Herpes simplex virus 1 pneumonia: conventional chest radiograph pattern.

The aim of this study was to describe the findings on plain chest radiographs in patients with herpes simplex virus pneumonia (HSVP). The study was based on 17 patients who at a retrospective search have been found to have a monoinfection with herpes simplex virus. The diagnosis was established by isolation of the virus from material obtained during fiberoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) which also included broncho-alveolar lavage and tissue sampling. Fourteen patients had a chest radiograph performed within 24 h of the date of the FOB. Two radiographs showed no abnormalities of the lung parenchyma. The radiographs of the other 12 patients showed lung opacification, predominantly lobar or more extensive and always bilateral. Most patients presented with a mixed airspace and interstitial pattern of opacities, but 11 of 14 showed at least an airspace consolidation. Lobar, segmental, or subsegmental atelectasis was present in 7 patients, and unilateral or bilateral pleural effusion in 8 patients, but only in 1 patient was it a large amount. In contradiction to the literature which reports a high correlation between HSVP and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), 11 of 14 patients did not meet the pathophysiological criteria for ARDS. The radiologist may suggest the diagnosis of HSVP when bilateral airspace consolidation or mixed opacities appear in a susceptible group of patients who are not thought to have ARDS or pulmonary edema. The definite diagnosis of HSV pneumonia can be established only on the basis of culture of material obtained by broncho-alveolar lavage.

Percutaneous duplex-guided thrombin injection for treatment of iatrogenic femoral artery pseudoaneurysms.

OBJECTIVES: to evaluate the feasibility of treatment of post-catheterisation pseudoaneurysms with duplex-guided thrombin injection. TECHNIQUE: the technique of duplex-guided injection of thrombin in post-catheterisation pseudoaneurysms of the femoral artery is described and illustrated. RESULTS: between December 1998 and October 1999, eight post-catheterisation pseudoaneurysms of the femoral artery were successfully thrombosed with thrombin injection. One patient developed a new pseudoaneurysm within 6 hours and this was also successfully treated with thrombin. Follow-up duplex-scanning at 3 months revealed no recurrences. No other adverse events occurred. CONCLUSIONS: this initial experience suggests that duplex-guided thrombin injection in the treatment of post-catheterisation pseudo-aneurysms is feasible and safe.

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy in childhood malignancy.

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA), well known in adults, is rarely encountered in children. The clinical features include clubbing of the fingers and toes, arthritis, and a sometimes painful ossifying periostitis of the tubular bones. Apart from a hereditary form (primary HOA), most of the cases encountered in children are secondary and associated with conditions such as chronic suppurative lung processes (e.g., cystic fibrosis), congenital heart disease, biliary atresia, and polyposis coli. The association with malignant disorders, which is relatively common in adults, is very rare in children. In 1986 the authors published a case report of a patient with carcinoma of the nasopharynx who developed HOA. Another similar patient has been encountered. In both, the appearance of HOA was associated with a very poor prognosis. A meticulous research of the literature from 1890 to 1990 revealed only 24 children (19 boys, 5 girls) under the age of 18, with malignancy and associated HOA. Among them were 10 patients with a carcinoma of the nasopharynx, 8 with osteosarcoma, 3 with Hodgkin's lymphoma, 1 with a periosteal sarcoma, 1 with mesothelioma of the pleura, and 1 with carcinoma of the thymus. In five patients with HOA, there were no abnormalities of the lungs, mediastinum, or pleura, and none developed during the course of the disease. Many authors mention the predictive value of HOA, especially in association with malignant tumors. In contrast to suppurative processes in the lungs, in those with neoplastic disease involving the chest, HOA may precede pulmonary symptoms by 1-18 months. A striking feature of HOA in these instances is the reversibility of the complaints after successful treatment of the disorder of the chest, both in benign and malignant conditions. The present case is the second reported by the authors and the first description of a girl with carcinoma of the nasopharynx developing HOA.