Ectopic Intrapulmonary Thyroid *

Ectopic Intrapulmonary Thyroid (Bando et a!) plication of this treatment was associated with the presence ofa permanent central catheter. Superior vena caval thromhosis is a known complication of central venous catheters, since up to 40 percent of these are associated with a central vein thrombosis.12 In patients with thalassemia major, increased thromboxane production was recently This hypercoagulable state secondary to platelet activation may represent an additional risk factor. The development of a safe oral iron chelator has been the focus of intense investigation in the last few years. Although clinical trials have yielded encouraging results, the superiority to DFO and its lack of toxicity have not yet been demonstrated with such regimens.” Ambulatory IV DFO may thus represent, for the time being, an alternative treatment to sc chelation in patients with severe iron overload. In these cases, high doses of DFO can be administered with improvement of cardiac function. ,’ latrogenic complications of this invasive treatment may be important, but they appear to be balanced by remarkable benefits for the patients. To minimize the frequency of thrombosis associated with central catheters in this highrisk population, the routine use of platelet inhibitors or anticoagulation (or both) should be studied.