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In a 79-year-old woman with acute abdomen CT revealed a 'whirl sign' configuration, pathognomonic for volvulus of the small bowel.
In cancer radiotherapy, an enormous radical dose may be necessary. However, it is sometimes limited by the tolerance of the surrounding normal tissues. Transient systemic hypoxia induced by breathing 10.5% oxygen gas during radiotherapy may protect the normal tissues. In the prophylactic irradiation to the whole abdomen and pelvis for the NHL or ovarian cancer, clinical radiation responses were distinctly mild and occurred later in the hypoxyradiotherapy group. Micronucleus frequency of the peripheral lymphocytes was taken as the criterion in estimating the radiation effect. A radioprotective factor (RPF) of 1.52 was obtained.
Peritonitis and exit-site tunnel infection are frequent causes of CAPD drop out. We studied 9 patients, 8 treated by CAPD and 1 by IPD. These patients underwent sonographic and scintigraphic study of the abdomen. All scintigraphic examinations showed a visceral uptake. In two cases, sub-clinical bowel inflammation, demonstrated by scintigraphic study, preceded a gram negative peritonitis. The scintigraphic study with radiolabelled white blood cells may be useful in identifying chronic aseptic inflammations and some bowel and exit-site conditions which are possible risk factors in some cases of peritonitis.
A 49 years old female patient entered the surgical department because of epigastric and ileocoecal pains with the symptoms of acute abdomen. A surgical intervention was performed because of supposed appendicitis, but it was not verified. During the surgical observation the patient was confused and negativistic so she was transferred to the psychiatric department. Because of loss of 20 kg weight, high blood sedimentation and anaemia she was sent to our department with the suspicion of an organic disease. A moderate exophthalmos, glittering eyes and Graefe's sign was noted, therefore hyperthyroidism was diagnosed, which was proved by Kocher's blood picture, low serum cholesterol, extremely high T3 and T4 level, and iodine storage diagram. The antithyreotic treatment resulted a dramatic improvement in the extremely serious moreover hopeless case and after a long-term treatment the patient became symptom-free without complaints. Later because of regression of hyperthyreoidism and the growing nodular goitre the patient was treated on two occasions with radioactive iodine. At present the patient is in remission.
Eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE) is an etiologically obscure and rare inflammation which can affect all sections of the gastrointestinal tract from esophagus to rectum in a diffuse or segmentary manner. An infiltrate of eosinophilic granulocytes is found to varying degrees in all wall layers. The clinical symptoms depend on the site and extent of organ involvement. Diagnosis can only be established histologically. Peripheral eosinophilia is inconsistent and not diagnostic. ESR, leukocyte count, serum IgE, and RAST tests in foodstuffs may be normal or elevated. Two women patients are described with tumorous eosinophilic colitis of the cecum and colon ascendens, who underwent surgery for clinical acute abdomen. A further woman patient was hospitalized with bloody diarrhea and marked eosinophilia in the blood findings. Eosinophilic colitis was likewise found histologically in the mucosa which appeared with reddened patches in sigmoidoscopy. Eosinophilic colitis associated with eosinophilic gastroenteritis is rather rare and may therefore be overlooked. Our literature review contains only 64 such cases, in only 6 of which was the tumorous form found. Counting our own patients as well, eosinophilic colitis occurs somewhat more frequently in women (27 = 56%) than in men (21 = 44%). The clinical symptoms, possible causes and therapeutic approaches are discussed in the light of the literature.
10 patients with a history of systemic anticoagulation presented with an acute abdomen which proved to be due to a rectus sheath hematoma. Four patients gave a history of antecedent trauma. The prothrombin time was prolonged beyond the therapeutic range in 8 patients and therapeutic in two. The diagnosis of rectus sheath hematoma was made by non-invasive imaging (sonography [n = 8], CT-scan) in 9 patients and by operative exploration in one. 8 patients were treated non-operatively and one patient required a delayed evacuation of the infected hematoma. One patient died from myocardial infarction. We conclude that a careful history, physical examination and prothrombin time, in combination with radiologic evaluation (sonography, CT-scan) can confirm the suspected diagnosis of rectus sheath hematoma. It is important to think of this specific hemorrhagic complication induced by anticoagulation to prevent unnecessary surgery.
