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Purpose: To compare two different MR sequences to tissue signal suppression in the study of patellar cartilage abnormalities., Materials and Methods: We examined 26 patients with magnetic resonance (MR) imaging: sequences included spectral presaturation with inversion recovery (SPIR), with fat suppression and T2-weighted images, magnetization transfer contrast (MTC) sequences, T1-weighted and T2-weighted spin-echo sequences. All patients underwent conventional knee arthroscopy and in all patients a hyaline cartilage lesion was assessed in three articular zones: the patellar medial facet, the lateral facet and the patellar crista. Was assessed 78 articular facets. The lesions were classified using a standard arthroscopic grading system adapted to MR imaging: normal cartilage that corresponds to the grade 0 according to the Noyes grading system, low grade lesions that correspond to the grade I e IIa and high grade lesions that correspond to grades IIb and III. The arthroscopic results were compared with MR images. We assessed the MR diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and MR positive predictive value and negative predictive value of the two sequences taking into consideration total lesions, and high-grade and low grade lesions separately., Results: Twenty-four low grade lesions (16 grade I e 8 grade IIa) and 18 high grade lesions (10 grade IIb e 8 grade III) were diagnosed by arthroscopy. Regarding low grade and high-grade lesions together, the accuracy was 77% for MTC sequences and 90% for SPIR sequences. In identifying low-grade lesions, the sensitivity was 88% for SPIR sequence and 42% for MTC sequences. Specificity for the detection of all lesions was 89% for the SPIR sequences and 94% for the MTC sequences. The SPIR sequence visualised water content abnormalities in degenerating cartilage, which are representative of low-grade lesions. The sensitivity of the sequence enabled us to obtain improved contrast for detecting cartilage surface irregularities. The MTC sequences allowed us to grade high-grade lesions susceptible to surgery and small cartilage defects in the presence of joint fluid. The MTC sequences were insufficient in the diagnosis of early stages of chondromalacia because the suppression of the signal of bonded water reduced the contrast among areas of articular cartilage with different water content. For this reason cartilage oedema and early superficial fibrillation were not identified., Conclusions: In our experience the SPIR sequence proved superior to the MTC sequence in the identification of low grade lesions of the patellar cartilage. The overall value of such sequences in the study of articular pathology also needs to be assessed in the others sites where the articular cartilage is thinner and surfaces more curvilinear.

Adoptive immunotherapy trials with tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and interleukin-2 (IL-2) were carried out in the treatment of advanced melanoma with a 34% of overall responses (OR). However, theoretically it should be of greater benefit as adjuvant therapy, especially in high-risk stages (stage III and resected stage IV). In a pilot study, 22 patients (aged 23-72 years) with stage III-IV melanoma who underwent radical metastasectomy were reinfused with TIL cultivated and expanded in vitro with IL-2 from surgically removed metastases. IL-2 (starting dose 12 x 10(6) IU/m2) was co-administered as a continuous infusion according to West's scheme. A total of 8/22 (36.3%) patients were disease-free (DF) at a median follow-up of 5 years. DF survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in the remaining 14 patients were 44% and 37% and 52% and 45% at 2 and 3 years, respectively. The CNS was the only site of disease recurrence in 57% of patients who relapsed. DF patients received a higher median dose of IL-2 than those who progressed (total dose 110 x 10(6) vs 86 x 10(6) IU/m2, respectively). The progressive reduction in IL-2 dosage allowed all patients to complete treatment without permanent grade 4 toxicity. The effects of tumor immunosuppression in lymphocytes inside the tumor (TCR z and e chains, p56lck, FAS and FAS-ligand) confirmed that the potential function of TIL, immunodepressed at the time of metastasectomy, was significantly restored after in vitro, culture with IL-2. Adjuvant adoptive immunotherapy with TIL and IL-2 seems to improve DFS and OS, in comparison with literature data. Further studies are required to determine its role in the adjuvant treatment of patients with high-risk melanoma.

Background: To evaluate the efficacy of bone scintigraphy in the long-term follow-up of maxillary sinus lift by a mixture of bovine hydroxyapatite and autologous fibrin glue in conjunction with the insertion of endosseous implants., Methods: A three-years follow-up study involved 18 surgical interventions performed on 14 edentulous patients (4 F; 10 M; mean age 49 yrs) suffering from mono or bilateral severe distal maxillary resorbtion. The bone scintigraphy of the skull was performed before, 1-18 months and 36 months post-intervention. Perimplant bone metabolism was quantified by a parameter called M/V index, used to statistically compare normal, atrophic and regenerate maxillary bone. Conventional radiographies were performed every six months; CT dental-scan 12 months post-intervention., Results: Bone perimplant metabolism showed top values 1-4 months post-intervention (M/V%2-2.2); then it showed a decreasing trend and the lowest values 36 months post-intervention. M/V index in the atrophic (0.6) and normal (0.7) maxillary bone was lower (p<0.05) than in the new formed one (0.8). Radiologically a good integration of the dental implants was found in the new formed bone; the CT-measured average maxillary height was equal to 1 cm., Conclusions: The combination of several bioactive components in the mixture used didn't allow to detect the bone inductive role of the single products. Instead, quantitative bone scintigraphy confirmed its efficacy to gain important data about natural history of the endosseous implants and the value of the surgical technique. In particular we observed complete osseous integration of dental implants inserted in the mix of bovine hydroxyapatite and autologous fibrin glue is achieved 2-3 years after the intervention. After this period, possible pathological aspects suggest an early treatment to save the implants.

