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Radiotherapy with high doses per fraction may have the potential to control radioresistant tumors, such as malignant melanoma. Here we report 2 cases with malignant melanoma of the nasal cavity treated with hypofractionated stereotactic radiotherapy using CyberKnife®., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the value of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in the differential diagnosis between benign and malignant thyroid nodules, particularly those found to have indeterminate cytology with fine needle aspiration (FNA)., Methods: Thirty-eight patients with 42 thyroid nodules underwent neck magnetic resonance imaging consisting of T1-, T2-, and diffusion-weighted imaging. The final diagnosis of all nodules was confirmed by surgery, revealing 23 with benign and 19 with malignant lesions. Preoperative FNA cytology was performed in 38 of 42 nodules, including 15 of indeterminate cytology. The mean ADC values in benign and malignant groups were compared., Results: There was a significant difference between mean ADC values in benign and malignant nodules and between mean ADC in benign and malignant nodules of indeterminate cytology. A cutoff value for malignant nodules of 1.60 × 10(-3) mm(2)/s yielded sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 94.73%, 82.60%, and 88.09%, respectively., Conclusion: The present study revealed that ADC measurements could potentially quantitatively differentiate between benign and malignant thyroid nodules, even those of indeterminate cytology. We propose that diffusion-weighted imaging evaluation should be used for the assessment of thyroid nodules in addition to FNA cytology., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

A male infant weighting 2970 g with total situs inversus, polysplenia, malrotation, duodenal stenosis, and complex cardiac anomalies, was admitted to our hospital. At 4 days of age, he underwent surgery that revealed a blood vessel passing over the duodenum from the mesenterium to the porta hepatis. A loose overbridging duodenoduodenostomy was performed to prevent compression of the vessel. The cardiac anomalies were corrected, and he could eat unrestricted diets. At the age of 1 year and 3 months, a 3-dimensional computed tomographic scan demonstrated that the vessel on the duodenum was the superior mesenteric vein (SMV), and it formed the portal vein with the splenic vein at the porta hepatis. Further, the scan revealed no compression of the SMV at the anastomosis. Doppler ultrasonography revealed a normal portal blood flow of 118.6 mL/min. This report describes the junction between the SMV and the splenic vein in a patient who had the SMV passing over the duodenum from the mesenterium. Correctly, patients previously diagnosed with a preduodenal portal vein could have a preduodenal SMV. The loose overbridging duodenoduodenostomy had advantages not only in passage of the anastomosis but also in maintenance of the portal blood flow for the congenital duodenal obstruction with the preduodenal SMV.

Staple-assisted laryngectomy is a unique method previously reported by Lukyanchenko to prevent wound contamination by using a stapling device for suturing pharyngeal defects in total laryngectomy. We have modified his method and applied it to prevent a postoperative pharyngocutaneous fistula in the treatment of intractable aspiration. In contrast to laryngeal cancer patients, a combined use of an intraluminal light to guide the dissection and laryngofissure to pull the epiglottis can be used to facilitate the use of the stapling device. For most patients with intractable aspiration who have significant malnutrition and drug-resistant bacterial colonization of the pharynx, this method offers certain advantages. This report describes our successful experience with this method in the management of patients with intractable aspiration., (Copyright 2003, Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.))

A 1-year-old boy had acute gastric outlet obstruction, the cause of which was a prepyloric submucosal mass. The mass and the ulcerated overlying mucosa were excised. The histological diagnosis was leiomyoblastoma with parenchymatous hemorrhage. Apparently, he is the youngest patient reported to have this disease.

This study was undertaken to clarify the source of blood in the vomitus of patients with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (HPS). Twenty-one infants with HPS were examined. Hematemesis was noted in 14 infants. Esophagogastric endoscopy showed a 100% incidence of esophagitis and in one patient gastric erosion was also observed. Histological study of the esophageal mucosa showed evidence of esophagitis in 18 patients (85.7%). Preoperative pH monitoring showed gastroesophageal reflux (GER) in all infants. Excessive acid exposure (> or = 7%) was significantly correlated with the grade of esophagitis and the incidence of hematemesis, whereas acid exposure time was shorter in the cases without histological esophagitis. These results suggested that the source of bleeding in HPS is the esophageal mucosa affected by esophagitis secondary to excessive acid reflux. Although there is obvious massive gastroesophageal reflux in HPS, it is too difficult to evaluate the lower esophageal sphincter function in HPS.

A newly designed semiconductor manometer was assembled for anorectal manometry in the neonatal period. Sixty apparently healthy neonates and 17 patients who presented gastrointestinal obstructive symptoms were examined by the eighth day of life. All 60 apparently healthy neonates showed a normal fluctuating wave and rectoanal reflex. Prematurity and postnatal age do not influence the normal rectoanal reflex. Among 17 patients, 5 were diagnosed as having Hirschsprung's disease based on absence of the reflex. There were no false negative or false positive results among these cases. It appears that anorectal manometry could be a reliable diagnostic test of Hirschsprung's disease even in the neonatal period.