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Biomedical subjects

A Ledo

Publications and source records attributed to A Ledo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Dosimetric and radiation protection considerations based on some cases of patient skin injuries in interventional cardiology.

Recently, several cases of skin injuries have been detected in patients undergoing cardiac radiofrequency catheter ablation. These procedures were performed on a biplane X-ray system used in a large Spanish hospital for interventional cardiology procedures. Interventional procedures performed and radiation lesions produced on patients are described. The radiation lesions were mainly erythematous lesions and chronic radiodermatitis. Results of the dosimetric evaluations and an analysis of the operational aspects of radiological protection are discussed. Poor image quality could have influenced the length of the procedures. Dose rate at the image intensifier entrance was within usual reported values in literature. However, the focus-to-skin distance for the horizontal X-ray beam was too short, resulting in a high skin dose rate. Additionally, X-ray beams are of fixed orientation, and accumulated skin dose in the patient's right side has been estimated as 11-15 Gy per procedure. In conclusion, practical radiation protection considerations to avoid further incidents of this sort are proposed, concerning the use of X-ray systems specially designed for interventional radiology, the improvement of cardiologists' training in radiation protection and routine patient dose measurements for complex interventional procedures.

Adolescent

Progressive ascending telangiectasia treated with the 585 nm flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Progressive ascending telangiectasia (PAT) is a distinct entity with telangiectatic superficial vessels on lower extremities as its main clinical feature. A relationship with occult infections and response to antibiotic and antifungal drugs have been described, although not all cases can be successfully managed with these therapies. Our objective was to treat a woman with PAT that had failed to respond to systemic antibiotic and antifungal drugs. STUDY DESIGN/PATIENTS AND METHODS: A 44-year-old woman with PAT was treated with the flashlamp-pumped pulsed dye laser at 585 nm, with fluences varying from 7 to 7.25 J/cm2. RESULTS: A successful outcome was obtained with this treatment approach, with no relevant adverse effects except for mild pigmentary changes. CONCLUSIONS: Although ectatic vessels on lower extremities are often resistant to dye laser therapy, superficial thin capillaries like those featuring PAT can be eliminated with the pulsed dye laser at 585 nm. Transient pigmentary changes occur on treated areas but they are expected to disappear in 6 to 12 months after treatment. Laser treatment should be considered in PAT despite the extension and location of the lesions.

Adult

Complications of 585-nm pulsed dye laser therapy.

BACKGROUND: Port-wine stains (PWS) are a congenital, progressive ectasia of the superficial cutaneous vascular plexus that occur in 0.3%-0.5% of children at birth. They should be considered a disease with physical and psychologic complications. Treatment with the flashlamp pulsed dye laser (FPOL) has proven to be effective. Because treatment results in selective vascular injury, the risk of complications is minimal. The purpose of this study was to determine the cutaneous side-effects and complications and their frequency in patients with PWS treated with the FPDL. Eighty-nine patients who had been treated with the FPDL for PWS were included in this study. METHODS: Patients were treated at 3-month intervals using slightly overlapping pulses with fluences of 6.0-9.0 J/cm2. Treating physicians were responsible for evaluating the patients. All patients were reviewed and side-effects and complications were recorded. RESULTS: Pigmentary changes were the most frequently observed complications. Hyper- and hypopigmentation appeared in 16.8% and 2.4% of patients, respectively. Cutaneous depressions occurred in 2.2% of patients. One patient developed a hypertrophic scar, and another patient presented with transient cutaneous pustulosis. All these changes usually resolved spontaneously and completely in a few months. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the side-effects and complications produced by the FPDL are usually transitory, and it is essentially a very secure technique.

Adolescent

Concurrent cytomegalovirus, M. tuberculosis and M. avium-intracellulare cutaneous infection in an HIV patient.

