Uncommon cause of dysphagia, shortness of breath and hoarseness: Large subclavian artery pseudoaneurysm.

The subclavian artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare entity with only few cases re- ported in the literature. Most injuries were related to iatrogenic manipulation with catheters for canalization of central lines in the hospital setting. In rare cases, this injury has been described secondary to a blunt trauma and motor vehicle accidents with traumatic injury to the subclavian artery caused by seatbelt use. We report an unusual case presentation of subclavian artery pseudoaneurysm.

A Hispanic female patient with heartburn: A rare presentation of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria.

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a non-malignant, acquired clonal hematopoietic stem cell disease that can present with bone marrow failure, hemolytic anemia, smooth muscle dystonias, and thrombosis. We present a case of a 32 year-old-female, G2P2A0 with no past medical history of any systemic illnesses who refers approximately 2 months of progressively worsening constant heartburn with associated abdominal discomfort. CBC showed leukopenia (WBC 2.9 x 103 /µL) with neutropenia (segmented neutrophils 48%), macrocytic anemia (Hgb 6.1 g/dL, hematocrit 20%, MCV,113 fL) and thrombocytopenia (platelet count 59 x 109/L). Abdomino-pelvic CT scan revealed a superior mesenterc vein thrombosis, which was treated initially with low-molecular-weight heparih for full anticoagulation. Peripheral blood flow cytometry assays revealed diminished expression of CD55 and CD59 on the erythrocytes, granulocytes and monocytes.' Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria is a rare, clonal, hematopoietic stem-cell disorder whose manifestations are almost entirely explained by complement-mediated intravascular hemolysis. The natural history of PNH is highly variable, ranging from indolent to life-threatening. The median survival is 10 to 15 years, but with a wide range. Thrombosis is the leading cause of death, but others may die of complications of bone marrow failure, renal failure, myelodysplastic syndrome, and leukemia. Anticoagulation is only partially effective in preventing thrombosis in PNH; thus, thrombosis is an absolute indication for initiating treatment with Eculizumab. Nevertheless, bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is still the only curative therapy for PNH but is associated with significant morbidity and mortality.

Uncommon cause of life-threatening retroperitoneal hemorrhage in a healthy young Hispanic patient: splenic artery aneurysm rupture.

Splenic artery aneurysms (SAA) are a rare life threatening clinical diagnosis. We present a case of a young Hispanic woman with an aneurysm of the middle branch of the splenic artery and active leakage. The defect was embolized with complete resolution of the retroperitoneal bleeding. Physicians should be aware of this rare entity especially when female patients presents complainiing of severe epigastric pain with associated hypovolemic shock.

Bilateral large palpable cervical masses: not always a malignant or infectious process.

Madelung's disease is an extremely rare disorder of unknown etiology characterized by multiple, non-encapsulated, infiltrative lipomas located symmetrically on the trunk, neck, and proximal parts of the limbs. Approximately 200 patients have been reported in the medical literature. In this case report we present an extremely unusual case of multiple symmetric lipomatosis compatible with Madelung's disease.

A VERY RARE NEOPLASM IN AN IMMUNOCOMPETENT PATIENT.

Kaposi's sarcoma is a rare malignancy requiring infection with human Herpes virus for development. We report a case of a 76-year-old immunocompetent male with recurrent leg cellulitis. The cellulitis eventually developed into a non-healing ulcer and a palpable nodule consistent with nodular Kaposi's sarcoma.

A patient with white blood cell counts more than a million: A diagnostic and therapeutic challenge.

Prolymphocytic leukemias (PLLs) are rare mature lymphoid disorders of B- and T-cell subtypes with distinct features and an aggressive clinical course. PLL represents only 2% of all mature lymphocytic leukemias in adults. T-PLL represents 20% of all PLLs cases. T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is more rare and more rapidly progressive and aggressive than B-PLL; it is generally resistant to conventional chemotherapy, and historically the median survival has been about 7 months. Clinicians will often only see a case of T-PLL once every 5 to 10 years, which makes recognition of the disorder difficult. The prognosis is poor and there is no curative therapy. We report a 77-year-old male patient with de novo T-PLL presenting with WBC count of 1,115,000. We will discuss the clinical, morphologic, immunophenotypic and cytogenetic features of this rare entity. A distinctive hematologic aspect of T-PLL is a rapidly rising white blood cell count with a doubling time of weeks to months. The key morphologic feature in the diagnosis of T-PLL is a population of more than 55% prolymphocytes in the peripheral blood. The diagnosis can be made on peripheral blood by flow cytometry where a monoclonal lymphocyte population will show positivity for T-cell markers. T-PLL is characterized by complex chromosomal abnormalities, which suggests that chromosomal aberrations might occur progressively during the course of the disease, thus explaining the aggressive nature of this condition. The main challenge as a clinician treating T-PLL is to deliver long-term disease-free survival. The most important predictor of outcome is response to alemtuzumab therapy (Campath). Knowledge of the disrupted pathways and mechanisms underlying activation and proliferation in T-PLL has raised the possibility of developing future and promising treatment approach that targets these pathways and signals by the use of future molecule inhibitors. T-PLL is a rare disease and careful attention should be given to correctly diagnose this T-cell leukemia. Physicians should be aware of this unusual entity. With the advent of alemtuzumab, although much progress has been made in the treatment of this disease, autologous or allogeneic hematologic stem cell transplant (HSCT) still remains the only hope for cure.