We report a case of primipara with triplet pregnancy who underwent combined spinal and epidural anesthesia 10 weeks after epidural blood patch. At 15 weeks of gestation, a woman with triplet gestation underwent Shirodkar operation under spinal anesthesia and subsequent epidural blood patch as a treatment of post-dural puncture headache. At 26 weeks she presented with acute abdomen and laparotomy was scheduled. Spinal anesthesia was selected with an epidural catheter inserted in case of prolonged operation and for postoperative pain control. The placement of an epidural catheter was without problem. Laparotomy revealed right paraovarian cyst torsion and the right salpingo-paraoophocystectomy was performed. Patient-controlled analgesia with epidural bupivacaine and fentanyl was effectively continued for two days. Postoperative course was uneventful and the triplets were delivered by cesarean section at 35 weeks.
The hibernoma is a rare benign tumor derived of embrionary fat seen in adult, which is usually localized in scapular and interscapular region. It express as a slowing growth bulk without symptoms. The authors present a 2 years old boy with acute abdomen requiring urgent laparotomy, that shows a tumor connected to mesocolon by a vascular pedicle that had undergone torsion. No other similar case published been found. The treatment is surgical resection although recurrences have been reported due to incomplete resection.
The Authors report a case of familial mediterranean fever with pseudo-acute abdomen recently observed and emphasize how a careful anamnesis can avoid unnecessary surgical intervention.
Presented is material of 277 patients, who were treated due to acute abdomen illness in Intensive Therapy Unit at 2nd Department General Surgery Collegium Medicum Jagiellonian University during the time: from 01.07.1997 till 30.06.2002. This material regards only geriatric patients (patients > 65 years old). Patients analysis was divided into two main groups: patients with haemorrhagic shock caused by gastrointestinal bleeding (49 patients--group A) and by ruptured abdominal aneurysm (16 patients--group B), patients with hypovolemic and/or septic shock owing to diffuse peritonitis (150 patients--group C), and intestinal obstruction (62 patients--group D). The other principles of therapeutic procedures were described for every main group. In every illness group was showed: multiorgan dysfunction (acute myocardial ischemia with enzymatic and/or electrocardiographic changes, pulmonary oedema as acute left ventricular failure, respiratory and renal failure and metabolic dysfunction), actual punctuation into two scoring systems: APACHE II (28.8 points) and TISS-28 (44.5 points), time of hospitalization in the intensive therapy unit (mean 7.1 days), hospital's time of treatment (mean 17.5 days), mortality (for all patients 57.8%). These dates compared with dates from publications.
The authors are presenting one case of Osler's hereditary angioneurotic oedema, rare genetic disease with dominant autosomal transmission linked to the 11-th chromosome, with clinical aspects resembling to those of surgical acute abdomen, with difficult diagnostic problems. The treatment consist in: fresh plasma administration, antihistaminic drugs and anabolic steroids. The simple laparotomy under general anaesthesia by orotraheal intubation being very dangerous. The patients with Osler's hereditary angioneurotic oedema must be followed-up by the allergology services and educated regarding the disease and it's risks to avoid diagnostic errors with following negative consequences.
Ascaris lumbricoides infestation is the most common helminthic disease in many developing countries and may cause severe surgical complications, especially in children. We present a 3-year-old Ethiopian immigrant brought to hospital directly from the airport because of signs of acute abdomen. It was found to be caused by volvulus and necrosis of a loop of bowel impacted with worms. The necrotic bowel loop was resected and a temporary ileostomy was formed; recovery was uneventful. This disease and its severe complications are rare in Israel and the western world. Awareness of its occurrence is important in view of the present world-wide large-scale immigration from developing countries.
