ABSTRACT
Autoimmune pancreatitis is a form of chronic pancreatitis caused by an autoimmune process. The classical appearance of autoimmune pancreatitis in abdominal imaging is diffuse pancreatic enlargement, but the focal form appears as a mass and often involves the pancreatic head; this scenario represents a challenging diagnostic problem because these features also resemble pancreatic cancer. We present the endoscopic ultrasound findings of seven patients with autoimmune pancreatitis in order to highlight the ambiguous features and the features pivotal for the diagnosis.
Subject(s)
Autoimmune Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Endosonography/methods , Pancreatitis/diagnostic imaging , Adult , Autoimmune Diseases/complications , Awareness , Diagnosis, Differential , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pancreatitis/complications , Young AdultABSTRACT
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammation that may involve the entire gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus. The most widely accepted etiologic theory involves an immunologic aberration leading to local tissue destruction. Cell-mediated immunity with increased tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production may play a role in mucosal damage. Oral and laryngeal involvement are rare manifestations of Crohn's disease that are usually treated successfully by steroids. We here report a rare case of extra-intestinal Crohn's disease resistant to steroid therapy, which was successfully treated with infliximab, a chimeric antibody directed against TNF-alpha that is the only registered agent for the treatment of Crohn's disease. The relative safety, efficacy, and efficiency of infliximab make it an alternative treatment of which otolaryngologists should be aware.
