1/5. Acute liver failure in pregnancy. A case report.BACKGROUND: Liver disease in pregnancy can be grossly divided into those disorders coincidentally occurring during the pregnant state and hepatic diseases limited to pregnancy. Numerous infectious agents can result in acute hepatitis and include not only the hepatitis viruses--A, B, C and E--but herpesvirus and cytomegalovirus as well. Coxsackie B viruses can cause several clinical presentations, ranging from asymptomatic to mild febrile illness to myocarditis and meningitis. Rarely has coxsackievirus infection been associated with fulminant hepatic failure. CASE: A Coxsackie B virus infection resulted in acute liver failure in a gravid woman. The patient was managed expectantly, with resolution of the liver disease and delivery five weeks after discharge. CONCLUSION: The onset of hepatic disease is insidious, with only vague symptoms or minor complaints often heralding the progression to liver failure. A careful history, physical examination and appropriate diagnostic tests can help determine the etiology of hepatic disease and help decide whether expectant management of the gravid patient or immediate delivery is appropriate.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/5. Successful conservative management of acute hepatic failure following exertional heatstroke.Acute hepatic failure is a rare complication of exertional heatstroke with poor prognosis. We herein report a 24-year-old man presenting with acute hepatic failure and rhabdomyolysis following exertional heatstroke during hard physical work on a construction site. Acute hepatic failure occurred after 2 days and led to massive impairment of coagulation parameters. On day 3 after heatstroke the patient fulfilled standard criteria for emergency liver transplantation (i.e. the 'london criteria' and the 'Clichy criteria') but was not transplanted. Nevertheless liver function improved spontaneously thereafter and the patient recovered completely within 12 days. In contrast, the outcome of emergency liver transplantation was dismal in three cases of exertional heatstroke in the literature. Thus conservative management appears to be justified in heatstroke-associated liver failure even in the presence of accepted criteria for emergency liver transplantation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/5. Hepatic lymphoma metastasis presenting with severe acute liver failure: a rare case.Hepatic lymphoma metastasis is rare, and should always be considered in the differential diagnosis of hepatic malignancy. A 52-year-old man presented with a four-day history of fever, fatigue, yellowish skin and nausea. His past medical history was unremarkable. There was no history of alcohol intake or medications. His physical examination revealed generalized jaundice and hepatomegaly. His blood tests showed liver failure and coagulopathy. Abdominal ultrasonography illustrated hepatomegaly. A further work-up included bone marrow and liver biopsy. The pathology report was B-cell lymphoma. He was treated with chemotherapy, and his laboratory findings during follow-up showed steady improvement. In conclusion, lymphoma metastasis to liver can be a cause of liver dysfunction. A high index of suspicion is required for the diagnosis. We emphasize the importance of obtaining tissue sample in all patients with suspicious lesion in any organ to avoid missing the rare but curable pathologies.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/5. Acute hepatic sequestration in sickle cell disease.Sickle cell anemia is a disease that affects one out of every 600 african americans. It is often debilitating and can cause many physical restrictions to individuals with the disease. The disease has many complications which can be vexing for patients and their physicians. The hepatic complications attributed to vascular occlusion encompass a variety of clinical syndromes of which the relationship among clinical presentation, biochemical findings, and histologic features remains unclear. The conditions range from the self-limiting hepatic right upper quadrant syndrome (hepatic crisis) to the potentially lethal intrahepatic cholestasis and acute hepatic sequestration syndromes. Few cases have been documented, and there have not been many sizable studies on acute hepatic sequestration in sickle cell disease. This case is useful for clinicians who are not familiar with the intrahepatic vaso-occlusive syndromes in sickle cell disease. It provides insight into the presentation, diagnosis, and management of these syndromes.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/5. Hemophagocytic syndrome and acute liver failure associated with ethylene glycol ingestion: a case report.The authors describe a case of accidental ethylene glycol poisoning in an 18-month-old boy who developed hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS). ethylene glycol is a common substance in various antifreeze preparations. Acute ethylene glycol intoxication is a medical emergency that, if not diagnosed correctly and treated aggressively, will lead to serious neurological, cardiopulmonary, and renal dysfunction, and may result in death. The taking of a detailed history, physical examination, and laboratory testing are essential for diagnosis. To the best of the authors' knowledge this is the first case in the literature of a subject who developed HPS after ethylene glycol intoxication.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = physical (Clic here for more details about this article) |