Peritoneal origin serous papillary carcinoma is an uncommon primary malignancy occurring in the abdominal or pelvic peritoneum lining. It is characterized by peritoneal carcinomatosis with massive ascites, uninvolved or minimally involved ovary, and is histologically indistinguishable from ovarian serous tumors. Better recognition of this phenomenon in recent years has contributed to an increasing diagnostic frequency. We describe a rare case of peritoneal origin serous papillary carcinoma with unusual clinical presentations involving a solitary primary tumor originating from the peritoneal lining of the sigmoid colonal mesentery, without pelvic lymph node involvement or distant metastasis. Because of the location and morphological similarity, it was misdiagnosed as an ovarian malignancy. We aim to assist in the diagnosis of this disease with the following case report, thereby improving the management of patients with this condition.
Ascites ; Carcinoma ; Carcinoma, Papillary* ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Mesentery ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Ovary ; Peritoneum

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of the arterial phase of spiral CT in parametrial invasion of uterine cervical carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two-phase spiral CT images of 22 patients with pathologically proven cervical carcinomas were retrospectively, studied. With regard to the lateral margin of the cervix, eccentric parametrial soft tissue, Parametrial strands and obliteration of periureteral fat, images of the arterial phase were compared by three radiologists with those of the late phase. RESULTS: Five of 15 surgically-proven cervical cancers with no parametrial involvement (33%) showed parametrial strands or eccentric soft tissue lesion in the late phase. Four of the five patients (80%) showed early vascular enhancement of the linear strands or eccentric soft tissue mass in the arterial, phase and because of this additional scan, correct diagnosis was possible. Six of seven cases of invasive cervical cancer (85.7%) showed linear strands in the late phase but two patients showed partial vascular enhancement of the parametrial strands and correct diagnosis was therefore possible. For the evaluation of the lateral margin of the cervix (4/7, 57.1%) and periureteral fat obliteration (3/7, 42.9%), images of the late phase were superior to those of the arterial phase. CONCLUSION: In uterine cervical carcinoma, the late phase of conventional CT is normally used to identify vascular structures as false-positive parametrial strands ; the arterial phase of spiral CT is, however, superior.
Cervix Uteri ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Spiral Computed* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Tattoo involves puncturing the skin with a sharp instrument and inserting pigment through the epidermis into the dermis. People around the world have been tattooing their bodies for ages. As widely recognized, tattoo marks are found on Egyptian and Nubian mummies dating from about 2000 B.C. The culture of tattooing has had diverse meanings in different cultures. It may include cosmetic, religious and magical origins and identification of a social class. In Korea, there was a record of tattooing on forearm as a commitment to the thieves in Korea dynasty (918-1392). From a medicolegal perspective, tattoos are often used as identification markers in unknown human bodies, and have been associated with several risk factors for lethality from both suicide and accidental death. In this article, we investigated tattoo marks among the 665 autopsies performed in the Southern division of National Institute of Scientific Investigation between August 2001 and December 2002.
Autopsy ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Forearm ; Human Body ; Korea ; Magic ; Mummies ; Risk Factors ; Skin ; Social Class ; Suicide ; Tattooing

Positive identification of human remains is one of the most important tasks in mass disaster management. Intervention of highly trained anatomists is essential for the effective procedures. However, most anatomists have not so much chances and/or experiences in this field in Korea. Recently, there was an aircraft accident leaving 128 people dead or missing. Most of the bodies were severely fragmented and incinerated beyond recognition. We joined as a member of national identification team and supported identifying skeletal remains. Physical characteristics of the dead bodies were obtained through autopsies and X-ray. We also interviewed family members of the victims and collected antemortem medical and dental records. Collaboration between the different professional investigators involving anatomists, forensic pathologists, odontologists, and other scientists resulted in rapid resolution and identified 126 of the 128 victims in 26 days. This article represents diverse methods that were used and the results including DNA typing, dental records and specific anatomical or X-ray findings.
Aircraft ; Airports* ; Anatomists ; Autopsy ; China* ; Cooperative Behavior ; Dental Records ; Disaster Victims* ; Disasters* ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Gyeongsangnam-do* ; Humans ; Korea ; Research Personnel