Transient amnesia following prehospital low-dose ketamine administration

Low doses of ketamine have been shown to be safe and effective for pain relief. Adverse effects are generally mild and transient. A 69-year-old woman suffered a witnessed ground-level fall without report of head injury, loss of consciousness, or intoxication. She was in severe pain despite 10 mg of intravenous morphine and paramedics provided intravenous ketamine 16 mg (0.19 mg/kg). Upon arrival to the ED, she was alert and oriented. An X-ray demonstrated an acute comminuted nondisplaced right humeral head and neck fracture. Her pain improved after an additional 4 mg of morphine and placement of a sling. Prior to discharge, the patient developed confusion, difficulty finding words, amnesia to the event, and anterograde amnesia evidenced by repetitive questioning. A head CT and a CT angiogram of the patient's head and neck demonstrated no acute abnormalities and an EEG demonstrated no epileptiform activity. The patient was admitted for observation and her mental status gradually improved overnight. She was discharged the following morning. Low dose ketamine is an important therapeutic option. Delayed or prolonged neuropsychiatric effects may be possible following combined ketamine and opioid analgesia. Clinicians utilizing low dose ketamine should be aware of this potential complication as it could result in the need for additional diagnostic testing and prolonged length of stay.     

Blunt thyroid trauma with acute hemorrhage and respiratory distress

We report a rare event of acute hemorrhage into a thyroid adenoma after blunt trauma and causing respiratory distress. A 65-year-old woman fell and hit the left side of her anterior neck without any other injuries. The next day, she suffered from severe dyspnea and respiratory distress, and visited a community hospital. She required endotracheal intubation and was immediately transferred to a regional emergency center. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed significant tracheal deviation to the right due to an extensive hematoma surrounded by a capsule in the left lobe of the thyroid gland with extension to the upper mediastinum. The patient was referred to our hospital because the diagnosis of malignant thyroid tumor was not completely ruled out. She successfully underwent left lobectomy of the thyroid gland without sternotomy. The pathological examination revealed follicular adenoma of the thyroid gland with massive intratumor bleeding.     

Vertebral artery dissection in a patient practicing self-manipulation of the neck

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this case report is to describe a patient who regularly practiced self-manipulation of her neck who presented with shoulder and neck pain and was undergoing a vertebral artery dissection. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 42-year-old female patient sought care for left shoulder pain with a secondary complaint of left lower neck pain. Twelve days prior, she had had "the worst headache of her life," which began in her left lower cervical spine and extended to her left temporal region. The pain was sudden and severe, was described as sharp and burning, and lasted 3 hours. She reported nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision. INTERVENTION AND OUTCOME: Initial history and examination suggested that the patient's head and neck pain was not musculoskeletal in origin, but vascular. She repeatedly requested that an adjustment be performed, but instead was referred to the local emergency department for further evaluation. Magnetic resonance angiogram revealed a dissection of the left vertebral artery from C6 to the C2-C3 interspace and a 3-mm dissecting pseudoaneurysm at the C3 level. She underwent stent-assisted percutaneous transluminal angioplasty combined with antiplatelet therapy (clopidogrel) and experienced a good outcome. CONCLUSION: This case suggests that careful history taking and awareness of the symptoms of VAD are necessary in cases of sudden head and neck pain. More research is needed on the relationship between vertebral artery dissection and self-manipulation of the neck.     

Case reports: postpartum cerebral angiopathy in a patient with chronic migraine with aura

A 25-year-old woman with a history of chronic severe migraine with aura presented in an apoplectic state 1 week after the delivery of her third child. She developed a severe headache and within hours lapsed into a coma. A CT scan of the brain showed cerebral edema and an occipital hemorrhage. A four-vessel angiogram showed diffuse arterial narrowing of all the intracranial vessels with segmental narrowing of the suprasellar portion of the internal carotid arteries bilaterally. She had no risk factors for stroke or vasculitis. Her pregnancy and delivery were uneventful with no preeclampsia or eclampsia. Apart from ergometrine at the time of the delivery, no vasoconstrictor drugs were used. She recovered spontaneously. Serial CT scans of the brain demonstrated resolution of the edema and hemorrhage with the development of cortical and watershed infarcts. A repeat cerebral angiogram was normal. She was, therefore, diagnosed as having suffered from postpartum cerebral angiopathy, a form of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction, called the Call or Call-Fleming syndrome. The relationship between migraine and postpartum angiopathy in the development of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction is discussed.     

