1/37. Diabetic microangiopathy in the small bowel.AIMS: Microangiopathic changes in the gastrointestinal tract of patients with diabetes mellitus are frequently mentioned in the clinical literature. To our knowledge, pathological studies documenting these changes in bowel biopsies have not been previously reported. In this report, we describe striking duodenal biopsy findings of diabetic microangiopathy in a patient with long-standing insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and chronic diarrhoea. methods AND RESULTS: The diagnosis was based on the histopathological and immunohistochemical findings in the appropriate clinical setting. blood vessels within the duodenum displayed prominent mural thickening and luminal narrowing secondary to accumulation of hyaline material, which was periodic acid-Schiff positive and intensely stained with monoclonal antibodies against type IV collagen. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of diabetic microangiopathy in a bowel biopsy. The pathogenesis, specificity and significance of these angiopathic changes, controversies about diabetic microangiopathy in the gastrointestinal tract, and the association with hypertension are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/37. Nuchal fibroma associated with scleredema, diabetes mellitus and organic solvent exposure.A case of scleredema diabeticorum of Buschke associated with nuchal fibroma and organic solvent exposure is reported. The patient presented with a neck mass causing discomfort and restriction of movement. Histological examination showed this to be a nuchal fibroma. Additionally, there was widespread induration of the skin of his trunk which was asymptomatic. A biopsy showed features of scleredema. This is the first reported association of these two conditions, both of which show increased and thickened collagen bundles without significant fibroblast proliferation. They differ by the occurrence of mucin in scleredema, although this is not always demonstrable, particularly in late lesions. The possibility that nuchal fibroma is an end stage, localized form of scleredema is canvassed. The patient's medical history included insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with complications of retinal vessel thrombosis and peripheral neuropathy. The patient also had significant past exposure to a wide variety of chemicals, including organic solvents.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/37. Axillocoronary bypass in a patient with a severely atherosclerotic aorta.We report an axillocoronary bypass in a 70-year-old man with a severely atherosclerotic, calcified aorta. The patient had insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and had 2-vessel coronary artery disease with a lesion in the left main coronary artery. He underwent an axillary artery-circumflex artery bypass with a saphenous vein graft combined with a bypass of the left internal thoracic artery to the left anterior descending artery without aortic cross-clamping. An easy, safe procedure, axillocoronary bypass is a viable option in coronary artery bypass grafting for patients with severely atherosclerotic, calcified aortas.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/37. Echographic evaluation of a patient with diabetes and dense vitreous hemorrhage: an avulsed retinal vessel may mimic a tractional retinal detachment.PURPOSE: To report that an avulsed retinal vessel may appear as a tractional retinal detachment on echographic evaluation. methods: Case report. RESULTS: A 57-year-old diabetic woman presented with a nonclearing vitreous hemorrhage of 2 months duration in the left eye. Echography was consistent with a localized tractional retinal detachment on longitudinal sections; transverse sections demonstrated a pinpoint opacity in the vitreous cavity. Intraoperatively, an avulsed retinal vessel was noted in the area of echographic abnormality. CONCLUSION: An avulsed retinal vessel may mimic tractional retinal detachment on echography. Although trained ophthalmic echographers routinely perform both longitudinal and transverse sections during an echographic evaluation, less skilled observers must be aware of the importance of performing both longitudinal and transverse sections for accurate echographic diagnosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 7keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/37. peroneal nerve palsy: a complication of umbilical artery catheterization in the full-term newborn of a mother with diabetes.Umbilical artery catheters are an essential aid in the treatment of newborn infants who have cardiopulmonary disease. However, it is well-known that umbilical artery catheterization is associated with complications. The most frequent visible problem in an umbilical line is blanching or cyanosis of part or all of a distal extremity or the buttock area resulting from either vasospasm or a thrombotic or embolic incidence. Ischemic necrosis of the gluteal region is a rare complication of umbilical artery catheterization. We report the case of a full-term infant of an insulin-dependent diabetic mother with poor blood glucose control who developed a left peroneal nerve palsy after ischemic necrosis of the gluteal region after umbilical artery catheterization. The infant was born weighing 5050 g. The mother of the infant had preexisting diabetes mellitus that was treated with insulin from the age of 14 years. The metabolic control of the mother had been unstable both before and during the pregnancy. The neonate