A role for total alloplastic temporomandibular joint replacement in Gardner syndrome

Gardner syndrome (GS) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder that can present with craniomaxillofacial abnormalities. The identification of osteomas or craniomaxillofacial abnormalities can therefore serve as a marker of this condition, facilitating early referral and diagnosis. A 17-year-old female with GS was referred for the management of severe limited mouth opening, causing a major problem for routine endoscopy to monitor the gastrointestinal alterations of GS. Clinical and radiological evaluations showed multiple osteomas in the mandibular angle, condylar and coronoid regions bilaterally and maximum mouth opening of 8 mm. The patient underwent surgery for osteoma removal and bilateral customized alloplastic total temporomandibular joint replacement (TMJ-TJR). At the 2-year follow-up, the patient showed improvements in quality of life, with a maximum mouth opening of 34 mm, allowing routine upper endoscopy to be performed. This is the first report of GS, a rare and challenging craniomaxillofacial abnormality, treated with TMJ-TJR. A comprehensive overview of the patient's clinical presentation, diagnostic assessment, treatment planning, and outcomes is provided.

Rare case of multiple and perforating pilomatrixomas in a young girl with lymphovascular malformation reveals a potential new disease association

This report details the case of a girl of primary school age who was referred to our plastic surgery department with an ulcerating lesion on the nape of her neck. A firm mass was palpable in the underlying subcutaneous tissue. This lesion was accompanied by two smaller firm nodules: one in the adjacent tissue and another in the left preauricular region. Ultrasound and MRI demonstrated multiple calcified nodules confined to the subcutaneous tissue. An incisional biopsy of the ulcerating lesion confirmed a diagnosis of perforating pilomatrixoma; the lesion was subsequently excised, with no sign of recurrence at 3-month follow-up. The patient had a history of lymphovascular malformation (LVM) and a paternal history of Gardner's syndrome. Pilomatrixoma and Gardner's syndrome have a well-documented association in existing literature; aberrant Wnt/beta-catenin signalling is common to both. Recent laboratory studies suggest this pathway is also implicated in the pathogenesis of LVM.

Maxillofacial Radiographic study of Gardner's syndrome presenting with odontogenic myxoma: A rare case report

Gardner syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease. It is characterized by a combination of familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) of the intestine with extraintestinal changes as multiple osteomas and fibromas. Odontogenic Myxoma is a benign, aggressive intraosseous neoplasm. We report a rare case of a 14-year-old male patient with Gardner's syndrome and odontogenic myxoma, which involved the entire left half of the mandible, resulting in a gross facial deformity, within a span of one year.

Adenomas of the common bile duct in familial adenomatous polyposis

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or Gardner’s syndrome is often accompanied by adenomas of the stomach and duodenum. We experienced a case of adenomas of the common bile duct in a 40-year-old woman with FAP presenting with acute cholangitis. Only 8 cases of adenomas or adenocarcinoma of the common bile duct have been reported in the literature in patients with FAP or Gardner’s syndrome. Those patients presented with acute cholangitis or pancreatitis. Local excision or Whipple procedure may be the reasonable surgical option.

[Gastric cancer arising from gastric polyps in gardner syndrome - a case report]

The patient was a 48-year-old woman who was diagnosed with early gastric cancer during a long-term follow-up period for Gardner syndrome. Subtotal colectomy for colon leiomyoma was performed when the patient was 22 years old. Partial resection of the ileum was performed for ileum leiomyoma at the age of 27. Total resection of the remaining colon with ileostomy was performed for a pelvic desmoid tumor at the age of 40. In addition, resection of a desmoid tumor of the abdominal wall was performed 8 times in the 25 years since the first operation. During the follow-up for gastric polyps associated with Gardner syndrome, gastric cancer was detected from biopsy specimens of a wide range of the fundus polyps. Endoscopic resection was considered not to be applicable because of the extensive nature of the lesion. Total gastrectomy was also considered not to be applicable because of concerns about short bowel syndrome due to intestinal reconstruction. Therefore, proximal gastrectomy with esophagogastric anastomosis was performed. The pathological diagnosis was 0-IIa, 70 × 44 mm, tub1, m, ly0, v0, n0, PM (-), DM (-), stageIA. The postoperative course was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on postoperative day (POD) 16. We speculate that long-term survival of patients with Gardner syndrome without severe short bowel syndrome might result in carcinogenesis of gastric polyps.

