Biomedical subjects

Gianna Pulice

Publications and source records attributed to Gianna Pulice.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Clean-contaminated neck surgery: risk of infection by intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the risk of surgical wound infection (the most common complication in neoplastic clean-contaminated neck surgery) due to 10 intrinsic risk factors and 5 extrinsic risk factors. DESIGN: Retrospective clinical study. SETTING: Academic tertiary referral medical center. PATIENTS: The study group included 115 patients with laryngeal carcinomas referred to our department from January 1, 1996, to August 31, 2002. INTERVENTION: Fifty-seven patients underwent total laryngectomy and 58 underwent subtotal laryngectomy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The association between surgical wound infection due to 10 intrinsic risk factors and 5 extrinsic risk factors was evaluated with multivariate models. RESULTS: Surgical wound infection occurred in 27 patients (23.5%). There was no significant increase in the incidence of infection in patients with extensive tumors (P>.20) and in patients undergoing total laryngectomy and subtotal laryngectomy (P>.20). The incidence of infection was significantly higher in patients with stage IV disease (P<.01), in patients who underwent neck dissections (P<.05), and in those presenting with lymph node metastases (P<.001). Multivariate analysis showed that the presence of higher tumor stage is the best predictor of infection because it is the only significant factor (P<.03) even when adjusting for others. The association between infection and the other factors considered in this study (age [P>1.0], underweight [P = .26], anemia [P = .84], lymphocytopenia [P = .79 by Fisher exact test], number of preoperative hospitalizations [P<1.0], preoperative radiotherapy [P = .57 by Fisher exact test], diabetes mellitus [P = .70 by Fisher exact test], cirrhosis, resection margins infiltrated by the tumor [P = .57 by Fisher exact test], and myocutaneous flap reconstructions [P = .82]) was not significant. CONCLUSION: The risk of surgical wound infection is correlated with a higher tumor stage and lymph node metastases; it is not associated with the extent of surgery or other factors considered.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Malignant myoepithelioma of the rhinopharynx: case report.

Malignant myoepitheliomas are rare tumors of salivary glands. Most occur in the parotid gland; few other sites of origin are described. Malignant myoepithelioma of the rhinopharynx has only been reported twice. Because the lesion is so rare, there are no specific indications for its treatment. We present a third case of malignant myoepithelioma in the rhinopharynx and discuss its diagnostic and therapeutic aspects.

Case Reports↗

PubMed2005

Mastoid osteoma.

Osteoma in the mastoid is a rare benign osteogenic tumour which has been described in literature in only 130 cases between 1861 and 2004. It is a clinically asymptomatic lesion that usually appears as a tumefaction or retroauricular protruding mass. The Authors report 2 cases of mastoid osteoma, objectively review the literature on this pathology and present theories on its etiopathogenesis, histology, symptomatology and treatment.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Modification of lymphocyte subsets in patients with rhinoscleroma.

PURPOSE: Rhinoscleroma is a rare, chronic, granulomatous disorder of the upper airways. This disease presents some etiopathogenetic aspects that are not yet clear. Infection by Klebsiella rhinoscleromatis is fundamental for the onset of the disease, but it is impossible to reproduce rhinoscleroma experimentally only via infection with the bacteria both in man and in animals. Furthermore, this disease mainly affects blood-related people and occurs in certain geographic areas. In this context, we present a study that brings to light some of the quantitative abnormalities of the lymphocyte subsets. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 5 patients with rhinoscleroma. The following parameters were studied for each patient: clinical manifestations, histologic examinations, number of leukocytes, lymphocytes, and lymphocyte subsets. RESULTS: In all patients, we noted the following: There was a relative reduction of the CD4+ cells, an absolute increase of the CD8+ cells, and an inversion of the CD4+/CD8+ ratio. There was an absolute increase of the CD56+ cells and cytotoxic cells that coexpress CD8+CD56+ antigens. There was a relative reduction of the CD3+ cells, and the CD19+ cells tended to show an ambiguous behavioral pattern. CONCLUSION: We believe that K. rhinoscleromatis does not play a major role in the etiopathogenesis of rhinoscleroma. However, we do believe that the anomalous behavior of the immune system can favor rhinoscleroma.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the external auditory canal: case report.

This study reports a case of mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the external auditory canal, which to date has only been described once in literature. Because the lesion is extremely rare, it is particularly difficult to classify it into stages following normal diagnostic parameters. This obviously limits the possibilities of treatment that consequently are either empirical or based on those of squamous cell carcinoma. The problems in the diagnosis and the possible methods of treatment of mucoepidermoid carcinoma are discussed.

Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid↗