Spectrum of CT findings in amebic colitis.

Entamoeba histolytica is distributed throughout the world. Invasive amebiasis affects millions of people globally, and the associated complications cause 40,000-100,000 deaths per year. In countries where fecal-oral transmission is unusual, amebic colitis is not common, and the infection may be seen in travelers to and emigrants from endemic areas. Without adequate treatment, amebic colitis may develop into fulminant and become rapidly fatal. With the current increase in global mobility, amebic colitis should be suspected even in patients not in the endemic areas. CT plays an important role in the diagnosis of amebic colitis by demonstrating the presence of colitis with the typical involvement of the cecum and rectum. Pathological features of atypical involvement are also demonstrated. Since preoperative diagnosis can reduce the mortality associated with necrotizing colitis, radiologists need to recognize the typical as well as atypical CT findings of amebic colitis. Considering this requirement, this paper aims to describe the histopathologic features of amebic colitis and to illustrate the spectrum of corresponding CT findings.

Caecal amebic colitis mimicking obstructing right sided colonic carcinoma with liver metastases: a rare case.

Intestinal Entamoeba Histolytica infection can lead to colitis, abscess formation, colonic perforation and rarely amoeboma. We report a case of colonic amoebiasis, in which the presenting symptoms and radiological findings closely resembled an obstructing right-sided colonic carcinoma, with liver metastases.

Diabetes and Amoebiasis: a high risk encounter.

Amoebiasis is the second most common parasitic disease worldwIde. It occurs mainly in developing countries. A high percentage of people in countries where it is endemic are asymptomatic carriers. It results in severe disease that can be fatal in rare cases. Diabetics are at increased risk of exposure as travel to countries where it is endemic becomes more frequent, as indicated by the present case. This patient suffered from amoebiasis that produced an amoeboma which is most rare in cases of colonic amoebiasis. The clinical picture was that of an occluding gut tumor, but it was treated only with drugs. Retrospective studies show that diabetics are at increased risk of suffering severe complications after amoebic infection. The frequency and severity of this diabetes-amoeba association requires patients to take prophylactic measures, especially when travelling in developing countries.

Amebic abscess of urachal remnants.

We report a rare case of amebic abscess of the urachus, mimicking an urachal neoplasm: no previous reports of amebic infection of the urachus were found in the literature. The challenges of the differential diagnosis between urachal abscess and carcinomas based both on clinical and radiological data are discussed.

[Amebic brain abscess. Apropos of a case]. / Abcès cérébral amibien. A propos d'un cas.

We report a case of double primary amoebic brain abscess in a 22 year old man, with signs of intracranial hypertension and deficit. Computed tomography found two hypodense lesions, not suggestive of pyogenic abscesses. Aspiration of one of the two abscesses, revealed the organism, and the two abscesses regressed in response to medical treatment. The authors insist on the rarity of these abscesses, their gravity, and the difficulty of the diagnosis.

Intracranial amebic abscesses: CT and MR findings.

The CT and magnetic resonance findings in a case of intracranial amebic abscesses are described. Due to increased travel to endemic areas, amebic abscess should also be included in the differential diagnosis for patients who live in the temperate parts of the world.

The colitides.

Diverse signs may be seen on barium enema in the various forms of colitis. Barium enema is only reasonably specific in the diagnosis of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis once the other possible diseases have been excluded from consideration by biopsy, microscopy, culture, or therapeutic trial. In particular, campylobacter colitis has proved to be such a common entity that many patients originally thought to have had one attack of ulcerative colitis, ischemic colitis, or Crohn's colitis may never have had these diseases. Many of the relatively specific signs can be seen in a variety of conditions. For example, aphthae in the colon may be seen in Crohn's disease, yersinia enterocolitis, Behçet's syndrome, amebiasis, ischemia, tuberculosis, and campylobacter colitis. Continuity of disease is characteristic in ulcerative colitis. Nevertheless, patches of healing may occur, so that a rare patient may be seen during a resolving attack of ulcerative colitis in whom only scattered patches of active disease can be seen on barium enema. In general, few radiologic signs on barium enema are truly specific for one disease, with penumatosis cystoides coli being an exception to this rule. However, the sensitivity of barium enema with currently available materials for double-contrast techniques is such that radiology continues to be useful at present in diagnosing the colitides and in managing patients.