Rapidly expanding brain mass

Amebic encephalitis is an uncommon central nervous system infection, usually caused by Acanthamoeba spp., which generally occurs in immunocompromised individuals. The infection might start from a minor, slowly progressive, skin ulceration that can be present for weeks to months before neurologic changes occur. We present a 40-year-old male with multiple visceral allografts, on immunosuppression, 9 months after transplantation. He had an active skin rash previously diagnosed as graft-versus-host disease by biopsy. The condition of the patient declined rapidly.

Effect of total enterectomy, pancreatectomy, and portal vein ligation on liver function and histology: a case report

Impaired hepatic function and histology have been observed in experimental models of diversion of the portal vein blood inflow from the liver and among patients with intestinal failure. Survival after total enterectomy, pancreatectomy, and portal vein ligation, and the effect of such a condition on liver function have never been reported in humans. Herein a 32-year-old woman with familial adenomatous polyposis and multiple desmoid tumors involving the mesentery and the retroperitoneum underwent total enterectomy and pancreatectomy followed by en bloc transplantation of the stomach, small bowel, and pancreas. Due to early graft failure, the patient underwent graftectomy, ligation of the portal vein, and external drainage of the common bile duct. Liver function tests were checked daily and a liver biopsy performed 15 days after graftectomy. The patient died of a ruptured mycotic aneurysm of the abdominal aorta at 27 days after the graftectomy. Liver function tests remained normal throughout the postoperative period; liver biopsy showed normal hepatic architecture with mild portal inflammation and cholestasis and spotty necrosis. Total enterectomy with pancreatectomy and ligation of the portal vein are compatible with survival in humans (at least in the short term), allowing normal hepatic function with minimal histological alterations to the liver.

[A rare case of Gardner's syndrome complicated with rectal carcinoma]

Gardner's syndrome is a rare variant of the Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) in which affected individuals develop thousands of polyps within the gastrointestinal tract, with a 100 % risk of eventual malignant change. They also have a variety of extraintestinal abnormalities - various soft and hard tissues tumors like fibroma, osteoma, epidermoid cysts, sebaceous cysts on the scalp. Gardner's syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease, caused by mutations in APC ( adenomatous polyposis coli ) gene, which is located in chromosomal locus 5q21- q22. Firstly it has been described in 1953 by Gardner and Richards. They have investigated a family of 51 members with polyposis, some of them with multiple epidermoid cysts, fibromas and jaw osteomas. Eight of them have died by colorectal carcinoma. If undetected or untreated virtually all patients develop colonic carcinoma at a young age. Due to this high risk of malignancy the patients with Gardner's syndrome usually undergo surgical treatment by total or subtotal proctocolectomy. We report a case with Gardner's syndrome - a 36 year-old male who has been operated on in Department of Surgery in Vth city clinical hospital in October 2003. He had multiple adenomatous polyposis of colon, rectal cancer, osteomas of skull bones, subcutaneous fibromas and lipomas. We discovered also by ultrasound examination a polyp of gall bladder. His father has had also multiple polyposis with malignancy and metastatic lesions and he has died at age of 49 years. We performed total proctocolectomy with definitive iliac anus and cholecystectomy.

Ureteral reconstruction and bladder augmentation using intestinal allograft in a modified multivisceral transplant patient

Segments of ileum are used as conduits following ureteral resection and for bladder augmentation to achieve adequate bladder capacity. We herein report the use of a segment of transplanted ileum for this purpose in a patient with Gardner's syndrome who underwent multivisceral transplantation. To our knowledge this is the first such case report.

Primary cerebellopontine angle craniopharyngioma in a patient with Gardner syndrome

✓The authors report on the case of a craniopharyngioma arising in the cerebellopontine angle (CPA) in a patient with Gardner syndrome. Although familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is associated with intracranial neoplasms, the current case is only the third reported craniopharyngioma in a patient with Gardner syndrome. Two of these tumors, including that of the current case, originated in the CPA, an unusual location for craniopharyngiomas. The literature concerning FAP and its associations with intracranial neoplasia, as well as the pathogenesis of craniopharyngiomas in the posterior fossa, is discussed.

[Familial adenomatous polyposis: Gardner's syndrome]

Familial adenomatous polyposis (PAF) associated to soft tissue tumors or osteomas constitutes the Gardner's syndrome of autosomal dominant inheritance. The risk of colorectal cancer in these patients is 100%. We present a patient with Gardner's syndrome who was had colectomy at early age. An eleven years old boy he was evaluated due to a family history of PAF and subcutaneous tumors (occipital and left thigh). Genetic profile shows a mutation in gene APC and the colonoscopy confirms the polyposis; the biopsy also suggested moderate dysplasia. When the patient reached the age of twelve, a total colectomy with colorectal mucosectomy was performed. Cystic subcutaneous lesions (epidermoid cysts) were also excised. In the postoperative period there were no complications. The prophylactic colectomy, is the only effective treatment to prevent the colorectal cancer. Gardner's syndrome patients requires periodic controls to rule out the appearance of new tumors or anomalies in the retine. The duodenoscopy is essential in the follow up of these patients because of the frequency of duodenal affectation.

