RACIONAL: A metaplasia intestinal especializada pode ser classificada, de acordo com os achados endoscópicos e histológicos, em Barrett longo, Barrett curto e metaplasia intestinal da cárdia. O esôfago de Barrett é doença adquirida que ocorre em aproximadamente 10% a 13% dos indivíduos com doença do refluxo gastroesofágico e representa uma condição pré-neoplásica. É caracterizado por substituição do epitélio escamoso estratificado pelo metaplásico colunar especializado, contendo células caliciformes. OBJETIVOS: Determinar, prospectivamente, a prevalência e as características clínico-epidemiológicas da metaplasia intestinal especializada de esôfago distal na doença do refluxo gastroesofágico. MÉTODOS: Entre abril e outubro de 2002, 402 pacientes com sintomas da doença do refluxo gastroesofágico foram avaliados através de questionário padronizado que abordava as variáveis demográficas e foram submetidos a exame endoscópico com biopsias 1 cm abaixo da junção escamocolunar, nos quatro quadrantes. RESULTADOS: Metaplasia intestinal especializada foi encontrada em 18,4% dos pacientes: 0,5% Barrett longo, 3,2% Barrett curto e 14,7% metaplasia intestinal da cárdia. Houve tendência de maior número de homens apresentando esôfago de Barrett e mulheres com metaplasia intestinal da cárdia. Todos com esôfago de Barrett eram da raça branca. Não houve relação entre a intensidade dos sintomas da doença do refluxo gastroesofágico e a presença de metaplasia intestinal especializada. O tempo de duração de sintomas superior a 5 anos foi uma tendência nos portadores de esôfago de Barrett. Este grupo também apresentou mais hérnia de hiato e esofagite mais intensa do que aqueles com metaplasia intestinal da cárdia. Não houve relação entre uso de tabaco ou álcool e metaplasia intestinal especializada. CONCLUSÕES: Esôfago de Barrett foi mais relacionado ao sexo masculino, com sintomas de longa cronicidade, esofagite mais intensa e sem associação com tabaco ou álcool.

BACKGROUND: Specialized intestinal metaplasia can be categorized according endoscopic and histological findings in long segment Barrett, short segment Barrett and specialized intestinal metaplasia of cardia. Barrett's esophagus is an acquired disease that is found in about 10%-13% of patients undergoing endoscopy for symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease and it is well established as predisposing to esophageal adenocarcinoma. The columnar epithelium with goblet cells replaces the normal squamous epithelium. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and clinical-demographic characteristics of specialized intestinal metaplasia of distal esophagus in the gastroesophageal reflux disease. METHODS: From April to October 2002, 402 patients referred to upper endoscopy due gastroesophageal reflux disease were evaluated through of a symptom questionnaire about clinical and demographic features and submitted to upper endoscopy with four-quadrant biopsies 1 cm below escamocolumnar junction. RESULTS: Eighteen point four percent of patients had specialized intestinal metaplasia, 0.5% long segment Barrett esophagus, 3.2% short segment Barrett's esophagus and 14.7% specialized intestinal metaplasia of cardia. Patients with Barrett's esophagus showed a tendency to be male and specialized metaplasia of cardia to be female. All patients with Barrett's esophagus were white. There was not association between symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease and specialized intestinal metaplasia, but patients with Barrett's esophagus showed a tendency to have symptoms over 5 years and had more hiatal hernia and esophagitis. The use of alcohol and tobacco was not related to the presence of specialized intestinal metaplasia. CONCLUSIONS: Barrett's esophagus was more related to the male gender, gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms for 5 years or longer, more intense esophagitis and hiatal hernia, but was not related to the use of tobacco and alcohol.

OBJECTIVE: Establish the efficiency of 6- and 12-punctures transrectal ultrasound-guided needle biopsies in low risk patients for prostate cancer. Six-punctures (sextant) biopsies were compared to 12-punctures biopsies, assessing which is the best strategy to detect this neoplasm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 240 patients submitted to prostate biopsy, 54 with suspected small and organ-localized tumors (prostatic specific antigen < 10 ng/mL and digital exam of the prostate not suggesting cancer) in glands < 50 cm³ were selected, constituting a homogenous sample. These patients were submitted to standard 3-punctures (basal, mid, and apical) sextant biopsy in parasagittal midline of each prostatic lobe, with 3 additional lateral punctures, bilaterally. Each specimen was separately submitted to histological study. RESULTS: Twenty-two (40.7%) patients had prostatic cancer, and 28 presented prostatic hyperplasia, associated or not to inflammatory conditions. High-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) was detected in 4 patients. From 22 tumors detected by 12-punctures biopsies, 6-punctures biopsies in the parasagittal midline (sextant) diagnosed 50% of the cases, while isolated lateral punctures diagnosed 90.9% of the malignant neoplasms. Basal lateral punctures responded for 72.7% of the cancer diagnosis, while basal sextant punctures responded only for 9.1% of the cases. CONCLUSION: For low risk prostate cancer, patients’ 12-punctures biopsy was more effective, for sextant biopsy failed to diagnose half of the cases of neoplasm. Three lateral punctures (basal, mid, and apical), with 2 additional punctures in the parasagittal midline (mid and apical) bilaterally are suggested as the best biopsy strategy.

