CARCINOMA OF THE CERVIX

Studies by eminent surgeons to reevaluate the place of radical operations in the treatment of carcinoma of the cervix—now that extensive procedures have become less hazardous—apparently have led to confusion in some minds as to choice between surgical and radiation therapy. Pending outcome of the studies, general employment of surgical treatment is unwarranted. Radiation is the treatment of choice in most cases, particularly if the lesion is in an early stage, although radical operation is indicated in certain rare early cases in which delivery of an effective dose of radiation to involved areas is technically difficult. Elsewise it appears at present that operation should be used only in cases of stages III or IV carcinoma—in which results by either means of treatment are poor.One hundred and seven patients were treated with a combination of x-ray and radium irradiation. X-ray was used first to reduce the hazard of implanting the radium. The “five-year arrest” rates were as follows: For 22 patients with stage I lesion, 70 per cent; for 31 with stage II, 55.7 per cent; 33 with stage III, 39.7 per cent; 21 with stage IV, 0. Eighteen patients with diagnosis of carcinoma of the cervix who had had subtotal hysterectomy were treated. The stage of the disease could not be determined. In this group the five-year arrest rate was 52 per cent.     

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis in Britain

Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis is caused by amoebae of the genera Naegleria and Hartmannella (Acanthamoeba), which ordinarily are free-living saprophytes. The infection may be acquired from fresh water—for example, while bathing—the amoebae invading the nasal mucosa and reaching the meninges and brain along the olfactory nerve filaments. The disease is designated “primary” to distinguish it from meningocerebral infection caused by the parasitic amoebae, particularly Entamoeba histolytica, which invade the central nervous system only as a result of dissemination in the blood stream from lesions in other parts of the body.During histological reappraisal of old specimens in a medical museum in London an instance of amoebic meningoencephalitis histologically indistinguishable from the published cases has been found. The specimen dates from 1909. The patient was said to be from Essex. What may have been another case, seen in Northern Ireland in 1937, is also described briefly. These observations may indicate that this disease occurs in the British Isles.Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of every case of acute meningitis.     

URETHRAL STENOSIS IN YOUNG GIRLS—A Cause of Recurrent Infection of the Urinary Tract

Recurrent urinary tract infection in young girls may result from unsuspected urethral stenosis.The diagnosis should be considered in the presence of symptoms suggesting obstruction of the lower urinary tract—symptoms such as infrequent voiding and straining on urination, particularly in intervals between bouts of acute febrile illness accompanied by pyuria or bacilluria. If radiopaque medium is retained in the bladder in unusual quantity following voiding at the close of excretory urography, it is suggestive but not pathognomonic of urethral stenosis. The diagnosis is established by instrumental calibration of the urethra under general anesthesia.Treatment consists in removing the cause by urethral dilatation and administering antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents to overcome the infection.     

Carcinoma of the Colon and Rectum: A Perspective for Practicing Physicians,with Recommendations for Screening

Carcinoma of the colon and rectum is the most common serious type of cancer found in the United States and is second only to lung cancer among causes of death from cancer. Its cause is unknown but several environmental factors—especially low bulk, high fat diets—seem to predispose to its development. The disease is readily treatable by surgical operation if it is diagnosed early. Radiation and chemotherapy may offer some additional benefit in treating advanced disease but the response to all forms of therapy is disappointing in patients in whom disease has spread beyond the bowel wall. Colorectal cancer appears to be a very slowly progressive disease with a long asymptomatic period providing an ideal opportunity for diagnosis at an early treatable stage. Both proctosigmoidoscopy and screening specimens of stool for occult blood have been shown to be effective methods for identifying it before symptoms develop. These procedures should be done routinely in all patients over 40 years old and especially in those patients who have other risk factors such as positive family histories or hereditary conditions known to predispose to colorectal cancer.     

Evaluation of Cervical Cancer Screening Programs in C?te d’Ivoire,Guyana, and Tanzania: Effect of HIV Status

Background

HIV infection increases a woman’s risk for cervical cancer, and cervical cancer incidence and mortality rates are higher in countries with high HIV prevalence and limited resources for screening. Visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) allows screening and treatment of cervical lesions in a single-visit approach (SVA), but data on its performance in HIV-infected women are limited. This study’s objective was to examine cervical cancer screening using VIA/SVA in programs serving HIV-infected women.

Methods

A VIA/SVA program with cryotherapy for VIA-positive lesions was implemented in Côte d’Ivoire, Guyana, and Tanzania from 2009 to 2012. The effect of HIV status on VIA positivity and on presence of cryotherapy-eligible lesions was examined using a cross-sectional study design, with Chi-square tests for comparisons and constructed multivariate logistic regression models. A P-value of < 0.05 was significant.

