1/40. aged budd-chiari syndrome attributed to chronic deep venous thrombosis with alcoholic liver cirrhosis.budd-chiari syndrome is a rare disease, but there are many known causes. Recent studies showed that it can be an acquired lesion resulting from thrombosis in some elderly patients. We report a 74-year-old man with budd-chiari syndrome attributed to chronic deep venous thrombosis and alcoholic liver cirrhosis. When he was aged 45 years, stasis ulcers of the lower extremities appeared. cerebral infarction and left hemiparesis occurred at age 71. ultrasonography, venacavography, and three-dimensional-magnetic resonance imaging on admission demonstrated total obstruction of the inferior vena cava with several massive thrombi and developed collateral vessels. Although the etiology of the thrombosis remained obscure, we made some speculative assumptions that chronic disseminated intravascular coagulation (which is frequently observed in cirrhosis) or hereditary coagulopathy could be involved, from his familial history of thrombotic phenomena and a severe deficiency of clotting inhibitors. Despite the high mortality of untreated budd-chiari syndrome reported in previous studies, this patient had been alive for about 30 years from the suspected onset.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = obstruction (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/40. Acquired cutaneous lymphangiectasia in a patient with cirrhotic ascites.BACKGROUND: Lymphangiectasia results from acquired dilation of lymphatic vessels. Areas of skin affected by obstruction or destruction of lymphatic drainage are said to be prone to the development of lymphangiectasia. Cirrhosis is a cause of alterations of lymph flow. methods: Case report. RESULTS: We report a case of acquired, late-onset, lymphangiectasia associated with alcoholic hepatic cirrhosis. Lesions were scattered over the right, lower, anterior abdominal wall, a region that is drained by a common group of lymphatic vessels that were probably disordered. CONCLUSION: We think that this is the first reported case of lymphangiectasia associated with altered lymph flow in cirrhosis and ascites.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = obstruction (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/40. Three elderly patients with lower esophageal cancer successfully treated by transhiatal esophagectomy assisted by mediastinoscopy.mediastinoscopy-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy recently has been applied in patients with intrathoracic esophageal cancer. Elderly patients with esophageal cancer experience several types of complications and often cannot undergo standard transthoracic esophagectomy. In this study, three elderly patients with preoperative complications underwent mediastinoscopy-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy for esophageal cancer located in the lower part of the esophagus. Patient 1 was an 80-year-old man with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Patient 2 was a 78-year-old man with bronchial asthma. Patient 3 was an 81-year-old-man with diabetes mellitus and an atherosclerotic obstruction of the lower extremities. In these patients, mediastinoscopy-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy concomitant with reconstruction by means of a gastric tube was performed. Lymph node dissections of the middle and lower mediastinum and of the abdomen, including the regions surrounding the left gastric and celiac arteries, were performed. postoperative complications developed only in patient 1; minor leakage of the esophagogastrostomy and high bilirubinemia were observed. Metastasis was detected in the lymph nodes surrounding the celiac artery in patient 1 and surrounding the left gastric artery in patients 2 and 3. Patient 2 died of pneumonia 18 months later, but the other patients have been well, without recurrence of the cancer after surgery. In conclusion, mediastinoscopy-assisted transhiatal esophagectomy has some benefits for elderly esophageal cancer patients who experience preoperative complications.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = obstruction (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/40. Successful combination therapy--flunarizine, pentoxifylline, and cholestyramine--for spur cell anemia.Spur cell anemia, a hemolytic anemia observed in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis, is characterized by unusual erythrocyte morphology and an increased ratio of free cholesterol to phospholipid in the erythrocyte membrane. The prognosis of spur cell anemia is usually extremely poor, however, we describe here a patient with spur cell anemia who was successfully treated with combination therapy consisting of flunarizine, pentoxifylline, and cholestyramine. Initial therapy with flunarizine alone for 6 weeks did not significantly decrease the number of spur cells on peripheral blood smears. So pentoxifylline was added to the regimen. The patient recovered from the anemia, showed remarkable improvement with regard to the hyperbilirubinemia, and the changes were accompanied by a significant decrease in the number of spur cells in peripheral blood smears. To correct the hypercholesterolemia, cholestyramine was added to the regimen, which resulted in a reduction in the serum level of free cholesterol and an increase in the molar ratio of free cholesterol to phospholipid in erythrocyte membrane. However, 6 months later a skin eruption developed that was considered an adverse reaction to the drugs, so the flunarizine and pentoxifylline were discontinued. With cholestyramine therapy alone, the remission of spur cell anemia was maintained for more than 11 months. These observations suggest that non-invasive combination therapy with flunarizine, pentoxifylline, and cholestyramine is effective and valuable in the treatment of patients with spur cell anemia.