Peritoneal tuberculosis

The peritoneum is one of the locations outside the most common pulmonary tuberculosis. Peritoneal tuberculosis poses a public health problem in endemic regions of the world. The phenomenon of migration, the increased use of immunosuppressive therapy and the epidemic of AIDS have contributed to a resurgence of this disease in regions where it was previously controlled. The aim of this review is to expose the clinical, biologic end radiologic futures of the peritoneal tuberculosis and to present the methods of diagnosis and treatment. The diagnosis of this disease is difficult and still remains a challenge because of its insidious nature, the variability of presentation and limitations of available diagnostic tests. The disease usually presents a picture of lymphocytic exudative ascites. There are many complementary tests with variable sensitivities and specificities to confirm the diagnosis of peritoneal tuberculosis. Isolation of mycobacteria by culture of ascitic fluid or histological examination of peritoneal biopsy ideally performed by laparoscopy remains the investigation of choice. The role of PCR, ascitic adenosine deaminase, interferon gamma and the radiometric BACTEC system can improve the diagnostic yield. An antituberculous treatment with group 1 of the WHO for 6 months is sufficient in most cases.     

Polyneuretic paraparesis revealing an intramedullary ependymoma

Spinal tumors are rare; intramedullary tumors are uncommon among these lesions, and occur in only 10% of cases in adults. Ependymoma is the most frequent histological type (40-60%). We report the case of a 22-year-old girl, presenting with local back pain, ascendant paresthesia, a progressive flask paraparesis, and a vesical globe. The clinical examination concluded in a mild motor weakness with areflexia of both patellar and Achilles tendons. The diagnosis of intramedullary tumor was made on MRI. The radiological and the macroscopic aspects evoked an ependymoma; the diagnosis was histologically confirmed after surgery (myxopapillary ependymoma) with a favorable evolution.     

Erysipelas after breast cancer treatment (26 cases)

Erysipelas is a bacterial hypodermal cellulitis usually associated with Streptococcal infection. Erysipelas of the upper limbs in women treated for breast cancer is relatively rare. We undertook a 10-year retrospective study identifying 26 cases of erysipelas of the upper limb following treatment for breast cancer; we describe the clinical, therapeutic, and evolutionary aspects. The age of our patients ranged from 37 to 80 years with a mean age of 53. All patients had a breast surgery and lymphadenectomy. Fifteen patients had chemotherapy and 23 had radiotherapy. The erysipelas appeared with an average of 5.23 years after cancer treatment (3 months to 15 years) and was recurrent in nine cases. Lymphedema occurred in eighteen patients. The first signs were fever and shivering in 25 patients. The clinical aspect was an inflammatory plaque. The physical findings of erysipelas included a raised edge (6 cases), blisters (1 case), purpura (1 case), and cellulitis (1 case). The portal of entry was not found in eleven patients. The upper limb was affected in all cases. Involvement of the axillary folds or the chest was observed in eight cases. Treatment with penicillin was undertaken for all patients; the length of treatment varied from 11 to 26 days. Lympadenectomy and radiotherapy in breast cancer may lead to lymphedema, which can be evident or sometimes discrete. Those patients who developed erysipelas in our series usually fared well with treatment, but many had recurrences attributed to persistent lymphedema. It was also of note that for many patients in this series, the portal of entry was not identified.     

Caspofungin for prevention of intra-abdominal candidiasis in high-risk surgical patients

