[Lung abscess: Diagnosis and management]. / Abcès du poumon : diagnostic et prise en charge.

Lung abscesses are necrotic cavitary lesions of the lung parenchyma. They are usually caused by anaerobic bacteria or mixed flora and typically occur after aspiration. Primary lung abscesses occur in previously healthy patients with no underlying medical disorders and are usually solitary. Secondary lung abscesses occur in patients with underlying or predisposing conditions and may be multiple. The initial diagnosis is usually made by chest radiography showing a lung cavity with an air-fluid level. Typically, the cavity wall is thick and irregular, and a surrounding pulmonary infiltrate is often present. The differential diagnosis of pulmonary cavitation is wide, including different types of possible infections, neoplasia and malformations of the bronchial tree. Management is usually based on prolonged antibiotic treatment. Failure of conservative management, manifested by the persistence of sepsis and/or other abscess complications, may necessitate drainage with invasive techniques (percutaneous, endoscopic or surgical) or open surgical removal of the lung lesion in patients with good performance status and sufficient respiratory reserve.

[Isolated sternal tuberculosis in immunocompétent adult]. / Tuberculose sternale isolée chez l'adulte immunocompétent.

Isolated sternal tuberculosis is a rarely described entity even in countries where tuberculosis is endemic. We report the case of 25 old years patient who presented with a chest wall mass. Imaging concluded to a (ring-enhancing hypodense soft tissue mass surrounding the sternum with sternal fracture). Malignancy was eliminated by a core needle biopsy. We noted clinical and radiological recovery with medical tuberculosis treatment. Neoplastic origin was removed by biopsy and anatomopathological study of the lesion.

[Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema associated with microscopic polyangiitis]. / Micropolyangéite, syndrome d'emphysème des sommets et fibrose pulmonaire des bases.

BACKGROUND: Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) is a rare entity of unknown etiology. It usually occurs in the context of smoking and, less commonly, connective tissue disease. However, it has been rarely previously described in the context of vasculitis. OBSERVATION: We report a case of CPFE occurring in a 44-year-old man, who was a light smoker without any previous medical history. He presented with fever, chronic cough and breathlessness that progressively evolved to acute respiratory failure. At the initial evaluation, CT scan showed emphysema and patchy bilateral areas of ground-glass opacity. Three years later, the patient simultaneously developed a honeycomb fibrosis and a microscopic polyangiitis with renal involvement justifying the introduction of an immunosuppressive treatment in combination with high dose of systemic corticosteroids. After a stabilization period of 6years, the patient gradually developed chronic respiratory failure with moderate pulmonary hypertension requiring long-term oxygen therapy and nocturnal non-invasive ventilation. CONCLUSION: The association of microscopic polyangiitis to CFPE suggests that autoimmune diseases may have a common pathogenic role in the development of emphysematous and fibrotic lesions in CPFE.

[The syndrome of increased upper airways resistance: What are the clinical features and diagnostic procedures?]. / Syndrome de haute résistance des voies aériennes supérieures: quelles approches cliniques et quelles procédures diagnostiques?

The upper airway resistance syndrome "UARS" is a poorly defined entity, often described as a moderate variant of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. It is associated with respiratory effort-related arousal, absence of obstructive sleep apnea, and absence of significant desaturation. It is a relatively common condition that predominantly affects non-obese young adults, with no predominance in either sex. The degree of upper airway collapsibility during sleep of patients with UARS is intermediate between that of normal subjects and that of patients with mild-to-moderate sleep apnea syndrome. Craniofacial and palatal abnormalities are often noted. Patients frequently complain of a functional somatic syndrome, especially daytime sleepiness and chronic fatigue. Polysomnography with esophageal pressure measurements remains the gold standard diagnostic test. The absence of any neurological abnormality gives UARS a good prognosis and it is potentially reversible if treated early. However, some studies suggest that untreated UARS has an increased risk of arterial hypertension. It can also evolve into obstructive sleep apnea.

[Hydatid cysts of the liver ruptured into the thorax (about five cases)]. / Kystes hydatiques du foie rompus dans le thorax (à propos de cinq cas).

