ABSTRACT
Diagnosing intestinal tuberculosis (TB) with uncommon clinical manifestations is often challenging. Here, we report a case of an alcoholic patient who presented with vague symptoms and was later diagnosed with intestinal TB. This patient experienced multiorgan failure causing hemodynamic instability requiring ionotropic support; acute hypoxic respiratory failure managed with non-invasive positive pressure ventilation, hepatic failure, transudative peritoneal effusion, and transudative pleural effusion. These conditions clouded our judgment to pursue colonoscopy for a definite diagnosis and delayed the anti-tuberculosis treatment. When intestinal tuberculosis TB is suspected, the differential diagnosis must be established with other gastrointestinal involving diseases, including mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) and Crohn's disease (CD). MAC can show overlapping features with intestinal TB or coexist with it; Acid-fast stain and tissue culture are the key tests to differentiate these two. In the presence of diagnostic uncertainty between intestinal TB and CD, a therapeutic trial with anti-tuberculous therapy may be warranted.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Recent reports indicate that tufted angioma is a rare vascular neoplasm that manifests more frequently at birth than previously thought. Few studies specifically address congenital presentation. OBJECTIVES: We analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics, clinical course, and treatment of congenital tufted angioma (cTA) and evaluated variables that were indicative of problematic lesions. METHODS: We performed an observational retrospective study of 30 patients with cTA in 9 Spanish hospitals over a 14-year period. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry studies were performed. RESULTS: Congenital tufted angioma mainly affected the limbs (56.67%), followed by the face and/or neck (23.33%). Almost three-quarters of facial cTA were located over the mandibular area. Immunohistochemically, proliferating cells expressed markers of endothelial cells, with some clusters of cells, especially at the periphery of the aggregates, showing positivity for podoplanin. As no associated complications were observed in 66.67% of cases, no treatment was started. LIMITATIONS: Data were collected retrospectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings emphasize the clinical features and course of cTA. The possibility of cTA should be considered when a poorly defined congenital infiltrative vascular tumor with(out) overlying hirsutism appears over the mandibular area. Location on the face and/or neck requires a more comprehensive workup, since potentially severe complications often appear early.
