A 49-Year-Old Man With Cough and Hand, Wrist, and Knee Pain.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 49-year-old man was sent by his primary care physician to the rheumatology clinic with complaints of several months of bilateral lower extremity swelling. The swelling migrated from both ankles up to his knees. Presenting symptoms consisted of bilateral knee pain as well as bilateral wrist and hand pain with swelling. Pulmonary symptoms consisted of a nagging productive cough of several months. He also complained of significant weight loss: 50 pounds over 12 months. He was a never smoker. The examination was notable for bilateral knee effusions. Radiographs of his wrists, hands, and knee were obtained, along with a chest radiograph. He was then referred to a pulmonologist for further workup.

Clubbed fingers: radiological evaluation of the nail bed thickness.

It is established that there is an increase in soft tissue of the clubbed digits as demonstrated on previous histopathological examinations. In the present study, the nail bed thickness was assessed and measured on plain radiographs of index fingers in two groups of patients: one group with lung disease and fingers clubbing and one group of normal controls. A vertical x-ray beam was used with a focus-film distance of 1.0 m, with the index finger placed in lateral view directly over the film, without anti-diffusion grid. Three investigators, blinded to prevent bias measured the thickness of soft tissues between the nail root and the terminal phalanx on the radiographs. This method was used to evaluate a group of 85 clinically clubbed (hyponychial angle > 192.0 degrees) adult patients with lung disease and a control group of a 100 normal adult individuals with no clubbing (hyponychial angle < 188.0 degrees). The mean nail bed thickness in the patients with clubbing (n = 85) was 3.88 +/- 0.55 mm (3.00-5.50 mm). In comparison, in the normal subjects (n = 100), the mean was 2.38 +/- 0.27 mm (1.75-3.10 mm), revealing a significant difference (P < 0.001). Only two normal individuals presented nail bed thickness >or=3.0 mm. A good interobserver agreement on the measurements was found (P > 0.900). The radiographic evaluation of the nail bed thickness was easily performed, with good interobserver concordance. It is possible to distinguish between clubbed from nonclubbed fingers, in vivo, using plain radiograph.

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy in two children with cholestatic hepatic disease.

AIM: To describe two children with hypertrophic osteoarthropathy associated with cholestatic hepatic disease. Both patients suffered from chronic progressive cholestatic liver disease and developed digital clubbing, polyarthritis and periosteal reaction. In one of them, clinical and radiological features normalized after liver transplant. CONCLUSION: Hepatic hypertrophic osteoarthropathy is a rare disabling condition that responds poorly to conservative management, while liver transplantation appears to be the only effective therapeutic intervention.

Acropaquia tiroidea / Thyroid acropachy

Se presenta una paciente con exoftalmia, mixedema pretibial e infiltración de los dedos de las manos que en el extremo distal adoptan la forma de palillo de tambor con uñas en vidrio de reloj. Sa analizan las características clínicas, histopatológicas y radiológicas y se efectúa una revisión de la literatura de este raro síndrome

[Hippocratic fingers and hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. Their interrelation and probable physiopathogenic mechanisms]. / Los dedos hipocráticos y la osteoartropatía hipertrófica. Su interrelación y sus probables mecanismos fisiopatogenénicos.

Based in our own clinical studies, we state our point of view, regarding two controversial issues in the literature: 1) the relationship between digital clubbing and hypertrophic osteoartropathy (HOA), and 2) its pathogenic mechanisms. We agree with the theory which proposes that clubbing is the initial, and most conspicuous sing of a full syndrome, (HOA). These entities develop when the lung fails to inactivate a vasodilator and bone-remodeling substance normally present in the systemic venous circulation. This failure of the lung could be due to exclusion, as is the case in the right-to-left shunts, or because of functional deterioration that develops in conditions such as in lung cancer or cystic fibrosis.