Background/aim: Idiopathic granulomatous mastitis (IGM) is a rare, chronic inflammatory disease of the breast. Erythema nodosum (EN) is a rare extramammary manifestation of IGM. The purpose of this study is to determine the clinical and demographic characteristics of 11 IGM and EN patients and to evaluate the efficacy of methylprednisolone treatment. Materials and methods:In our series, ten patients had EN bilaterally, whereas one patient had a lesion of the right pretibial area. The mean age of the patients was 35.5 years (range: 29-45 years). IGM and EN were diagnosed by the necessary serological, microbiological, radiological, and histopathological examination. After diagnosis, methylprednisolone was started in the first week at 0.8 mg/kg daily for treatment. The weekly dose was tapered to 0.1 mg/kg daily over 8 weeks. Results:We started with the treatment of methylprednisolone, and in all our cases the initial response was excellent. In 2 weeks the IGM symptoms had markedly declined, while signs of EN disappeared completely. Patients were followed for an average of 60 months after treatment. None of the 11 patients had recurrence. Conclusion:We herein report a rare series considering IGM cases complicated by EN. Few such cases have been reported in the literature. We advocate for an initial trial of methylprednisolone treatment, which proved to be very successful in our patients.

Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast is relatively rare and, in our series, its incidence was 0.6%. According to its immunohistochemical characteristics, MpBC can be interpreted as a subgroup of triplenegative breast cancers (TNBC). Five of the presented patients resembled the subgroup of TNBC with a basaloid phenotype. The chemotherapy regimens suggested in the treatment of MpBC are platin in the epithelial subgroup and high-dose anthracycline in the mesenchymal subgroup. There is a need of new studies that evaluate different choices of treatment as MpBC has a bad prognosis and an aggressive nature.

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BACKGROUND:The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of body mass index (BMI) and trauma severity score systems on the mortality rates of patients undergoing surgery due to falls from height. METHODS:This retrospective study included 45 consecutive adult patients with multitrauma who were admitted and operated on due to a fall from height between January 2008 and December 2016. Patients were divided into mortality and recovery groups (n=10 and n=35, respectively). The groups were compared in terms of age, gender, weight, cause of the fall, height of the fall, location of the fall, BMI, trauma scores (Injury Severity Score [ISS], New Injury Severity Score [NISS], Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS], Abbreviated Injury Score [AIS], Revised Trauma Score [RTS]), hospital stay, and postoperative complications. RESULTS:There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender, and height or cause of the fall (p>0.05), whereas there was a statistically significant difference with respect to weight and BMI values (p<0.01). A statistically significant difference was determined between the groups in terms of hospital stay and postoperative complications (p<0.01) and ISS, NISS, GCS, AIS, and RTS scores (p<0.05). CONCLUSION:The effect of weight and BMI on the mortality rate of patients presenting with trauma as a result of a fall from height was objectively demonstrated in the present study. and heterogeneous pathophysiological patterns and different demographic factors, such as age, gender, and etiology. Methodologically, TSSs evaluate the severity of injury, including the anatomical severity and the level of physiological disorder, and convert the results into numerical data. These systems can determine the hospital stay and mortality rates, transfer suitable patients to proper facilities at the right time, compare large series, and eventually provide analyses of trauma care outcomes. [5] The purpose of establishing TSSs is to define the objective and comparable criteria for the determination of the severity of an injury. Anatomical location, physiological parameters, and trauma mechanisms are the three essential criteria to define the severity of an injury and also predict outcome. Moreover, these expedite the evaluation of various combinations of scoring systems. [6]

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