Refractory Headache in a Patient with Breast Cancer and Carcinomatous Meningitis Unresponsive to Analgesics

A 44-year-old female presented with locally advanced breast cancer that had been treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by modified radical mastectomy and thereafter three cycles of paclitaxel. She presented with severe refractory headache that was unresponsive to oral analgesics including morphine. Both CT and MRI scans with contrast were normal, however her cerebrospinal fluid was positive for malignant cells. The patient's headache responded to whole brain radiotherapy.     

ACROMEGALY IN A WOMAN PRESENTING WITH DIABETIC KETOACIDOSIS AND INSULIN RESISTANCE

A 22-year-old Chinese woman presented with typical features of diabetic ketoacidosis. There was a family history of diabetes but she was not obese. Plasma glucose and bicarbonate levels were 27.0 mmol/l and 5 mmol/l, respectively. Significant insulin resistance was noticed: she needed up to 15 units of insulin per hour. She required up to 120 units daily for her diabetic control even after her acidosis had subsided. She was then noticed to have the clinical features of acromegaly. The diagnosis was confirmed, and a cranial CT scan confirmed the presence of a pituitary macroadenoma. She underwent uneventful trans-sphenoidal resection of the tumour and her insulin requirement gradually lessened. Acromegaly should be considered in the differential diagnosis of unexplained insulin resistance.     

Respiratory muscle weakness in a patient with quiescent Crohn's disease and pneumonia

Sir, A 33-year-old woman presented with a week's history of progressivebackache, weakness and dysphagia. The onset of her symptomscoincided with tapering of 4-week course of oral corticosteroids(prednisolone), which was instituted to treat a severe pneumonicillness requiring admission to intensive care and a short periodof assisted ventilation. She did not have any previous historyof obstructive airways or interstitial pulmonary disease. Herrespiratory illness was presumed to be due to viral pneumoniabut no serological or microbiological evidence for infectionwas identified. She was diagnosed with Crohn's disease sinceas a child, based on histology of her colonoscopic biopsy. Thebowel disease was quiescent for     

Chordoma in a chronic pain patient

A 60-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital with a recurrence of low back pain. She was begun on a behavior modification pain control program. Follow-up x-rays, including CT scan of the lumbosacral spine, showed a large tumor of the L3 vertebra. She subsequently underwent surgical resection of a large chordoma of the L3 vertebra and had good resolution of her back pain.     

Brillo® pad crack screen aspiration and ingestion

Crack cocaine is commonly smoked in a pipe with a metallic filter made from a steel wool scouring pad. We report an unusual complication of smoking crack cocaine: the aspiration and ingestion of a Brillo® pad filter. A 34-year-old female presented 7 h after drinking beer and smoking crack. She was concerned that she might have inhaled the “screen” from her crack pipe, a piece of Brillo® pad the size of her fingertip. She complained of “burning” in her throat, a foreign body sensation, and change in her voice, but no dyspnea, dysphagia, or abdominal pain. On physical examination, she was afebrile with a pulse of 105 beats/min and respiratory rate of 24 breaths/min. She was tearful and spoke in a whisper. There were no visible oropharyngeal burns and the lungs were clear to auscultation, but she had intermittent inspiratory stridor. The O₂ saturation was 96%, and the ethanol concentration was 100 mg/dl. No foreign body or burn was seen on indirect laryngoscopy. A lateral neck x-ray study showed a normal epiglottis and no foreign body. Chest x-ray studies were unremarkable. Fiberoptic laryngoscopy showed left posterior arytenoid edema and swelling. An abdominal x-ray study revealed a foreign body in the right lower quadrant consistent with the Brillo® pad filter. The next morning, the patient was asymptomatic and was discharged, recovering without sequellae. While crack pipe screen aspiration is a rarely reported event, physicians should be aware of the potential for foreign body aspiration and ingestion by this mechanism.     

Refractory headache in a patient with breast cancer and carcinomatous meningitis unresponsive to analgesics: case report

A 44-year old female presented with locally advanced breast cancer that had been treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by modified radical mastectomy and thereafter three cycles of paclitaxel. She presented with severe refractory headache that was unresponsive to oral analgesics including morphine. Both CT and MRI scans with contrast were normal, however her cerebrospinal fluid was positive for malignant cells. The patient's headache responded to whole brain radiotherapy.     