Granulomatous amebic encephalitis in a multivisceral transplant recipient

A 40-year-old man with multivisceral allograft developed acutely right-sided numbness 9 months after transplantation. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed a small left parietal lesion, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis was unremarkable. Stereotactic brain biopsy was non-diagnostic. The patient continued to deteriorate, developed cerebral edema and died at 13 days after the onset of symptoms. Unexpectedly, autopsy demonstrated acanthamebic encephalitis. This case highlights diagnostic difficulties encountered with amebic encephalitis and expands the spectrum of opportunistic central nervous system (CNS) infections in solid and visceral organ transplant recipients.

Rituximab as treatment of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder in patients who underwent small bowel/multivisceral transplantation: report of three cases

This report describes three cases of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) in multivisceral/small bowel transplant patients treated with rituximab (anti-CD20 monoclonal antibodies). In two cases (one of which was a B-cell lymphoma) a good response to therapy was achieved. A third case (with polymorphic PTLD with low CD20 expression) developed a refractory rejection and PTLD was still documented on graftectomy. Rituximab was well tolerated, and a reduction of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) viral load was documented by quantitive competitive-EBV polymerase chain reaction. Efficacy of therapy needs to be assessed in controlled studies.

[Gardner syndrome: clinical and epidemiologic up to date]

In 1950 EJ Gardner first described a new syndrome characterized by (1) familial colonic polyposis, (2) multiple osteomas, (3) soft tissues cysts and (4) fibrous lesions. Thereafter, in 1975 Watne and coll. have demonstrated the occurence, in patients affected by Gardner syndrome, of the early onset of osteomas and dental inclusions in maxillary bones. Gardner syndrome is actually considered a severe life treathening condition due to the poor quality of life and the evolutive pattern of colonic polyps to colon cancer in 100% of cases. The aim of this paper is the review of the pathophysiologic and clinical aspects of Gardner syndrome, with report of institutional clinical data about epidemiology and clinical presentation of such condition, attempting to elaborate a clinical protocol for early detection of that.

[Gardner-syndrome: case report]

The major symptoms of Gardner-syndrome are described by the authors (multiple osteomas, desmoid tumors, colon polyps with malignant tendency) with a case appearing in their department. The importance of early diagnosis is also emphasized.

Difficult wounds: an update

The purpose of this collective review is to describe revolutionary advances in the treatment of Gardner's syndrome (GS), pseudofolliculitis barbae, nasal septal perforation, factitious wounds, and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). Gardner's syndrome or familial polyposis has various manifestations that appear to be controlled by a single genetic locus. Apart from the large bowel adenomas, which are always present, a common extracolonic symptom of Gardner's syndrome is the occurrence of epidermal cysts. These cysts can be seen before the intestinal polyps are evident. Because epidermal cysts in patients with Gardner's syndrome are always benign, we excise these cysts using incisions that are commonly used for rhytidectomy. Pseudofolliculitis barbae, a pseudofolliculitis caused by ingrown hairs, effects 85% of blacks who shave their beards. When this disease is allowed to progress to keloid formation, we use a surgical approach that includes excision of the keloidal scar, meticulous debridement of all residual ingrown hairs in the underlying wound, and coverage of the defect with a split-thickness skin graft. More recently, laser therapy has revolutionized the treatment of pseudofolliculitis barbae and has enabled a cure for the first time for those plagued with this disorder and for whom a beardless face is acceptable. Nasal septal perforation is a well recognized complication of septal surgery. Other iatrogenic causes of perforation include cryosurgery, electrocoagulation for epitaxis, nasotracheal intubation, or nose packing. In recent years drugs such as cocaine account for an increasing number of perforations. It has only been with the use of an external approach for the repair of the nasal septal defect that surgical closure has become easier and more reliable. The external approach allows for greater surgical closure and enables the surgeon to use both hands with the aid of binocular vision to mobilize and suture local mucosal advancement flaps and the intraseptal connective tissue grafts. More recently, surgeons have repaired large septal perforations with a radial forearm free flap. Because of its availability and deep emotional significance, the skin is a common site for self-destructive behavior with the development of factitious skin wounds. When suspected, psychiatric care must proceed immediately. Second, the ulcer can then be healed by appropriate techniques and wound repair. It is important to emphasize that the treating physician must first confront the patient, and then a psychiatrist should provide appropriate psychotherapy. Hidradenitis suppurativa is an inflammatory disease of the skin and subcutaneous tissue that occurs in apocrine-gland-bearing areas distributed in the axilla, mammary nipple areola, mons pubis, groin, scrotum, perineum, perianal region, and umbilicus. The condition has an insidious onset. The susceptibility of women's axillary skin to hidradenitis suppurativa may be related, in part, to the practice of axillary removal of hair with a safety razor. Consequently, the use of safety razors must be avoided and replaced with the use of an electric razor. The method of treatment will vary with the stage of the disease. Treatment of the chronic stage of axillary hidradenitis suppurativa is primarily surgical. More recently, carbon dioxide laser treatment, with healing by secondary intention, is proving to be a rapid, efficient, and economic treatment of this difficult wound.

