São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina
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Regional lymph node involvement in patients with malignant melanomas has been associated with poor prognosis. In-transit metastases also lead to poor long-term survival. Whereas for nodal disease only regional lymphadenectomy offers adequate locoregional control, for in-transit metastasis both local excision and isolated limb perfusion with chemotherapy plus tumor necrosis factor-alpha can be used for disease control. In cases of tumors located in the distal region of the legs, the lymphatic dissemination most commonly observed is to the inguinal chain. Consequently, therapeutic inguinal lymphadenectomy or even selective lymphadenectomy (sentinel lymph node biopsy) have been recommended. On the other hand, involvement of the popliteal chain is very rare. When this occurs, popliteal lymphadenectomy should be indicated. Local excision may be the logical approach for a few small in-transit metastases because of the low morbidity in this procedure, when compared with isolated limb perfusion. ⋯ A case of melanoma of the heel with popliteal chain involvement and in-transit metastases is presented. This was treated by means of regional lymphadenectomy plus in-transit metastases excision, with a good postoperative course.
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Various classification systems have been proposed for fractures of the distal radius, but the reliability of these classifications is seldom addressed. For a fracture classification to be useful, it must provide prognostic significance, interobserver reliability and intraobserver reproducibility. The aim here was to evaluate the intraobserver and interobserver agreement of distal radius fracture classifications. ⋯ The low agreement levels observed in this study suggest that there is still no classification method with high reproducibility.
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Review Case Reports
Postmenopausal intestinal obstructive endometriosis: case report and review of the literature.
Endometriosis is characterized by the presence of endometrial tissue outside the uterine cavity, which is commonly detected in gynecological practice but rarely reported as a coloproctological disorder. The objective of the present report was to discuss a rare case of postmenopausal intestinal endometriosis simulating a malignant lesion, following a review of the literature. ⋯ A 74-year-old woman with complaints of hematochezia and tenesmus of two months' duration accompanied by liquid feces and pelvic pain, but with no other gastrointestinal or gynecological complaints, was referred to our service. She had been menopausal for 22 years, with no hormone replacement treatment, and had undergone panhysterectomy three years before the referral to us, due to endometrial thickening and a right adnexal cyst. Five months before this referral, she had undergone laparotomy due to acute obstructive abdomen, which revealed a tumor mass involving the small bowel. Anatomopathological examination of the enterectomy suggested a hypothesis of intestinal endometriosis. A proctological examination was normal. Computed tomography of the pelvis revealed thickening of the rectosigmoid transition and colonoscopy revealed friable tumor formation in the rectum. A biopsy of the lesion revealed mucosal fragments of endometrial type, which led to a review of the previous anatomopathological examination. The patient underwent rectosigmoidectomy with protective transversotomy, with a good postoperative course, and anatomical examination confirmed the intestinal endometriosis. The patient subsequently suffered a stenosing recurrence of the lesion and has undergone colostomy since then.
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The presence of scapular fracture is believed to be associated with high rates of other injuries and accompanying morbidities. The aim was to study injury patterns and their overall outcomes in patients with scapula fractures. ⋯ Patients with scapula fractures have more severe underlying chest injuries and clavicle fractures. However, this did not correlate with higher rates of injury severity score, intensive care unit admission or mortality.