Nasal mucosal melanoma as a cause of epistaxis.

A 43-year-old woman presented with an 8-week history of fatigue and recurrent right sided nasal bleeds progressing to significant pain and swelling on the right side of her face. Clinical examination revealed a friable mass in her right nasal passage. A biopsy and staging positron emission tomography-CT scan confirmed the diagnosis of a T4 N1 M1 BRAF wild type mucosal melanoma. The melanoma had metastasised to the right paranasal sinuses, right and left neck nodes, right submental node, right upper breast, liver, the subcutaneous fat of the left buttock and the right iliac bone as well as cerebral metastasis with further disease progression. Combination immunotherapy was started but initially suspended due to an adverse reaction to nivolumab and restarted in due course. Surgical debulking was carried out for symptomatic relief. This case report explores the delay in diagnosis of mucosal melanoma with its subsequent consequences and the lack of understanding of associated risk factors and optimal treatment.

A mimicry of an acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: A 79-year-old woman was out in the garden having lunch on a hot summer day. She developed stabbing chest pains, more severe on her left side, associated with radiation down her left arm. Severity was 7 out of 10. There was no relief of pain with glyceryl trinitrate spray. Risk factors for ischaemic heart disease include hyperlipidaemia, being an ex-smoker (40 years), no history of diabetes or hypertension. There was a family history of her father having a myocardial infarction at the age of 54. Echocardiogram (ECG) revealed widespread deep symmetrical T-wave inversion in the chest leads and lateral limb leads. INVESTIGATIONS: The patient's serum creatine kinase level was 180 IU/litre (normal range 30-135), troponin I level was 6.56 g/litre (normal range 0-0.10), D-dimer was negative and random serum cholesterol level was 5.3 mmol/litre (3.8-5.2). Significant coronary stenoses were excluded. A left ventriculogram revealed a hyperkinetic base and a dyskinetic apical region of the left ventricle. Echocardiography showed normal valves, basal septal hypertrophy and a dilated akinetic apex, with the region of akinesia spanning more than the arterial territory. DIAGNOSIS: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. MANAGEMENT: Treatment with aspirin, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, ß blocker and a statin.

A mimicry of an acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND: A 79-year-old woman was out in the garden having lunch on a hot summer's day. She developed stabbing chest pains more severe on her left side, associated with radiation down her left arm. Severity was 7 out of 10. There was no relief of pain with glyceryl trinitrate spray. Risk factors for ischaemic heart disease include hyperlipidaemia, being an ex-smoker 40 years ago, no history of diabetes or hypertension. There was a family history of her father having a myocardial infarction at the age of 54. ECG revealed widespread deep symmetrical T-wave inversion in the chest leads and lateral limb leads. INVESTIGATIONS: The patient's serum creatine kinase level was 180 IU/l (normaL range 30-135), troponin I level was 6.56 g/l (normal range 0-0.10), D-dimer was negative and random serum cholesterol level was 5.3 mmol/l (3.8-5.2). Significant coronary stenoses were excluded. A left ventriculogram revealed a hyperkinetic base and a dyskinetic apical region of the left ventricle. Echocardiography showed normal valves, basal septal hypertrophy and a dilated akinetic apex, with the region of akinesia spanning more than the arterial territory. DIAGNOSIS: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy. MANAGEMENT: Treatment with aspirin, ACE inhibitor, beta blocker and a statin.