Eight cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the thyroid are reviewed. The clinical features and natural history of our cases are presented. All tumours showed an aggressive biological behaviour. Two patients showed association with well-differentiated thyroid cancer. It is difficult to conclude whether these tumours are de novo occurrences or were a result of a complete replacement of a previously existing condition after a change in histologic character.

Amoebic liver abscess is a common disease, especially in endemic areas, but it is a rare cause of inferior vena cava (IVC) obstruction, with only a few cases appearing in the literature. We report three cases of amoebic liver abscess complicated with obstruction of the IVC and which responded to conservative treatment or radiological intervention.

A case of primary hyperparathyroidism associated with osteitis fibrosa cystica presenting as paraplegia is described herein. The symptom complex of normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism with osteitis fibrosa cystica is a distinctly rare entity and to the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of the normocalcemic variant of primary hyperparathyroidism presenting with paraplegia as a complication.

A retrospective analysis of 23 cases of amoebic liver abscess with intraperitoneal rupture is presented. Group I consisted of 16 patients with clinical features of generalized peritonitis. Eight of these patients were treated surgically, and four died. Group II consisted of seven patients with features of localized peritonitis and all were treated conservatively. In all cases the diagnosis of liver abscess was established by liver scan or ultrasound examination; peritonitis was established either at operation or, in the conservatively managed group, by aspiration of pus from the peritoneal cavity. Amoebiasis was diagnosed by serology. Eight group I and all group II patients were managed conservatively by aspiration of the liver abscess, antibiotics and amoebicides. There were no deaths in this group. It is suggested that, if the diagnosis can be made early, conservative treatment offers the best chance of cure for patients of amoebic liver abscess with intraperitoneal rupture.

A retrospective analysis of twelve cases of duodenal tuberculosis is presented herein. The average age of the patients was 31.4 years with a male to female ratio of 2:1. The presenting complaints were duodenal obstruction in six patients and subacute intestinal obstruction in three. None of the patients had associated pulmonary tuberculosis. Eight patients had isolated duodenal tuberculosis, two of whom were successfully treated with antitubercular drugs. In four patients, the diagnosis was established at laparotomy by the presence of tubercles over the duodenum. Five patients required a bypass procedure for obstruction caused by the duodenal tuberculosis and one patient was operated on for uncontrollable bleeding from a tubercular duodenal ulcer. All patients remained symptom free after treatment, whether medical or surgical. Thus, in areas where tuberculosis is endemic, even in the absence of pulmonary tuberculosis, duodenal tuberculosis should be suspected in patients with upper gastrointestinal obstruction or in patients with peptic ulcer like symptoms not responding to medical therapy.