Isolated congenital spleen agenesis: a rare cause of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in an adult.

This report describes a case of isolated congenital spleen agenesis complicated by chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTPH) in a 44-year-old female patient. The patient had increasing exertional dyspnoea and thrombocytosis. An echocardiogram showed severe pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy, and contrast-enhanced chest CT revealed multiple thromboemboli within both pulmonary arteries. A perfusion lung scan demonstrated multiple segmental defects and no spleen was detected by abdominal CT, ultrasonography or scintigraphy. Comprehensive clinical examinations disclosed no evidence of a thrombus elsewhere or of an associated malformation such as a cardiac anomaly. Anticoagulation therapy was started, and a perfusion lung scan revealed partial improvement of the hypoperfusion in the right lower lobe. However, repeat echocardiography showed the pulmonary hypertension persisting for 1 year. The multiple segmental defects in the perfusion lung scans were also persistent. Collectively, a diagnosis of CTPH with isolated congenital spleen agenesis was established. This is the first documented case of CTPH in an adult with isolated congenital asplenia. Although congenital spleen agenesis is a rare condition, this case report suggests that this possibility should be considered when a diagnosis of CTPH and thrombocytosis is made.

Successful all-trans retinoic acid treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia in a patient with NPM/RAR fusion.

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is characterized by a reciprocal chromosomal translocation involving the gene for retinoic acid receptor alpha(RAR). Most APL patients have a t(15;17) translocation that generates the PML-RAR fusion gene, and such patients respond well to treatment with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). Some APL cases also involve rearrangements that fuse RAR to partner genes other than PML, including nucleophosmin (NPM), promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF), nuclear mitotic apparatus (NUMA), and Stat5b, but the clinical characteristics of APL without PML-RAR have not been fully clarified. We describe a 64-year-old man with NPM-RAR-positive APL who was receiving hemodialysis therapy for chronic uremia. Complete remission was achieved with ATRA monotherapy and was maintained for 18 months with consolidation chemotherapy. These findings suggest that ATRA can be used to treat APL patients with NPM/RAR as well as APL with PML/RAR.

[Acute encephalopathy among patients with renal dysfunction after ingestion of "sugihiratake", angel's wing mushroom--study on the incipient cases in the northern area of Niigata Prefecture].

An outbreak of acute encephalopathy among 6 patients with renal dysfunction after eating "Sugihiratake" mushroom in the northern area of Niigata Prefecture was reported. All of the patients had varying degrees of renal dysfunction, and 3 of them were on dialysis treatment. Patients initially presented with shaking limbs and difficulty in walking. Several days later, disturbances in consciousness developed, which were followed by status epileptics. Four patients were put on mechanical ventilation for seizure control. Two of the 6 cases died. CSF examination showed elevated protein without pleocytosis; bacterial, rickettsial and viral screenings was negative. Brain CT and MRI studies showed edema in the claustrum and external capsule, and in the white matter of the base of the frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes. No common drug administration was recognized. All of the patients had a history to have ingested "Sugihitarake" mushroom (angels' wing mushroom, pleurocybella porrigens) in varying quantities and frequencies prior to the onset of the illness. This mushroom may have induced toxic encephalopathy although no similar case have been reported in the past.

[A case of pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma coexisting with pulmonary actinomycosis].

A 71-year-old man was referred to our hospital complaining of cough. Chest radiography revealed a mass opacity in the right upper lung field. A transbronchial biopsy specimen revealed non-specific inflammatory changes. Percutaneous lung aspiration biopsy under ultrasound guidance demonstrated gram-positive rods, suggesting actinomyces. On the diagnosis of pulmonary actinomycosis, the patient was treated with penicillin-G and his symptoms were relieved. In a three-month follow-up, the mass shadow in the right upper lung field was found to have increased in size. Squamous cell lung cancer was diagnosed on the basis of repeated transbronchial tumor biopsies, and right upper lobectomy was performed. Most cases of pulmonary actinomycosis have been diagnosed from post-surgical tumor specimens taken on suspicion of the presence of lung cancer. However, the lung cancer in this case was difficult to diagnose because the lung cancer was co-existent with pulmonary actinomycosis.