Gardner’s syndrome: A case report and review of the literature

Gardner’s syndrome is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by the presence of colonic polyposis, osteomas and a multitude of soft tissue tumors. The syndrome may present at any age from 2 mo to 70 years with a variety of symptoms, either colonic or extracolonic. We present a case of a 11-year-old female patient with Gardner’s syndrome who presented with a lumbar area desmoid tumor and treated with resection of the desmoid, restorative proctocolectomy and ileal pouch anal anastomosis, A review of the current literature has been performed.

Twenty-Seven Consecutive Intestinal and Multivisceral Transplants in Adult Patients: A 4-Year Clinical Experience

Adult isolated intestinal and multivisceral transplantation is gaining acceptance as the standard treatment for patients with intestinal failure with life-threatening parenteral nutrition-related complications. We report our 4-year experience with intestinal and multivisceral transplantation. We performed 20 isolated small bowel and seven multivisceral ones, including three with liver. The underlying diseases were mainly short bowel syndrome due to intestinal infarction, chronic intestinal pseudo-obstruction, and Gardner syndrome. Indications for transplant were loss of central venous access in 14 patients, recurrent sepsis in eight patients, and major electrolyte and fluid imbalance in five patients. One-year patient actuarial survival rate was 94% for isolated intestinal transplants and 42% for multivisceral recipients (P = .003), while 1-year graft actuarial survival rate was 88.4% for isolated small bowel patients and 42.8% for multivisceral ones (P = .01). The death rate was 18.5%. Our graftectomy rate was 14.8%. Our immunosuppressive protocols were based on induction agents such as alemtuzumab, daclizumab, and antithymocyte globulins. The majority of our complications were bacterial infections, followed by rejections and relaparotomies; most rejection episodes were treated with steroid boluses and tapering. We believe that our results were due to optimal candidate and donor selection, short ischemia time, and use of induction therapy. Multivisceral transplantation is a more complex procedure with less frequent clinical indications than isolated small bowel transplant, but our data concerning multivisceral transplants include only a small number of patients and require further evaluation.

Familial polyposis coli: clinical manifestations, evaluation, management and treatment

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is an autosomal dominant, hereditary colon cancer syndrome that is characterized by the presence of innumerable adenomatous polyps in the colon and rectum. Gardner's syndrome is a variant of FAP, which in addition to the colonic polyps, also presents extracolonic manifestations, including desmoid tumors, osteomas, epidermoid cysts, various soft tissue tumors, and a predisposition to thyroid and periampullary cancers. Mutations of the APC gene are thought to be responsible for the development of FAP, and the location of the mutation on the gene is thought to influence the nature of the extracolonic manifestations that a given patient might develop. Though patients are often asymptomatic, bleeding, diarrhea, abdominal pain and mucous discharge frequently occur. Diagnostic tools include genetic testing, endoscopy, and monitoring for extra-intestinal manifestations. Currently, surgery is the only effective means of preventing progression to colorectal carcinoma. Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anal anastomosis (RPC/IPAA) with mucosectomy is the preferred surgical procedure, since it attempts to eliminate all colorectal mucosa without the need for an ostomy. Periampullary carcinoma and intra-abdominal desmoid tumors are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients after colectomy. Frequent endoscopy is needed to prevent the former, while there is no definitive treatment available yet for the latter. The following article presents a case and reviews the evaluation, management and treatment of Gardner's syndrome.

