1/67. Pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis after Varicella zoster infection in a patient presenting with antiphospholipid syndrome and discoid lupus.We present a case with diagnosis of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis that illustrates the appearance of this rare chronic lung disease on conventional chest X-ray, high-resolution CT, and transbronchial lung biopsy. This is the first case reported which developed pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis after Varicella zoster infection in a patient with antiphospholipid antibodies and discoid lupus.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/67. Lipoid proteinosis of the larynx.Lipoid proteinosis is a rare disease that presents with hyaline deposits in many tissues. It involves predominantly the skin and upper aerodigestive tract, presenting with small yellowish papules and hoarseness. It may involve the central nervous system and cause intracerebral calcifications. Laryngeal lesions may resemble singer's nodule or chronic laryngitis. The pathogenesis of the disease is not clear although several studies suggest a defective collagen production and/or lysosomal storage disease. In this article two cases with skin and larynx involvement are reported.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.67979970601506keywords = upper (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/67. Familial anetoderma.A 31-year-old Caucasian male presented with a history of erythematous, saccular outpouchings of the skin on his back, shoulders, and upper extremities (Fig. 1). The patient reported that his mother and aunt had a similar skin disorder, which initially began with inflammation, but healed leaving lax skin in its wake. He did not recall the name of the skin condition. physical examination revealed large confluent zones of sac-like protrusions of erythematous skin on the back and shoulders. Histopathologic examination of the excisional biopsy revealed a relatively unremarkable epidermis. Perivascular lymphocytes were present in small numbers in the papillary dermis. Adnexal structures and deep dermis remained intact. The acid-orcein-Giemsa stain highlighted the absence of elastic fibers within the mid and lower reticular dermis (Fig. 2a,b), consistent with anetoderma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.3448361755376keywords = upper, back (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/67. biliary tract disease: a rare manifestation of eosinophilic gastroenteritis.Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) is a rare inflammatory disease characterized by diffuse or scattered eosinophilic infiltration of the digestive tract and usually by peripheral blood eosinophilia. The most common presenting symptoms of EGE are abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea, but clinical features depend on which layers or location of gastrointestinal tract are involved. Treatment with corticosteroids results in clinical and histological remission in most patients and surgery can be avoided if a correct diagnosis is made. Previous history of allergy is a key to diagnosing EGE, but peripheral eosinophilia may be absent in some patients under concomitant treatment with corticosteroids. Radiological and endoscopic findings are also nonspecific and diagnosis must always be histologically confirmed. The gastrointestinal involvement is patchy in distribution, so more than one panendoscopic examination is often necessary to establish the diagnosis, and surgical or CT-guided full-thickness biopsy is needed in patients with muscular or serosal involvement. It emphasises the importance of a high index of clinical suspicion, which mainly depends on knowledge of natural history of the disease. We report here a case of EGE associated with transmural eosinophilic cholecystocholangitis, in a patient who presented with dyspeptic symptoms and recurrent cholestasis responsive to corticoesteroids. To our knowledge, this patient represents the second case, in the English literature, in which corticoid-responsive cholangitis was associated to histologically proven eosinophilic cholecystitis and gastrointestinal involvement, suggesting that EGE must always be considered in the differential diagnosis of biliary tract disease in patients with eosinophilia and/or atopic diseases.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4.4112008734712keywords = abdominal pain (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/67. Very severe aplastic anemia appearing after thymectomy.Aplastic anemia is a rare complication of thymoma and is extremely infrequent after thymectomy. We present a case of a 60-year-old woman with very severe aplastic anemia appearing sixteen months after thymectomy for a thymoma. She underwent thymectomy for a thymoma in April 2000. Preoperative examination revealed no hematologic abnormality. About sixteen months after the operation, she was readmitted because of pancytopenia with cough and fever. bone marrow aspiration revealed a very severe hypoplasia in all the three cell lines with over 80% fatty tissue, and chest CT revealed no recurrence of thymoma. Her aplastic anemia had responded to cyclosporine A and granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF).- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/67. Retrorectal cyst: a rare tumor frequently misdiagnosed.BACKGROUND: The rarity of retrorectal cysts and their nonspecific clinical presentations often lead to misdiagnoses and inappropriate operations. In recent years, several such patients have been referred to our institutions for evaluation and treatment of misdiagnosed retrorectal cysts. A review of these patients is presented. STUDY DESIGN: medical records of the colorectal surgery divisions at two institutions were reviewed. patients found to have previously misdiagnosed retrorectal cysts were identified. Preliminary diagnoses, radiologic examinations, operative procedures, and final diagnoses were obtained. RESULTS: Seven patients with retrorectal cysts who had been misdiagnosed before referral were identified. These patients had been treated for fistulae in ano, pilonidal cysts, perianal abscesses; psychogenic, lower back, posttraumatic, or postpartum pain, and proctalgia fugax before the correct diagnosis was made. patients underwent an average of 4.1 operative procedures. physical examination in combination with CT scanning made the correct diagnosis in all patients. All patients underwent successful resection through a parasacrococcygeal approach, and six of seven did not require coccygectomy. The resected tumors included four hamartomas, two epidermoid cysts, and one enteric duplication cyst. CONCLUSIONS: Retrorectal cysts are a rare entity that can be difficult to diagnose without a high index of clinical suspicion. A history of multiple unsuccessful procedures should alert the clinician to the diagnosis of retrorectal cyst. Once suspected, the correct diagnosis can be made with physical examination and a CT scan before a definitive surgical procedure.