Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is a life-threatening complication secondary to oropharyngeal abscesses, cervical esophageal perforation, or neck infections spreading along the fascial planes into the mediastinum. Post-thyroidectomy surgical site infection is a highly unusual complication that is typically localized around the incision, but may be propagated into the mediastinum, causing DNM. We encountered a case of this rare complication after thyroidectomy. The patient was a 33-year-old woman who was admitted to our center for left hemithyroidectomy. The surgery was performed without any intraoperative events. However, she later developed fever, hypotension, and tachycardia. Imaging revealed deep neck emphysema and focal pneumomediastinum with infiltration in the anterior neck and mediastinum with abscess formation. Additional imaging at 7 days postoperatively revealed reduced fluid collection deep in the neck with minimal changes in fluid collection in the mediastinum. Esophageal perforation was excluded via an esophagogram, which lead to the conclusion that the infection may have been caused by open thyroidectomy. The patient was treated with prompt medical and surgical intervention. After treatment, she was discharged from the hospital with no further complications. We present our case report as well as a literature review of the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is a life-threatening complication secondary to oropharyngeal abscesses, cervical esophageal perforation, or neck infections spreading along the fascial planes into the mediastinum. Post-thyroidectomy surgical site infection is a highly unusual complication that is typically localized around the incision, but may be propagated into the mediastinum, causing DNM. We encountered a case of this rare complication after thyroidectomy. The patient was a 33-year-old woman who was admitted to our center for left hemithyroidectomy. The surgery was performed without any intraoperative events. However, she later developed fever, hypotension, and tachycardia. Imaging revealed deep neck emphysema and focal pneumomediastinum with infiltration in the anterior neck and mediastinum with abscess formation. Additional imaging at 7 days postoperatively revealed reduced fluid collection deep in the neck with minimal changes in fluid collection in the mediastinum. Esophageal perforation was excluded via an esophagogram, which lead to the conclusion that the infection may have been caused by open thyroidectomy. The patient was treated with prompt medical and surgical intervention. After treatment, she was discharged from the hospital with no further complications. We present our case report as well as a literature review of the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

Endoscopic thyroidectomy with bilateral axillo-breast approach (BABA) is a feasible method of thyroidectomy with good surgical outcome and excellent cosmetic result as compared with conventional open thyroidectomy in selective patients. Thus, endoscopic thyroidectomy is widely used in treatment of thyroid diseases. However, despite the many advantages, we sometimes encounter unexpected complication, such as neck stiffness caused by adhesion, change of sensory, seroma formation, and subcutaneous soft tissue implantation. Subcutaneous soft tissue implantation of thyroid tissue is a very rare complication of thyroid surgery. However, it is troublesome to both patient and doctor. We experienced a case of papillary thyroid carcinoma recurrence at anterior and antero-lateral subcutaneous area after endoscopic total thyroidectomy. Our case presented with a papillary thyroid carcinoma measuring 2.1 cm in size and showed thyroidal capsule invasion and extra-thyroidal extension on the permanent pathologic report. Therefore, we suggest that appropriate indications should be applied for an endoscopic thyroidectomy and efforts should be made to decrease tumor cell spillage in order to prevent tumor rupture, and for careful handling and protection of the extraction site.
Humans ; Neck ; Recurrence ; Rupture ; Seroma ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Thyroidectomy*

Ciliated foregut cyst of gallbladder is a very rare benign cystic lesion. A 39-year-old woman was referred to our hospital after abdominal ultrasonography revealed a cystic lesion of gallbladder. On abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography, a unilocular cystic lesion was found at right upper quadrant with attachment to the gallbladder neck. The gallbladder with cystic lesion was resected through laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The cystic lesion revealed a unilocular cyst with ciliated cuboidal or columnar epithelium and abundant goblet cells. Pathologic examination is essential to distinguish from other cystic lesions of the gallbladder and avoid unnecessary additional treatment. In the current case report, we presented the clinico-pathologic findings of the ciliated foregut cyst of the gallbladder and review of literature.
Adult ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Epithelium ; Female ; Gallbladder* ; Goblet Cells ; Humans ; Neck ; Ultrasonography

Primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) with concomitant thyroid cancer is rare and is usually caused by a parathyroid adenoma rather than parathyroid carcinoma. Although an association between PHPT and well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma has been reported, it is often considered coincidental. We report a case of a 50-year-old female presenting with tingling, shoulder pain, muscle weakness, and elevated serum calcium and parathyroid hormone levels. Neck ultrasonography revealed a hypoechoic nodule in the left inferior region to the thyroid gland and thyroid nodules in both lobes. A Tc99m-MIBI parathyroid scan showed a focal hot nodule, and fine-needle aspiration confirmed papillary thyroid carcinoma, later verified by histopathology. The patient underwent surgery and was diagnosed with PHPT and papillary thyroid carcinoma. This case highlights the importance of evaluation for concomitant thyroid malignancy in PHPT patients with suspicious thyroid nodules.