Gardner's syndrome associated fibromas

Three patients with Gardner's syndrome having benign fibrous proliferations in the soft tissues and the oral cavity are presented. Lesions in all three patients were morphologically different. Two excised lesions in Case 1 were histologically identical to nuchal-type fibroma (NTF) and one lesion in this patient was an epidermal cyst. Case 2 had a lesion located in the soft tissues of the shoulder, which was morphologically similar to NTF and, in addition, contained mildly atypical and multinucleated fibroblastic cells. The oral lesion in Case 3 looked like a fibroma and was morphologically different from all fibrous lesions that have ever been described in Gardner's syndrome. The cases in the present report show that the term Gardner's fibroma is just a descriptive name encompassing a spectrum of morphologically different benign fibrous proliferations associated with this syndrome. Therefore, the term Gardner's fibroma should not be used as a specific name for NTF arising in patients with Gardner's syndrome as suggested in the most recent WHO classification of soft tissue and bone tumors.

[Extracolonic manifestations of familial adenomatous polyposis: incidence and impact on the disease outcome]

BACKGROUND

Familial adenomatous polyposis is a hereditary disease with autossomic and dominant features, frequently associated to many extracolonic manifestations.

AIM

To report extracolonic manifestations incidence and to analyze its impact on the disease's outcome.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Revision of patient charts treated from 1977 to 2001, relating associated extracolonic manifestations and its complications.

RESULTS

Among 59 familial adenomatous polyposis patients, 23 (38,9%) presented some extracolonic manifestations at diagnosis or during follow-up. There were registered 37 different extracolonic manifestations (1.6 per patient). The most common manifestations were osteomas and congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium, diagnosed in 25% and 20% of the investigated patients, respectively. Other extracolonic manifestations were represented by upper digestive adenomas, epidermoid cysts, desmoid tumor (seven each), gastric cancer (three) and tireoid cancer (two). Desmoid-associated complications were reported in six patients, being intestinal obstruction in four and hidronephrosis in two; two deaths (28,5%) were registered.

CONCLUSIONS

Extracolonic manifestations incidence is high (40%) and may affect disease's outcome and patient's quality of life. For these reasons, the research, prevention and adequate treatment of extracolonic manifestations turn into vital importance in familial adenomatous polyposis patients.

[Polyposis of the colon and cancer]

Polyposis of the colon is a colon cancer predisposition syndrome. Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) accounts for 1% of the cases of inherited colorectal cancer (CRC). The National Register of inherited CRC and polyposis of the intestines keeps track of 18 patients from 14 families with FAP. Eight of them have been operated of CRC, on 6 patients preventive colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis has been done and four patients refused surgery. Colectomy has been done due to the malignant development also on a female patient with difused juvenile polyposis with adenomatosis. Of three patients under surveillance with the Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, surgery has been done on one female patient with ileus and bleeding large polyps.

Multiple huge osteomas of the mandible causing disfigurement related with Gardner's syndrome: case report

As osteomas of the bones including the jaws may be the initial symptom or clinical finding in the Gardner's syndrome, this entity should always be included in the differential diagnosis. A 20-year-old boy was referred to our clinic from another medical center. Extra-oral examination of the patient revealed an obvious asymmetry and disfigurement of the left mandibular corpus, angle and ramus. A panoramic radiograph revealed two huge osteomas at the angle, ramus and two smaller osteomas at the inferior border of the mandible. At the same time, there were an impacted canine and premolar. Diffuse sclerosis of the whole mandible was also seen. Upon the suspicion of Gardner's syndrome, barium passage radiographs of the intestine were requested and multiple polyps were observed. All of these findings led us to the diagnosis of Gardner's syndrome. The oral and maxillofacial surgeon and the dentist needs to be aware of the components of this entity because manifestations in the head and neck including epidermoid cysts, osteomas, odontomas, exostoses, supernumerary and impacted teeth are common. At the same time, osteomas causing disfigurement on the face related with Gardner's syndrome with increased uptake in scintigraphic examination should be treated by surgical excision of the lesions.

[Gardner syndrome. Case reports]

The authors discuss 3 cases of Gardner-syndrome, outlining malignized large intestine polyposis, multiplex osteomas and the different skin tumours as the main features. The earliest symptoms suspecting the clinical picture are usually dental and/or mandibular lesions and draw the attention to the highly malignant polyposis.

Isolated, giant cerebellopontine angle craniopharyngioma in a patient with Gardner syndrome: case report

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE

We report the case of a 29-year-old man with Gardner syndrome and an isolated, giant cerebellopontine angle craniopharyngioma. Our description of this patient is only the second case report of a craniopharyngioma arising primarily in the cerebellopontine angle.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

The patient presented with a 1-year history of progressive neurological impairment and headache. On the basis of the patient's history of multiple dermal fibromas, a cranial osteoma, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), a total abdominal colectomy, and an adenoma of the ampulla of Vater, we diagnosed the patients condition as Gardner syndrome.

