Testicular choriocarcinoma: a rare diagnosis in a patient presenting with hemorrhagic shock.

Testicular choriocarcinoma is a rare and aggressive subtype of nonseminomatous germ cell tumors accounting for <1% of all germ cell tumors. We report an unusual case of testicular choriocarcinoma metastasis that presents as hemorrhagic shock. Diagnosis was unsuspected and difficult with vast other potential causes. This case highlights the importance of proper foundational workup and management that ultimately led to the appropriate definitive treatment of unusual manifestations of undiagnosed metastatic choriocarcinoma in a critical patient.

Delayed Presentation of Nail Gun-Associated Traumatic Pneumothorax with a Retained Foreign Body: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND Pneumatic nail guns were first introduced in the 1950's, which revolutionized the construction industry. Since that time, nail gun injuries have been reported predominantly in the extremities with rare cases of thoracic and head injuries. A nail gun can easily propel nails through human tissue with velocities varying based on propellant and object. There are limited case reports on the appropriate management of thoracic nail gun injuries. CASE REPORT A 30-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department with right-sided chest pain seven and a half hours after getting struck in the right lateral thorax with a pneumatic nail gun. The patient was hemodynamically stable and without respiratory distress. A chest X-ray was taken and showed a right pneumothorax with a retained radio-opaque object at the right lung hilum. A CT angiogram subsequently showed the object abutting the right middle lobe branch of the pulmonary artery. Cardiothoracic surgery was called and the patient was taken urgently to the operating room for right thoracotomy, finding the nail deep in the right fissure at the hilum with the nail head in contact but not puncturing the right middle lobe branch of the pulmonary artery. The patient was extubated and recovered well postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS This case demonstrates the critical nature of nail gun injuries and can better inform the trauma protocols used to treat these injuries. Even in a delayed presentation, there should be a high suspicion of traumatic lung and cardiac injuries due to the velocities obtained with pneumatic nail guns.

Combined pantaloon and femoral hernia: a common pathology in medicine occurring simultaneously.

Inguinal hernias are typically classified based on their location and can be divided into two types. The most commonly seen inguinal hernias are direct and indirect, which can both potentially require surgical intervention. When both types of hernias are seen simultaneously, it is classified as a pantaloon hernia. This case describes an instance of a femoral hernia being found along with a pantaloon hernia. We present a case of what was projected to be a common inguinal hernia repair but progressed to a rare presentation of a femoral hernia superimposed on a pantaloon hernia. Pantaloon hernias plus a femoral hernia is a rare defect that does not present as often as the different types of isolated hernias.

Clinical and operative outcomes of patients with acute cholecystitis who are treated initially with image-guided cholecystostomy.

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous cholecystostomy (PC) tube placement followed by delayed cholecystectomy has been shown to be an effective treatment option in high-risk populations such as older and critically ill patients. The goal of this study was to review the short- and long-term clinical and operative outcomes of patients with acute cholecystitis initially treated with PC tube placement. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent image-guided PC tube insertion between 2001 and 2011 at the Royal University Hospital or St. Paul's Hospital, Saskatoon. Clinical outcomes, complications and elective cholecystectomy follow-up were noted. RESULTS: A total of 140 patients underwent PC tube insertion, 76 men and 64 women with a mean age of 68.4 (standard deviation 17.7) years. Of the 140, 94 (67.1%) had an American Society of Anesthesiologists classification score of III or IV. Percutaneous cholecystostomy tubes remained in place for a median of 21.0 days, and the median hospital stay was 7.0 days. Readmission owing to complications from PC tubes occurred in 21 patients (15.0%), and 10 (7.1%) were readmitted with recurrent cholecystitis after tube removal. Forty-four patients (31.4%) returned for subsequent elective cholecystectomy, of whom 32 (73%) underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 4 (9%) underwent open cholecystectomy, and 8 (18%) underwent laparoscopic converted to open cholecystectomy. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous cholecystostomy is a safe procedure that can be performed in patients who are older or have numerous comorbidities. However, less than one-third of such patients in our cohort subsequently had the definitive intervention of elective cholecystectomy, with a high rate of conversion from laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy.

CONTEXTE: Il a été démontré que la pose d'un drain de cholécystostomie percutanée suivie d'une cholécystectomie tardive serait une option thérapeutique efficace chez les populations à risque élevé, comme les patients âgés et gravement malades. L'objectif de cette étude était de revoir l'issue clinique et chirurgicale à court et à long terme chez les patients ayant présenté une cholécystite aiguë traitée par cholécystostomie percutanée. MÉTHODES: Nous avons procédé à une revue rétrospective des patients ayant subi une cholécystostomie percutanée guidée à l'aide de l'imagerie entre 2001 et 2011 à l'Hôpital royal universitaire ou à l'Hôpital St. Paul de Saskatoon. Nous avons ensuite pris note de l'issue clinique, des complications et des cholécystectomies non urgentes subséquentes. RÉSULTATS: En tout, 140 patients ont subi une cholécystostomie percutanée, 76 hommes et 64 femmes âgés en moyenne de 68,4 ans (écart-type 17,7 ans). Sur les 140 patients, 94 (67,1 %) présentaient un score ASA (American Society of Anesthesiologists) de III ou IV. Les drains de cholécystostomie percutanée sont restés en place pendant une période médiane de 21,0 jours et la durée médiane des séjours hospitaliers a été de 7,0 jours. Vingt-et-un patients (15,0 %) ont dû être réadmis en raison de complications liées aux drains de cholécystostomie, et 10 patients (7,1 %), en raison d'une récurrence de la cholécystite après le retrait du drain. Quarante-quatre patients (31,4 %) sont revenus pour une cholécystectomie non urgente, dont 32 (73 %) ont subi une cholécystectomie laparoscopique, 4 (9 %), une cholécystectomie laparotomique, et 8 (18 %) une cholécystectomie laparoscopique convertie en cholécystectomie laparotomique. CONCLUSION: La cholécystostomie percutanée est une approche sécuritaire envisageable chez les patients plus âgés présentant plusieurs comorbidités. Toutefois, dans notre cohorte, moins du tiers de ces patients ont par la suite subi la cholécystectomie non urgente définitive, et le taux de conversion de cholécystectomie laparoscopique en cholécystectomie laparotomique a été élevé.