1/12. Complete dysphagia after thrombolytic treatment for myocardial infarction.An 82 year old man was admitted to hospital with unstable angina pectoris. There was a long history of minor symptoms suggesting reflux disease, with a small diaphragmatic hernia. One day after admission the patient complained of severe chest pain. An acute inferior-posterior myocardial infarction was diagnosed on ECG, and thrombolytic treatment with alteplase (rt-PA) was initiated. Within a few hours total dysphagia occurred, caused by haemorrhagic oesophagitis. The haematoma resolved spontaneously within about 10 days. The patient was discharged three weeks later after full resolution of the dysphagia.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = chest pain, chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/12. When is a pneumothorax not a pneumothorax?The authors report on a 13-year-old boy who, after exercise, had respiratory distress and left upper quadrant abdominal pain. Initially, a mistaken diagnosis of pneumothorax was made, and a chest tube was inserted. A nasogastric tube was then visualized on chest x-ray in the left hemithorax. He underwent a laparotomy and had herniation of spleen, stomach, and large and small bowel in the left pleural space passing through a traumatic defect in the hemidiaphragm. The laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication 3 years prior was felt to have contributed. A timely and correct diagnosis is essential to avoid the sequelae associated with these injuries and with inappropriate tube thoracostomy.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.092431409573154keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/12. Tortuous aorta--a new cause for esophageal chest pain?Three patients (average age 61 years) presenting with retrosternal pain were evaluated with barium studies of the upper gastrointestinal tract. In each case, the esophagus was significantly displaced by a tortuous aorta. All patients had sliding hiatal hernias; these hiatal hernias, and the esophagitis and disordered motility seen in our patients, could be a consequence of esophageal displacement by the tortuous aorta. Two patients were relieved symptomatically with antacids and metoclopramide. Thus, tortuosity of the thoracic aorta can cause esophageal chest pain.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = chest pain, chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/12. esophageal perforation at a Barrett's ulcer.An alcoholic man with known reflux esophagitis and Barrett's esophagus developed fever, epigastric pain, subcutaneous crepitus, and leukocytosis from an esophageal perforation at a Barrett's ulcer. Possible risk factors for perforation in this patient included alcoholism, severe gastroesophageal reflux, corticosteroid therapy, noncompliance with antacid and H2 blocker therapy, and the presence of acid-secreting parietal cells in the Barrett's epithelium. Five cases of this complication have previously been reported in a review of the literature, which included 536 cases of Barrett's esophagus or esophageal perforation. This entity may present with a clinical triad of a patient (a) in acute distress with fever and epigastric or noncardiac chest pain and without signs of peritonitis, (b) with symptoms of or known gastroesophageal reflux, and (c) with chest examination revealing subcutaneous crepitus, or chest roentgenogram revealing subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum, or hydropneumothorax.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.0924314095732keywords = chest pain, chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/12. Obstructive complications of the Nissen fundoplication.The obstructive complications of the Nissen fundoplication can be devastating. They are much more easily prevented than treated. The technical considerations in avoiding these complications are conceptually simple. The fundoplication should be done over a large intraesophageal stent. A no. 50 or 60 French dilator is appropriate and, in addition, the fundoplication should be left loose. If the fundoplication is to be left in the chest, the hiatus must be widely enlarged so that there is not the slightest hint of obstruction at the level of the diagphragm. Care must be taken in this case to approximate stomach to diaphragm. The Nissen fundoplication should be carried out using heavy sutures with generous bites of the stomach on both sides as well as bites of the esophageal wall and perhaps also the proximal stomach. If careful attention is paid to these technical details, the obstructive complications of the Nissen fundoplication should be eliminated.