We report a 25-year-old HIV-positive man with a past medical history of disseminated cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, who developed cutaneous lesions during a disseminated mycobacterium infection. The histological changes of CMV and acid-fast bacilli were seen on histopathology of the lesions. Cultures were positive for M. tuberculosis and M. avium-intracellulare (MAI). CMV is frequently isolated from HIV patients, but skin involvement is rare. The association of CMV and mycobacteria can occur in cutaneous lesions of AIDS patients, but concurrent cutaneous involvement of CMV, M. tuberculosis, and MAI is unusual. These findings emphasize the polymorphous presentation of infectious disorders in AIDS patients and the need for multiple biopsies and for special stains in such patients.

AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections

Evaluation of agreement among dermatologists in the assessment of the color of port wine stains and their clearance after treatment with the flashlamp-pumped dye laser.

BACKGROUND: Color classification and its subjective clearance evaluation in response to treatment are essential in the management of patients with port wine stains (PWS). But color perception by physicians is not an objective measurement so that it can change among observers. Agreement among physicians is essential for the reliability of the color classification and the clinical assessment of the response to laser treatment. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study was to determine the reliability of the clinical color classification of port wine stains and of their color change or clearance in response to laser treatment. The study was not designed to evaluate the outcome of laser treatment in PWS or the factors that could predict the final response. METHODS: We used the kappa index to evaluate the proportion of agreement in color and clearance perception among dermatologists. Six dermatologists classified the initial color of PWS in 80 patients. Three of them also assessed the amount of clearance achieved after treatment with the flashlamp-pumped dye laser. These three dermatologists were usually dedicated to treat patients with PWS, while the other three were not. RESULTS: The kappa index showed a substantial agreement in both cases. No difference in the initial color perception was observed between the group of dermatologists specialized in PWS and the other three dermatologists. CONCLUSION: These results favor the reliability of the clinical method in the assessment of PWS before and after laser treatment. So, although subjective, color perception by physicians can be used in the study of laser treatment outcome in PWS and its related factors, and the results of different authors can be compared.

Color

Angina bullosa hemorrhagica.

Angina bullosa hemorrhagica is characterized by acute blood blisters, mainly on the soft palate. Elderly patients are usually affected and lesions heal spontaneously without scarring. The pathogenesis is unknown, although it may be a multifactorial phenomenon. Trauma seems to be the major provoking factor and long term use of steroid inhalers has also been implicated in the disease. No underlying hematologic or immunopathogenic disorder has been found. Treatment is symptomatic. We present a 67-year-old patient with recurrent oral blood blisters which were diagnosed as angina bullosa hemorrhagica. Trauma by dental injections and use of steroid inhalers were identified as etiologic factors in this case. Erosions healed with a week. Although this is a benign condition, it may result in acute airway obstruction. Recognition is, therefore, of great importance for dermatologists.

Aged

Self-healing cutaneous mucinosis.

Self-healing juvenile cutaneous mucinosis is a new entity distinct from previously described forms of cutaneous mucinosis. We present a new case in a 26-year-old female patient who began abruptly with a papular eruption, involving the scalp, face, neck and trunk, accompanied by periarticular papules on the hands and arthralgias. No associated disease could be detected and the lesions resolved spontaneously within a few months. This is the first case described in an adult patient.

Adult

Cutaneous xanthomatous tumours as an expression of chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia?

Nonspecific cutaneous xanthomas have been reported in a variety of lymphocytic neoplastic processes, but to date only three cases of xanthomatous lesions associated with monocytic leukaemias have been described. We now report a patient with a chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia (CMML) associated with these lesions. The clinical and immunohistochemical features do not correspond to any entity previously described and suggest that xanthomas is are a cutaneous expression of the CMML.

Histiocytosis, Non-Langerhans-Cell

Bilateral basal cell carcinoma of the breasts in a woman.

Basal cell carcinomas (BCC) on covered sites of the body are rare (1). A case of a young woman with superficial basal cell carcinoma of both breasts is described. No history of sun bathing, X-ray, or arsenical exposure was reported. Simple excision of both lesions was performed without recurrence.

Adult