developed respiratory distress syndrome soon after birth and was immediately transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit. Mechanical ventilation via endotracheal tube was quickly considered necessary after rapid pulmonary deterioration. Her blood glucose levels were 13 mg/dL. A 3.5-gauge umbilical catheter was inserted into the left umbilical artery for blood sampling without difficulty when the infant required 100% oxygen to maintain satisfactory arterial oxygen pressure. Femoral pulses and circulation in the lower limbs were normal immediately before and after catheterization. A radiograph, which was taken immediately, showed the tip of the catheter to be at a level between the fourth and fifth sacral vertebrae. The catheter was removed immediately. Circulation and femoral pulses were normal and no blanching of the skin was observed. Another catheter was repositioned and the tip was confirmed radiologically to be in the thoracic aorta between the sixth and seventh thoracic vertebrae. The catheter was continuously flushed with heparinized solution. Three days after umbilical arterial catheterization, bruising was observed over the left gluteal region. The catheter was immediately removed despite its correct position. Over the next few days, the bruised skin and underlying tissues became necrotic. The area affected was 3 x 4 cm in diameter, with central necrosis surrounded by a rim of dark, red skin, which, in turn, was sharply demarcated from normal skin by a narrow, pale zone. Surgical excision of the gluteal necrosis was performed, but a deep ulcer 3 cm in diameter was left. The gluteal ulcer required 1 month to heal completely with extensive scar tissue formation. Throughout this period, the infant showed active movements in all of her limbs. At 4 weeks of age deterioration of all movement below the left knee with a dropping foot was observed. Severe peroneal nerve palsy was confirmed through nerve conduction studies, and there was electromyographic evidence of degeneration of the muscles supplied by the peroneal branch of the sciatic nerve. A Doppler study, which was also conducted, revealed no vascular damage. Treatment with physiotherapy and night-splinting of the left ankle was instituted. Repeated examination and nerve conduction tests at 3 months showed slow improvement with the left peroneal nerve remaining nonexcitable. At the time of this writing, the infant is 6 months old, and muscular strength below the left knee is still weak and atrophic changes in the form of muscle-wasting are already present. The rest of her motor development is normal. In our case, gangrene of the buttocks and sciatic nerve palsy followed displacement of the tip of the catheter into the inferior gluteal artery, a main branch of the internal iliac artery supplying the gluteus maximus, the overlying skin, and the sciatic nerve. The gangrenous changes were probably caused by vascular occlusion resulting from catheter-induced vasospasm of the inferior gluteal artery. sciatic nerve palsy associated with umbilical artery catheterization has been postulated to be caused by vascular occlusion of the inferior gluteal artery. Infants of diabetic mothers may exhibit changes in coagulation factors and be at increased risk of thrombotic complications in utero and postnatally. In addition, maternal diabetes mellitus is associated with an increased incidence of congenital abnormalities, the incidence of which is 3 to 5 times higher than that among nondiabetic mothers. Although no particular or specific abnormalities have been associated with maternal disabilities, abnormalities of the cardiovascular system, including the development of umbilical vessels, frequently occur. This complication of umbilical artery catheterization has not been widely reported. We describe the first case that refers to gluteal gangrene and peroneal nerve palsy after umbilical artery catheterization of a newborn infant of a diabetic mother with poor blood glucose control. It should be noted that there were no contributing factors except that of the displacement of the catheter into the inferior gluteal artery. We speculate that the displacement of the tip of the catheter, with no difficulty in the present case, was associated with the maldevelopment of normal branching patterns of arteries after exposure of the fetus to hyperglycemia. In conclusion, umbilical artery catheterization is possibly associated with vascular occlusion, particularly in infants of diabetic mothers. Frequent inspection after the procedure has been performed is of the utmost importance especially in these neonates who often suffer from cardiopulmonary disease and require catheterization of their umbilical artery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/37. Asymptomatic coronary artery disease in a pregnant patient. A case report and review of literature.BACKGROUND: Acute myocardial infarction during pregnancy has been reported and has been shown to be associated with poor maternal and fetal outcomes. However, the vast majority of these patients do not have previously recognized ischemic heart disease. pregnancy and delivery pose significant cardiac stress and risk to the mother and fetus. However, it is unknown how available therapies can be utilized in the pregnant patient with identified ischemic heart disease to minimize these risks. CASE REPORT: We present a 39-year-old asymptomatic diabetic female with a positive stress echocardiogram at 16 weeks of pregnancy who remained asymptomatic throughout pregnancy with