Diagnosis of intermittent vascular claudication in a patient with a diagnosis of sciatica.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The purpose of this case report is to illustrate the importance of medical screening to rule out medical problems that may mimic musculoskeletal symptoms. CASE DESCRIPTION: This case report describes a woman who was referred with a diagnosis of sciatica but who had signs and symptoms consistent with vascular stenosis. The patient complained of bilateral lower-extremity weakness with her pain intensity at a minimal level in the region of the left sacroiliac joint and left buttock. She also reported numbness in her left leg after walking, sensations of cold and then heat during walking, and cramps in her right calf muscle. She did not report any leg pain. A medical screening questionnaire revealed an extensive family history of heart disease. Examination of the lumbar spine and nervous system was negative. A diminished dorsalis pedis pulse was noted on the left side. Stationary cycling in lumbar flexion reproduced the patient's complaints of lower-extremity weakness and temporarily abolished her dorsalis pedis pulse on the left side. OUTCOMES: She was referred back to her physician with a request to rule out vascular disease. The patient was subsequently diagnosed, by a vascular specialist, with a "high-grade circumferential stenosis of the distal-most aorta at its bifurcation." DISCUSSION: This case report points out the importance of a thorough history, a medical screening questionnaire, and a comprehensive examination during the evaluation process to rule out medical problems that might mimic musculoskeletal symptoms.     

An unusual presentation of pulmonary artery sarcoma: Several pseudoaneurysms with massive hemoptysis

A 53-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department with sudden onset of massive hemoptysis. She had previous history of dyspnea and cough for two months. She had no history of chronic disease, smoking, or use of anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs. On arrival, she was tachycardic and tachypneic, but her body temperature was normal. Chest X-ray showed enlarged right hilus and multiple nodular opacities predominantly in the left lung basis. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the chest demonstrated massive intraluminal filling defect extending from the right pulmonary artery through the main and left pulmonary arteries. Pulmonary artery sarcoma (PAS) was the preliminary imaging-based diagnosis. However, CT also revealed presence of several pseudoaneurysms arising from the distal branches of the left pulmonary artery encased by metastatic nodules. Although hemoptysis is an uncommon presentation for patients with PAS, accompanied pseudoaneurysms were the main reason for massive hemoptysis. Differentiation of PAS from bland thromboembolism could be challenging on CT. Herein reported case provides an additional imaging feature that may utilize differentiating pulmonary artery sarcoma from bland thrombus.     

Muscle spasm associated with therapeutic use of Cang Er Zi Wan

Introduction.?Cang Er Zi Wan (CEZW) is a herbal medication derived from Xanthium sibiricum that is used to treat allergies and upper respiratory problems. Its toxicity has been described in grazing animals, in experimental studies, and in human overdoses. We describe a case of muscular spasm that was associated with the therapeutic use of CEZW.?Case report.?A 17-year-old female was prescribed CEZW for chronic allergies. Shortly after her second dose of 10 pills BID, she developed intermittent muscular spasms. She was seen in an Emergency Department and had normal vital signs and no significant laboratory abnormalities. Her physical exam was significant only for intermittent spasm of the muscles of the face, neck, and upper extremities. No tremor, fasciculation, dystonia, akisthisia, chorea, bradykinesia, or clonus was noted. She discontinued the CEZW and the symptoms slowly decreased over 4 days. Testing of the product did not detect any other medications or drugs.?Discussion.?CEZW is a herbal medication that contains X. sibiricum. X. sibiricum is a widespread weed that has caused muscular spasm, seizures, and death in animals that graze on it as well as animals experimentally exposed to it. Eleven cases of accidental human ingestion of Xanthium leading to spasm, somnolence, hypoglycemia, renal, and liver toxicity have been described. We describe a unique case of isolated muscular spasms because of the therapeutic use of a CEZW product.     

The lateral atlanto-axial joint as a source of headache in congenital atlanto-occipital fusion

A 47-yr-old woman presented with severe right-sided neck pain and headache, predominantly in the right-occipital region, for 3 yrs. The symptoms persisted despite using nonsteroidal antiinflammatory medications and undergoing physical therapy. The patient's examination was unremarkable except for reduced neck motion and prominent right-occipital tenderness. Imaging showed congenital fusion of the atlanto-occipital joints bilaterally. A fluoroscopically guided diagnostic right-lateral atlanto-axial joint injection was positive. We are reporting the first case of clinically proven lateral atlanto-axial joint arthropathy with neck pain and headache in a patient with congenital atlanto-occipital joint fusion. Subsequently, the patient received a set of two therapeutic lateral atlanto-axial joint injections. She had remarkable improvement of her headache and neck pain. At 1-yr follow-up, the patient continued to have significant improvement of the right-sided neck pain and headache.     

