Subarachnoid Intra-cranial Lipiodol Deposits.

Lipiodol, an oil-based contrast medium first introduced in 1944, was commonly used for various radiological exams until the 1980s, when it was replaced by water-soluble contrast media due to complications such as arachnoiditis and chronic irritations. Due to its slow resorption rate, asymptomatic lipiodol deposits can occasionally be found incidentally. This case report describes a 93-year-old man who presented to the emergency department after a fall. A non-contrast head CT scan, performed to rule out subarachnoid hemorrhage, revealed numerous hyperdense droplets in the subarachnoid spaces of the brain, primarily around the temporal lobes. Further investigation uncovered a previous pelvic X-ray showing similar hyperdense droplets around the cauda equina. The patient's history indicated a lipiodol myelography performed 51 years earlier. Lipiodol deposits are generally found in the lumbar region, making an intra-cranial location particularly rare. When present, these deposits are visible as radiopaque droplets on X-rays, hyperdense droplets on CT scans, and hyper-T1 on MRI, though the T2 signal is variable. Though lipiodol deposits are generally left untreated, symptomatic spinal deposits may be surgically removed. This rare case underscores the importance of thorough patient history in diagnosing subarachnoid lipiodol deposits, a condition relevant only in older patients who underwent myelography before the 1980s.

Thoracic Vertebra Chance Fracture Resulting from Mechanical CPR.

Chest compressions, used in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), cause rib and sternum fractures in around 79% and 54% of patients, respectively. Spinal fractures resulting from CPR are far rarer. We present the case of a 70-year-old man who underwent mechanical CPR after choking whilst eating. The patient received a cerebral and thoracic CT scan upon arrival to the hospital. The cerebral scan was normal, but the chest CT scan revealed signs of ankylosing spondylitis and an unstable Chance fracture of the 12th thoracic vertebra. The patient was hospitalised but passed away. This case highlights the need for awareness of uncommon spine fractures due to the high associated morbidity. Teaching point: In patients who have undergone thoracic compressions, one should not only search for rib fractures but also for spine fractures, which, though uncommon, have a far greater impact on the patient's morbidity, especially in patients with predisposing spine conditions.

Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome With Complete Kawasaki Disease Features Associated With SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Young Adult. A Case Report.

A severe multisystem inflammatory syndrome associated with Kawasaki disease manifestations (MIS-C) has been recently reported in children with signs of recent infection with SARS-CoV-2. We here reported the case of a young adult woman who presented the complete manifestations of Kawasaki disease associated with a severe myocarditis, acute respiratory distress syndrome and hemodynamic instability a few weeks after a transient anosmia. The detection of specific antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in the absence of detection of the virus suggested that the syndrome was the result of a delayed immune response to a recent COVID-19 infection. A combined treatment with colchicine, tocilizumab, high dose immunoglobulins, and methylprednisolone allowed to control the inflammatory process and to limit the development of coronary aneurysm. The patient recovered without sequelae. This case emphasized the importance of SARS-CoV-2 serology for the diagnosis of delayed immune complications of COVID-19. Clinicians caring for adult patients must be aware that not only children but also young adults can be affected by a multisystem inflammatory syndrome with KD features associated with COVID-19.

A microvascular myocardial infarction in a 16-year-old girl with antiphospholipid syndrome: a case report.

Objective and importance: The antiphospholipid syndrome can manifest itself by silent (or not) myocardial infarction. Clinical presentation: We report the case of a 16-year-old girl who presented a myocardial infarction for whom a coronary-computer tomography did not reveal any coronary abnormalities or obstruction. She had a livedo reticularis on her physical exam. Intervention: The echocardiography showed a normal left ventricular function and a mild eccentric mitral regurgitation. A myocardial magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated transmural necrosis with microvascular obstruction at the inferobasal segment of the left ventricle, suggestive of a microvascular myocardial infarction. The blood test showed elevation of the three antiphospholipid antibodies (lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin, and anti-ß2-glycoprotein). The lupus anticoagulant remained positive 12 weeks later, fulfilling the laboratory criteria for antiphospolipid carrier. The associated presence of this microvascular coronary obstruction was strongly suggestive of antiphospholipd syndrome, according to the revised Sapporo criteria. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of antiphospholipid syndrome manifesting as an acute microvascular myocardial infarction, confirmed by myocardial magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusion: The antiphospholipid syndrome can manifest itself early by a microvascular myocardial infarction. The clinician has to be alerted by a livedo reticularis in these patients, which will be frequently associated with manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome such as arterial thrombosis and valvulopathies.

MR imaging of the pancreas: a pictorial tour.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the pancreas has undergone a major change because of its capability of providing noninvasive images of the pancreatic ducts, cross-sectional images of the parenchyma analogous to computed tomography (CT) images, and angiographic depiction of blood vessels. Recent technical issues include the use of half-Fourier T2-weighted pulse sequences and the administration of secretin for MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). Secretin improves pancreatic duct and side-branch delineation and the detection of anatomic variants such as pancreas divisum. It allows monitoring of pancreatic flow dynamics and evaluation of pancreatic exocrine function. Although contrast material--enhanced CT is still considered the standard of reference in severe acute pancreatitis and for the detection of calcifications in chronic pancreatitis, in patients referred for suspicion of pancreatic disease or with recurrent acute pancreatitis, MR imaging and secretin-enhanced MRCP are useful after unenhanced CT suggests the cause of disease. In advanced inflammatory disease, MR imaging and secretin-enhanced MRCP are useful for planning surgery or therapeutic endoscopy and for follow-up studies after therapy. MR imaging in combination with secretin-enhanced MRCP and MR angiography is useful in identifying pancreatic malignancies and in establishing resectability.