Pneumonia, pleurisy, mediastinitis, and mediastinal cyst infection secondary to endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is less commonly used in nonmalignant diseases. In particular, its application in mediastinal cystic lesions has been reported less frequently. EBUS-TBNA is a reassuringly safe procedure with an overall complication rate less than 2%, and serious adverse event rate of 0.14% to 0.16%. The most common complications are infections (mediastinal cyst infection most seen). PATIENT CONCERNS: A 28-year-old male presented to the hospital with mediastinal cyst that was incidentally discovered by computed tomography. There was no past history of the patient reviewed. DIAGNOSIS: The cyst was identified as a round, anechoic structure by EBUS and serous fluid was aspirated. The carcino-embryonic antigen, mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA and cultures in the fluid were negative. Cytology analysis showed lots of lymphocytes and no malignant cells. The diagnosis of lymphangioma was confirmed based on the computed tomography and EBUS presentation, the nature of the aspirated fluid and the large number of mature lymphocytes within the cystic fluid. INTERVENTIONS: Twenty-six hours after EBUS-TBNA, the patient complained of a fever with the highest temperature of 39°C, accompanied by a right-side chest pain, no other symptoms of were reported. The following examinations confirmed the diagnosis of pneumonia, pleurisy, mediastinitis and mediastinal cyst infection, while cultures from cyst and right pleural effusion were both negative. The patient was treated with Teicoplanin+Imipenem/cilastatin, and ultrasound guided transcutaneous catheterization drainage of mediastinal cyst and pleural effusion were performed. OUTCOMES: Seven days after the treatments, the patient's symptoms resolved, the complete blood count, C-reactive protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate were lowered. The size of the cyst was slightly reduced on 17 June compared to that before EBUS-TBNA. Although the surgical resection of the cyst was recommended, the patient declined. After extracted the two drainage tubes, the patient was discharged on June 22. The patient was followed up by telephone 6 months after discharge and he remained asymptomatic. CONCLUSIONS: EBUS-TBNA is a useful diagnostic and therapeutic tool for the management of mediastinal cysts. However, considering the possibility of serious complications, the clinical procedure should be carried out scrupulously with appropriate patient selection and strict aseptic principles.

Infected Congenital Epicardial Cyst Presenting as Acute Abdomen.

A previously healthy 3-year-old boy presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain, fever, and emesis. Laboratory and radiologic evaluation for causes of acute abdomen were negative; however, review of the abdominal x-ray demonstrated cardiomegaly with the subsequent diagnosis of pericardial cyst by echocardiogram and computed tomography. The patient underwent surgical decompression and attempted removal of the cystic structure revealing that the cyst originated from the epicardium. His abdominal pain and fever resolved postoperatively and he completed a 3-week course of ceftriaxone for treatment of Propionibacterium acnes infected congenital epicardial cyst. Emergency department physicians must maintain a broad differential in patients with symptoms of acute abdomen to prevent complications from serious cardiac or pulmonary diseases that present with symptoms of referred abdominal pain.

Nontyphoidal cardiac salmonellosis: two case reports and a review of the literature.

Nontyphoidal Salmonella, especially Salmonella enterica, is a rare cause of endocarditis and pericarditis that carries a high mortality rate. Proposed predisposing conditions include immunodeficiency states, congenital heart defects, and cardiac valve diseases. We present 2 cases of cardiovascular salmonellosis. The first case is that of a 73-year-old woman with mechanical mitral and bioprosthetic aortic valves who died from sequelae of nontyphoidal Salmonella mitral valve vegetation, aortic valve abscess, and sepsis. The second case is that of a 62-year-old man with a recent systemic lupus erythematosus exacerbation treated with oral steroids, who presented with obstructive features of tamponade and sepsis secondary to a large S. enteritidis purulent pericardial cyst. He recovered after emergent pericardial drainage and antibiotic therapy. Identifying patients at risk of cardiovascular salmonellosis is important for early diagnosis and treatment to minimize sequelae and death. We reviewed the literature to identify the predisposing risk factors of nontyphoidal Salmonella cardiac infection.

Infected mediastinal bronchogenic cyst in a 12 year old girl.

Bronchogenic cysts are an uncommon congenital malformation deriving from the primitive foregut. They are mainly unilocular, and respiratory distress is the most common presentation in pediatric patients. We describe the case of a 12-year-old girl with a huge infected mediastinal bronchogenic cyst which was resected via an axillary muscle-sparing thoracotomy.

Pericardial cyst due to tuberculosis in an adolescent.