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.53242726945892keywords = duct (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/40. Resolution of oral ulcerations after decreasing the dosage of tacrolimus in a liver transplantation recipient.Oral ulcers have may possible causes, including immunosuppression and drug therapy. Severe cases of oral ulceration merit special consideration because the ulcers may become large enough to alter the quality of life of the patient. The present case involves a male patient who in 1994 received an orthotopic liver transplantation because of alcoholic cirrhosis. The initial immunosuppressive regimen was induced with tacrolimus (4 mg/d) and prednisone (20 mg/d). Ten months after orthotopic liver transplantation, the patient complained of multiple recurrent oral ulcers, dysphagia, and severe oral pain, which did not respond to any of the treatments over a 3-year period. Approximately 3(1/4) years after these unresponsive ulcers appeared, the reduction of the oral dosage of tacrolimus resulted in the total remission of the ulcers. A retrospective analysis demonstrated that appearance of the ulcers coincided with a dose of 9 mg/d of tacrolimus (whole blood levels of 12 ng/mL); the ulcers did not disappear until the dose was reduced to 4 mg/d (whole blood level of 6.6 ng/mL).- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.53242726945892keywords = duct (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/40. Invasive gastrointestinal zygomycosis in a liver transplant recipient: case report.BACKGROUND: Gastric zygomycosis is a rare but potentially lethal complication in transplant patients. Forty-two cases of gastric mucormycosis have been described in the literature, with a mortality of 98%. methods: We report of a case of gastric mucormycosis in a 45-year-old male undergoing liver transplantation for alcohol-induced cirrhosis. The diagnosis was made 20 days after transplantation in a biopsy of a bleeding gastric ulcer identified during a reoperation for a common bile duct stricture. RESULTS: After the surgical procedure and therapy with amphotericin b, the patient made a good recovery and is alive and well 2 years after transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: Gastric mucormycosis should be suspected in those patients in whom gastrointestinal symptoms such a pain or bleeding are present. Because the diagnosis is dependent on histology, the importance of biopsy cannot be underestimated. Once diagnosed, a successful outcome depends on effective treatment with amphotericin.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 31.224637412091keywords = bile, bile duct, duct (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/40. Fatal splenic arterial aneurysmal rupture associated with chronic pancreatitis.Splenic arterial aneurysms (SAA) are rare and are usually atherosclerotic and/or related to pregnancy. Because pregnancy is the most important predisposing factor, the strong predilection of SAA for women is not surprising. The authors report a case of SAA rupture in a man with chronic pancreatitis as the predisposing factor. A 56-year-old man with abdominal pain and hematemesis was resuscitated and underwent endoscopy, but he died 18 hours later of massive hematemesis before definitive surgery could be carried out. At autopsy, there was chronic pancreatitis with fibrous adhesions tethering the tail of the pancreas, spleen, and posterior wall of the stomach together. The SAA was indented into the posterior wall of the stomach, into which it had ruptured from without. He also had alcoholic cirrhosis but no esophageal varices or conventional gastric ulcers. Other important predisposing factors such as abdominal trauma, infective endocarditis, polyarteritis nodosa, and segmental medial arteriopathy were absent. Histologic examination confirmed the rupture of the SAA. The SAA had Monckeberg medial calcinosis but little evidence of atherosclerosis. The well-documented complications of acute and chronic pancreatitis include shock, abscess, pseudocyst formation, and duodenal obstruction. This report describes the rare complication of SAA rupture, which may be fatal.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = obstruction (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/40. Low dose amiodarone causing pseudo-alcoholic cirrhosis.amiodarone is a commonly used anti-arrhythmic in elderly patients. Abnormal liver function is frequently reported with its use but clinically symptomatic disease is rare. hepatomegaly, cholestasis, acute hepatitis and rarely fulminant liver failure have been recorded [1, 2], however amiodarone toxicity presenting with cirrhosis is exceedingly rare. Toxic effects of amiodarone are well described with higher dosage but severe hepatic toxicity and cirrhosis with low dose amiodarone has not been reported in the English language literature. We present a report on a patient with pseudo-alcoholic cirrhosis with low dose amiodarone.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 388.21761128165keywords = cholestasis (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/40. calciphylaxis associated with acute, reversible renal failure in the setting of alcoholic cirrhosis.We describe a case of calciphylaxis in a 47-year-old man with alcohol-induced end-stage liver disease and acute renal failure secondary to hepatorenal syndrome. Possible contributing factors included transiently impaired renal function, protein c and S deficiencies, elevated calcium-phosphate product, hyperphosphatemia, low serum albumin, repeated albumin infusions, and elevated alkaline phosphatase level.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.53242726945892keywords = duct (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/40. Resolution of alcoholic neuropathy following liver transplantation.Between 10 and 20% of adult liver transplants are performed for end-stage alcoholic liver disease. Severe extrahepatic end-organ damage from alcoholism (cardiomyopathy, pancreatitis, central nervous system injury, and neuropathy) is widely regarded as an absolute contraindication to liver transplantation, despite a lack of data on the effect of transplantation on these complications. We describe such a patient who presented with decompensated alcoholic liver disease and moderately severe peripheral neuropathy. Both his liver failure and neuropathy progressed despite 9 months abstinence and intensive nutritional support. By 12 months post-transplant, however, this patient had regained almost normal muscle strength, with associated recovery in sensory and motor conduction velocities. Direct alcohol toxicity, nutritional and vitamin deficiencies, and liver failure were all likely etiologic factors in this patient's neuropathy. In conclusion, this case suggests that peripheral neuropathy in a patient with alcoholic cirrhosis may resolve following liver transplantation and should not constitute a contraindication to transplantation, even when it is disabling.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1374.7707399497keywords = extrahepatic, duct (Clic here for more details about this article) |
| | Next -> |