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BackgroundFine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is very accurate in detecting papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). According to the Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology, the risk for malignancy is 97-99% when FNAC is used to diagnose PTC; the malignancy risk is 60-75% when FNAC results in suspected PTCs. The presence of hyalinizing trabecular tumor (HTT) of the thyroid can cause misdiagnosis because its cytological features mimic PTCs. However, the use of frozen section analysis can assist in the recognition of unique architecture features of HTT, and thus may help prevent the undertaking of an unnecessarily aggressive operation.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed all patients diagnosed with HTT by permanent histopathology from February 2009 to October 2013. After acquired agreement of the patients, we analyzed all data and reviewed another nine cases of HTT reported in the English-language medical literature to examine the efficacy of frozen section.ResultsThere were six patients included in our research (5 women and 1 man), with an average age of 48.8 years. Using frozen section, four patients were diagnosed with HTT and two patients were misinterpreted as PTC. Consequently, four patients had lobectomy and two patients had total thyroidectomy, with no surgical complications. Of the nine cases of HTT reviewed from the English literature, the use of frozen section showed three HTT cases, three PTC cases, two medullary thyroid carcinoma cases, and one deferral case. Overall, the use of frozen section as a diagnostic method prevented additional surgical resection in eight patients (53%).ConclusionFrozen section can sometimes but not always be used to diagnose HTT. When HTT is diagnosed by its trabecular pattern through the use of frozen section, it may prevent total thyroidectomy.

Unlabelled: A 61-year-old male presented to our emergency room with chest tightness, dyspnea, and cold sweat. He underwent a 12-lead EKG which showed ST-elevation from leads V1-V4 and T wave inversion in leads II, III, and aVF. His troponin-I level was elevated to 70.3 ng/ml. He went into cardiogenic shock when he was in the catheter room. After advanced cardiac life support was administered for 30 min, veno-arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) cannulation was set up using 21-french arterial and 21-french venous cannula through the right femoral artery and right femoral vein by the puncture method for hemodynamic support. Subsequently, a coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) for acute myocardial infarction was performed. However, the patient was unable to be weaned from the VA-ECMO. Four days later, a CentriMag (Levitronix LLC, Waltham, MA, USA) left ventricular assist device (LVAD) was applied to avoid ECMO-related complications such as severe hemolysis, ischemic, deteriorated liver and renal function. The patient subsequently underwent a successful orthotopic heart transplant after 87 days on the CentriMag LVAD. The patient was extubated on the next postoperative day and was discharged 2 weeks later., Key Words: Acute myocardial infarction; Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Heart transplantation; Ventricular assist device.

Patients who receive heart transplantation surgery following end-stage cardiac failure benefit from efforts to improve their post-surgical quality of life. Assessing and managing perioperative care play an important role in heart transplantation. Evaluations of donor and recipient should be conducted carefully and recommended candidates should by vetted by a qualified heart transplantation committee. The operative procedure is different from general cardiac surgery, and organ preservation is a key step in linking the donor to the recipient. Postoperative infection control and administration of immunosuppressive agents further affect the outcome of heart transplantation. Based on a review of articles and our clinical care experience, we focus on the assessment and the management of heart transplantation in this article.

Unlabelled: We herein describe the case of a 21-year-old woman with Stewart-Bluefarb syndrome presenting with recurrent ulcers on the right foot and multiple congenital arteriovenous malformations. The painful recurrent ulcers and brownish macules at the dorsum of the right foot had appeared at 13 years of age, and the size of the right foot gradually became larger than the left. She underwent conservative treatment and polyvinyl alcohol embolization but the ulcer was recurrent. Two macroscopic detectable feeding arteries to arteriovenous fistulas were ligated under Doppler sonography. At her 6 month follow-up, the chronic ulcer had begun to heal and pain had been alleviated., Key Words: Acroangiodermatitis; Arteriovenous malformation; Recurrent foot ulcer; Stewart-Bluefarb syndrome.

Unlabelled: Cardiac hemangiomas are extremely rare, and account for 5-10% of benign cardiac tumors. Most clinical presentations involve patient dyspnea on exertion and arrhythmia; asymptomatic patients are uncommon. A 45-year-old man had an asymptomatic left ventricular mass that was found incidentally during an echocardiogram. Magnetic resonance images showed an isointense protruding mass attached to the lateral wall of the left ventricle. The patient underwent a complete surgical resection with a good outcome. Histopathological examination revealed a cavernous hemangioma. The natural course of cardiac hemangiomas varies, and total resection is the favored treatment., Key Words: Asymptomatic; Cardiac hemangioma; Resection.