present. No recurrences were found after 12 and 4 years from the surgical enucleation of the tumour.     

Werdnig-Hoffmann disease: report of two cases?]

Two cases of familial spinal muscular atrophy with onset in infancy are reported. The author makes an attempt to categorize them and concludes by Werdnig-Hoffmann disease.     

Mediastinal cystic lymphangioma: report of two cases

Cystic lymphangioma is an extremely rare mediastinal benign tumor characterized by congenitally enlarged lymphatic vessels. It is often diagnosed incidentally because it is only symptomatic when it grows to be very large. We present two cases of mediastinal cystic lymphangioma and review the literature.     

Recurrence of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus after transient neonatal diabetes: a report of two cases

Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus developed in two patients with transient neonatal diabetes after more than 5 years without insulin therapy. The absence of islet cell antibodies and of the typical HLA types suggests that they may have a nonimmunologic form of diabetes.     

Leiomyoma of the bladder: report of two cases

We report 2 cases of leiomyoma of the urinary bladder. A 41-year-old female visited our hospital with the complaint of pollakisuria. A solid tumor of the urinary bladder was found by ultrasonography. A large shadow defect at the left-anterior wall was shown by drip infusion pyelography (DIP). Computed tomographic scan (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) also revealed a large tumor. T1-weighted image revealed a homogeneous low intensity tumor and T2-weighted image disclosed heterogeneous low intensity tumor. Cystoscopy revealed a large submucosal tumor. Partial cystectomy was performed, and she has had neither recurrence nor metastasis for 36 months. A 32-year-old male was referred to our hospital with the complaint of macrohematuria. A solid tumor of the urinary bladder was found by ultrasonography. A shadow defect was not clearly detected by DIP. A large tumor was detected on the anterior wall by MRI. T1-weighted image showed a homogeneous low intensity tumor and T2-weighted image disclosed a high intensity tumor. Cystoscopy revealed a submucosal tumor on the anterior wall. Urine cytology did not suggest a malignancy. The biopsied specimens revealed only an inflammatory change in the mucosa. Partial cystectomy was carried out. He has had neither recurrence nor metastasis for 29 months. Histological diagnosis in both cases was leiomyoma of the urinary bladder.     

Cardiac asystole post-exercise: a report of two cases

Two patients are described with reproducible cardiac asystole post-exercise. No structural heart disease was demonstrable. At autonomic function testing no abnormal responses were noted. Also, head-up tilt tests were normal. However, electrophysiologic testing and heart rate variability during 24-h Holter monitoring were indicative of a high vagal tone in both patients. The findings suggest that post-exertional asystole may not be due solely to a vasovagal mechanism; excessive rebound vagotonia per se may also play a role.     

Wernicke's encephalopathy and dialysis: report of two cases

Wernicke encephalopathy is considered a complication of dialytic therapy, but there are few reports of this complication. We report a 57 years old man and a 45 years old woman, with grade IV renal failure, who after acute peritoneodialysis and chronic hemodialysis respectively, had a confusional syndrome that responded to the administration of thiamine. CT scans in both patients discarded abnormal blood collections or new cerebrovascular episodes. The man bad two previous cerebrovascular episodes, a severe anemia that was corrected, angina and an episode of arrhythmia during the dialytic procedure previous to the confusional episode. The woman had an acute uremic syndrome and a concomitant urinary tract infection during the confusional episode. Wernicke encephalopathy must be suspected in patients in dialysis with confusional episodes.     

Spontaneous spinal extradural hematomas: report of two cases

INTRODUCTION AND CLINICAL CASES: We present two cases of spontaneous spinal extradural hematoma, which occurred in 1996 and were admitted to and operated on by our Department. Both patients were women. No cause for the bleeding was found in either case. Both presented with the site of the lesion in the thoracic spine, although at different levels. There was acute onset of the clinical condition. The best diagnostic procedure was MR. The treatment of choice was surgical and the results related to the rate of onset of the clinical picture and the time elapsed before operation. CONCLUSION: The form of presentation is discussed, together with the importance of early diagnosis and the relation to emergency surgical treatment.     

Trigeminal neurinomas in infants: report of two cases

Two cases of trigeminal neurinoma in two infant girls aged 3 and 6 months are reported. Both presented with temporal cranial vault bulging at birth. The 6-month-old patient suffered onset of focal fits 1 month before admission and her neurological examination revealed no abnormalities. The 3-month-old patient had right exophthalmus and a subcutaneous fronto-orbital plexiform neurofibroma at birth. Neurological examination disclosed a sensory deficit of the first trigeminal nerve division. She also had a family medical history of von Reckling-hausen's disease. The incidence of trigeminal neurinomas in children is reviewed. The patients in these two cases are the youngest recorded; the cases are the only ones reported in infants. Clinical, radiological, and therapeutic aspects are discussed.