1/39. A case of intra-abdominal multiple lymphangiomas in an adult in whom the immunological evaluation supported the diagnosis.A 60-year-old patient with intra-abdominal lymphangiomatosis is described. He presented with anaemia due to enteric haemorrhage, hypoproteinaemia with heavy hypogammaglobulinaemia and T-cell lymphopenia. Duodenal biopsy showed lymphangiectasia while a small bowel study revealed several filling defects in the terminal ileum. On exploratory laparotomy, numerous inoperable lymphangio-haemangiomata were found, involving the small and large intestine, appendix, mesenterium, gallbladder and main biliary tract. The importance of T-cell lymphopenia and hypogammaglobulinaemia in the diagnosis of intra-abdominal lymphangiomatosis with lymphangiectasia is stressed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = tract (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/39. Severe hyperparathyroidism with hypercalcemia associated with chronic renal failure at pre-dialysis stage.We report a case of a 23-year-old Japanese woman who had severe hyperparathyroidism associated with chronic renal failure before the start of dialysis treatment. Her chief complaints were swelling and pain in both shoulders. Laboratory examination revealed renal failure (BUN 134 mg/dl, serum Cr 7.3 mg/dl), severe normocytic normochromic anemia (hemoglobin 4.3 g/dl), hypercalcemia (11.8 mg/dl), and hyperphosphatemia (9.7 mg/dl). serum PTH levels were extremely increased (intact PTH >1,000 pg/ml: normal range 10-50 pg/ml). X-ray examination of the skull and shoulders showed a salt and pepper appearance, and cauliflower-like deformity of the distal end of both clavicles, respectively. Accelerated ectopic calcification was observed in the costal cartilages, internal carotid arteries, and splenic arteries. Ultrasonographic examination revealed enlargement of the four parathyroid glands. thallium-technetium subtraction scintigraphy of the parathyroid glands showed increased uptake into the upper two. Renal needle biopsy revealed severe impairment of the interstitium and tubules with much milder changes in glomeruli. The etiology of the renal failure could not be identified. Hemodialysis, total parathyroidectomy and auto-transplantation into the forearm were immediately performed. The pathological diagnosis was chief cell hyperplasia of the parathyroid glands. Based on the presence of chronic renal failure, remarkable hyperphosphatemia with mild hypercalcemia, an unusually high level of serum PTH, and accelerated ectopic calcification, the patient was diagnosed to have severe secondary hyperparathyroidism caused by chronic renal failure with major impairment of the renal interstitium and tubules.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = tract (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/39. The efficacy of octreotide therapy in chronic bleeding due to vascular abnormalities of the gastrointestinal tract.BACKGROUND: The treatment of angiodysplasia and watermelon stomach, vascular abnormalities implicated in gastrointestinal bleeding of obscure origin, is a major clinical problem. AIM: To determine the efficacy of octreotide in patients with long-standing gastrointestinal bleeding due to acquired angiodysplasia and watermelon stomach, resistant to previous treatments and not suitable for surgery because of old age and/or concomitant disorders. patients AND methods: We treated 17 patients (seven had isolated angiodysplasia, seven had multiple upper and lower gastrointestinal angiodysplasia, and three had watermelon stomach) with octreotide (0. 1 mg subcutaneous t.d.s. for 6 months). Six of the patients had liver cirrhosis, one had Glanzmann-type platelet derangement, two had cardiovascular diseases and one had chronic uraemia. RESULTS: octreotide treatment stopped bleeding in 10 patients. A transient improvement was observed in four, who needed subsequent cyclical retreatment to correct low haemoglobin levels. No effect was observed in three, probably due to the severity of the concomitant disorders. CONCLUSIONS: octreotide is a safe drug that may be useful to control the recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding due to acquired angiodysplasia and watermelon stomach, especially in patients who are not candidates for surgery due to old age and/or concomitant disorders.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 151.48855701253keywords = gastrointestinal tract, tract (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/39. Diffuse angiodysplasia of the upper gastrointestinal tract in a patient with hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.A 64-year-old woman with a known history of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy presented with severe anemia of unknown origin. She had also suffered from repeated episodes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding for the previous 3 years. Despite bone marrow examination and panendoscopic and angiographic studies, the origin of anemia remained undefined until a small bleeding site was found during a duodenoscopic examination. The lesion proved to be angiodysplasia. This case report is interesting in that angiodysplasia elicited gastrointestinal bleeding and was the cause of anemia. In the international literature, there are very few reported cases of bleeding from gastrointestinal angiodysplasia in association with subvalvular aortic obstruction.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 151.48855701253keywords = gastrointestinal tract, tract (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/39. A case of cavernous hemangioma of the small intestine diagnosed by scintigraphy with Tc-99m-labeled red blood cells.hemangioma of the small intestine is rare, and the preoperative diagnosis of it is difficult. We report a patient with gastrointestinal bleeding for whom Tc-99m-labeled red blood cell scintigraphy was useful in diagnosing cavernous hemangioma of the small intestine. A 25-year-old man was referred to our hospital for recurrent iron deficiency anemia. Because of the patient's severe anemia, imaging was performed to locate the bleeding lesion in the gastrointestinal tract. Scintigraphy with Tc-99m-labeled red blood cells revealed pooling indicating a tumor and extravasation of blood from the tumor. Scintigraphy with Tc-99m pertechnetate revealed no abnormal accumulation. Partial resection of the small intestine was done, and cavernous hemangioma of the small intestine was diagnosed by using the specimen of resected tissue.