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.046215704786577keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/12. Intrathoracic fundoplication for shortened esophagus. Treacherous solution to a challenging problem.Intrathoracic fundoplication was used in 12 patients with acquired shortening of the esophagus secondary to gastroesophageal reflux. While several patients had excellent results using this approach, five major complications occurred. One patient developed a paraesophageal hernia, while four had ulceration within the wrap itself. One had serious hemorrhage, while another required reoperation to dismantle the intrathoracic wrap. One patient developed a gastrobronchial fistula and eventually died from pulmonary sepsis. The cause of these problems is unknown, but delayed gastric emptying was implicated in two patients. Even though leaving a Nissen fundoplication in the chest seems to be an attractive alternative when the surgeon cannot reduce the wrap below the diaphragm, this alternative is fraught with treacherous complications in a large percentage of patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.046215704786577keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/12. Complications of intrathoracic Nissen fundoplication.This report details our experience with 30 patients who had Nissen fundoplication. Six underwent transabdominal Nissen fundoplication, and 10 had transthoracic Collis-Nissen with the gastric wrap in a subdiaphragmatic position. Ten patients had a transthoracic Nissen with the wrap in a supradiaphragmatic position. Four patients had a transthoracic Thal-Nissen procedure. In 1 of 4 patients with a Thal-Nissen procedure, intrathoracic rupture of the stomach with gastro-bronchial fistula developed and necessitated left lower lobectomy. Four of 10 patient in whom the gastric wrap was left in the chest experienced severe complications: in 1 patient a lesser curvature ulcer developed and required hemigastrectomy; 1 patient had herniation of the fundoplication with gastric outlet obstruction and required operation for its correction; 2 patients had intrathoracic rupture of the gastric wrap and ultimately died. The 6 patients with transabdominal Nissen and the 10 with transthoracic Collis-Nissen with wrap placed in the abdomen did well This experience severely condemns the practice of leaving the fundoplication above the diaphragm.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.046215704786577keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/12. Technique, indications, and clinical use of 24 hour esophageal ph monitoring.The technique of 24 hour esophageal ph monitoring (24 hour pH test) is described. Experience with the 24 hour pH test in 393 patients with suspected esophageal disease has shown the clinical usefulness of the test in objectively determining the presence of gastroesophageal reflux. The test was effective in evaluating atypical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux such as respiratory symptoms and chest pain and, in children, failure to thrive and recurrent pneumonia. The 24 hour pH test was particularly useful in evaluating patients who were referred with other abdominal or thoracic disease and had, in addition, symptoms suggestive of gastroesophageal reflux on history. The test helped to unsnarl the cause of recurrent symptoms after an esophageal myotomy for achalasia or an antireflux procedure. Of 179 patients with typical symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, 27% had normal 24 hour test results and were subsequently diagnosed as having another cause for their symptoms. Of 146 patients who had normal findings on esophagoscopy, 54% were shown to have abnormal gastroesophageal reflux on 24 hour pH monitoring, indicating lack of sensitivity of endoscopy to detect reflux. In addition, the 24 hour pH test identified patterns of abnormal reflux and indicated those patients most at risk for development of stricture. The test is well tolerated by the patients, simple to use, and dependable when performed and read as described. The clinical use of the 24 hour pH test brings objectivity to the evaluation of exophageal disease that has hitherto not been available.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = chest pain, chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/12. Variant angina complicating ergot therapy of migraine.A 55-year-old man demonstrated typical reflux esophagitis, not esophageal spasm, by esophageal manometry, although he demonstrated classic migraine, positive Raynaud's scan, and proven coronary artery spasm. He suffered from severe chest pain by medication of ergotamine tartrate. ergot alkaloids should be avoided in patients with symptomatic coronary artery spasm.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = chest pain, chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/12. Managing the patient with atypical chest pain.Since angina and heartburn can feel the same, excluding cardiac disease may be the first order of business. That done, clinical findings and laboratory tests can help identify the esophageal disturbance. gastric acid reflux, motility disorders, and visceral nerve hypersensitivity--alone or in combination--can cause chest pain, and each may call for a different pharmacologic regimen.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = chest pain, chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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