Relatamos o caso de uma mulher de 53 anos com episódios de hipoglicemia espontânea com um ano de evolução. A paciente referia fraqueza, sudorese e tremores, especialmente após as refeições. A avaliação laboratorial confirmou hipoglicemia com altos níveis de insulina e peptídeo C. A tomografia axial computadorizada (TAC) de abdome evidenciou uma grande massa com calcificações na cauda do pâncreas. Após ressecção cirúrgica o exame histológico revelou insulinoma maligno. Após 12 meses de acompanhamento a paciente permanecia assintomática e normoglicêmica.

We report on a case of a 53-year-old woman with episodes of spontaneous hypoglycemia in the last year, before her first visit in our outpatient clinic. She complained of weakness, sweating and trembling specially after meals. Blood tests confirmed low plasma glucose values and elevated insulin and C-peptide levels. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan showed a large mass with calcifications in the pancreas tail. Surgery was performed and histological evaluation revealed a malignant insulinoma. Since then, she has been followed for twelve months with no symptoms of hypoglycemia and no evidence of relapse.

Recém-nascidos com Síndrome de Down (SD) podem apresentar uma proliferação transitória de células imaturas no sangue periférico e medula óssea. A leucometria pode estar muito elevada, impossibilitando o diagnóstico diferencial com leucemia mielóide aguda (LMA). Em contraste com a LMA, a SMT regride espontaneamente em quatro a oito semanas. Objetivo: Apresentar uma criança com SD, SMT e fibrose hepática, que resultou num prognóstico desfavorável. Relato do Caso: D.M.S., masculino, estigmas da SD, hepatoesplenomegalia, sopro sistólico. Hemograma: 95.000 leucócitos/mm³, 19% blastos, 170.000 plaquetas/mm³, hemoglobina 16,2g/dL. Bilirrubina total 35,86 mg/dL, GOT 184 UI, GPT 122 UI. Ecocardiograma: canal átrio-ventricular total, hipertensão pulmonar, persistência do canal arterial. Sorologias negativas. Biópsia hepática: colestase, fibrose portal e sinusoidal, elementos mielóides imaturos. Após normalização da leucometria, manteve plaquetopenia e disfunção hepática. No 50º dia de vida, quimioterapia com Daunoblastina e Citarabina. Evoluiu com pneumonia e insuficiência renal. Óbito no 61ºdia. Comentários: A história natural da SMT gera questões intrigantes a respeito de sua origem, evolução e desenvolvimento de leucemia subseqüente. A disfunção hepática e a fibrose têm impacto prognóstico. Em relato anterior, de cada oito casos de SMT com disfunção hepática, seis evoluíram para óbito, sendo que fibrose hepática difusa, associada a eritropoese extra-medular, foi encontrada em quatro casos. Acredita-se que a lesão hepática resulta da produção de citocinas pelos megacariócitos, por ser o fígado o segundo órgão hematopoético de células anormais, após a medula óssea.

