Comparison of cardiac CT angiography coronary artery dimensions and ethnicity in Trinidad: the CADET pilot study.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine if there were any significant differences in coronary artery (CA) dimensions at prespecified segments during cardiac CT angiography (CCTA) compared with ethnicity at an academic tertiary medical centre in Trinidad and Tobago. METHODS: Patients (n=170) who underwent CCTA from July 2016 to June 2021 at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex were selected based on predefined selection criteria. The size of the left main and proximal, mid and distal diameters of the left anterior descending, left circumflex and right coronary artery (RCA) were measured using quantitative coronary angiography, syngo.CT Coronary Analysis (Siemens Healthineers AG, Erlangen, Germany). Routine medical history, cardiovascular medications and anthropometric data were also recorded. Comparisons were performed using an independent sample t-test and analysis of variance for continuous variables. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy participants were enrolled in this study. There were no statistically significant associations between gender and CA dimensions; however, there were significant associations between South Asian and Caribbean black ethnicities for almost all CA dimensions except for the distal RCA segment. These findings were replicated when the analysis was adjusted for body surface area with the addition of the mid-RCA segment, which was bordering near-significance (p value 0.051). CONCLUSIONS: Significantly smaller CA dimensions were observed in South Asian patients compared with Caribbean black patients undergoing CCTA. This pilot study could be clinically significant for Trinidadian patients at risk of developing coronary artery disease. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04774861.

Gallbladder Adenomyomatosis Presenting With Abdominal Pain.

A previously well 50-year-old male presented with a six-year history of worsening right-sided upper abdominal pain, postprandial nausea, and early satiety. His blood tests, including full blood count, liver biochemistry, and serum amylase, were normal. CT of the abdomen with intravenous contrast demonstrated concentric segmental mural thickening of the body and fundus of the gallbladder, with intramural cystic foci (rosary sign). MRI of the abdomen demonstrated segmental gallbladder mural thickening with fluid-filled intramural diverticula (pearl necklace sign) and an hourglass configuration of the gallbladder, consistent with segmental gallbladder adenomyomatosis. The patient subsequently underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy with histological confirmation of gallbladder adenomyomatosis, without evidence of malignancy. His postoperative recovery was uneventful.

Spontaneous Cerebrospinal Fluid Rhinorrhea: A Case Report.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) rhinorrhea refers to the loss of CSF through the nasal cavity. Its causes can be classified as either spontaneous or non-spontaneous. Spontaneous causes of CSF rhinorrhea include congenital anatomical defects and are extremely rare, accounting for less than 4% of reported cases. Following failure of conservative management, definitive treatment most commonly involves an endoscopic transsphenoidal repair of the defect. We present a case of spontaneous CSF rhinorrhea in a previously well 52-year-old female, which required surgical intervention due to failure of conservative management.