SUMMARYBurkitt lymphoma, a type of non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma, is the fastest growing human cancer, presenting pathologically with a ‘starry sky’ pattern. It is most often found in the abdomen and the jaw, however, localization in the abdomen other than the ileocecal area is very rare and described only in a handful of cases. Standard treatment consists of initial tumor cytoreduction followed by intense chemotherapy. Most of the relapses occur within one year of the diagnosis, while the 5-year survival is around 80%. We present two cases which are specific for unusual location of Burkitt lymphoma in the colon and stomach, in immunocompetent patients with negative Epstein-Barr virus tests. Also, one of the patients presented is one of the oldest ever reported with abdominal Burkitt lymphoma, while the other patient is an example of diagnostic difficulties in distinguishing Burkitt lymphoma from similar lymphomas. Due to the rapidly growing tumors and urgent need for cytoreductive surgery, it is crucial to consider the diagnosis of Burkitt lymphoma even in atypical localizations or absence of the common risk factors associated with Burkitt lymphoma.

-Lumbar spine synovial cysts are benign growths adjoining the facet joints that may induce low back pain, lumbar radiculopathy and neurological deficit. However, they are not well defined concerning their origin, cause and pathology, as well as available treatment strategies. The scope of different surgical procedures includes image-guided epidural steroid injection, direct cyst puncture by percutaneous epidural needle, spinal canal decompression and cyst resection, and spinal bone fusion with/without instrumentation. Hereby, we report institutional experience and discuss surgical strategies of lumbar spine synovial cyst treatment. Presenting symptoms, imaging findings and outcomes were retrospectively analyzed in 15 patients with lumbar spine synovial cyst, operated on during a one-year period. The leading presenting symptom was lumbar radicular pain, while the most commonly involved vertebral level was L5-S1. In a great majority of patients, a single-level interlaminectomy and cyst resection were performed. Most patients recovered without postoperative neurological and functional deficit, as well as surgery-related complications. No poor outcome was noticed in our series. Concerning our results and literature review, the optimal management for patients with symptomatic lumbar synovial cyst has to be highly personalized, which is essential to achieve a favorable outcome. Nonetheless, the best treatment strategy has yet to be affirmed.

Objectives Computerized tomography (CT) is the most accurate method for evaluating pelvic calcifications, which are of utmost importance for planning kidney transplantation (KT). The aim of our study was to evaluate the incidence and distribution of iliac artery calcifications and correlate the novel pelvic calcification score (PCS) with cardiovascular risk factors and graft and overall survival in KT patients. Methods We retrospectively included 118 KT patients operated at our institution with pretransplant pelvic CT. Calcification morphology, circumference and length of both common and external iliac arteries were independently scored by two uroradiologists. PCS was calculated as the total score sum of all three calcification features in all vessels. PCS correlation with graft and patient survival was performed. Results Calcification in at least one vascular segment was found in 79% of patients. PCS was significantly higher in male patients (p = 0.006), patients over 55 years (p < 0.001), and patients on haemodialysis (p = 0.016). Patients with a PCS >3 had significantly shorter graft and overall survival rates (p = 0.041 and p = 0.039, respectively). Conclusions The extent of iliac artery calcification in KT recipients quantified by PCS on pretransplant CT correlates with graft and overall patient survival. A PCS over three was associated with worse clinical outcomes and could become a possible prognostic factor. Advances in knowledge Our novel PCS is a robust method for quantifying iliac artery calcification burden. Since higher a PCS correlates with worse patient and graft survival, PCS has the potential to become a prognostic factor in kidney transplant patients.

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