Traumatic bronchial rupture: an unusual cause of tension pneumothorax

Bronchial rupture is a rare and serious complication of blunt chest trauma, which can be easily overlooked on initial evaluation in the emergency room (ER) as the focus of the attending physician is diverted to more obvious external injuries which may not be of much significance. We present one such patient referred to us as a case of unresolved right-sided pneumothorax 2 days after intercostal drainage (ICD) tube placement.     

Castleman's disease: an unusual cause of mediastinal mass and anemia

We reported a case of thoracic localized, mixed variant, Castleman's Disease (angiofollicular lymph node hyperplasia) with a favourable clinical course presenting with mediastinal mass, microcytic anemia, mild thrombocytosis, polyclonal hyper-gammaglobulinaemia and without symptoms. Castleman's Disease must be always considered in the differential diagnosis of solitary mediastinal masses. Transthoracic fine needle aspiration cytology is usually nondiagnostic; in fact, cytologically, Castleman's Disease can be confused with other mediastinal lymphoproliferative disorders (such as thymomas or lymphomas). The optimal therapeutic approach is unknown but a complete surgical resection is treatment of choice for localized disease.     

Spontaneous splenic rupture: an unusual cause of hypovolaemia.

Splenic rupture in infectious mononucleosis is an extremely rare but often fatal complication. A case presented to the accident and emergency department in ventricular fibrillation seconds after losing signs of any cardiac output. The underlying cause of cardiorespiratory arrest always be sought irrespective of the presenting rhythm.     

Ceroid histiocytosis: an unusual cause of atraumatic splenic rupture

A rare case of atraumatic splenic rupture due to ceroid histiocytosis is described in a 56-year-old man. During hospitalization, he complained of epigastric pain, which was not associated with nausea or vomiting. Hematologic indices showed steadily declining hemoglobin, and subsequent radiologic imaging revealed massive splenomegaly. An exploratory laparotomy revealed hemoperitoneum associated with a subcapsular splenic rupture. Splenic pathology showed numerous ceroid-containing histiocytes. We believe this to be the fourth reported case in the English language of atraumatic splenic rupture due to ceroid histiocytosis.     

Traumatic, pericardio-diaphragmatic rupture: an extremely rare cause of pericarditis

A 54-year-old man with a recent history of blunt abdominal trauma presented to the Emergency Department with severe pain in the chest and abdomen. He was tachycardic, tacypneic, and hypoxic. An electrocardiogram (EKG) at that time showed ST elevation and PR depression consistent with acute pericarditis, and a computed tomography (CT) scan subsequently showed herniation of abdominal contents into the pericardium and left hemithorax. After surgical repair of the diaphragmatic defect and intrapericardial hernia, the EKG findings resolved. He recovered over the course of several weeks and was subsequently discharged home.     

Pyelocalyceal diverticulum: an unusual cause of acute renal colic

The differential diagnosis of acute flank pain includes kidney stones, urinary tract infection, dissecting abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), arterial or venous compromise of the kidney, renal abscess, renal carcinoma, and papillary necrosis. This is a report of an unusual cause of renal colic: pyelocalyceal diverticulum. Stasis of urine within a diverticulum promotes both calculus formation and urinary tract infection, either of which can lead to colic. Several radiographic findings may suggest a calyceal diverticulum, including, on plain X-ray, a very peripheral or mobile renal calculus, or on intravenous pyelogram, an early filling-defect and delayed or retained filing of a circular or ovoid mass.     

Lymphoma arising from Hashimoto's thyroiditis: an unusual cause of acute stridor

We report an unusual presentation of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the thyroid which mimicked an acute infective thyroiditis and was associated with acute stridor and dysphagia. The mode of presentation and diagnosis of thyroid lymphoma are discussed and the value of early fine needle aspiration emphasised.     

外伤性肝破裂78例分析

目的 探讨肝破裂的早期诊断和治疗方法。方法 总结自1986年1月－1998年10月收治的78例外伤性肝破裂的临床资料。保守治疗4例,肝清 创修补术58例,大网膜填塞加修补术11例,不规则肝叶切除术5例。结果 72例治愈,6例死亡,7例出现严重并发症。结论 肝破裂创面的彻底清创、消灭死腔、防止血肿形成是减少并发症和提高疗效的关系。     

Intragastric gallstone-induced bezoar: an unusual cause of acute gastric outlet obstruction

Bezoars are an uncommon cause of acute gastric outlet obstruction. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a bezoar formed around a gallstone that migrated to the stomach via a cholecystogastric fistula. Our patient was a 42-year-old African American woman with long-standing type 2 diabetes. We suspect that diabetic diathesis was the major factor responsible for producing the pathologic derangement of the gallbladder and stomach, which led to development of the bezoar and serious complications.     

Rib fractures induced by coughing: an unusual cause of acute chest pain

We report three patients with stress fractures of the ribs induced by coughing. Standard radiographs of the chest and ribs did not reveal evidence of rib fractures in any of the patients. Bone scintigraphy, performed 1 to 2 weeks after initial onset of symptoms, showed a focal area of increased uptake along the chest wall in all cases. Thin section angulated helical CT directly visualized the subtle rib fractures. Initial diagnosis of a cough-induced fracture of the rib may be difficult because of the associated underlying disorder, and unnecessary examinations are commonly performed. Identification of a cough-induced fracture of the rib using helical CT may be clinically important to avoid unnecessary concern and additional examinations.     

An unusual cause of mismanagement in an acute myocardial infarction case: pseudothrombocytopenia

Thrombocytopenia determined by an automated counter may represent a benign, incidental finding in an asymptomatic patient or a potentially life-threatening disorder. Even if the low platelet count actually is a benign condition itself, in some conditions, any delay resulting from this condition consequently may be seriously hazardous. Low platelet count may alter the decision of heparin administration, which is an essential part of management during acute coronary syndromes. EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia (PTCP) is reported to have a prevalence of 0.1% in a general hospital; however, it is also reported that around 15% of the patients referred for a specialized center for isolated thrombocytopenia are actually cases of PTCP. In this report, we describe a patient with PTCP who could not receive reperfusion therapy during acute myocardial infarction because of the low platelet counts reported by an automated counter.     

Traumatic rupture of the diaphragm

Diaphragmatic rupture following trauma is often an associated and missed injury. The diagnosis is difficult, so is usually made intraoperatively. Twenty-one patients with traumatic rupture of the diaphragm (TRD) who presented between 1995 and 1998 were retrospectively analysed: 12 had penetrating injuries and nine had blunt injuries. Right-sided defects exceeded left (12 vs 9). Only seven patients had signs and symptoms directly referrable to rupture of the diaphragm. All patients were operated on through a midline laparotomy. Diaphragmatic hernia was seen in six patients (28.5%); 20 (95%) patients had concomitant injuries. The liver was the most commonly injured organ (10 patients). The aim of this study was to report our experiences with TRD and review the literature. We conclude that correct preoperative diagnosis of TRD needs a high index of suspicion. It can be diagnosed intraoperatively by explorative laparotomy. Most ruptures can be repaired by the abdominal approach.