Rhabdomyosarcoma presenting with destructive large lesion of the face

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is the most common soft tissue sarcoma in children and adolescents. RMS may be detected anywhere in the body, although the head and neck are the most involved areas. Prognostic factors of RMS include tumor status, primary tumor site, localization in the organ or tissue of origin, patient age and histopathological type. Alveolar histologic type is more aggressive than the other types and is seen in most patients with locally advanced and metastatic disease. A 27-year-old woman who was admitted to our clinic with a highly destructive lesion on her face is presented. She was diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma on histopathological examination.     

Wooden transnasal intracranial penetration: an unusual presentation.

A 2 1/2-year-old child presented to the emergency department with a wooden stick lodged firmly in her right nares. No nasal discharge or neurological abnormalities were noted at presentation. After plain radiographs failed to demonstrate any evidence of a foreign body, computed tomography (CT scan) was obtained that revealed a hypodense region in the right frontal lobe corresponding to the projected tract of the branch. The patient underwent a right frontal craniotomy with debridement of her contused right frontal lobe. She was discharged 8 days postoperatively without evidence of neurologic sequelae. This case illustrates an unusual presentation of intracranial penetration, with only six similar cases found in the literature. It also highlights the need for the emergency physician to be concerned about intracranial penetration when treating intranasal foreign bodies, particularly those of the nonmetallic type. The literature is reviewed regarding transnasal intracranial penetration by wooden foreign bodies.     

A case of glutaric aciduria type I with unique abnormalities in the cerebral CT findings

A first Japanese case of glutaric aciduria type I (GA-I) was described. She was a 7-month-old girl presenting with poor head control, irritability and sleeplessness. The profile of urinary organic acids by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) suggesting GA-I were confirmed by no activity of glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase in the fibroblasts. The cerebral computer tomography (CT) showed marked changes such as large fluid collections on bilateral frontotemporal regions and a slight enlargement of bilateral ventricles. The amounts of urinary glutarate excretion decreased after restriction of lysine and tryptophan in her diet and administration of carnitine improved the carnitine levels in blood and urine, while these were less effective for the neurological symptoms. On the other hand, oral administration of lioresal, an analogue of gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA), cleared her symptoms such as ill temper, irritability and sleeplessness dramatically, and the abnormalities of the CT examinations were not more deteriorative until 2 years of her age at least. The neurological manifestations of GA-I seemed to be affected by the unusual metabolism of GABA in the central nervous system.     

Rehabilitation of an adult with disabilities due to congenital sensory neuropathy

A 37-year-old woman presented with congenital loss of all peripheral sensory modalities, sparing only her face, paraspinal area and proximal limbs. She was otherwise neurologically normal. Her sensory neuropathy was complicated by autoamputation of phalanges, pathologic fractures, failed total hip replacement, burns, pressure ulcers, and a painless peptic ulcer. An unusual cluster of functional deficits occurred when she was unable to substitute vision for peripheral sensibility. In the sudden darkness of a power failure she would fall to the floor; we advised the installation of battery-operated safety lights activated by a drop in line voltage. Voice-activated lights overcame difficulty in finding light switches in darkened rooms. She was unable to drive at night until she had a light placed under the dashboard of her car so she could see the foot pedals. She was unable to wash her hair, as shampoo irritation made her close her eyes and lose balance; swimming goggles and a nonfogging mirror permitted independence in her hair care. The solution of these functional difficulties provides a fresh perspective on the rehabilitation of patients with severe sensory impairments, especially with a cooperative family.     

Spontaneous superior mesenteric artery (SMA) dissection: an unusual cause of abdominal pain

A 44-year-old woman presented to our Emergency Department with a 4-day history of severe, sharp left upper quadrant abdominal pain associated with nausea and vomiting. She had been seen 3 days prior at another Emergency Department, and had a negative work-up including a normal non-contrast computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen/pelvis for possible kidney stone. Vital signs were: temperature 36.3°C (97.3°F), pulse 100 beats/min, respiratory rate 18 breaths/min, and blood pressure 141/80 mm Hg. Physical examination was remarkable for marked tenderness in the left upper and middle quadrants and voluntary guarding. Bowel sounds were normal. Although laboratory studies were normal, a CT scan of the abdomen/pelvis with intravenous contrast suggested a superior mesenteric artery dissection. This was confirmed with arteriography. The clinical presentation, diagnostic evaluation, and management of superior mesenteric artery dissection are reviewed.