INTERVENTION

Magnetic resonance imaging showed a large cerebellopontine angle tumor, which was removed through a suboccipital retromastoid craniotomy. The pathological features were those of an adamantinomatous craniopharyngioma. The patient has done well postoperatively and has no new neurological deficits. A careful retrospective review of the preoperative imaging shows that this tumor was located exclusively in the posterior fossa and was not an extension of a sellar, suprasellar, or clival craniopharyngioma.

CONCLUSION

We present the second reported case of FAP and craniopharyngioma. There is no known genetic link between FAP and craniopharyngioma. Now that the patient has manifested a primary tumor of the central nervous system with FAP, it is unclear whether he should be classified as having Turcot syndrome. For this patient, we recommended vigilant follow-up imaging and forgoing external beam radiotherapy unless there is a documented recurrence of his craniopharyngioma.

Gardner-associated fibromas (GAF) in young patients: a distinct fibrous lesion that identifies unsuspected Gardner syndrome and risk for fibromatosis

Gardner syndrome (GS), caused by mutations in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene, is characterized by polyposis coli, osteomas, and various soft-tissue tumors. If undetected or untreated, virtually all patients develop colonic carcinoma at a young age. Early detection, while essential, can be difficult because of attenuated phenotypes or spontaneous mutations. We present the clinicopathologic features of 11 identical fibromatous lesions that we have termed Gardner-associated fibroma (GAF), which not only appear to be a part of the spectrum of lesions associated with GS but, in some cases, represent the sentinel event leading to its detection. The GAFs occurred in 11 patients (5 boys and 6 girls; age range, 3 months-14 years), were solitary (n = 7) or multiple (n = 4), and occurred in the superficial and deep soft tissues of the paraspinal region (n = 7), back (n = 3), face (n = 2), scalp (n = 2), chest wall (n = 2), thigh (n = 1), neck (n = 1), and flank (n = 1). Histologically, GAFs resemble nuchal-type fibromas (NFs), consisting of thick, haphazardly arranged collagen bundles between which are found occasional bland fibroblasts, and having margins that frequently engulf surrounding structures including adjacent fat, muscle and nerves. After surgical excision, four patients developed recurrences that were classic desmoid fibromatoses (DFs). In one patient with multiple GAFs, one lesion had the features of GAF and DF in the absence of surgical trauma. A family history of GS or polyposis (n = 6) or DF (n = 1) was known at the time of surgery in seven patients. In three patients, the diagnosis of GAF resulted in the diagnosis of unsuspected APC in older family members, with the detection of an occult colonic adenocarcinoma in one parent. In the family of the remaining patient, no stigmata of GS were present. Genetic analysis of this child was performed to investigate the presence of a spontaneous (new) mutation; however, no abnormalities were detected. The significance of GAF is that it serves as a sentinel event for identifying GS kindreds, including those with a high risk for the development of DF, and it may potentially identify children with spontaneous mutations of the APC gene. Because NFs and GAFs resemble one another, we suggest that a subset of NF occurring in multiple sites, unusual locations, or children may be GAF.

The first case report of the use of a zoom videoendoscope for the evaluation of small bowel graft mucosa in a human after intestinal transplantation

BACKGROUND

Control of allograft rejection remains the most difficult dilemma in intestinal transplantation. Standard endoscopic surveillance to date has not been always accurate in the diagnosis of rejection. We describe the first application of a zoom video endoscope in monitoring graft mucosa in humans after intestinal transplantation.

METHOD

A zoom video endoscope, which can magnify the image up to 100-fold, was used in this study. The patient was a 31-year-old man who received an isolated intestinal transplant. Surveillance endoscopy with the zoom video endoscope was performed through the ileostomy. Endoscopic biopsies were done at the same time.

RESULTS

The zoom video endoscope showed the microscopic architecture of the graft mucosa such as villi and crypts with outstanding quality. We found that an enlargement of the crypt areas appeared to correlate with morphologic changes of early rejection. This finding was reversed with the treatment of rejection.

CONCLUSIONS

The zoom video endoscope successfully showed the detailed information of intestinal mucosa. The ability to visualize a more representative view of the graft mucosa could lead to better detection of early rejection. A greater experience with this unique method will provide more accurate assessment of the intestinal allograft.

Recurrence of desmoid tumor in a multivisceral transplant patient with Gardner's syndrome

BACKGROUND

Desmoid tumors are locally invasive fibromatous tumors, which, in patients with Gardner's syndrome, usually occur in the abdominal wall or intra-abdominally. After excision, they tend to recur, often leading to multiple bowel resections.

METHODS

This is a report of the clinical course of a patient with Gardner's syndrome and desmoid tumor who had multiple enterectomies and gradually developed short-gut syndrome. He required prolonged parenteral nutrition, which damaged the liver. The patient underwent a multivisceral transplantation as a life-saving procedure.

