Our study showed that very-high-frequency ultrasound and real-time elastography can be useful examinations for comprehensive preoperative evaluation of cutaneous melanoma.

There is a large spectrum of tumors presenting as nodular lesions that may affect the subungual space. We report the case of a 62-year-old woman presenting with a rapidly growing nodular lesion under the nail of the first left toe. Non-invasive examinations using dermoscopy, ultrasonography and elastography were performed for the preoperative assessment of the lesion. The biopsy of the lesion revealed superficial acral fibromyxoma, a benign tumor with predisposition for acral sites. The patient underwent radical surgery with wide resection margins. This is the first case report of a superficial acral fibromyxoma affecting the subungual region characterized by dermoscopic, ultrasonographic and elastographic features. We also performed a short review of the literature.

Glomangioma is a painful, blue-red tumor that appears as a solitary encapsulated nodular mass, almost always on the skin. The first case of nasal glomangioma was reported in 1965. Since then, only 31 other cases have been reported in the literature. We present a new case of glomangioma of the nasal septum in a 61-year-old woman. The tumor was removed via an intranasal endoscopic excision. No recurrence was found at 3 years of follow-up. Our challenge was to distinguish the glomangioma from a true hemangiopericytoma and a paraganglioma.

Temporal myositis is a rare inflammatory disease of the temporal muscle. We report a case of unilateral temporal myositis, in which a polymyositis was diagnosed two years thereafter. Although focal myositis may rarely herald polymyositis, isolated temporal myositis preceding inflammatory myopathies has not been described, to our knowledge. In the setting of a temporal pain and swelling, ultrasonography may help in diagnosis, biopsy guidance, disease extension, and progression assessment. Further studies are necessary to establish the role of elastography in differentiating between muscle inflammation and hypertrophy.

Gastrointestinal tract involvement is the most common visceral affectation in systemic sclerosis (SSc), but the manifestations may vary in extension and severity. Endoscopic and histopathological gastroesophageal findings were investigated in patients with SSc. A total of 79 consecutive patients with definite SSc were enrolled in a cross sectional study. Clinical data were collected, upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsies from gastric mucosa were performed in all cases. Fifty-seven (72.1%) out of 79 SSc patients had gastroesophageal symptoms. The most frequent were dysphagia, present in 33 (41.7%) and gastroesophageal reflux symptoms in 23 (29.1%) patients. Out of the 79 patients, 22 were asymptomatic, but in 16 esophageal and gastric mucosa changes were endoscopically detected. Reflux esophagitis was found in 39 (49.3%) patients. The presence of esophageal manifestations was not related to the disease duration or with its other variables. Signs of gastritis were endoscopically described in 47 (59.4%) and confirmed on histopathologic examinations in 45 patients. In 31 patients without any endoscopic changes, 18 (22.7%) showed signs of gastritis on histopathologic examination. No significant statistical differences were found between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients or between those with limited cutaneous SSc and those with diffuse cutaneous SSc in terms of clinical, endoscopic or histopathological findings, except the higher proportion of hiatal hernia in symptomatic patients. The results of this study might suggest that upper gastrointestinal endoscopy should be performed during the early stage of the disease and then periodically in patients diagnosed with SSc, even in the absence of typical symptoms.