INTRODUCTION: Hydatid cyst of the liver remains a serious public health problem in Tunisia. This benign affection can sometimes cause fatal complications such as cyst rupture into the thorax. CLINICAL CASES: We report 5 cases of patients who experienced intrathoracic rupture of hydatic cyst of liver. There were four rural women and an urban man. Patients were between 60 and 75 years of age. We present 2 cases of cyst rupture into pleura, 3 cases of hydatid bronchial fistula and 3 cases of biliothoracic fistulas. Surgical treatment was performed by laparotomy in 3 cases, thoracic approach in one case and by thoracoabdominal approach in the other case. We deplore one case of early death by hemorrhagic shock. CONCLUSION: Authors emphasize the complexity of the management of hydatic cyst of liver ruptured into the thorax. Surgical treatment remains responsible of high perioperative morbidity and mortality. Early diagnostic and improvement of reanimation measures are important to improve the prognosis of this serious complication.

[Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in the elderly]. / Le syndrome d'apnées obstructives du sommeil du sujet âgé

Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a common disease in the general population. However, original works on the SAHS in the elderly are few and their results are discordant. Studies show an increased prevalence of OSAHS with age, and despite this high prevalence, it remains under-diagnosed due to lack of knowledge of geriatric features of this disease and the frequency of comorbidities that may worsen as a result of nocturnal breathing problems but can also mask the symptoms necessary for positive diagnosis. The functional symptoms are dominated by neurological signs such as daytime hypersomnia and cognitive impairment often reported by those around the patient. The treatment is based mainly on continuous positive airway pressure which tolerance in elderly patients suffering from sleep apnea is similar to that of younger patients. Mandibular implants can be discussed depending on the severity of the condition. Surgical treatment is not indicated because of the increased frequency of complications.

[Determinants of quality of life in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]. / Déterminants de la qualité de vie dans la bronchopneumopathie chronique obstructive.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is considered as a systemic disease with pulmonary starting point. The use of spirometry alone is certainly not the best way to reflect the impact of disease on quality of life for patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective study concerning 70 patients treated for COPD. Quality of life was assessed using the French version of the Saint-George questionnaire. RESULTS: Our population was predominantly male (97%) with a mean age of 63 years. All patients were smokers with an average of 46 pack-years. The total score of the Saint-Georges respiratory questionnaire was 50.7%. The mean scores of different fields were 68% for the field activities, 49% for impact and 26% for the item of symptoms. The multidimensional BODE index was correlated with the quality of life and its various fields were more powerfully than the forced expiratory volume per second, the number of exacerbations, the six-minute walking test and dyspnea score. CONCLUSION: It is important to integrate the multidimensional classification indices in assessing the severity of the disease because only these indices can reflect the systemic aspect of the disease.

[Flexible bronchoscopy as it is lived by the patient]. / La bronchoscopie souple comme elle est vécue par le patient.

INTRODUCTION: Flexible bronchoscopy is an indispensable complementary exam in respiratory medicine for both diagnosis of many pulmonary diseases and their treatment. Only a few studies in literature have been conducted to evaluate the safety and acceptability of this act. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Prospective, mono-center, non-comparative study involving 120 patients who underwent a flexible bronchoscopy for diagnostic. RESULTS: During the study, flexible bronchoscopy has caused neither deaths nor major complications. However, minor incidents have been deplored: hemoptysis (13.3%), epistaxis (3.3%), desaturation less than 90% (4.2%), laryngospasm (3.3%) and vagal discomfort (1.7%). 56.7% of patients were anxious before the exam and 24% of patients preferred to have general anesthesia. The patients reported cough in 78.3% of cases, difficulty in breathing in 55% of cases and pain in 13.3% of cases. The occurrence of nausea, noted in 15.8% of cases, was correlated with the pathway of the bronchoscope (P=0.002). At the end of the endoscopy, 67.5% of patients agreed to repeat the examination, if necessary, under the same conditions. CONCLUSION: The results of our study confirm that many complications during a flexible bronchoscopy are rare and generally mild failing in life-threatening. However, the occurrence of discomfort (cough, pain, vomiting, dyspnea) or incidents (asphyxia, vagal discomfort, laryngeal spasm) are likely to alter patient comfort during the exam.