Purpose: Presently nuclear medicine techniques are not very popular in oral implantology, but they can play an interesting role in this surgical field too. In particular bone scan with 99mTc-MDP allows to evaluate the function of oral implants and the survival of bone grafts. We report our experience with skull bone scan in maxillary sinus lifting., Material and Methods: We performed a three-year follow-up on 13 patients treated with inlay-one stage uni- or bilateral sinus lifting with a mixture composed of 90% bovine bone powder and of 10% small bone splinters and autogenous fibrin glue. We performed imaging studies and quantitated implant MDP uptake from the mean values at the surgical site to the 5th neck vertebral ratio (M/V index). The M/V index was also statistically compared with the one measured in 13 patients with severe resorption of distal upper dental arches (bone height less than 0.5 cm) and in 63 patients with normal dental status. Scintigraphic data were interpreted in the light of clinical, radiological and histologic findings., Results: All oral implants appeared to be fixed and radiographs showed good positioning and bone adhesion; bone height exceeded 1 cm. Peri implant biopsy material was formed by normal mature bone tissue without bovine bone granules, necrotic areas and inflammatory cells. The highest bone activity (M/V index: 1.54-2.57) was observed 1-4 months after sinus lifting. Then MDP uptake decreases and 18 months after surgery radionuclide uptake in maxillary arches is homogeneous, with M/V values of 0.81-0.88. The average M/V value in the 18 surgical sites was clearly higher than in the resorbed (1.44 vs 0.64; Kruskall-Wallis ANOVA test; Dunn's method; p < 0.05) and normal (1.44 vs 0.73; p < 0.05) maxillary arches., Discussion and Conclusions: 99mTc-MDP can show the transformation of newformed into mature bone and then allows in vivo visualization of implant osteointegration. The importance of our work lies in the use of radionuclide imaging to assess both the function of oral implants inserted by a complex surgical technique and the expected bioactive properties of the filling mixture. Nevertheless the strong active autogenous compounds do not permit to detect the real agent of local bone induction. An interesting finding is that implant stability is biologically gained 18 months after intervention and that the uptake index facilitates comparison of sequential scans and confirmation of local bone growth. Therefore high MDP uptake by the implant 2-3 years after surgery can suggest mechanical or septic bone injury which can lead to implant failure if not treated promptly. In conclusion we believe that quantitative bone scan is a valid diagnostic tool in the follow-up of oral implants inserted with sinus lifting, though our experience needs confirmation on larger series and new research is warranted to understand the real mechanisms of assisted bone regeneration.

Right-sided valvular heart disease is a common complication of metastatic carcinoid tumors. On the contrary, left valve involvement is a rare finding. In our report we describe a patient in whom the subsequent involvement of right and left heart valves was documented by 2D and Doppler echocardiography. The patient was a 46-year-old woman who, in the last three years, complained of face flushing, postprandial diarrhea and shooting epigastric pain lasting for hours. She came at our observation for increasing dyspnoea, peripheral edemas and asthenia. 2D-echocardiography and Color Doppler revealed a severe tricuspid regurgitation and a turbulent blood flow across the pulmonary valve. An Angiographic examination confirmed the severe tricuspidal regurgitation and disclosed a mild pulmonary stenosis. These findings were associated with high 5 hydroxyndole acetic acid (5-HIAA) urinary excretion and the presence of a liver metastasizing ileal carcinoid tumor. Some months later, a new 2D echo-Doppler examination showed thickening and reduced motion of the posterior mitral leaflet, associated with regurgitation and an aortic insufficiency without evident structural valvular abnormalities. Even if carefully investigated no right-to-left shunt was found.

A case of IgA nephropathy is described. The patient had only an attack of Henoch-Schonlein purpura without renal involvement when she was 7 years old. After 6 years of normal urinalysis she developed repeated bouts of gross hematuria and proteinuria. In renal biopsy typical features of Berger's disease were found. This particular case permits to debate whether the two diseases suffered by our patient were related or quite different.