PURPOSE: Nodal infiltration has been one of the most important prognostic factors in breast cancer. In recent decades, risk stratification has greatly changed, and is applied in accordance with hormone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. We compared the prognostic power of tumor subtype to nodal involvement in early breast cancer. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 505 patients who had curative surgery for stage I or II breast cancer. We analyzed clinicopathologic factors according to tumor subtype and nodal involvement. Tumors were classified into 4 subtypes according to immunohistochemical status of estrogen receptor, progesterone receptor, HER2, and Ki67 labeling index. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 363 node-negative patients (71.9%) and 142 node-positive patients (28.1%). Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2, and triple-negative breast cancer subtypes were composed of 207 (41.0%), 147 (29.1%), 42 (8.3%), and 109 patients (21.6%), respectively. The median follow-up period was 89.5 months. Node negative-luminal A subtype showed the best prognosis with regard to 5-year DFS, and the pN1-triple negative subtype was associated with the shortest DFS (95.1% vs. 67.8%; hazard ratio, 9.554; P < 0.001). However, the node negative-triple negative subtype was associated with a worse 5-year DFS than the pN1-luminal A subtype ([86.4%; hazard ratio, 2.647; P = 0.048] vs. [93.2%; hazard ratio, 2.061; P = 0.194]). CONCLUSION: Node negative-triple negative breast cancer was associated with a poorer prognosis than pN1-luminal A subtype. Tumor subtype has greater prognostic power compared to nodal status in early breast cancer.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Estrogens ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Medical Records ; Phenobarbital ; Prognosis ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Triple Negative Breast Neoplasms

PURPOSE: Expression of RNA-binding motif protein 3 (RBM3) is induced by hypoxia and hypothermia. Recently, high expression of RBM3 was reported to be associated with a good prognosis in colon cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, and malignant melanoma. Studies on RBM3 in invasive breast carcinoma (IBC), however, are limited. METHODS: RBM3 expression was examined using a tissue microarray from 361 patients with IBC. Immunohistochemistry was performed for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), and Ki-67 to compare the expression of these markers. For scoring of RBM3 expression, NF (nuclear staining fraction)×NI (nuclear staining intensity) was used. The RBM3 expression score was considered indicative of either low (≤4) or high (>4) expression. Western blot analysis was performed on breast cancer cell lines to evaluate RBM3 expression. RESULTS: Of the total 361 samples, 240 (66.5%) exhibited high RBM3 expression. High RBM3 expression was significantly associated with positivity for ER (p < 0.001), PR (p < 0.001), T stage (p < 0.001), histologic grade (p < 0.001), and % Ki-67 staining (p=0.004). Multivariate analysis revealed that high RBM3 expression was closely associated with prolonged disease-free survival (DFS) (p < 0.001) and overall survival (OS) (p < 0.001). Western blot analysis revealed reduced RBM3 expression in HCC1954 (HER2-enriched) and BT-20 (basal-like) cells with an aggressive phenotype. CONCLUSION: High nuclear RBM3 expression is strongly associated with a prolonged DFS and OS. Furthermore, RBM3 expression is closely associated with good prognostic markers such as ER and PR in IBC. High nuclear RBM3 expression is, therefore, a critical biomarker of favorable clinical outcomes in IBC.
Anoxia ; Blotting, Western ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Cell Line ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Disease-Free Survival ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Hypothermia ; Immunohistochemistry ; Melanoma ; Multivariate Analysis ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Phenotype ; Prognosis ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Receptors, Progesterone ; RNA-Binding Proteins

Purpose: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a well-established staging procedure for patients with early breast cancer who have clinically negative axillary lymph node. However, no consensus exists about the number of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) that should be removed based on radioactivity counts in breast cancer. We reviewed and analyzed cases in which more than one SLN was detected and there was at least one pathologically positive node. Methods: We retrospectively studied breast cancer patients who underwent lymphoscintigraphy with injection of a radioactive colloid and SLNB along with intraoperative determination of radioactive counts of lymph nodes using a gamma probe between 2006 and 2018. In total 326 patients with more than one radioactive SLN were enrolled in this study. Results: Fifty-four patients had nodal metastases, of whom 46 (85.2%) had metastases in the hottest lymph node. All metastatic SLNs were identified as one of the first three lymph nodes dissected. The lowest radioactive count of a positive SLN corresponded to 10% of that of the hottest node. Conclusion We suggest that removal of the first three lymph nodes or nodes covered by the “10% rule” is sufficient in SLNB for patients with breast cancer.

Purpose: Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is a well-established staging procedure for patients with early breast cancer who have clinically negative axillary lymph node. However, no consensus exists about the number of sentinel lymph nodes (SLN) that should be removed based on radioactivity counts in breast cancer. We reviewed and analyzed cases in which more than one SLN was detected and there was at least one pathologically positive node. Methods: We retrospectively studied breast cancer patients who underwent lymphoscintigraphy with injection of a radioactive colloid and SLNB along with intraoperative determination of radioactive counts of lymph nodes using a gamma probe between 2006 and 2018. In total 326 patients with more than one radioactive SLN were enrolled in this study. Results: Fifty-four patients had nodal metastases, of whom 46 (85.2%) had metastases in the hottest lymph node. All metastatic SLNs were identified as one of the first three lymph nodes dissected. The lowest radioactive count of a positive SLN corresponded to 10% of that of the hottest node. Conclusion We suggest that removal of the first three lymph nodes or nodes covered by the “10% rule” is sufficient in SLNB for patients with breast cancer.

Persistent proatlantal artery (PPA) is a rare embryologically remnant carotico-vertebrobasilar anastomoses. There are two types of PPA according to embryological considerations, origin and anatomic course. Type I PPA usually originate from internal carotid artery and not traversing transverse foramen. Type II PPA traverses from external carotid artery to C1 transverse foramen. The PPA is usually found incidentally without clinical symptoms, but can be related to several clinically significant vascular lesions, such as hypoplastic vertebral artery, intracranial arteriovenous malformation and in a case of carotid endarterectomy or external carotid artery embolization. So, thorough understanding of this anomaly is needed and we report a case of type II PPA diagnosed by MR angiography.
Angiography ; Arteries ; Carotid Artery, External ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Endarterectomy, Carotid ; Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Vertebral Artery