Foville syndrome: a neurological emergency of clinical relevance. case report

Introduction: Foville syndrome (inferior medial pontine syndrome) is a clinical entity that makes part of a subclassification of a broader category of posterior circulation stroke. It is characterized by a blockage of the basilar artery caused by lesions in the pontine tegmentum. This syndrome has a very low incidence worldwide, but its clinical relevance is considerable. Case report: A 41-year-old patient without any medical history was admitted to the emergency department due to signs of focal neurologic deficits. Imaging findings were compatible with an ischemic lesion in the brainstem, and cerebral angiography showed involvement of the basilar artery territory. The patient was diagnosed and followed up in the intensive care unit (ICU) until his recovery. Conclusion: Foville syndrome is a rare disease with high morbidity and mortality. Early recognition and a multidisciplinary approach are decisive to improve the patient's prognosis.

Introducción. El síndrome de Foville (síndrome pontino medial inferior) es una entidad clínica que hace parte de una subclasificación de la categoría más amplia de eventos cerebrovasculares de la circulación posterior, se presenta como resultado de la oclusión de la arteria basilar debido a lesiones en el tegmento pontino. Este síndrome tiene una muy baja incidencia a nivel mundial, pero es de gran relevancia clínica. Presentación del caso. Hombre de 41 años sin antecedentes patológicos, que ingresó al servicio de urgencias por signos de focalización neurológica. Sus hallazgos imagenológicos fueron compatibles con una lesión isquémica en el tronco encefálico y la angiografía cerebral evidenció un compromiso en el territorio de la arteria basilar. El paciente fue diagnosticado y se le dio seguimiento en la unidad de cuidados intensivos (UCI) hasta su rehabilitación. Conclusión. El síndrome de Foville es una enfermedad infrecuente y de alta mortalidad. El reconocimiento temprano de esta afección y un abordaje multidisciplinario son determinantes para mejorar el pronóstico del paciente.

Absceso del uraco y obstrucción intestinal en paciente con obesidad mórbida: reporte de caso / Urachal abscess and intestinal obstruction in a morbidly obese patient: A case report

Las anomalías del uraco representan un bajo porcentaje de las patologías abdominales, no obstante, forman parte del diagnóstico diferencial del abdomen agudo por las complicaciones que puede tener. Aunque son de difícil diagnóstico debido a los síntomas inespecíficos, las imágenes diagnósticas son de gran utilidad para su identificación y caracterización. En pacientes con obesidad mórbida, la presentación del cuadro aumenta el riesgo de morbimortalidad. Por ende, en estos pacientes es necesario un control postoperatorio estricto para evaluar complicaciones secundarias a la resección del uraco. Dado los casos limitados en la literatura, se requieren estudios clínicos adicionales, para brindar un seguimiento adecuado, en aras de identificar complicaciones y el tratamiento precoz de estas

Urachal abnormalities represent a low percentage of abdominal pathologies; however, they are part of the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen due to the complications it may have. Although they are difficult to diagnose due to nonspecific symptoms, diagnostic images are especially useful for their identification and characterization. In patients with morbid obesity, the presentation of the picture increases the risk of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, in these patients, strict postoperative control is necessary to evaluate complications secondary to urachal resection. Given the limited cases in the literature, additional clinical studies are required to provide adequate diagnosis and follow-up in order to identify complications and their early treatment

Total gastrectomy in systemic scleroderma when anti-reflux surgery is not viable: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic scleroderma is an autoimmune disease that can affect the respiratory system and the gastrointestinal tract. When diffuse lung disease and pulmonary hypertension develop, a lung transplant is usually considered as treatment. This option, however, is not feasible in the presence of concomitant gastroesophageal reflux disease. In this case, medical therapy is initially warranted. If this fails, surgical approach may be considered in order for the patient to be a lung transplant candidate. CASE PRESENTATION: A 56-year-old female, with previous history of intestinal pneumonitis, mild pulmonary hypertension and gastroesophageal reflux secondary to systemic scleroderma, is considered for lung transplant. Initially, due to persistent gastroesophageal reflux, a transplant was not a viable. This was corrected with an open gastrectomy with roux-en-Y anastomosis. Follow-up one week later revealed normal anatomy, adequate esophageal-jejunal anastomosis, and adequate contrast medium transit via esophagogram. Additionally, there was no evidence of contrast medium reflux indicating a resolved gastroesophageal reflux disease. This led to the patient becoming a candidate for lung transplant. DISCUSSION: We suggest an open gastrectomy with roux-en-Y anastomosis as an alternative to the Nissen fundoplication for patients with connective tissue disease that develop terminal pulmonary consequences and require a lung transplant.

Pneumoperitoneum, pneumatosis intestinalis and portal venous gas: Rare gastrostomy complications case report.

INTRODUCTION: The gastrostomy is one of the most common procedures performed in general surgery. Although a simple procedure, it is not exempted from potential complications, specifically portal venous gas and intestinal pneumatosis being some of the ones with higher rates of mortality. The following case report presents a pneumoperitoneum due to extensive pneumatosis from esophageal, gastric, intestinal and portal gas. These rare complications were managed medically without undergoing emergency surgical intervention. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 19-year-old male patient, with previous history of cerebral palsy, chronic malnutrition and severe physical deconditioning, required a nutritional access. Due to co-existing pathologies, an open gastrostomy was chosen as the best intervention, which was performed without complications. On the tenth postoperative day, patient presents abdominal pain and diarrhea; laboratory results were within normal limits, and the abdominal computed tomography scan reported extensive pneumatosis compromising esophagus, stomach, small intestine, part of the colon, pneumoperitoneum and gas in the portal venous system. Medical management was carried out with an adequate recovery. DISCUSSION: Intestinal pneumatosis and portal venous gas are rare and potentially lethal complications. Surgical intervention as well as severe malnutrition impairs carbohydrate digestion and promotes bacterial fermentation forming large volumes of gas and dissection of the intestinal mucosal wall, causing the intestinal pneumatosis evidenced in this case report. CONCLUSIONS: This case report presents a rare open gastrostomy complication, as well as a differential diagnosis to pneumoperitoneum. Additionally, the medical management poses a successful alternative to an emergency surgical intervention.