INTRODUCTION: Squamous cell head and neck cancers are usually confined to local and regional sites but occasionally, patients may present with rare manifestations of distant metastases. CLINICAL PICTURE: A 23-year-old female was treated with concurrent chemo-radiotherapy for stage IVA post-cricoid squamous cell carcinoma. A month later, she presented with acute abdomen and was found to have extensive peritoneal nodules at laparotomy. Intestinal obstruction soon followed. TREATMENT: She was managed conservatively for the intestinal obstruction and given weekly paclitaxel. OUTCOME: She continued to deteriorate and succumbed shortly after the diagnosis of carcinomatosis peritoneii. CONCLUSION: This rare and aggressive presentation reminds us to be cognizant of relapsed head and neck cancers manifesting atypically, and the need for more aggressive search of distant disease in at least some subgroups of head and neck cancer.
Renal Angiomyolipoma (AML) is a rare benign tumor As it is usually asymptomatic and small, AML sometimes may cause acute abdomen by spontaneous rupture and hemorrhage that may be life threatening in some cases for which surgical management is necessary. A 58-year-old female patient was admitted for right side and right upper abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Right upper abdominal and right side sensitivity were remarkable on physical examination. Whole blood count revealed the ongoing with steady remarkable decrement in hematocrite and hemoglobin. Radiological examination showed right kidney mass with retroperitoneal hematoma. Patient underwent a right nephrectomy with mass excision. Her postoperative period was uneventful. On this case report we conclude that; angiomyolipoma may cause serious complications by the spontaneous rupture and life threatening hemorrhage. In case of massive hemorrhage and/or whole renal involvement, nephrectomy is the most feasible surgical treatment of all the other treatment methods.
Personal experience based on a clinical case of a young woman with acute abdominal pain referable to acute appendicitis is presented. The surgical procedure was performed through a Mc Burney incision and revealed the rupture of mesenteric cysts; removal of the cysts was carried out without intestinal resection. Post-operative course was uneventful and 2 years follow-up showed no recurrence. Mesenteric cysts are an uncommon pathology, mainly in adult ages. After an analysis of the incidence and etiology, the pathological features and types of clinical presentation are discussed. Diagnosis in asymptomatic cases is usually made in search of other diseases. Complications are rare: rupture, infection and intestinal obstruction. In such cases, the clinical presentation is usually attributable to the main causes of acute abdomen, unless ultrasonography or CT scan are performed. When mesenteric cyst is diagnosed, a laparoscopic approach should be performed, even if in emergency traditional surgery is justified. Total excision of the cyst is necessary to avoid recurrence and obtain a correct pathologic evaluation.
Ascaris Lumbricoides Infestation (ALI) is one of the most common helmintic disease of the gastrointestinal tract, and may cause severe surgical complications, especially in children. ALI is frequent in tropical and subtropical countries. We present our experience with a case of a 5-years old pakistan girl treated in Italy for acute abdomen in which ALI was detected during surgical exploration.
Accepted criteria for the diagnosis of peritonitis in CAPD include: 1. symptoms and signs of peritoneal irritation; 2. a cloudy effluent with white blood cell (WBC) count greater than 100/microliters and; 3. a positive culture. In fact, the earliest suggestive sign of peritonitis is a turbid effluent. However, symptomatology of peritoneal irritation may precede the development of a cloudy fluid. We hereby report on two CAPD patients with culture proven peritonitis whose initial presentation was that of an acute abdomen. Although diffuse rebound tenderness was elicited the initial effluent, after an overnight dwell, was clear with a WBC count of 80 and 70/microliters, respectively. Working diagnoses on admission included a ruptured cyst and a perforated peptic ulcer. Both patients were in line for a laparotomy. After a period of 7 and 12 hours, respectively the ensuing effluents turned turbid with WBC counts of 6,400 and 2,500/microliters. Cultures eventually grew Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus viridans. Appropriate antibiotic treatment resulted in full recovery.
Focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) is a benign liver tumour with an asymptomatic course, rarely causing complications. When the diagnosis is certain, only watchful observation is necessary. We highlight an interesting case of a 42-year-old woman with a FNH that ruptured and became haemorrhagic, thus presenting as an acute surgical abdomen. The diagnosis was only established after surgical resection with histopathological confirmation. Although haemorrhage of hepatic FNH is extremely rare, this case highlights the small risk of rupture in large lesions.