Findings

VIA was performed on 34,921 women, 10% (3,580) were VIA positive; 2,508 (85%) eligible women received cryotherapy during the same visit; only 234 (52%) of those who postponed returned for treatment; 622 (17%) VIA-positive women had lesions too large to be treated with cryotherapy and were referred for excisional treatment. In multivariate analysis—controlling for HIV status, location of the screening clinic, facility location, facility type, and country—compared to HIV-uninfected/unknown women, HIV-infected women had higher odds of being VIA positive (OR 1.95, 95% CI 1.76, 2.16, P<0.0001) and of having large lesions requiring referral (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.49, 2.51, P< 0.0001). Minor treatment complications occurred in 19 of 3,032 (0.63%) women; none required further intervention.

Conclusions

This study found that compared to HIV-uninfected/unknown women, HIV-infected women had nearly twice the odds of being VIA-positive and to require referral for large lesions. SVA was safe and resulted in significant reductions in loss to follow-up. There is increased need for excisional treatment in countries with high HIV prevalence.     

TOXOPLASMOSIS—The Protean Manifestations of the Condition and Their Significance in Pregnancy and in Newborn Infants

Toxoplasmosis is a relatively common and generally mild parasitic infection which can, however, produce fatal and crippling complications under certain conditions — particularly when a human fetus or a newborn infant is infected. In this instance, the infection is the result of a spread of the acquired disease which may occur in the mother in the last six months of pregnancy. Although the infection of adults can be dangerous and fatalities have been reported, the danger to the nervous system, eyes and other structures of the newborn infant can be devastating—blindness, brain damage and mental deficiency, particularly as the result of an obstruction to the flow of circulating cerebrospinal fluid within the brain.This report covers a number of differing features of the disease which have been described separately by other authors in specialty journals and in the foreign literature. If present, these signs should suggest toxoplasmosis, particularly in pregnancy, in the newborn infant and in still-born infants.Early diagnosis is of paramount interest in view of the poor response which may be obtained in the treatment of subacute and chronic phases of the illness. Difficulties in diagnosis stem from the manifestations of toxoplasmosis which closely resemble the symptoms of other infectious diseases.The clinical laboratory diagnosis is made by the isolation of the organism or by the demonstration of immune protein in the patient''s serum.     

Hemoptysis: Diagnosis and Management

Hemoptysis is one of the most important symptoms of cardiopulmonary disease—first, because bleeding even in small amounts may indicate the presence of such serious diseases as bronchogenic carcinoma or active tuberculosis, and second, because untreated massive hemorrhage is associated with a high mortality rate. The cause of hemoptysis may be suggested by the history, physical examination or chest x-ray findings, but often diagnostic procedures such as bronchoscopy, bronchography and pulmonary angiography are needed for definitive diagnosis. The importance of early localization of the bleeding site and surgical intervention in patients with massive hemoptysis is stressed.     

Gynaecography in Premature Ovarian Failure and Ovarian Dysgenesis

Gynaecography—the radiological visualization of the internal female genitalia after pneumoperitoneum—is a safe and simple procedure. When taken in conjunction with the clinical and laboratory findings the results of gynaecography are often a sufficient basis for diagnosis and a plan of management in women presenting with menstrual irregularity or infertility.     

PLEUROPULMONARY AMEBIASIS

Pleuropulmonary amebiasis may be manifest without diarrhea or dysentery.In obscure lesions of the right lower lung field, one should always consider pleuropulmonary amebiasis—especially with low grade fever and moderate leukocytosis.Abscess and empyema contents should be examined promptly microscopically or kept warm to preserve the motility of the trophozoites until satisfactory examination is possible.Conservative therapy will successfully manage most cases of pleuropulmonary amebiasis.If a thorough search fails to reveal Entameba histolytica, and the diagnosis is still entertained, a medical therapeutic trial is in order.     

THE CONTRIBUTION OF CEREBRAL ANGIOGRAPHY IN DIAGNOSIS

Angiography is important in the diagnosis of central nervous system disorders. In operable lesions it not only discloses the location of the lesion but also gives valuable information regarding its character and surrounding vascular architecture.The technique of both the pericutaneous and the open methods is described. The advantages of the controlled automatic arteriograph are described as well as pertinent information regarding cerebral circulation time.The choice of contrast media and the advantages and disadvantages of each are described.The three phases of angiography important in diagnosis—the arterial phase, the capillary phase and the venous phase—are discussed.The indications and contraindications are briefly outlined with respect to neoplasms, trauma, hemorrhage, aneurysms and other such operable lesions.The characteristic changes produced by aneurysms, vascular malformations, neoplasms and other space-occupying lesions as related to the circulatory apparatus show variations characterizing the type of lesion encountered.Angiography in traumatic conditions, while limited, is of exceptional value in the diagnosis of obscure lesions, particularly the subdural hematomas.     

