Citations

AbstractClinically, acute mastitis presents as a red, swollen, and painful breast. Targeted ultrasound can be performed to evaluate the extent of infection and for an underlying abscess. Noncomplicated mastitis or a small fluid collection may respond to oral antibiotics without further intervention, but a larger or more complex abscess may require single or serial percutaneous aspiration. Breast infections, particularly those complicated by an abscess, can have a prolonged clinical course, and close follow-up is required. Since the clinical presentation and imaging features of acute infectious mastitis can overlap with other etiologies, such as inflammatory breast cancer and idiopathic granulomatous mastitis, a percutaneous biopsy may be indicated to accurately diagnose patients.

Abstract Background The Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) is a self-administered questionnaire used in cardiac patients to quantify angina based on five scales: physical limitation scale, anginal stability scale, anginal frequency scale, treatment satisfaction scale, and the disease perception scale. Here we report the use of the SAQ to assess angina symptoms in 18 patients who underwent spinal cord stimulation (SCS) for refractory angina pectoris (RAP) at the Mayo Clinic. Methods Electronic health records were searched to find patients who underwent SCS for the treatment of RAP at a single institution from 2003 to 2018. Eligible patients were asked to participate in a phone survey that included the SAQ. Results Out of 13 patients who still had their implant, six (46%) had minimal physical limitations. Ten patients (76.9%) had favorable anginal frequency scores, defined as minimal or mild. Out of the five patients who had their device removed, one (20%) had minimal physical limitations and three (60%) had favorable anginal frequency scores. There was a high treatment satisfaction score for both those with their implant in place and those with the device removed. Conclusion The SAQ is useful as a comprehensive measure specific to patients with RAP assessing function, pain, and satisfaction. The utilization of this tool pre- and post-operatively may provide additional information to analyze the effectiveness of SCS for RAP.

Objective Studies evaluating leptomeningeal disease on whole-body 18F-FDG PET are lacking. The purpose was to evaluate PET imaging of leptomeningeal disease and investigate the incremental utility of newer PET reconstructions in leptomeningeal disease. Methods PET imaging of 56 patients with leptomeningeal disease detected initially on MRI (n = 53) or cytopathology (n = 35) were retrospectively reviewed. Regular 3-dimensional iterative reconstruction (3D IR, n = 56) and advanced reconstruction (AdvRecon, n = 41) PET images were evaluated by readers blinded to clinical and MRI findings for uptake involving cauda equina, posterior fossa and spinal cord. Spinal cord uptake pattern was classified as normal (uptake < liver), uptake = liver, conus uptake > liver, conus and cervical cord uptake > liver and multifocal/diffuse uptake > liver. SUVmax ratios of conus/liver, conus/left atrium and conus/cervical cord were compared between 3D IR and AdvRecon datasets. Results Cauda equina uptake was seen in 64% and 78% on 3D IR and AdvRecon; posterior fossa uptake was seen in 52% and 54% on 3D IR and AdvRecon, respectively. Twelve percent had cauda equina or posterior fossa uptake visible only on AdvRecon. On 3D IR, normal spinal cord uptake was most common (27%); on AdvRecon, conus and cervical cord uptake > liver was most common (32%). Seven of 11 patients with normal spinal cord uptake on 3D IR were upgraded to increased uptake on AdvRecon. AdvRecon showed significantly higher conus/liver, conus/blood pool and conus/cervical cord SUVmax ratios (P < 0.0001). Conclusion Abnormal uptake in cauda equina, posterior fossa and spinal cord uptake are visible on FDG PET in leptomeningeal disease with increased conspicuity advanced PET reconstructions.

Tolosa–Hunt syndrome is characterized by unilateral retro-orbital headaches and cranial nerve palsies, usually involving cranial nerves III–VI. It is rare for other cranial nerves to be involved, although this has previously been reported. We report a 19-year-old woman presenting with typical features of Tolosa–Hunt syndrome but ultimately developing bilateral facial nerve palsies and enhancement of both facial nerves on magnetic resonance imaging. The patient presented with unilateral retro-orbital headaches and palsies of cranial nerves III–VI. She was diagnosed with Tolosa–Hunt syndrome but was non-compliant with her corticosteroid treatment due to side effects. She returned with progressive left followed by right facial nerve palsy. Her corresponding follow-up magnetic resonance imaging scans showed sequential enhancement of the left and right facial nerves. She ultimately had clinical improvement with IV methylprednisolone. To our knowledge, Tolosa–Hunt syndrome associated with bilateral facial nerve palsy and corroborative facial nerve enhancement on magnetic resonance imaging has not previously been described. Moreover, our patient’s clinical course is instructive, as it demonstrates that this atypical presentation of Tolosa–Hunt syndrome can indeed respond to corticosteroid treatment and should not be mistaken for other entities such as Bell’s palsy.

The NCCN Guidelines for Rectal Cancer provide recommendations for the diagnosis, evaluation, treatment, and follow-up of patients with rectal cancer. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize the panel discussion behind recent important updates to the guidelines. These updates include clarifying the definition of rectum and differentiating the rectum from the sigmoid colon; the total neoadjuvant therapy approach for localized rectal cancer; and biomarker-targeted therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer, with a focus on new treatment options for patients with BRAF V600E– or HER2 amplification–positive disease.