medical management and went on to have a normal vaginal delivery in the process suffering a small non-ST elevation myocardial infarction with pulmonary edema following delivery due to volume overload. She ultimately underwent cardiac catheterization and successful four-vessel CABG 1 months after her delivery. CONCLUSION: We present this patient to suggest a successful strategy of managing a patient with non-revascularized asymptomatic coronary artery disease during pregnancy. In addition to reviewing the appropriate medical therapy during pregnancy, we discuss the data on revascularization procedures as well as recommendations for delivery and stress testing for such patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/37. Acute two-vessel coronary closure in a patient with Down's syndrome.Myocardial infarctions are rare in patients with Down's syndrome. This paper reports an unusually aggressive presentation of two-vessel simultaneous coronary occlusion during an intended percutaneous intervention. Since survival in patients with Down's syndrome is improving, encounters with late (and perhaps unusual) sequelae of coronary artery disease are expected to increase.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 5keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/37. macrophages, T cell receptor usage, and endothelial cell activation in the pancreas at the onset of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.Current knowledge of the phenotype of mononuclear cells accumulating in pancreatic islets in insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) and factors determining their homing into the pancreas is limited. Therefore, a pancreas obtained at the onset of IDDM was studied in detail. Cryostat sections were stained for mononuclear cell types, T cell receptor subtypes, and adhesion molecules of vascular endothelium and studied by immunofluorescence microscopy, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were phenotyped using flow cytometry. monocytes/macrophages (lysozyme- or CD 14-reactive cells) were identified among other mononuclear cell types in islet infiltrates. V beta 8-positive T cells were overrepresented, but T cells with other V beta s studied (V beta 5, V beta 5.1, V beta 6, V beta 12) were also found. The vascular endothelium of the islets and many small vessels nearby islets strongly expressed intercellular adhesion molecule-1, whereas vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and e-selectin were totally absent. We conclude: (a) that increased expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 on vascular endothelium may increase endothelial adhesion of mononuclear cells and enhance their accumulation in the pancreas during diabetic insulitis; (b) that T cells with certain T cell receptors can be enriched in infiltrated pancreatic islets; and (c) that macrophages and antigen-specific CD 8-positive T cells are involved in pancreatic beta cell destruction at the onset of IDDM.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/37. necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum: response to pentoxiphylline.necrobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum (NLD) is a condition that can be physically and psychologically distressing. Angiopathy leading to thrombosis and occlusion of the cutaneous vessels has been implicated in its etiology. Pentoxiphylline is a hemorrheological agent that improves blood flow and decreases red cell and platelet aggregation. Based on these data, aim of our study was to report clinical course of a 20-yr-old diabetic woman with NLD during therapy with Pentoxiphylline 400 mg 3 times daily. After 1 month of therapy, the lesions stopped enlarging. After 3 months, the lesions showed initial signs of healing. At 6-month follow-up, there was near resolution of the lesions. The patient continued therapy and remained in remission at 2-yr follow-up. This improvement relieved psychological stress on the patient. No side effects of treatment were reported. In conclusion, patients with NLD may benefit from treatment with pentoxiphylline. We recommend therapy with 400 mg 3 times daily. The drug should be continued for at least 6 months.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/37. Eluting stents: an effective, promising solution?Recent studies with eluting stents showed encouraging results in preventing in-stent restenosis. We report a case of a patient in whom the implantation of carbon-coated and eluting stents in two different vessels was associated with different angiographic results. A diabetic hypertensive 67-year-old woman with an acute inferior myocardial infarction underwent direct coronary angioplasty on the right coronary artery with the implantation of two carbon-coated stents. In view of the severity of an additional lesion of the left anterior descending coronary artery and diabetes, coronary angioplasty and stenting with an eluting stent was performed in this vessel. Five months later the patient presented with acute pulmonary edema and an increase in troponin i levels. A new coronary angiography showed a long subtotal in-stent restenosis of the right coronary artery, whereas the left anterior descending coronary artery was normal. Our case report suggests that eluting stents should be considered a precious and effective tool in preventing in-stent restenosis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 2keywords = vessel (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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