RESUMO
Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunts are the main treatment modality for patients with hydrocephalus. The complications arising in patients with VP shunts are well documented. We present a case of infertility in a patient with a long-standing VP shunt. Her infertility is thought to be the result of pelvic adhesions due to factors related to the distal end of her VP shunt. A 22-year-old female with a 1-year history of infertility was referred due to bilateral hydrosalpinges. Diagnostic laparoscopy revealed multiple adhesions surrounding the distal end of the fallopian tubes. The distal portion of a VP shunt, which was placed over the course of her childhood, was found to be grossly inflamed and densely adherent to the pelvic viscera. VP shunts may produce abdominal adhesions and can cause mechanical infertility.
RESUMO
A teenage girl was evaluated for recurrent right pneumonia. The evaluation revealed a calcified mediastinal mass that compressed the right intermediate and middle lobar bronchi, as well as the right pulmonary artery and veins. The clinical picture together with imaging studies and borderline positive serology testing suggested a diagnosis of fibrosing mediastinitis associated with histoplasmosis. This rare condition is characterized by the local proliferation of invasive fibrous tissue within the mediastinum due to a hyperimmune reaction to Histoplasma capsulatum. Antifungal and anti-inflammatory therapies are usually ineffective, and surgical intervention contains a high morbidity risk. Palliative surgery and stenting of the compressed airway have been suggested. In the past, the prognosis was thought to be poor, but recent studies demonstrate a more positive outcome. Our patient had been radiologically and functionally stable under follow-up for over thirteen years and has married and delivered two healthy children, both following an uneventful pregnancy.