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Biomedical subjects

S Costantino

Publications and source records attributed to S Costantino.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Myiasis of a perineal fistula.

We report a case of myiasis of a rectocutaneous fistula in a subject suffering from bone metastases after surgical resection of a neoplastic bladder. The fistula was infested by maggots identified as third-instar larvae of flies belonging to the family Sarcophagidae, genus Sarcophaga. The infestation was neither intestinal nor pseudointestinal; it was probably caused by a fly ovipositing on the fistula of the patient while having wound care at home, even though the possibility that the infestation might have occurred during hospitalization cannot be ruled out.

Animals↗

A rare anorectal malformation: a very large H-type fistula.

A very large H-type rectovaginal fistula was observed in a 9-year-old girl. The diameter of the abnormal opening was about 15 mm. The fistulous tract originated from the stenotic segment 1 cm above the pectinate line of the anus and was connected to the back wall of the vagina. The patient underwent posterior sagittal transrectal surgery with a protecting colostomy. At present, she has good bowel function and sphincter control without recurrence of the fistula.

Child↗

Testicular function in men treated in childhood for undescended testes.

PURPOSE: The aim of the study was to evaluate testicular hormones and sperm counts of young men treated in childhood for cryptorchidism METHODS: Testicular volume, serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone as well as semen specimens were evaluated in 57 men (mean age, 19 years; range, 18 to 27 years) treated in childhood for unilateral (n = 47) and bilateral (n = 10) cryptorchidism. In 3 unilateral cases monorchidism was found. Thirty-seven patients underwent orchiopexy after hormonal treatment (luteinizing hormone releasing factor, 1.2 mg/d for 28 days followed by human chorionic gonadotropin, 500 IU intramuscularly 3 times a week for 3 weeks). The remainder underwent surgery. Mean age at surgical treatment was 5.4 years (range, 2 to 12 years). These patients were examinated again after a mean period of 13.3 years (range, 10 to 19 years). RESULTS: Reduced testicular volume (<12 mL) was found in 6 of 64 testes (9.3%). LH, FSH, and testosterone levels were found within the normal range in all patients. With linear regression, inverse relations were found between FSH and, respectively, testicular volume (P =.002), sperm concentration (P =.013), sperm motility (P =.023), and normally shaped sperms (P =.019). There were direct relations between testicular volume and sperm concentration (P =.02), sperm motility (P =.000), and normally shaped sperms (P =.001). We did not find any statistical correlation between age at surgery and semen quality. Significantly better results in terms of sperm counts were found in patients directly operated on in comparison to those treated with hormones before orchiopexy. CONCLUSIONS: Presented data indicate tubular impairment in young men operated on in childhood for cryptorchidism; FSH values increase and testicular volume decrease are related to sperm deterioration. Studies on children treated in the first 2 years of life are required to clarify the usefulness of early treatment of cryptorchidism.

Adolescent↗

[The role of imaging diagnosis in the study of thyroid neoplasms].

The aim of this paper was to evaluate the role of imaging techniques and methods in the diagnosis of thyroid tumours. The main aim was to analyse the various imaging methods and to search for an integrated diagnosis based on clinical and laboratory evaluations and techniques such as fine needle aspiration biopsy for which imaging is used as a guide. The authors stress the importance of analysing the sensitivity of the various methods in preoperative staging. The methods examined here include: scintigraphy, ultrasound, fine needle aspiration biopsy, Doppler ultrasound, color-Doppler scan, TC and magnetic resonance.

Biopsy, Needle↗

[Preoperative instrumental diagnosis in secondary hyperparathyroidism].

There is a very high incidence of hyperparathyroidism secondary to chronic renal insufficiency in dialysed patients (67%). When medical therapy can no longer control the evolution of disease, an appropriate surgical strategy must be defined for the clinical case. Instrumental tests play an important role during the preoperative phase in the possible "localisation" of ectopic parathyroids (10% of cases) and the identification of those glands with a more pronounced hyperplastic appearance. The authors examine and describe the most useful tests for a preoperative study, namely ultrasonography, echo-colour Doppler, scintigraphy using a dual tracer and image subtraction, computerised xial tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MR), digital angiography and intraoperative ultrasonography. In conclusion, it can be said that all the methods examined present similar sensitivity levels for the study of parathyroid, but the combination of more than one technique considerably improves diagnostic accuracy.

