No abstract

Hydatidosis is a zoonosis caused by the ingestion of Echinococcus granulosus eggs, released though the feces, from infected dogs to humans. Primary localization is mostly hepatic and/or pulmonary, whereas muscular involvement is very rare, even more so in muscular striated tissue. This is the report of a case of a primary intramuscular hydatid cyst in a 79-year-old woman who presented with a 3-year history of a painful lump in her proximal medial left thigh. The authors document the exceptional giant dimensions of the cyst, which have not previously been reported in a case of striated muscular hydatid disease.

The aim of this study, which was carried out because of the importance of eating disorders (EDs) acquired by the young and the need to organise resources and interventions for patients and their families, was to quantify the increased incidence of EDs arising early in life in order to identify the nosographic classification that best reflects the complexity of the symptoms. Between 2003 and 2008, we assessed 128 subjects aged less than 14 years and observed a constant increase in ED-related problems. Our analysis shows the importance of representative classification criteria suitable for young patients in order to improve diagnosis and therapeutic planning. The need for a specific classification for early childhood is underlined by the fact that comorbidities and overlapping patterns often complicate adequate assessment.

Background: Sarcoidosis is a multisystem granulomatous disorder of unknown origin characterized by nonspecific clinical symptomatology. 18F-FDG PET/CT can visualize activated inflammatory cells of sarcoidosis and simultaneously provide whole-body images. </P><P> Objective: To evaluate the clinical usefulness of 18F-FDG PET/CT and its semiquantitative parameters for the assessment of treatment efficacy in patients with sarcoidosis. Methods: Thirty-one consecutive patients who performed 18F-FDG PET/CT for sarcoidosis assessment were selected. All subjects performed 18F-FDG PET/CT before any treatment (PET1) and after 6-12 months (PET2). SUVmax and SUVmean on PET1 and PET2 were collected. SUVs values were employed to evaluate the ratios with the liver (R-LIVERmax, R-LIVERmean) and the blood (R-BLOODmax, R-BLOODmean). The difference between the PET1 and PET2 values was evaluated (&#916;SUVmax, &#916;SUVmean, &#916;R-LIVERmax, &#916;R-LIVERmean, &#916;R-BLOODmax, &#916;R-BLOODmean). Patients were classified as Responders (R), Partial-Responders (PR) and Non- Responders (NR). Results: Seventeen patients (54.8%) had a complete metabolic response (R), 4 (12.9%) were PR while 10 (32.3%) had no Metabolic Response (NR). The chi-square test showed that response groups were related neither to the stage of disease (p=0.59) nor to therapy performed (p<0.079). The comparison between each &#916; semiquantitative parameter showed a statistically significant decrease from PET1 to PET2 (0.0001 < p < 0.002). The comparison between &#916; mean values in relation to response groups showed to be statistically significant (0.001 < p < 0.005). Conversely, they did not show statistical significance in relation to the clinical stage groups and to the kind of therapy performed (p>0.05). Pearson’s coefficient demonstrated a reverse correlation between a number of sites still involved in disease after therapy and each &#916; semiquantitative parameters (p&#8804;0.0001). Conclusion: 18F-FDG PET/CT should be considered a useful technique for the evaluation of sarcoidosis and semiquantitative parameters. Further studies are needed to determine the long-term impact of 18F-FDG PET/CT on clinical outcomes.

Congenital heart diseases, such as tetralogy of fallot (TOF), are the most common human birth defects that may cause pulmonary diseases. Lung perfusion scintigraphy (LPS) has an important role in evaluating pulmonary involvement in patients with these defects, both as part of the diagnostic work-up and for follow-up to guide best therapeutic strategy. Herein, we report a 10-year-old female patient with TOF who underwent LPS two years after cardiac surgery. The scan showed hypo-perfusion of the left respect to the right lung and abnormal uptake of Tc-99m-macroaggregated albumin in the kidneys and spleen, revealing the presence of a right-to-left shunt, and the necessity for further cardiac surgery. This case is a demonstrative example of the usefulness of LPS in patients with TOF, allowing an accurate evaluation of the best therapeutic strategy with the benefits of low radiation exposure, lack of side effects, reproducibility, management ease and good patient compliance.