[Muscle metastasis revealing bronchial adenocarcinoma]. / Métastase musculaire révélatrice d'un adénocarcinome bronchique.

INTRODUCTION: The diagnosis of nonsmall cell lung cancer is made at a metastatic stage in 25% of cases. The most frequent sites are the lung, liver, bone, the adrenal glands and the central nervous system. Skeletal muscle metastases are uncommon and are rarely the first manifestation of a neoplastic process. CASE REPORT: We report the case of 55 years old man presenting with a hard painless swelling of the left arm. A scan guided biopsy revealed infiltration of the muscle by a thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF1) positive adenocarcinoma. A CT scan of the chest showed a partially necrotic tissue mass with moderate uptake of contrast. The patient was treated by chemotherapy with gemcitabine and carboplatine. The progress was unfavourable with the appearance of a second muscular metastasis in the thigh and the patient died 3 months after diagnosis. CONCLUSION: Skeletal muscle metastases are rarely described in lung cancer and they are an exceptional presentation of the tumour. Their symptoms can be misleading and delay diagnosis.

[Ovarian metastasis from bronchial carcinoma]. / Métastase ovarienne d'un carcinome bronchique.

INTRODUCTION: The ovary, being a richly vascular organ, may receive metastases from numerous tissues, particularly of gynecologic origin. Extragenital cancers are dominated by gastro-intestinal and breast tumors. The lung is exceptionally described as a primary site of ovarian metastasis. CASE REPORT: We report a 28-year-old woman who was found to have a right perihilar opacity. The diagnosis of small cell bronchial carcinoma was made by bronchial biopsy. A right-sided uterine mass was also identified. This was resected and histopathology identified it as an ovarian metastasis from the pulmonary tumor. CONCLUSION: We report, through this case, and present a review of the literature on ovarian metastasis originating from bronchopulmonary neoplasms.

[Postpartum pericardic tamponade revealing systemic lupus erythematosus]. / Tamponnade péricardique en postpartum révélatrice d'un lupus érythémateux systémique.

Pericarditis is the most common manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus and is clinically found in 62% of the autopsies. Cardiac tamponade is a deadly but rare complication found in less than 1% of all lupus cases. It is highly revealing. The authors report the case of a 29-year old woman presenting postpartum cardiac tamponade. The diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus was based on the association of haematological disorders (anaemia and leukopenia), pericarditis, pleurisy and positive anti-nuclear and anti-native DNA antibodies. The patient was treated with pericardiac drainage and cortisone therapy. The evolution was favourable after 22 months. Using this case study, the authors note the rarity of cardiac tamponade as a manifestation inaugurating lupus and discuss the relationship between pregnancy and lupus disease.

False penile fracture: report of 16 cases.

We determined the value of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches of false penile fractures and the outcome of treatment. We retrospectively reviewed 16 cases of presumed penile fracture with a negative surgical exploration. Clinical presentation, technique of treatment and outcome were noted. The mean age was 39 years (17-64). Nine patients were injured during sexual intercourse. All the patients presented with the presumptive diagnosis of penile fracture. False penile fracture was evoked in one patient presenting a new erection. Surgical penile exploration was carried out for all the patients without any radiological explorations. It revealed nonspecific dartos bleeding in 10 cases and avulsed superficial dorsal vein in six cases requiring venous ends ligation. All the patients regained penile appearance and potency. We can hardly distinguish false penile fracture from 'true' penile fracture with certainty either clinically or radiologically, thus, surgical exploration is mostly necessary. The prognosis is excellent.

[Ureteric valves: a report of two cases]. / Les valves de l'uretère: à propos de deux observations.

Ureteric valves are a rare cause of ureteric obstruction. Fifty cases have been described in the literature. We report two new cases. The first is of a 12-year-old child with left multiple ureteric valves associated to bilateral vesico-ureteric reflux. The patient was treated by uretero-ileoplasty with unfavourable evolution to renal failure. The second case is that of a proximal ureteric valve discovered in a 30-year-old woman who had postpartum acute pyelonephritis. Treatment consisted in ureteric resection-anastomosis with favourable outcome. Based on a review of the literature, we discuss epidemiologic, etiologic, diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of this malformation.