Purpose  Thirty to forty percent of patients with recurrent gastrointestinal perforation/anastomotic leakage or acute necrotizing pancreatitis develop intra-abdominal invasive candidiasis (IC). A corrected Candida colonization index (CCI) ≥0.4 is a powerful predictor of IC. Fluconazole prevents intra-abdominal IC in this setting, but azole-resistant Candida species are emerging. The aim of this study was to explore the efficacy and safety of caspofungin for prevention of intra-abdominal IC in high-risk surgical patients. Methods  Prospective non-comparative single-center study in consecutive adult surgical patients with recurrent gastrointestinal perforation/anastomotic leakage or acute necrotizing pancreatitis. Preventive caspofungin therapy (70 mg, then 50 mg/day) was given until resolution of the surgical condition. Candida colonization index and CCI, occurrence of intra-abdominal IC and adverse events were monitored. Results  Nineteen patients were studied: 16 (84%) had recurrent gastrointestinal perforation/anastomotic leakage and 3 (16%) acute necrotizing pancreatitis. The median duration of preventive caspofungin therapy was 16 days (range 4–46). The colonization index decreased significantly during study therapy, and the CCI remained <0.4 in all patients. Caspofungin was successful for prevention of intra-abdominal IC in 18/19 patients (95%, 1 breakthrough IC 5 days after inclusion). No drug-related adverse event requiring caspofungin discontinuation occurred. Conclusion  Caspofungin may be efficacious and safe for prevention of intra-abdominal candidiasis in high-risk surgical patients. This needs to be further investigated in randomized trials. This study has been partially presented as poster # M-1163 at the 47th ICAAC (Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy), Chicago, 17–20 September 2007.     

Urolithiasis in infants

There are few publications about urolithiasis of the new born baby and infant (UNI). The UNI represents 20% of the pediatric urolithiasis. The etiologies in this age group are chiefly dominated by the urinary-tract infections and metabolic abnormalities. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of infant urolithiasis and to define the various treatment modalities adapted to this age group.     

A comparative study of oxidant–antioxidant status in stable and active vitiligo patients

The pathogenetic mechanisms in vitiligo have not been completely clarified. One of the major hypotheses in the pathogenesis of vitiligo is the oxidative stress hypothesis. The active or stable phase of vitiligo is defined on the basis of the progression or appearance of new lesions in the last 3 months and the absence of new lesions or their progression in the last 6 months, respectively. Eighteen patients with active vitiligo, 18 patients with stable vitiligo, and 40 controls were included in this study. We examined serum levels of malondialdehyde, selenium, vitamin E and A, and the erythrocyte activities of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. Our results revealed a significantly higher level of serum malondialdehyde, selenium in patients with active disease compared with the controls. Significant higher increase in erythrocytes superoxide dismutase activities was observed in active vitiligo group, erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity was decreased significantly in active disease, whereas erythrocyte catalase activity and plasma vitamin E and A levels were not different in vitiligo patients as compared with controls. Our study shows that oxidative stress is involved in the pathophysiology of both active and stable vitiligo but increased imbalance of antioxidants was observed in the blood of active vitiligo patients.I dedicate this article to our dear director (Mme Hentati Basma) who dead in 06/06/06. We will never forget you and you are always in our heart.     

Place of the reposition flap in the treatment of distal amputations of the fingers

Purpose: Distal finger amputations pose a therapeutic problem with the distal fragment quality. Reimplantation remains the reference treatment for functional and aesthetic recovery of the hand. The interest of this study is to propose the reposition flap as an alternative to different hedging techniques in the proximal stump, in many situations where revascularization is impossible. It consists in osteosynthesis of the bone fragment and its coverage by a pedicled local flap. Methods: The technique of reposition flap was evaluated retrospectively between 2003 and 2016 through a study of 13 patients compiled in Nabeul orthopedic department. For each patient, the sensitivity, the pulp trophicity, the interphalangeal mobility, the digital length, the appearance of the nail and radiological consolidation were evaluated. Results: The reposition flap keeps more than 80% of the length of p3. This procedure improves nail aesthetics in comparison with the regularizations. There is no significant difference in sensitivity of the pulp or of the mobility of the distal inter-phalangeal (DIP) joint as a function of the technique studied. However there is a significant difference in average test of the Quick Dash (350 against 500 for regularizations). Conclusion: The reposition flap seems to be a good alternative to regularization in the context of trans-p3 fingers amputations, in which the distal fragment is not revascularizable. It allows better aesthetic and functional results.