RESULTS

After the transplant, the desmoid tumor recurred in the thoracic wall twice and was successfully resected. It also recurred in the abdominal cavity, compressing the intestinal loops; the tumor was excised uneventfully, leaving the graft intact. The recurrent tumors were all of recipient origin.

CONCLUSIONS

Intestinal and multivisceral transplantation could be considered in patients with short-gut syndrome caused by recurrent desmoid tumor. In the case of posttransplant tumor recurrence, resection is the only option recommended.

[Gardner syndrome. Maxillofacial management of an extremely advanced form]

Gardner's syndrome is a very rare hereditary disease resulting from an embryo genesis disorder involving all three ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal layers. Generally non-digestive tract signs disclose the syndrome. Underlying silent digestive anomalies should be investigated. Endodermal anomalies may have a fundamental effect on prognosis. Manifestations in our case were severe, with ectodermal and mesodermal anomalies occurring late. Maxillofacial management was required because of the critical esthetic and functional implications.

Thyroid cancer in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis

The association between thyroid cancer and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), albeit rare, is well known. It has been suggested that the thyroid tumors have unique histologic characteristics and may be follicular in origin. Because of their rarity, treatment and long-term prognosis are uncertain. Twelve such patients (prevalence 399/100,000) seen during 1949-1995 were retrospectively reviewed. Histology was independently re-reviewed by two pathologists. There were 11 female patients (two sisters) and 1 male patient, with a mean age of 28 years (range 15-61 years). Eight patients (66%) had multicentric tumors and five (42%) bilateral disease. Average tumor diameter was 1.8 cm (range 0.2-5.0 cm). Regional nodal metastases were present in two patients. All 12 thyroid cancers in this series were papillary. The one male patient demonstrated "typical" histology with variable papillary and follicular architecture, whereas the 11 female patients had tumors with unusual histology as described by Harach. Five patients (41%) were treated by total thyroidectomy, five with near-total thyroidectomy, and two with lobectomy alone. Mean follow-up was 142 months (range 7 months to 30 years). Regional recurrent disease occurred in two patients, one of whom died of the disease. The 5- and 20-year survivals were 90% and 77%, respectively. The results indicated that all tumors in this study were papillary, although atypical histology was encountered in 91%. The mean age (28 years) is younger than that of patients with sporadic disease. Multicentricity and bilateral disease are common. In view of this finding, total thyroidectomy should be strongly considered. Long-term prognosis is excellent. The finding of unusual histology in a young patient with papillary thyroid carcinoma should arouse the suspicion of FAP.

Monstrous skull osteomas in a probable Gardner's syndrome: case report

BACKGROUND

Gardner's syndrome includes a clinical triad of familial polyposis coli, osteomas, and soft tissue tumors.

METHODS

We present a very unusual case of probable isolated Gardner's syndrome characterized by extremely voluminous osteomas in the occipital and frontal areas associated with diffuse subcutaneous lipomas and without colic abnormality.

RESULTS

The neurosurgical management included resection of the osteomas for cosmetic reasons. After a follow-up period of 5 years, the patient remains free of digestive complaints and the resected osteomas did not recur.

CONCLUSIONS

The special clinical presentation of our case of possible Gardner's syndrome is discussed.

[Gardner syndrome and thyroid gland carcinoma]

We report on the case of a 23-year-old female with a 5-year history of Gardner's syndrome, who developed a bifocal, papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. The combination of familial adenomatous polyposis with a thyroid cancer is a rare but well-documented association. Typically, histology reveals a multifocal, papillary tumour with a predominantly good prognosis. This type of carcinoma is almost exclusively confined to females in their second decade of life, and it may, in fact, precede the onset of the polyposis manifestation. Patients suffering from familial adenomatous polyposis should therefore undergo regular clinical examination of the thyroid gland. If a neoplastic lesion is suspected, immediate scintigraphic evaluation should be carried out, with fine-needle aspiration of equivocal foci if necessary, and/or intraoperative frozen section. When a carcinoma is found, total thyroidectomy with dissection of the central lymph compartments should be considered the treatment of choice because of the high likelihood of the tumour being multicentric.

Feasibility of photodynamic therapy using endogenous photosensitization for colon cancer

A novel approach to photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves endogenous photosensitization by the oral administration of delta-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a naturally occurring substance that is the precursor of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX). A 60-year-old man with adenocarcinoma of the sigmoid colon received ALA, 60 mg/kg by mouth. Six hours later, when the plasma level of PpIX had peaked, the tumor was exposed locally to red light at 633 nm to activate PpIX. Endoscopy and biopsy findings subsequent to this treatment showed unequivocal visible changes and necrosis. Six months later, the patient again underwent successful treatment without adverse effects. This report suggests a role for PDT using endogenous photosensitization in certain circumstances involving adenocarcinoma of the large intestine.

