Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to L Califano.
Chondromyxoid fibroma is a rare benign tumour of chondral origin. It usually involves the long bones of the lower extremity, whilst involvement of craniofacial skeleton is extremely unusual. The second case of chondromyxoid fibroma of the zygoma described in literature is presented and the surgical resection of the lesion with tumour-free margins as the key factor for avoiding local recurrence of this tumour is emphasised.
This report describes the first case of primary leiomyosarcoma of the submandibular salivary glands and emphasizes the role of immunohistochemical study for a correct diagnosis of this tumour. In line with results of international literature, we associated surgery with radiotherapy and 2 years postoperatively there was no sign of recurrence.
In the field of maxillofacial reconstructive surgery, the authors take into consideration the autogenous calvarial bone graft harvest technique for the correction of maxilla bone defects and examine some salient aspects such as technical problems and possible surgical complications.
A case of a 45-year-old white man admitted for an osteomyelitis and subsequently diagnosed affected by an IE stage, diffuse high grade large B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the mandible is reported. The patient presented a swelling in the right mandibular region with paraesthesia of the ipsilateral lower lip without nodal involvement of the neck. After an incisional biopsy, which showed a diffuse high grade large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the patient was staged and treated with CEOP protocol for six courses and subsequently external beam radiation therapy with complete remission of the lesion.
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Treatment of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo is based on Semont's Liberatory Manoeuvre and on so-called "Canalith Repositioning Manoeuvres", derived from the original Epley technique. Both manoeuvres are very effective and choice of which to use depends on the experience of the physician. Semont's manoeuvre requires a quick movement of the patient in mass in the frontal plane, from the involved, to the contralateral side, which sometimes causes symptoms such as nausea or vomiting. In this technique, a secondary liberatory nystagmus is often observed as sign of the success of the manoeuvre. Repositioning manoeuvres are less fastidious because of the slow movements, but we rarely observe an objective sign of success like the liberatory nystagmus. In the present randomised trial, 300 patients with posterior canalo/cupulolithias were divided into 3 treatment groups: 100 treated by Semont Technique; 100 by a Repositioning procedure (Parnes technique); 100 by a new manoeuvre called "Quick Liberatory Rotation". Results of treatment are also compared with the natural evolution of Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo observed in 18 untreated patients. Quick Liberatory Rotation is similar in the sequence of the positions of the head in the horizontal plane, to repositioning procedures, but is more like the Semont manoeuvre in the speed of the movement (about 180 degrees in less than one second). Quick Liberatory Rotation is easy to perform, well tolerated and very effective (success rate: 98% in one-three cycles). In the present investigation, a secondary liberatory nystagmus was observed in 76.1%, with a sensitivity of 81.9% in detecting patients who had completely recovered and a specificity of 43.8% in detecting failures. Effectiveness, in short and medium period (1-15 months), is similar to Semont and Parnes techniques. Authors consider Quick Liberatory Rotation, at present, a possible first choice technique in the treatment of posterior canalolithiasis.
AIMS: At present oral lichen planus (OLP) is classified among precancerous conditions but very few data are available in literature regarding prognosis of OLP-related cancers. The aim of this paper is to evaluate clinical long-term behaviour of OLP-related oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). METHODS: Clinical history and data from follow-up regarding 21 patients undergoing malignant transformation of OLP have been critically revised. RESULTS: In a mean time of 2.6 years from diagnosis of OLP, patients developed OSCCs. Histopathologically, two carinomas showed a moderate degree of differentiation, while the others were well differentiated. Six (28.5%) were in situ OSCC, in eight (30%) was found a microinvasive pattern of infiltration, one was a stage II tumour and the remaining (6 cases) were stage I tumours. During follow up, four patients (19%) have developed another OSCC in a mean time of 11 months from the first occurrence. In two men (10% of cases), multiple OSCCs occurred and in five cases (24%) lymph nodal metastases were detected. CONCLUSIONS: Our study points out an alarming tendency in developing second primary metachronous tumours (33.3%) of the oral cavity and nodal metastases (23.8%), especially if we consider their early stages. Thus we always recommend a strict follow-up of OLP patients with clinical oral and neck examination every 2 months for 6-9 months since OSCC diagnosis is made and, after, three times a year.
BACKGROUND: Aim of this paper is to define the behaviour of osteosynthesis plates in maxillofacial area and to determine when to remove them. METHODS: The records of 123 patients treated with osteosynthesis plates were retrospectively assessed. Each case had a follow-up of not less than 5 years. Removal as a consequence of poor surgery was excluded from the study. RESULTS: Osteosynthesis occurred in the mandible in 198 cases and in the upper maxilla in 146 cases, with a further 23 cases treated by plating in other sites. Plates were removed in 21 cases; the most frequent cause of removal was infection (13 sites) followed by nerve palsy and dehiscence. CONCLUSIONS: Infections are without doubt the main cause of plate removal. In orthognathic patients, infections occurred less frequently, nevertheless they remain the main complication. Dysesthesia, along with infections, are the most frequent cause of removal. Plate exposure very rarely are reduction and fixation lost; thus the removal of the plate can be delayed.
