A post-COVID-19 Aspergillus fumigatus posterior mediastinitis: Case report.

Invasive aspergillosis is a life-threatening condition of the immunocompromised, with a low occurrence reported in the immunocompetent. Although usually made by invasive methods, its early diagnosis is the cornerstone of a better prognosis as it yields a timely management and thus a lower mortality risk. Mediastinal invasion by Aspergillus is, like any fungal mediastinitis, uncommon and usually results from a hematogeneous or a contiguous spread, a postoperative fungal infection, a complication of a descending necrotizing fasciitis, or from an esophageal perforation. We report a case of a diabetic patient with a previous history of hospitalization 2 months earlier for a COVID-19 infection, otherwise healthy, presenting with an unresolving dorsal pain. A malignancy was expected but further work-up showed in fine a posterior mediastinitis due to Aspergillus fumigatus. Thus, fungal etiologies are to be included as a differential while diagnosing a posterior mediastinitis even in a relatively immunocompetent patient and with no evident route of entry.

Comparative prostate MRI before and after chronic granulomatous prostatitis following intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin therapy.

BACKGROUND: Granulomatous prostatitis (GnP) is an interesting complication of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy as it mimics prostate cancer on clinical, biochemical and imaging examinations. In the era of multiparametric prostate MRI (mpMRI), differentiation of GnP from prostate cancer on imaging is essential. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of post-BCG GnP in a patient with nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer, presenting with a prostate-specific antigen level of 21.6 ng/ml and prostate imaging reporting and data system (PI-RADS) 5 peripheral lesions. A mpMRI performed 6 months before showed a score 2 of PI-RADS. CONCLUSION: The comparison of mpMRI images before and after BCG administration gives urologists, oncologists and radiologists a precise idea of the mpMRI changes that occur following BCG administration to eventually prevent unnecessary biopsies in future patients.

Budd-Chiari syndrome and heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in polycythemia vera: successful treatment with repeated TIPS and interferon alpha.

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a common cause of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) and portal vein thrombosis (PVT). The postpartum period is a precipitating cofactor. An additional heparin-induced thrombocytopenia/thrombosis (HIT/T) leads to a life-threatening condition in which transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting (TIPS) seems to be the only life-saving procedure. We describe the case of a subacute BCS and PVT in the late postpartum period. The diagnosis was established using CT scan, MRI, and Doppler ultrasonography of abdominal vessels and the laboratory findings were compatible with PV. After a successful creation of TIPS, a HIT/T worsened the hemorrhagic and thrombotic picture. TIPS procedure was successfully repeated and heparin was replaced with Fondaparinux and then vitamin K antagonist. The treatment with interferon alpha-2A, started after the normalization of liver functions, resulted in a complete remission within 6 months. The JAK2 V617F mutation clone remained undetectable after 2 years' follow-up.