ABSTRACT
Hypothyroidism is a frequently diagnosed endocrine disorder. Common signs and symptoms include fatigue, cold intolerance, hoarseness, dry skin, constipation, a slow relaxation phase of deep tendon reflexes, and bradycardia. However, some patients may exhibit atypical signs and symptoms, which can result in diagnostic confusion. Pituitary hyperplasia resulting from longstanding primary hypothyroidism was first described by Niepce in 1851. It is usually asymptomatic, but sometimes, in addition to symptoms of overt hypothyroidism, patients may complain of headaches, hypopituitarism, visual field impairment, and hyperprolactinemia. Furthermore, on imaging, pituitary hyperplasia can be mistaken for a pituitary adenoma. Distinguishing between the two is crucial, as their management differs; the former often responds to thyroid hormone replacement therapy, while the latter might need treatment with surgery and/or radiotherapy. Here we describe a patient who developed pituitary hyperplasia in the setting of longstanding uncompensated primary hypothyroidism due to a lack of compliance with levothyroxine replacement therapy. We also review the clinical, laboratory, and radiologic findings of the case reports available in the literature up to now in order to improve the knowledge and the care of the disease.
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Aorto-oesophageal fistula is a rare but life threatening cause of upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage. Severity of presentation and complexity of subsequent management depends on the size of the defect on both the aortic side and oesophagus. REPORT: The patient was a 67 year old Chinese man, who presented initially with a Stanford type A dissection with caudal extension to the right common iliac artery. The patient underwent replacement of the ascending aorta and proximal arch with debranching of the right innominate artery and aortic valve replacement. A follow up computed tomography (CT) aortogram done in the post-operative period showed a stable appearance of the caudal extension of the aortic dissection. The patient was discharged with a plan for future stenting of the thoracic aorta. Three weeks later the patient re-presented with an upper gastrointestinal bleed from an aorto-oesophageal fistula. The patient underwent endovascular stenting of the descending aorta for management of the fistula. Repeat oesophagogastroduodenoscopy showed a small erosion 35 cm from the incisors where the previous bleeding site had been. No further bleeding was seen. DISCUSSION: The patient recovered uneventfully after the procedure. Follow up CT aortogram done at 6 weeks demonstrated thrombosis of the false lumen of the descending thoracic aorta. Aorto-oesophageal fistula related to chronic type B aortic dissection is an extremely rare clinical entity and presents a challenge to the treating surgeon. This case demonstrates that selected cases can be judiciously managed by thoracic endovascular aneurysm repair alone.
ABSTRACT
AIMS: Even after coronary angiography, transient left ventricular ballooning syndrome (TLVBS) can be misdiagnosed as ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) caused by transient thrombotic occlusion of the left anterior descending artery, as the appearance of the left ventricular angiograms is often very similar. As prognosis and antithrombotic treatment of these two conditions differ widely, it is desirable to make a correct diagnosis as early as possible. METHODS: Between January 1998 and August 2012, we identified 145 patients diagnosed with TLVBS in a single tertiary hospital, based on the Mayo criteria and (near) normalization of left ventricular function over weeks. For 119 of these patients, coronary and left ventricular angiograms were available for detailed study. RESULTS: In 27 (22.7%) patients, mid-ventricular ballooning was observed, with preserved contractility of the apex, while in 92 (77.3%) typical apical ballooning was seen, with extensive akinesis of the apex. In 28 of the patients with typical apical ballooning (30.4%), we observed the presence of a very small zone with preserved contractility in the most apical portion of the left ventricle. We coined this phenomenon 'apical nipple sign'. For comparison, we reviewed the left ventricular angiograms of 405 patients who had been treated for anterior STEMI by emergency percutaneous intervention on the left anterior descending artery in our hospital between February 2007 and October 2012. On careful review, the apical nipple sign was not seen in any of these. CONCLUSION: While discrimination between TLVBS and anterior STEMI is warranted as early as possible after admission, this is very difficult, especially in the majority of cases presenting with the classical apical ballooning phenotype. By observing the herein-described apical nipple sign, the attending physician can make the diagnosis of TLVBS with virtual certainty in almost one-third of cases.