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most frequently occurring dizzy syndrome. The literature provides ample descriptions of the forms determined by canalo/cupulolithiasis of the posterior canal, the most common, as well as canalo/cupulolithiasis of the horizontal canal. Descriptions of the forms of canalo/cupulolithiasis of the anterior canal are, instead, very rare and, sometimes questioned: this is fundamentally due to its superior position, which makes it a much less likely site for the accumulation of debris, both from a conceptual and practical point of view. For these reasons, the Authors feel that the presentation of this case of PPV is of particular interest. After analyzing and excluding other interpretations as less probable, they considered the syndrome as determined by the association of right posterior and anterior canalolithiasis. This form, as in the case of posterior canalolithiasis, responded to treatment with Semont's liberatory procedure.
The goal of this review is to define the clinical characteristics of parotid hemangiomas in children and outline their therapeutic management. The records of 42 pediatric patients with hemangiomas were reviewed; 10 required surgical treatment. Two cases of temporary postoperative facial nerve palsy were observed. Treatment was commonly delayed, and there is a significant likelihood of spontaneous regression. The indications for surgical intervention are an increase in tumor size, rapid tumor growth, failure of tumor size to decrease and hemorrhage into the lesion.
Primary central mucoepidermoid carcinoma (CMC) of the jaws accounts only for 2-3% of all mucoepidermoid carcinomas reported. Bhaskar in 1963 first analysed the criteria for his central origin, histology and pathogenesis. The authors report a long-term evolution case of CMC of the mandible with peculiar clinical features observed at the Department of Maxillo-Facial Surgery of the School of Medicine and Surgery of the "Federico II" University of Naples (Naples, Italy) examining histopathologic and clinical features and problems related to the treatment.
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The clinical picture of Positional Paroxysmal Vertigo (PPV) induced by vertical canal labyrintholithiasis has been clearly described, eliminating previous interpretations of pathogenesis of this disorder. The diagnosis of PPV is based on the well-known picture of positional paroxysmal Nystagmus. The Authors report a clinical sign which has not previously been reported in the literature: torsional Nystagmus induced by the Head-Shaking Test (HST). The Authors encoutered this sign in 30% of the cases of vertical canalolithiasis and in 50% of the cases diagnosed as vertical cupulolithiasis. This sign was also found in patients with a history of prior positional vertigo and in patients who, after treatment with release maneuver, no longer show clinical signs of positional vertigo. Such Nystagmus was not, however, found in the control group (normal subjects and patients suffering from other vestibular pathologies). In the present study the possible pathogenesis of this sign is discussed and some practical implications are considered.
Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an endemic cancer in southern China and northern Africa, and its pathogenesis is not yet well defined at the molecular level. Although the involvement of p53 and of the retinoblastoma gene (RB/p105) in NPC has been well studied, there is paucity of mutational data regarding the retinoblastoma-related gene RB2/p130 in primary tumors and particularly in NPC. We have shown previously that RB2/p130 could be rearranged in a nasopharyngeal cell line. In the present study, we screened by single-strand conformation polymorphism and sequence analysis the retinoblastoma-related gene RB2/p130 for mutations within exons 19-22. Mutations in the RB2/p130 gene were detected in 3 of 10 primary human NPCs from Northern Africa (30%). These findings, along with previous data showing that genetic replacement of RB2/p130 restores a normal growth pathway in the nasopharyngeal cell line Hone-1, strengthen the hypothesis that genetic changes of RB2/p130 may be involved in the development and/or progression of nasopharyngeal cancer and suggest that RB2/p130 could be considered a tumor suppressor gene and may be a candidate for novel gene therapeutic approaches for NPC.
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The cemento-ossifying fibroma is probably the most frequent fibro-osseous lesion seen by oral pathologists. Occasionally, reports of lesions behaving in an aggressive fashion appear in the literature. At the present time, the relationship if these "aggressive" lesions to the "usual" fibromas is unclear. Two cases of "aggressive" cemento-ossifying fibroma are reported. Certainly, clinical, radiological, and histological characteristics of aggressive and usual fibromas do coincide. There are, however, diverging features warranting separation of different forms. These mild differences may be detected during preoperative assessment of the lesion, allowing a diagnosis of aggressive form to be made.
Lipomatosis of the parotid gland is a very rare tumour and its discovery in a child is exceptional. These tumours are not generally considered in the preoperative differential diagnosis of parotid region neoplasms because of their rarity. The treatment of choice is surgical excision, with a superficial or total parotidectomy, preserving the facial nerve. Long-term follow-up is advised due to possible microscopic infiltration. A case of lipomatosis of the parotid gland in a 4-month-old child is reported.