The role of the ET nurse in managing Gardner's syndrome

Gardner's syndrome is a genetic disease that carries a 100% risk of malignant degeneration if left untreated. The syndrome is characterized by the presence of numerous colon polyps, along with a wide variety of extracolonic manifestations. The presence of these extracolonic manifestations increase morbidity and make treatment more difficult. The surgical procedure commonly used to manage the disease is total colectomy with creation of an ileoanal reservoir. The incidences of intestinal obstruction, genitourinary obstruction, septicemia, and fistula formation increase with the growth of desmoid tumors, which are one of the extracolonic manifestations of the disease. The ET nurse plays an essential role in the care of the patient with Gardner's syndrome. Whether acting as a consultant or primary care provider, the ET nurse provides emotional support, educates, and establishes a plan of care to manage the ostomies, skin problems, complex wounds, and fistulas associated with Gardner's syndrome.

Risk of cancer development in the rectal remnant of patients with familial adenomatous polyposis/Gardner's syndrome

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Current treatment for familial adenomatous polyposis usually entails total colectomy. However, the question of whether or not to remove the rectum has yet answered decisively. This paper represents an attempt to clarify the position on whether the surgeon should remove the rectum.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Twenty patients from 16 families with the established diagnosis of FAP, or Gardner's syndrome, who had been treated by total colectomy with ileorectal anastomosis, were followed up by proctoscopy for at least 5 years. The clinical features were compared between the patients with histologically verified rectal cancer and those who had been free from cancer development.

RESULTS

During the observation periods ranging from 5 to 27 years (mean, 11.4 years), five rectal cancers were identified in 4 patients. These cancers included two cancers in adenomas, two nonpolypoid cancers, and one invasively ulcerating tumor. While the clinical and pathologic features at surgery and the incidence of colonic cancer in the resected specimen had not differed between the patients with rectal cancer and those without cancer, the former group of patients had more colonic polyps and they tended to have been observed over longer periods than the latter group of patients.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that clinical features at surgery of patients with FAP are not relevant for predicting the development of rectal cancer during follow-up.

Diffuse abdominal uptake of technetium-99m-HDP after colectomy in Gardner's syndrome

A 37-yr-old man presented with increasing abdominal girth and multiple palpable intra-abdominal masses 3 yr after colectomy for polyposis coli. Whole-body skeletal scintigraphy performed prior to laparotomy demonstrated diffuse abdominal uptake of 99mTc-HDP consistent with mesenteric fibromatosis confirmed at surgery. When diffuse abdominal uptake of skeletal imaging agents occurs in patients with prior colectomy for polyposis coli, mesenteric fibromatosis as a manifestation of Gardner's syndrome should be suspected. This case illustrates another cause of diffuse abdominal uptake of skeletal imaging agents.

Villous adenoma of the duodenum in a patient with familial adenomatosis coli

A case of familial adenomatosis coli with villous adenoma of the third portion of the duodenum, which falls in the category of a Gardner's syndrome, is described. The patient, who had complained of an abdominal mass which had been diagnosed as a desmoid tumor after surgical resection, had numerous adenomatous polyps throughout the colon confirmed by colonoscopy with biopsy. Endoscopic examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract revealed fundic gland polyposis in the stomach and numerous small adenomas in the duodenum. In addition, there was a pedunculated polyp in the third portion of his duodenum, measuring 30 mm in diameter, the surface of which had a cauliflowerlike appearance. The polyp was removed with the electrocautery snare and was histologically diagnosed as villous adenoma. Our case report supports the concept that villous adenoma, which possesses a high malignant potential, may occur in the upper gastrointestinal tract in patients with familial adenomatosis coli, and careful examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract including the distal duodenum seems to be necessary in the follow-up patients with this disease.

[A case of Gardner's syndrome associated with thyroid carcinoma]

We report a 22-year-old female who was diagnosed as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) associated with thyroid carcinoma. Total thyroidectomy and bilateral neck lymph nodes dissection were performed. Gardner's syndrome was pointed out after an investigation of her family. Total colectomy and ileo-rectal anastomosis were carried out. Colon cancer was not found pathologically. We reviewed 10 cases of FAP with thyroid carcinoma in Japan. Ten out of 11 cases including this patient were female. Thus it is important to pay careful attention to the presence of thyroid carcinoma in the case of FAP or Gardner's syndrome.