From the Breast to the Finger - A Case Report of Acrometastasis.

BACKGROUND: Acrometastasis is an unusual presentation that is associated with a poor prognosis. SUMMARY OF CASE: We report a case of an advanced breast cancer in a Nigerian woman, with clinical, radiological and histopathological features of lung, brain, and distal phalanx metastases. We report this case to highlight the need to have a high index of suspicion for acrometastasis as well as to emphasize the effect and challenges of managing metastatic breast cancer in a low-income country. CONCLUSION: Breast cancer metastasis to the bones of the hand is a rare condition and associated with poor prognosis.

CONTEXTE: L'acrométastase est une présentation inhabituelle associée à un pronostic défavorable. RÉSUMÉ DU CAS: Nous rapportons le cas d'un cancer du sein avancé chez une femme nigériane, présentant des caractéristiques cliniques, radiologiques et histopathologiques de métastases pulmonaires, cérébrales et de la phalange distale. Nous rapportons ce cas pour souligner la nécessité d'avoir un haut degré de suspicion pour l'acrométastase ainsi que pour souligner les effets et les défis de la prise en charge du cancer du sein métastatique dans un pays à faible revenu. CONCLUSION: La métastase du cancer du sein aux os de la main est une condition rare et associée à un pronostic défavorable. MOTS-CLÉS: Cancer du sein, Métastase, Acrométastase.

Takayasu's Arteritis Presenting Atypically in a Female Nigerian.

Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is an idiopathic form of large vessel granulomatous vasculitis that mainly affects the aorta and its major branches, most frequently in young women under 50 years. While traditionally, it is a disease found commonly in Asia continent, it has also been reported from different parts of the world, albeit with a few reports from Sub-Sahara Africa. The clinical presentations are variable and are commonly from systemic inflammation, vascular occlusive diseases and aneurysm. Asymptomatic cases of TA have been documented and are usually discovered incidentally on physical examination. Common vascular symptoms from different series include vascular claudication, reduced or absent pulse, carotid bruit, hypertension and headache. Facial mononeuropathy and retinal ischaemic changes are rare findings in TA. However, occlusive disease of ulnar artery has not been reported in TA despite our extensive literature search. Here, we present a 48-year-old woman, who was admitted via the medical emergency with community acquired pneumonia but was incidentally diagnosed with Takayasu arteritis with lower motor neuron facial nerve palsy, unilateral blindness, and ulnar artery occlusion. Multidisciplinary management was instituted and patient was discharged after resolution of community acquired pneumonia, vascular claudication, and chronic headache. TA often presents asymptomatically and sometimes with atypical features and thus we suggest high index of suspicion and detailed cardio-vascular examination in young individuals with unexplained chronic headache, facial nerve palsy and visual symptoms.

Portal hypertension evolving from sickled hepatopathy: Could hepatic venous Doppler ultrasound be beneficial in its evaluation?

PURPOSE: Sickle cell intrahepatic cholestasis involves sickling within hepatic sinusoids leading to vascular stasis and localized hypoxia resulting in ballooning of the hepatocytes causing a direct back pressure effect with resultant intracanalicular cholestasis. Vascular stasis may ultimately lead to portal hypertension. We proposed to document findings suggestive of portal hypertension evolving from hepatopathy in steady-state sickle cell disease (SCD) patients using hepatic venous Doppler ultrasound. METHODS: This is a prospective case series of 6 SCD subjects in steady-state (median age, 30 years; range, 19-43), comprising of 3 males and 3 females, who underwent a routine Doppler ultrasound evaluation of their hepatic veins and were discovered to have an abnormal biphasic waveform pattern. Venous blood was obtained from all subjects to evaluate for P-selectin, homocysteine, foetal haemoglobin, haematocrit levels, white cell and platelet counts. Doppler ultrasound was also carried out on all subjects to evaluate for the hepatic waveform, right renal artery RI and PI along with the hepatic artery velocities. RESULTS: All the 6 subjects had reduced haematocrit (median value of 21.5%; range, 18-25%) and some degree of renal dysfunction (plasma cystatin-C ranged from 1.6 to 12.2 mg/L). Elevated white cell count, hyperhomocysteinemia, reduced SpO2(<94.0%) and reduced estimated GFR (eGFR < 90 ml/min) was also noted in 4 subjects (66.7%). Similarly, 4 subjects (66.7%) had elevated RI in the right kidneys while 3 subjects (50.0%) had elevated PI in the right kidney. CONCLUSION: Doppler ultrasound Hepatic vein waveform analysis may be a useful examination in the evaluation of patients with SCD as it may elicit feature of portal hypertension. Further studies are suggested to confirm this in a larger population of SCD patients using the gold standard.

Torsion of wandering spleen, an unusual cause of acute abdomen; a report of two cases.

BACKGROUND: Wandering spleen is an uncommon entity that is rarely considered in the evaluation of patients with acute abdominal conditions. OBJECTIVE: To report two cases of wandering spleen presenting with acute abdominal pain. METHODS: The clinical records of the patients including preoperative evaluation, intra-operative findings and postoperative care were reviewed RESULT: A 6 year old boy presented with right lumbar pain which worsened over a 36 hour period with findings of a tender right lumbar mass. Abdominal ultrasound showed a mass with echogenicity consistent with that of the spleen with no blood flow and an empty splenic bed. The pre-operative diagnosis was torsion of a wandering spleen. The second case was that of a 42 year old woman who presented with severe colicky lower abdominal pain which worsened over three days with a background history of progressively increasing lower abdominal mass which was tender and about 26 week gestational size at presentation. The initial diagnosis was torsion of an ovarian cyst. Abdomino-pelvic Ultrasound scan showed a heterogeneously hypo-echoic mass overlying the uterus and the left ovary with no blood flow. The presence of wandering spleen with torsion of the vascular pedicle was confirmed at laparotomy in both instances. Splenectomy was performed in both cases with good recovery. CONCLUSION: Torsion of a wandering spleen poses a diagnostic challenge. A high level of suspicion is required to make a diagnosis and institute appropriate treatment.

Angiosarcoma of the cervix: a case and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Generally, sarcomas of the female genital tract are rare and angiosarcomas are extremely rare. They usually have poor prognosis and pose serious diagnostic challenges requiring special techniques namely special stains and immunohistochemistry for proper elucidation. METHOD: A case report of a 65 old para 8 (4 alive) widow, 17 years postmenopusal, who presented with history of foul smelling brownish vaginal discharge, progressive weight loss and cervical lesion. She had examination under anaesthesia and biopsy. RESULT: Histopathological result showed features in keeping with angiosarcoma of the uterine cervix. CONCLUSION: Although angiosarcoma of the cervix is very rare, it is occasionally seen in black women in Nigeria.