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 37.872139253134keywords = gastrointestinal tract, tract (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/39. Gastrointestinal presentation of germ cell malignancy.OBJECTIVES: To summarize monoinstitutional experience with gastrointestinal (GI) presentations of germ cell malignancy and to review recent medical literature on this issue. methods: Retrospective review of 5 cases with advanced germ cell malignancy (testicular 2 and retroperitoneal 3) and involvement of the upper GI tract and a comparison with published observation. RESULTS: In 4 patients the duodenum and in 1 patient the distal part of the esophagus were involved in germ cell malignancy. In 3 patients grade 3 or grade 4 anemia represented the principle initial symptom. Ulceration of the upper GI tract was in 1 case complicated by an aortoduodenal fistula with rupture of the aorta. This patient and 2 other cases needed emergency surgery due to GI hemorrhage before and/or during the initial phase of chemotherapy. Our observations compare well with the literature, showing the need of multimodality therapy of these complications. CONCLUSION: In young males with a malignant tumor in the upper GI tract, the diagnosis of germ cell malignancy should be considered. Treatment of this condition requires a multimodality approach, not rarely including emergency surgery. Though these patients often belong to a poor-prognosis group, our results and the literature review show that long-term survival is possible using modern treatment principles. In particular, the risk of GI hemorrhage, during the initial phase of therapy, should not be overseen.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = tract (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/39. erythropoiesis and carbon monoxide production in Hodgkin's disease.Endogenous production of carbon monoxide (VCO), red cell survival and iron kinetics were studied in 15 subjects with Hodgkin's disease. The subjects were divided into two groups, namely: eight patients with anaemia (group A, haemoglobin (Hb) concentration less than 11.5 g/dl) and seven patients without anaemia (group B, Hb concentration greater than 11.5 g/dl). Red cell survival was not significantly different in the two groups being 91 /- 40 days (mean /- 1 SD) in group A and 111 /- 54 days in group B. Relative VCO (mumol/mmol total body haem (TBH/d) was, however, significantly higher (0.01 greater than P greater than 0.001) in group A (20.7 /- 4.7) compared to group B (12.0 /- 3.8). When absolute VCO (mumol/d) was compared to the daily turnover of circulating red cell haemoglobin haem (Vhaem-c), the VCO/Vhaem-c quotient was 2.1 /- 0.9 in group A and 1.2 /- 0.3 in group B. Erythron turnover of iron (ET, mumol Fe/mmol TBH/d) was calculated through subtraction of the non-erythron turnover (NET) from the total plasma iron turnover (PIT). ET was significantly higher (0.05 greater than P greater than 0.01) in group A (39 /- 21) than in group B (20 /- 8). The conclusion drawn from the finding of significant increases in VCO and ET without and concomitant significant decrease in red cell survival in the anaemia group is that ineffective erythropoiesis, i.e. bone marrow haemolysis, seems to play an important role in the anaemia of Hodgkin's disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = tract (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/39. anemia management in patients with chronic conditions that affect erythropoiesis. Case study of the anemic patients.anemia management programs typically strive to maintain hemoglobin (Hb) levels in the target range of 11 to 12 g/dL recommended by the National kidney Foundation's kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (NKF-K/DOQI). Although nephrology clinicians are constantly alert for conditions that cause hyporesponse to Epoetin alfa therapy, management protocols generally focus on assessing and managing acute disorders that affect the production of red blood cells. A more difficult clinical challenge is how to systematically manage patients with conditions that chronically affect the erythropoietic response and are intractable to routine therapies. This article addresses the etiology and management of chronic conditions that require a specialized anemia management approach to ensure that patients can achieve targeted Hb levels and associated clinical and quality of life benefits. Examples include chronic inflammatory disorders, severe secondary hyperparathyroidism, malignancies, human immunodeficiency virus (hiv), and kidney transplant failure.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = tract (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/39. Treating azotemia-induced anemia with erythropoietin improves diabetic eye disease.BACKGROUND: Coincidental with the pandemic growth of diabetes as the prime cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), blindness attributable to diabetic retinopathy has become a major concern for all those involved in the care of diabetic ESRD patients. Vision loss is linked to progression of proliferative retinopathy and macular edema. methods: Extracted from a study of azotemic anemic pre-ESRD patients treated with erythropoietin, a cohort of five diabetic subjects was reassessed in terms of stability of renal function, changes in blood rheology, and course of diabetic eye disease. RESULTS: All subjects reported subjective improvement in well-being, including enhanced effort tolerance following an increase in hematocrit from a baseline level of to 29.6 /- 2.0% to a level of 39.5 /- 2.4% after one year of treatment with erythropoietin (P = <0.0005). Neither hypertension nor deterioration of renal function was noted in any subject. Three patients with macular edema evinced substantive improvement-based stable vision and documented resolution noted in flourescein angiography. CONCLUSION: erythropoietin treatment of anemic azotemic diabetic patients is well tolerated. In a small observational retrospective study of three patients with macular edema, retention of vision and resolution of exudates was noted.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = tract (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/39. Thrombotic microangiopathy in advanced prostatic carcinoma.We report a case of acute renal failure in a man with medically treated advanced prostate carcinoma. Imaging suggested renal tract obstruction as the cause; however, the patient failed to respond to treatment with dialysis and bilateral nephrostomy insertion. Postmortem examination revealed the renal failure to have been due to severe thrombotic microangiopathy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = tract (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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