Surgery in Management of Patients with Leukaemia

Though leukaemia is not a “surgical” disease, the need for surgery in patients with leukaemia is increasing. Acute surgical problems in such patients present diagnostic difficulties, and accepted surgical principles do not necessarily apply in patients with very abnormal haematological and immunological features. The improved prognosis in some types of leukaemia means that elective surgical procedures, which formerly would not have been considered, may now be applicable just as they would be in patients with non-malignant conditions.Recent advances in the management of the leukaemias include several surgical procedures—for example, to facilitate intravenous or intrathecal therapy. Splenectomy is of value in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia when the correct indications are present, while early elective splenectomy, when no classical indications are present, may have a useful role in the management of patients with chronic granulocytic leukaemia.     

SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS—Early Cytologic Diagnosis

The diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus—a relatively common disease—is difficult because of the variable nature of the symptoms, which resemble those of many other conditions. The finding of the characteristic cells is pathognomonic, although failure to find them does not rule out the diagnosis.If the diagnosis is suspected the “L.E.” cell test should be performed on two samples of blood from the veins and one from the bone marrow. After separation of a haparinized sample by centrifuge, a drop from the buffy coat is Wright-stained on a slide and examined for rouleaux formation and for a hematoxylinstaining material sometimes seen in intercellular bodies (which may be surrounded by a rosette of leukocytes) and sometimes seen as ingested by a leukocyte. Only the last finding is positively diagnostic of lupus erythematosus.A statistical analysis of 62 cases treated at the Los Angeles County General Hospital is given. Because of the frequency of rheumatoidlike arthritic changes in the disease, all patients with this form of arthritis should be given the test. Spontaneous remission and then relapse after a long asymptomatic interval occurred in many cases. With early diagnosis and vigorous treatment with cortisone and corticotropin, many patients can be relieved of symptoms.     

Leptospirosis in pregnancy: A systematic review

IntroductionLeptospirosis is a leading zoonotic disease worldwide with more than 1 million cases in the general population per year. With leptospirosis being an emerging infectious disease and as the world’s environment changes with more floods and environmental disasters, the burden of leptospirosis is expected to increase. The objectives of the systematic review were to explore how leptospirosis affects pregnancy, its burden in this population, its effects on maternal and fetal outcomes and the evidence base surrounding treatment options.MethodsWe performed a systematic review of published and unpublished literature using automated and manual methods to screen nine electronic databases since inception, with no language restriction. Two reviewers independently screened articles, completed the data extraction and assessment of risk of bias. Due to significant heterogeneity and paucity of data, we were unable to carry out a meta-analysis, but we conducted a pooled analysis of individual patient data from the case reports and case series to examine the patient and disease characteristics, diagnostic methods, differential diagnoses, antibiotic treatments, and outcomes of leptospirosis in pregnancy. The protocol for this review was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews, PROSPERO: CRD42020151501.ResultsWe identified 419 records, of which we included eight observational studies, 21 case reports, three case series and identified four relevant ongoing studies. Overall the studies were with moderate bias and of ‘fair’ quality. We estimated the incidence of leptospirosis in pregnancy to be 1.3 per 10,000 in women presenting with fever or with jaundice, but this is likely to be higher in endemic areas. Adverse fetal outcomes were found to be more common in pregnant patients who presented in the second trimester compared with patients who presented in the third trimester. There is overlap between how leptospirosis presents in pregnancy and in the general population. There is also overlap between the signs, symptoms and biochemical disturbances associated with leptospirosis in pregnancy and the presentation of pregnancy associated conditions, such as Pre-Eclampsia (PET), Acute Fatty Liver of Pregnancy (AFLP) and HELLP Syndrome (Haemolysis Elevated Liver enzymes Low Platelets). In 94% of identified cases with available data, there was an indicator in the patient history regarding exposure that could have helped include leptospirosis in the clinician’s differential diagnosis. We also identified a range of suitable antibiotic therapies for treating leptospirosis in pregnancy, most commonly used were penicillins.ConclusionThis is the first systematic review of leptospirosis in pregnancy and it clearly shows the need to improve early diagnosis and treatment by asking early, treating early, and reporting well. Ask early—broaden differential diagnoses and ask early for potential leptospirosis exposures and risk factors. Treat early—increase index of suspicion in pregnant patients with fever in endemic areas and combine with rapid field diagnosis and early treatment. Report well—need for more good quality epidemiological studies on leptospirosis in pregnancy and better quality reporting of cases in literature.     

The many facets of disseminated parenchymal brain cysticercosis: A differential diagnosis with important therapeutic implications

Neurocysticercosis (NCC), the infection of the nervous system by the cystic larvae of Taenia solium, is a highly pleomorphic disease because of differences in the number and anatomical location of lesions, the viability of parasites, and the severity of the host immune response. Most patients with parenchymal brain NCC present with few lesions and a relatively benign clinical course, but massive forms of parenchymal NCC can carry a poor prognosis if not well recognized and inappropriately managed. We present the main presentations of massive parenchymal NCC and their differential characteristics.

