Search

A 22-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of facial edema and increasing body weight. Under the diagnosis of Cushing syndrome due to an adrenocorticotropic (ACTH)-producing thyroid tumor, thyroidectomy with regional lymph node dissection was performed. Histopathological diagnosis was thyroid carcinoid. In spite of the operation, serum ACTH and cortisol concentrations increased again due to mediastinal lymph node metastasis. His hyper-cortisolemia was resistant to drug therapy. Then, laparoscopic bilateral adrenalectomy was performed. After the operation, hyper-cortisolemia and clinical symptoms markedly improved. An additional chemotherapy is implemented because of new metastasis in the mediastinum lymph nodes.

A 60-year-old man who had undergone left adrenalectomy and right partial adrenalectomy for bilateral pheochromocytoma 26 years ago was found to have an elevated serum noradrenaline (NA) and dopamine (DA) during a long-term follow-up. At the time of right partial adrenalectomy, the normal part of the right adrenal gland was preserved. His cousin and second cousin had pheochromocytoma associated with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. His eldest daughter had cerebellar hemangioblastoma. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed a tumor which was 17 mm in diameter with contrast enhancement in the vicinity of the S6 region in the liver. 123 I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy showed an abnormal accumulation in the same area. The tumor was surgically removed under the diagnosis of recurrence of pheochromocytoma. Histopathological examination revealed findings consistent with recurrent pheochromocytoma. After operation, serum NA and DA returned to normal range and the abnormal up-take on 123I-MIBG scintigraphy disappeared. Genetic testing revealed that the patient and his daughter had VHL disease. An extensive genetic examination and long-term follow-up should be considered for the present family.

A 35-year-old man with an intra-abdominal testicular tumor arising from the right unresolved intraabdominal testis is reported. At 10 years old, left orchidopexy was successfully performed for bilateral undescended testes. However, the right testis was not detected during the operation, and it was diagnosed as vanishing testis. Twenty-five years later, he was referred to our hospital with the complaint of right lower abdominal pain. Computed tomography revealed huge pelvic tumors and bulky para-aortic lymph node swellings. Histopathologic examination of the needle biopsy specimen obtained from the pelvic tumor revealed seminomatous germ cell tumor. Taking the results with a tumor marker study into consideration, the patient was tentatively diagnosed with non-seminomatous germ cell tumor NSGCT (stage IIB) arising from the unresolved intra-abdominal testis or extragonadal germ cell tumor. He received 3 courses of bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatin (BEP), and 4 courses of VP-16, ifosfamide, cisplatin (VIP). After chemotherapy, we performed tumorectomy and retroperitoneal lymphadenectomy because tumor markers were normalized and 2-[18F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET)-CT revealed normalization. We identified the pelvic tumor as an intra-abdominal testicular tumor arising from right unresolved intra-abdominal testis. Pathological examination revealed no residual tumor cells. There has been no recurrence 17 months after surgery.

A 33-year-old man visited our hospital complaining of painless left scrotal swelling. Serum alphafetoprotein (AFP) and human chorionic gonadotropin-beta (HCG-β) were within normal range. Computed tomography revealed a heterogeneous tumor in the left scrotum and para-aortic lymph node swelling. We diagnosed the tumor as stage IIA testicular cancer and performed left high inguinal orchiectomy. Histopathological diagnosis was mature teratoma with no associated malignant germ cell tumor. The patient was followed-up without adjuvant chemotherapy because the size of para-aortic lymph nodes was remarkably reduced one month after the orchiectomy. The patient must be followed up carefully for possible metastasis.

A 61-year-old man with oral floor cancer (adenoid cystic carcinoma, T2N0M1) was treated with systemicc hemotherapy and radiation therapy at the department of dentistry and oral surgery in our hospital. He had three lung metastases and renal tumors detected by screening computed tomography. The oral floor cancer responded to the treatment to achieve partial response. However, lung and renal metastases did not respond to chemotherapy. Then, the patient was referred to our clinic to rule out the possibility of lung metastasis from renal cell carcinoma. Laparoscopic left nephrectomy was performed and pathological examination on the renal lesions revealed adenoid cystic carcinoma, which had identical histopathological features to the oral floor cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first report of metastatic renal tumor from oral floor cancer (adenoid cystic carcinoma).

We report a case of adrenal pheochromocytoma in a patient with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1). A 65-year-old female patient was admitted to our hospital for examination of a right adrenal mass. The adrenal tumor was incidentally discovered by abdominal computed tomography during examination for hypertension in another hospital. She had large multiple neurofibromatous lesions and café-au-lait spots on the trunk. We thought that it was difficult to make a skin incision on normal skin. Serum and urinary catecholamines were markedly increased. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a solid round tumor 3 cm in diameter, located in the right adrenal gland. Laparoscopic right adrenalectomy was performed. Serum and urinary catecholamines returned to the normal range on post-operative day 10. Laparoscopic surgery may be a good option for NF1 patients with pheochromocytoma, especially those who had multiple neurofibromatosis on the trunk.