Neonates with Down's Syndrome (DS) occasionally show an excess of blast cells in their peripheral blood and bone marrow. The leukocyte counts are high and just the evolution can discriminate the diagnosis of Transient Myeloproliferative Disorder (TMD) from acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). In contrast to AML, complete spontaneous recovery takes place within 4 - 8 weeks. Liver dysfunction and fibrosis have a major prognostic impact. The aim of this work is to relate the case of a child with TMD, DS and hepatic fibrosis. A male infant with characteristic findings of DS, hepatosplenomegaly and cardiac murmur was examined. The white blood cell count was 95,000/mm³, 19% blast cells, platelets 170,000/mm³, total bilirubin 35.86 mg/dL, AST 184 UI and ALT 122 UI. The echocardiogram showed total atrial-ventricular septal defect, pulmonary hypertension and patent ductus arteriosus. The serology proved to be negative and a hepatic biopsy showed colestasis, sinusoidal and portal fibrosis and immature myeloid elements. The leukocyte count diminished, the platelet count remained low and the liver function worsened. The patient received anti-neoplastic treatment with daunorubicin and cytarabine on the 50th day of life. He later developed pneumonia and renal failure and died on the 61st day. The natural history of TMD raises intriguing questions regarding its origin, clinical course and the subsequent development of leukemia. Liver fibrosis may have a major prognostic impact. It has been reported that 6 out of 8 cases of TMD with hepatic dysfunction died, and liver fibrosis associated with extramedullary hematopoiesis was found in 4 cases. The hypothesis is that liver fibrosis could be caused by cytokines produced by the megakaryocytes in the liver.

Racional - O hepatocarcinoma é uma das doenças malignas mais comuns em todo o mundo. O transplante hepático é boa opção terapêutica para os pacientes com hepatocarcinoma em fase inicial, alcançando índices de sobrevida semelhantes aos encontrados nos pacientes cirróticos transplantados sem malignidade hepática. Objetivo - Avaliar a evolução de pacientes cirróticos com hepatocarcinoma submetidos a transplante hepático no Serviço de Transplante Hepático do Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR. Métodos - Estudo retrospectivo dos pacientes cirróticos com hepatocarcinoma submetidos a transplante ortotópico de fígado no período de setembro de 1991 a setembro de 2000. O diagnóstico do tumor foi estabelecido durante os exames pré-transplante em cinco doentes e foi achado incidental no fígado nativo em três. Nos pacientes com diagnóstico pré-operatório de hepatocarcinoma adotou-se como critério de elegibilidade para o transplante, a presença de tumor único de diâmetro <FONT FACE=Symbol>£</FONT> 5 cm ou até três lesões com diâmetro <FONT FACE=Symbol>£</FONT> 3 cm cada, ausência de invasão tumoral da veia porta ou de metástases extra-hepática. Foram avaliados como parâmetros principais a sobrevida do paciente e a ocorrência de recidiva tumoral após o transplante. Resultados - A principal causa de doença hepática pré-transplante foi a hepatite por vírus C (50%). No exame do fígado explantado, a maioria dos pacientes (6/8, 75%) tinha lesão única; um paciente tinha dois nódulos e em outro detectou-se hepatocarcinoma multifocal incidentalmente no fígado nativo. O tamanho do tumor variou de 0,2 a 5,0 cm. Nenhum dos casos apresentou invasão vascular ou linfonodal. Todos os pacientes permaneceram vivos e livres de recurrência tumoral durante o tempo do estudo, sendo a mediana de seguimento de 18,5 meses (variando de 5-29 meses). Conclusão - O transplante hepático é boa opção terapêutica nos pacientes cirróticos com hepatocarcinoma em fase inicial. Com seleção adequada, o transplante hepático oferece excelentes índices de sobrevida livre de recurrência tumoral.

Background - Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. Liver transplantation has emerged as a good option for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma yielding survival rates as good as for recipients without this type of tumor. Objective - To assess the outcome of cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing liver transplantation at the Liver Transplantation Service of the "Hospital de Clínicas", Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. Methods - Retrospective study of cirrhotic patients with hepatocellular carcinoma undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation at the mentioned Institution between September 1991 and September 2000. The diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma was established during the pretransplant workup in five patients and the tumor was an incidental finding in the native liver in three. The indication for liver transplantation was restricted to solitary tumor equal to or less than 5 cm or up to 3 nodules, with each nodule measuring less than 3 cm, and no evidence of vascular invasion or extrahepatic spread. Patient survival and evidence of tumoral recurrence posttransplant were evaluated. Results - The most common cause for pretransplantation liver disease was hepatitis C virus (50%). On examination of the explanted liver, the majority of patients (6/8, 75%) had a single lesion; one patient had two nodules and one had a multifocal hepatocellular carcinoma found incidentally in the native liver. Tumor size ranged from 0,2 to 5,0 cm. All cases had neither vascular invasion nor linfonodal envolvement. All patients remained alive and free of tumor recurrence at the time of the study with a mean follow-up of 18,5 months (range, 5-29 months). Conclusion - Liver transplantation is a good therapeutic option for early stage hepatocellular carcinoma arising in cirrhotic patients. With proper selection, liver transplantation can offer excelent survival rates free of tumor recurrence.