Infection of the central nervous system by the larval stage of Taenia solium—the pork tapeworm—causes neurocysticercosis (NCC), a highly pleomorphic disease [1]. This pleomorphism is partly related to differences in the number and anatomical location of lesions, the viability of parasites, and the severity of the host immune response against the infection. Cysticerci may be located within the brain parenchyma, the subarachnoid space, the ventricular system, the spinal cord, the sellar region, or even the subdural space.Most patients with parenchymal NCC present with few lesions and a clinical course that is often more benign than that observed in the subarachnoid and ventricular forms of NCC, where a sizable proportion of patients are left with disabling sequelae or may even die as a result of the disease [2,3]. Nevertheless, massive forms of parenchymal NCC require special attention to reduce the risk of complications related to the disease itself or to an inadequate treatment. Here, we present the main presentations of massive parenchymal NCC and their differential characteristics. There is no standardized definition of how many cysts constitute massive NCC. While the term “massive” has usually been applied when there are more than 100 lesions in the brain parenchyma, others have used smaller numbers (50), and there is not a defined cutoff.     

MANAGEMENT OF EARLY PROSTATIC CARCINOMA

It is important to make a diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma as early as possible, because early treatment gives the best results whether radical prostatectomy is done or endocrine therapy used. Open perineal biopsy is the most accurate method of making a diagnosis. Perineal needle biopsy or the newer approach of transrectal needle biopsy is probably about 75 per cent accurate in making a diagnosis.Ten-year survival with conservative therapy, as determined in a review of a series of cases, was 50 per cent—about the same as that following radical prostatectomy; but the patients with prostatectomy are clinically free of malignant disease whereas the former are not. Radical prostatectomy is indicated in a few selected cases.The results from endocrine therapy begun immediately after diagnosis are significantly better than those from delayed treatment. Orchiectomy and estrogens promise a little longer survival than estrogens alone.     

CANCER OF THE LUNG IN WOMEN

Cancer of the lung in women has the same signs and symptoms as in men, but the disease seems to advance more rapidly. Of 35 female patients, half were under radiation therapy (for inoperable tumor) within four months after the first manifestation. In three of the five who had no symptoms, the cancer when diagnosed was inoperable.Scalene node biopsy confirmed metastasis in nine of the eleven cases in which it was used, and this procedure should be used after diagnosis whenever metastasis is not evident.Of the 35 women, two received only chemotherapy, 32 radiotherapy. Only four were alive at the time of report—one without evidence of disease at 20 months, one with symptoms of disease at 11 months, two under chemotherapy at two months, For 29 who received palliative or radical irradiation to the primary tumor site, the median survival time was 26 weeks.     

PYOGENIC INFECTIONS IN ORTHOPEDIC SURGERY—Prevention and Management

A problem that confronts surgeons in clinical practice is that a patient may acquire new infections while in the hospital. When such infections occur they are predominantly staphylococcal and these bacteria are often, but not always resistant to penicillin, streptomycin and the tetracycline antibiotics. They are often but neither completely nor uniformly sensitive to the newer or less frequently used antimicrobial agents.The extension of antibiotic usage from proven situations to “routine” prophylaxis has been a widespread practice. There are many reasons to discourage and to reexamine the validity and purpose, as well as the safety of this practice. We now have sufficient background and experience to revert from widespread and indiscriminate use to a practice of discriminate prophylactic therapy.In general, soft tissue lacerations and clean wounds do not require operation under an “antibiotic umbrella.” Similarly, elective orthopedic surgical procedures of soft tissues such as muscle biopsy, tenorrhaphy and muscle and tendon transplants as well as plastic surgical procedures can be safely performed without antibiotic therapy if technique is good and operation not prolonged. Operations of major magnitude on the motor-skeletal system, such as open fractures, internal fixation of fractures with bone grafts, and major operations of joints are indication for antibiotic therapy for impending infection postoperatively for five days. Reliance is mainly on antistaphylococcal drugs to which hospital organisms are predominantly sensitive. The two remaining indications for antibiotic therapy against impending infection are: (1) major crush injury—for example, to the thigh—and (2) the need for a patient with a healing fracture to have other surgical procedures such as tooth extraction or excision of an infected area which might predispose to transient bacteremia and embolic infection in bone or joint.     

Maintenance Hemodialysis in Myeloma Kidney Disease

Maintenance hemodialysis and chemotherapeutic agents were used in the treatment of seven patients with end-stage myeloma kidney disease. Results indicate that with the use of such therapy life can be prolonged substantially. It appears that patients with myeloma—with or without serious extrarenal complications—are suitable candidates for maintenance hemodialysis and should not be denied the treatment even in the face of systemic neoplasm.