Angiography, Digital Subtraction↗

Non-palpable testes. Orchiopexy in single stage.

From 1986 to 1990, 53 non-palpable testes were treated in the department of Pediatric Surgery and Endocrinology at the Regina Margherita Hospital, Turin, Italy. The reported patients were 45, 8 of them were bilateral with both testes non-palpable, 13 of the remaining patients were right cryptorchid and 24 were left. All patients received medical treatment, by LH-RH nasal spray and HCG, before surgery. None of the non-palpable testes descended by hormone therapy only, so that surgical exploration was always required. In the 53 reported cases, 10 gonads were not found, 13 were atrophic and 30 were abdominal. All abdominal gonads were positioned into the scrotum by orchiopexy in a single stage. Half of the patients underwent operation before the age of 2. Therefore, it is to be pointed out that the younger a patient the shorter his inguinal canal, this facilitates orchiopexy for high, undescended testes. In 10 patients a testicular biopsy was made during surgical procedure. Normal morphology and normal spermatogonia content were observed in the abdominal testes of the patients who had reached the age of 1 year. During the follow-up of the reported patients no upward displacement was observed. Eleven patients underwent postoperative testicular ultrasonography which showed that parenchymal structure of the operated testis was normal and the volume of the testis was slightly smaller than normal. Based on their experience, the authors suggest to correct cryptorchidism before the age of one year, surgical procedure follows immediately after ineffective hormone therapy.

Child, Preschool↗

[Pseudoaneurysm in pancreatic pseudocysts. Report of a clinical case].

Pancreatitis in a percentage of 1.5% in a pseudocyst, 10% of which are represented as formations of the pseudoaneurysmatic type one of the visceral artery. The authors of the following study present the case of an 86 year old woman with positive anamnesis because of a chronic pancreatitis, who is affected by a symptomatology in the epigastric regione together with hematemesis and melena. An ecography shows at the head level a mass of cm 6.5 hypo ecogena, delimitated by a hyper ecogena band. A TAC, with and without contrast means and integrated by some RM and angio-RM sequences, shows that it is a vascular injury, with the characteristic area on enhancement after the infusion of the contrast means. The patients goes under surgical intervention, showing a trough supplied by a branch of the hepatic artery. The intervention is performed with the tying of the artery, with the drainage of the residual cavity plus the creation of a pancreatic, cystic and jejunum derivation.

Aged↗

[A 73-year-old woman with vomiting and metabolic alkalosis].

A severe, life-threatening metabolic alchalosis associated with a stenosing pancreatic carcinoma in a female type II diabetic patients is presented, and a review of the most frequent causes of hyperemesis, orthostatic hypotension and lethargy is shown.

Acute Kidney Injury↗

[A 61-year-old woman with abdominal pain and urination disorders].

The case of a 61 yo diabetic woman presenting with dysuria and lower abdominal pain is described. The incomplete resolution of the clinical picture after short antibiotic treatment and a strong suspect of autonomic neuropathy oriented to an anamnestic reevaluation that evidenced the presence of pneumaturia. The last was the key-symptom that guided to diagnostic imaging showing emphysematous cystitis while a gastroscopy confirmed the presence of autonomic neuropathy manifested by gastroparesis. Emphisematous cystitis is a characteristic infectious complication of diabetic patients induced by a persistent incomplete bladder emptying and bacterial glucose fermentation. The complete eradication of the infectious agent requires a long term antibiotic course and a prompt identification of this pathology.

Abdominal Pain↗

[67 year old man with abdominal pain, anorexia and low-grade fever].

A case of pericardial effusion presenting clinically with pretamponade is shown. TBC is not a rare cause of Pericardial effusion and at present Tuberculosis is a more and more frequent infection also in occidental countries. Guide lines for diagnosis and treatment are revised.

Abdominal Pain↗