Cardiac manifestations of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a serious problem worldwide. Recent advances in the knowledge about human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication and the treatment of HIV infection have improved survival in HIV patients. Because of the longer survival in HIV patients, the more manifestations of late-stage HIV infection will be seen, including HIV-related cardiac diseases. The common cardiac manifestations in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency virus are pericardial effusion, myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy, endocarditis, pulmonary hypertension, malignant neoplasms, and drug-related cardiotoxicity. This review focuses on these cardiac manifestations in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.     

Ortner's syndrome in association with mitral valve prolapse

The case of an 83-year-old woman with a history of hypertension, valvular heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and cardiomegaly is presented. The patient also had progressive hoarseness of her voice and intermittent dysphagia. Ear, nose, and throat examination revealed left vocal cord paralysis. Echocardiography revealed severely dilated left (LA) and right atria (RA), moderate mitral regurgitation, severe tricuspid regurgitation, and prolapse of both these valves. A review of literature of Ortner's or cardiovocal syndrome is presented. Ortner's syndrome due to mitral valve prolapse has not been reported previously.     

Life-threatening pustular and erythrodermic psoriasis responding to infliximab

Pustular and erythrodermic psoriasis can be a debilitating and recalcitrant disease which may result in secondary complications such as sepsis, electrolyte imbalance, renal failure, and heart failure. We report a case of a 46-year-old patient with life-threatening erythrodermic psoriasis who responded rapidly to intravenous infliximab.     

Scleredema diabeticorum successfully treated with ultraviolet A1 phototherapy

Scleredema diabeticorum is an uncommon condition. It is one of the cutaneous manifestations in diabetes mellitus that mainly occurs in obese middle-aged men with insulin-resistant diabetes. This condition is generally recalcitrant to therapy. Various treatments have been tried with inconsistent results. Here, we describe two cases of scleredema diabeticorum with substantial clinical improvement from a course of medium dose (60 J/cm2) ultraviolet A1 radiation therapy.     

Use of stents to treat kinks causing obstruction in a left internal mammary artery graft

Left internal mammary arteries (LIMA) are used routinely as grafts to the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) in selected patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery because of better long-term patency rates. Pathology other than fibrointimal hyperplasia, accelerated atherosclerosis, or thrombus can sometimes cause obstructive lesions in such grafts. This report illustrates a kink in a LIMA graft to the LAD causing an obstructive lesion shortly after surgery and describes the subsequent management of this lesion with intracoronary stents. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 46:223–226, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Pituitary Apoplexy in a Patient with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Thrombocytopenia

We describe a 72-year-old woman with a history of acute myeloid leukemia who developed pituitary apoplexy associated with thrombocytopenia secondary to chemotherapy. She presented with new onset severe headache, nausea, vomiting and blurred vision. Initial physical examination was unremarkable. CT scan of the head was initially negative. Upon admission for further work up, She developed a high-grade fever, hypotension and obtundation. Subsequent physical examination revealed bitemporal visual fields defects and decreased visual acuity. Repeat imaging of head revealed a hemorrhagic pituitary mass compressing the optic chiasm. Laboratory results were compatible with the diagnosis of pan-hypopituitary syndrome. She received high dose steroids and was transferred for transnasal sphenoidotomy decompression surgery. The visual defects improved postoperatively. A literature review of Pituitary apoplexy is presented. Pituitary apoplexy secondary to thrombocytopenia has never been reported.