ABSTRACT
Thromboembolism is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in cancer patients. While the link between cancer and venous thrombosis is well known, the recognition of arterial thrombosis as a serious complication of cancer and chemotherapeutic agents is a recent development. One of the chemotherapy agents frequently linked to acute vascular events is cisplatin. We discuss a rare case of cisplatin-related brachial arterial thrombosis in a 50-year-old man who was treated for cholangiocarcinoma with cisplatin and gemcitabine. Although rare, cisplatin-related arterial thrombosis demands careful monitoring, a high index of suspicion, and prompt management to prevent serious complications and mortality.
ABSTRACT
Pancreatic pseudocysts are benign lesions that typically originate within the pancreatic parenchyma, or peripancreatic tissue. They commonly occur following recurrent episodes of pancreatitis or trauma. In this article, we present a case of a giant pancreatic pseudocyst with unusual trans-spatial extensions and spontaneous size decrement in a 40-year-old male patient with a history of alcohol abuse. He presented with chronic epigastric pain, and a physical examination showed only mild abdominal tenderness. Initial computed tomography showed a giant (18.4cm in its largest axis) pancreatic pseudocyst with left subdiaphragmatic and gastrohepatic extensions and concurrent splenic cysts. On follow-up ultrasound, the pseudocyst showed a significant spontaneous size decrement to less than half of its initial size. The giant size and trans-spatial characteristics of the pseudocyst, along with a relatively benign symptomatology and subsequent spontaneous shrinkage, constitute unique aspects of this case.
ABSTRACT
Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis is a very rare cause of intestinal obstruction. It usually follows peritoneal dialysis. The idiopathic form is also called abdominal cocoon and is more common in tropical and subtropical regions. We hereby present the clinical histories and imaging findings of 2 confirmed cases of sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis who presented with chronic symptoms of bowel obstruction.
ABSTRACT
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a multisystem disorder that occurs as a result of autosomal recessive congenital transmission of CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene mutation on chromosome 7. Because it is considered a disease of the Caucasian pediatric population or due to lack of awareness, it is rarely considered in developing countries like ours. This case report presents the first case of cystic fibrosis ever reported in Ethiopia and possibly East Africa, that of a 17-year-old female diagnosed with the disease following a CT scan of her abdomen and chest. She was initially misdiagnosed and treated for tuberculosis (TB) as she was a chronic cougher. Perhaps due to epidemiological evidence, there is an obstinate tendency of blaming tuberculosis (TB) for almost every case of chronic cough with fibro-bronchiectatic lung parenchymal changes in Ethiopia. Once a diagnosis of TB is posted on such patients, their diagnosis remains in the circle of TB reinfection, relapse or resistance, followed by multiple phases of anti-mycobacterial drugs. This could lead to hazardous implications, including unnecessary prolonged anti-mycobacterial treatments, possibility of developing drug resistance, and mismanagement-related patient morbidity. This patient's chest and abdominal CT findings, including bronchiectasis, hepatic steatosis, pancreatic lipomatosis, micro-gallbladder and proximal colonic wall thickening, led to the diagnosis of CF. This article, presenting the first documented case of CF in the region, is meant to be a helpful reminder for clinicians and radiologists to also consider presumably "rare" illnesses like CF rather than blaming TB for every chronic cough and highlights the importance of abdominal CT features in the diagnosis of CF.