Patient with a mediastinal mass may be diagnosed incidentally or following evaluation for the symptoms due to compressive effects on the adjoining structures. Pericardial cysts account to 6% of mediastinal masses. Echocardiography, computerised tomography and magnetic resonance imaging aid in accurate diagnosis and localization of these cysts. Anaesthesia for patients with these cysts may occasionally turn out to be catastrophic during induction or in postoperative period. Surgery is the preferred choice of treatment in these patients.

Severe airway obstruction in a child with Pott's disease.

Airway obstruction associated with Pott's disease is rare. We present a case of severe airway obstruction caused by an extensive paravertebral mediastinal abscess in a 3-year-old boy with tuberculosis of the thoracic spine.

Primary hydatid cysts of the mediastinum.

Hydatid disease remains a serious health problem for the Mediterranean countries, such as Turkey. Living in a rural area is an important risk factor for the disease. Hydatid cysts are usually located in the liver, lung, and brain. Mediastinal hydatid disease is very rare that have been only anecdotally in the literature. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic findings and surgical treatment of this unusual lesion. Between 1985 and 2002, 11 cases with primary mediastinal hydatid cyst were treated surgically at our clinic. Median age was 28.4 and ranged from 19 to 46 years. Symptoms included chest pain in nine patients (82%), and cough in six patients (54%). The cyst was located in the anterior mediastinum in four patients (36%), in the posterior mediastinum in five patients (45%) and in the middle mediastinum in two patients (18%). All cysts were intact except one cyst that ruptured into right intrapleural space. Surgical approach was right thoracotomy in five patients (45%), left thoracotomy in three patients (27%), and median sternotomy in three patients (27%). Total pericystectomy was chosen as the surgical procedure in all patients except four (36%), who had cystectomy and local curettage for cyst located vital structures. There were no complications and mortality postoperatively. Primary hydatid cysts of the mediastinum are distinct clinical entity that must be considered when caring for a patient with a mediastinal mass in endemic regions. Because of surrounding vital structures the cyst should be treated without delay.

Multicenter VATS experience with mediastinal tumors.

BACKGROUND: The use of video-assisted thoracic surgery for diagnosis and treatment of mediastinal tumors in a multiinstitution patient population is not well understood. METHODS: We studied 48 cases from Cancer and Leukemia Group B thoracic surgeons. Of 21 men and 27 women, aged 41 +/- 16 years, 22 patients were asymptomatic. In the others, 92% of tumor-related symptoms improved or resolved after treatment. Five tumors involved the anterior compartment, 19 the middle, and 24 the posterior compartment. Diagnoses were typical for each compartment but also included uncommon problems such as superior vena cava hemangioma and a histoplasmosis cyst causing hoarseness. Of the lesions, a biopsy of 12 was done without excision and the rest were excised completely. Fifteen were cystic and 10 were malignant (8 biopsy only). Maximal dimensions were 5.2 +/- 3.3 cm. RESULTS: Operations were briefer for 24 posterior (93 +/- 41 min) than 5 anterior (195 +/- 46 min, p < 0.01) or 19 middle mediastinal tumors (170 +/- 78 min, p < 0.01). Although 96% had vital mediastinal relations, only six open conversions were performed because of bleeding (n = 3), large size, impaired exposure, or rib attachments, and no patient had morbidity beyond that expected for the thoracotomy. Postoperative stay was shorter for the nonconversion group (3.2 +/- 2.8 versus 5.5 +/- 2.1 days, p = 0.05), as was chest tube duration (1.7 +/- 1.4 days versus 3.2 +/- 1.9 days, p = 0.03). There were no postoperative deaths or major complications, but 7 patients had minor complications. During a mean of 20 months of surveillance (range, 1 to 52 months), one cyst recurred (asymptomatic) as did one sarcoma that was excised. CONCLUSIONS: Video-assisted thoracic surgery is a safe technique for benign mediastinal tumors, typically those in the middle and posterior mediastinum.

Chest-wall abscess due to cat-scratch disease (CSD) in an adult with antibodies to Bartonella clarridgeiae: case report and review of the thoracopulmonary manifestations of CSD.

We describe a patient who presented with a massive chest-wall abscess after a severe debilitating illness that lasted 3 months. Steroid therapy, administered for 4 weeks, masked the slow development of an extensive axillary and chest-wall abscess. After multiple negative tests, the patient's prolonged illness was diagnosed as cat-scratch disease (CSD). An indirect fluorescent antibody test revealed that two convalescent serum samples were positive for IgG to Bartonella clarridgeiae, but no other Bartonella species. We also review 12 cases of severe chest and pulmonary disease due to CSD that were reported in the English-language literature. Thoracopulmonary findings associated with CSD, pathogenic mechanisms of bartonella infections, diagnostic criteria, and management of CSD are presented.