The efficacy and safety of additional administration of propiverine were prospectively studied for naftopidil-resistant nocturia in patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). Patients of 50 years and over with BPH who experienced nocturia twice a night or more and an overall International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) of 8 or more were first administered naftopidil (50 or 75 mg/day) for 4 weeks. Thirty subjects who did not show improvement in nocturia and requested further treatment were enrolled in the present study. Propiverine was then administered concomitantly 10 mg/day for 8 weeks. Significant improvement was observed with additional propiverine in the frequency of nocturia on voiding diary, total IPSS, voiding symptom, storage symptom and nocturnal voiding scores. No significant change was observed in the peak urinary flow rate (Qmax), mean urinary flow rate (Qave), voided urine volume, or residual urine volume. Adverse events were dysuria (2 cases), increased residual urine (6 cases), weak urine flow (1 case), thirsty (2 cases), angular cheilitis (1 case). Administration of propiverine was suspended in 7 subjects, 1 following dysuria and 6 following increased residual urine volume. The suspension of propiverine following increased residual urine volume was significantly more prevalent in subjects with pretreatment Qmax values of less than 10 ml/second or in subjects whose prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels were 2 ng/ml or more. In conclusion, the results indicate that additional administration of propiverine may be useful for the patients with BPH who have naftopidil-resistant nocturia. However, caution must be exercised regarding Qmax and PSA levels.

A 28-year-old woman was referred to our hospital complaining of upper abdominal discomfort. The patient had been receiving medical treatment for hypertension. Computed tomography revealed a 30 mm solid tumor with calcification in the left adrenal gland and a 8 mm nodule in the right adrenal gland. Endocrinological examinations revealed no activity of either adrenal mass. The left adrenal tumor was extirpated, because malignancy of the tumor was not ruled out. Histopathological examination proved that the tumor was ganglioneuroma arising from the extra-adrenal retroperitoneum.

A 64-year-old female patient had been receiving hemodialysis since June 2008. A left adrenal mass, 2.5 cm in diameter, was incidentally found by screening computed tomography at the initiation of hemodialysis. Plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine were increased to 1.21 ng/ml and 4.71 ng/ml, respectively. In the scintiscan using ¹²³I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG), accumulation of the radionuclide in the left adrenal tumor region was confirmed. Laparoscopic left adrenalectomy was performed without peri-operative complications under the diagnosis of left pheochromocytoma. The elevated catecholamines and the blood pressure were restored after surgery.

A 62-year-old man presented with a giant tumor in the pelvic cavity that was incidentally revealed by abdominal ultrasonography. Abdominal magnetic resonance imaging showed the heterogenous tumor in the pelvis with cystic components. The tumor was 10.8 × 10.5 × 11.7 cm in diameter and adhered to the sacral wall. The tumor was extirpated following diagnosis as a benign neurogenic tumor by needle biopsy. The pelvic cavity was occupied by the tumor rigidly adhered to the sacrum. The histopathological diagnosis of the specimen was benign schwannoma, type Antoni A.

We developed a simple urine telomerase activity assay by a modification of the TeloTAGGG telomerase polymerase chain reaction (PCR) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. We conjugated digoxygenin (DIG) with the CX primer of omitting hybridization of PCR products and DIG-labeled probe. The sensitivity and specificity of bladder cancer diagnosis on 100 patients with bladder cancer and 25 healthy volunteers using the simple urine telomerase activity measurement were 81% and 92%, respectively. The positive rate for bladder cancer by the present assay system was affected by neither tumor grade nor invasiveness. The diagnostic potential of the present method is superior to the conventional urine telomerase assay kit and urine nuclear matrix protein-22 (NMP22). The present method is simple, and can be used for mass screening of bladder cancer.

We examined whether the tumor volume (TV) is a good predictor of PSA recurrence after radical prostatectomy. Data were collected for 158 patients with clinically localized prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy in our hospital since April 2005 to September 2007. Along with the routine pathological assessment, TV was assessed in all prostatectomy specimens. PSA recurrence was defined as PSA levels of greater than 0.2 ng/ml. The TVs were 1.81+/-1.66 ml (mean +/-SD) ranging from 0.02 to 8.20 ml. The TV in cT1c was 1.77+/-1.64, and 1.89+/-1.72 ml in cT2 (not significant). Significant differences were observed between TV and pT. The TVs in pT2a, pT2b and pT3/4 were 0.54+/-0.54, 1.63+/-1.47 and 2.67+/-1.80 ml, respectively. The median follow-up period was 32.3 months (range from 15 to 45) after radical prostatectomy, and PSA recurrence was observed in 32 cases. Patients with smaller TV (TV <1.3 ml) had a higher PSA-free survival rate (89.5%) than those with a larger TV (TV > or = 1.3 ml, 66.7%) with a significant difference atp <0.001 (log-rank test). A multivariate analysis was performed for PSA, TV, pT, Gleason Score (GS), and surgical margins. Significant differences were observed for GS, and surgical margins, but not for TV. Clinically organ-confined disease in Japanese patients with prostate cancer included various cancers from clinically insignificant to locally advanced ones. In our series, TV was not regarded as a predictor of PSA recurrence after radical prostatectomy.