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.33251823476125keywords = back (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/67. Castleman disease of the pleura: experience with eight surgically proven cases.BACKGROUND: Castleman disease of the pleura is unusual, and we present our experience with eight surgically proven cases. methods: Between 1980 and 2002, 8 patients (7 women and 1 man; age range, 20 to 53 years; mean, 26.5 years) with surgically proven, pleural Castleman disease (six hyaline vascular type, one plasma cell type, and one mixed type) were encountered. Their clinical, imaging, and surgical findings were reviewed. RESULTS: Five patients were asymptomatic, 1 had dyspnea, 1 had cough, and 1 experienced chest discomfort. Chest radiography showed a well-circumscribed interlobar, cardiophrenic, or paraaortic mass in 6 patients, a massive effusion in 1, and a focal diaphragmatic bulge in 1. Six tumors showed varying degrees of contrast enhancement (10 to 95 HU; mean, 46 HU) on computed tomography. Three cases appeared as well-defined, heterogeneously hyperintense pleural masses on magnetic resonance imaging. The masses varied in size from 3 to 10 cm (mean, 5.2 cm). Five masses greater than 5 cm had prominent pleural arterial blood supply and severe adhesions requiring thoracotomy and resection of nearby structures for radical tumor excision. blood loss from patients varied between 100 and 850 mL (mean, 620 mL). No tumor recurrence was noted during follow-up (range, 1 to 16 years; mean, 6.5 years). CONCLUSIONS: Pleural Castleman disease predominately affects young women and manifests as a well-circumscribed mass with a varying degree of contrast enhancement on computed tomography and heterogeneity on magnetic resonance imaging. Tumors greater than 5 cm have profuse pleural blood supplies and severe adhesion necessitating open thoracotomy and resection of neighboring structures. Radical resection can produce a satisfactory outcome.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 4.1078890665628keywords = discomfort, chest (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/67. Pulmonary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor invading the left atrium.Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor is a rare solid tumor that most often affects children and young adults. Although benign, the tumor may be very aggressive locally. We describe a 9-year-old boy with primary inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor of the left upper lobe involving the left atrium.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.67979970601506keywords = upper (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/67. Successful surgical management of a case of spontaneous epidural hematoma of the spine during pregnancy.BACKGROUND CONTEXT: A spontaneous epidural hematoma of the spine occurring during pregnancy is extremely rare. The development of a significant neurologic deficit may be rapid. Therefore, the neurosurgeon should be aware of the presentation, diagnosis and treatment options available. PURPOSE: The authors report a case of a spontaneous epidural hematoma of the spine during the third trimester of pregnancy, which was successfully managed with surgical evacuation. The case is unique in that the patient demonstrated a subacute presentation. STUDY DESIGN: The authors report a case of a 27-year-old primagravada presented with the subacute onset of progressive paraparesis. She became nonambulatory before admission. A magnetic resonance imaging study (MRI) demonstrated ventral epidural compression in the upper thoracic region. methods: A retrospective review of a case of spontaneous epidural hematoma of the spine during pregnancy was performed. The inpatient and outpatient charts were used to gather clinical information of the case, and the pertinent radiographs and images were reviewed. RESULTS: An urgent cesarean section was performed followed by evacuation of the epidural hematoma. The decompression was performed by means of a thoracic laminectomy with partial facetectomy. The patient had a prompt return of neurologic function. CONCLUSION: Spontaneous epidural hematoma of the spine should be suspected in the setting of acute back or neck pain with or without an associated progressive neurologic deficit. spine surgeons and obstetricians should also recognize that a spinal epidural hematoma during pregnancy may also present subacutely, as illustrated in our case. Prompt diagnosis may be made with MRI, and evacuation of the hematoma should be performed, ideally before the onset of neurologic signs or symptoms. The prognosis for return of neurologic function is good after urgent evacuation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.0123179407763keywords = upper, back (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/67. amlodipine associated hyperpigmentation.amlodipine is a potent peripheral and coronary vasodilator with high selectivity for vascular smooth muscle, and is widely used in mild to moderate hypertension, chronic stable angina and vasospastic angina. Its most prevalent side effects are peripheral edema, flushing and headache. Cutaneous adverse reactions associated with amlodipine have been rarely reported. Herein, a male patient is described to develop oral mucosal and cutaneous hyperpigmentation one year after starting amlodipine, which became more noticeable with time. Although cutaneous hyperpigmentation was most prominent on the photoexposed areas, there was no history of previous photosensitivity, pruritus or flushing. To our knowledge, no case of oral and cutaneous hyperpigmentation associated with amlodipine has been formally reported up to date.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.54182808986357keywords = headache (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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