A 57-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of a paranephric tumor detected by preoperative computed tomography (CT) for the ascending colon carcinoma. Since the paranephric tumor was small, surgical treatment was performed only for the colon carcinoma. The follow-up CT showed increase in size and number of paranephric tumor masses. It was suspected to be a soft tissue malignant tumor. Left radical nephrectomy was performed. Pathological findings revealed inflammatory pseudotumor of the paranephric fat. To our knowledge, this is the 4th case with inflammatory pseudotumor of the paranephric fat.

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) of the kidney is rare. A 76-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with a complaint of an incidentaloma of the right kidney. Computed tomography revealed an ovoid, hypervascular tumor in the right kidney. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a low intensity tumor occupying the upper calyx of the right kidney (T2 weighted image). Laparoscopic right radical nephrectomy was performed. An immunohistochemical study using a monoclonal antibody directed against the human hematopoietic progenitor cell antigen (CD34) stain confirmed SFT. The follow up at 48 months after surgery showed no recurrence or distant metastasis.

We assessed the incidence, risk factors and causative organism for surgical site infection (SSI). We reviewed the clinical charts of the consecutive 100 patients who underwent radical cystectomy from December 2003 to April 2008. All patients received intravenous prophylactic antimicrobial agent, 1 gram of cefotium hydrochloride before surgery followed by the same agent twice a day through postoperative day 3. Skin closures were carried out by interrupted sutures employing a 3-0 nylon for the first 50 patients (interrupted group), and by buried suture employing 3-0 or 4-0 braided polyglactin for the last 50 patients (buried group). SSI occurred in 13 cases (26%) with interrupted group including 8 patients with ureterocutaneoustomy and 5 patients with orthotopic ileal neobladder reconstruction. On the other hand, SSI was found in 1 patient (2%) in the buried group for whom ileal neobladder reconstruction was carried out (P= 0.021). Superficial inflectional SSI was found in 6 patients (5 patients in the interrupted group, patient in the buried group) and deep incisional SSI occurred in 5 patients in the interrupted group only. The most frequently isolated organism was Enterococcus faecalis. Univariate analysis revealed that body mass index (BMI) and the skin closure methods were significant risk factors for SSI (P<0.001, P=0.021, respectively). These 2 risk factors for SSI were also significant in multivariate analysis (P=0.003, P=0.037, respectively). These results suggested that BMI and the skin closure methods are independent risk factors in radical cystectomy. Furthermore, it may be possible to reduce the incidence of SSI by performing the buried suture for the skin closure.

A 70-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with a complaint of persistent urinary leakage from an ileal neobladder-vaginal fistula. She already had undergone surgical repair for the fistula two times. The first repair was performed by a transperitoneal approach and the second was by a transvaginal approach, both of which were not successful. In our hospital, the fistula was closed with transvaginal approach and the gracilis muscle transposition technique was used for reinforcement. The present method is easy to perform and is a useful surgical technique for recurrent neobladder-vaginal fistula.

A 2-year-old boy presented for the evaluation of left nonpalpable testis. Laparoscopic examination revealed right migratory testis without any abnormal appearance and a uterine-like structure with an immature gonad in rectovesical fossa. Right spermatic duct merged into the uterine-like structure on the right side. The immature gonad was removed by laparoscopic procedure, while the uterine-like structure was not removed to preserve the right spermatic duct. Right orchidopexy was also performed. Histopathologic diagnosis for the removed gonad was hypoplastic testis. After the chromosomal analysis, 46 XY karyotype, we diagnosed this case as persistent Müllerian duct syndrome. Persistent Müllerian duct syndrome diagnosed by laparoscopic examination is very rare. To the best of our knowledge, this is the third case in Japan.

A 46-year-old man complaining of transient dysuria. After digital examination and ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and angiography, retrovesical tumor was suspected and tumor resection was performed. There was no adhesion to the adjacent organs, and histopathological diagnosis was a dermoid cyst. The patient is being followed up at our hospital without severe complications and recurrence. This is the third report of retrovesical dermoid cyst in a male in the world.

A 70-year-old man visited our hospital with the complaint of appetite loss. He had undergone an ileal conduit reconstruction due to bilateral ileo-ureteral stenosis 3 months before. Blood gas analysis showed metabolic acidosis (pH 7.091, pO2 120.5 mmHg, pCO2 20.9 mmHg, HCO3 6.1 mmHg), and blood analysis revealed serum chloride 121 mmol/l (normal range: 99-110). Sodium bicarbonate was immediately administered, his condition improved. We concluded that reabsorption of urine from the ileal conduit due to dehydration had caused hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis. He was given sodium bicarbonate 2 g per day, and his blood gas analysis and serum electrolytes remained within normal limits.