Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Disease Exacerbation Associated with COVID-19 Vaccine.

We describe a case of Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease exacerbation after COVID-19 vaccination. A 46-year-old woman presented with a bilateral granulomatous uveitis 2 days after the first dose of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (Comirnaty, Pfizer-BioNTech), and was diagnosed with a complete Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease 4 days after receiving the second dose of the vaccine. Three weeks before the first dose, she had been consulted for blurred vision and mild headaches. The case resolved with high dose intravenous corticosteroids, followed by oral prednisone. The close temporal relationship between the COVID-19 vaccine doses and the worsening of VKH symptoms strongly suggests COVID-19 vaccination as the trigger of its exacerbation.

Enhanced quantitative method for the diagnosis of grade 1 cardiac amyloidosis in 99mTc-DPD scintigraphy.

The lack of a standardized cut-off value in the quantitative method and an inter-observer disagreement in the evaluation of the semiquantitative score in 99mTc-DPD scintigraphy leaves several patients with cardiac amyloidosis (CA) undiagnosed (grade 1 and H/CL: 1-1.49). This study aims to increase diagnostic productivity of 99mTc-DPD scintigraphy in CA. This is a retrospective study of 170 patients with suspicion of CA. A total of 81 (47.6%) were classified as transthyretin CA (TTR-CA) and 9 (5.3%) as light-chain CA (LC-CA) applying the visual score. An enhanced quantitative method and cut-off point were attempted to reclassify inconclusive patients and reduce inter-observer variability. Applying the proposed quantitative method, of the 19 patients with grade 1 uptake, 2 became grade 0 (none-CA), 2 were reclassified as grade 3 (TTR-CA), and 2 were regrouped as grade 2 (1 TTR-CA and 1 LC-CA). Adjusting the quantitative method's cut-off value to 1.3, four patients previously inconclusive were reclassified as TTR-CA, the diagnosis was confirmed in 3 and rejected in 1. When a 1.3 threshold is compared to 1.5, the sensitivity increases to 94% without reducing its specificity. The quantitative method improves the visual interpretation, reclassifying doubtful cases. The optimization of the cut-off value from 1.5 to 1.3 reclassifies a higher percentage of patients as TTR-CA with a higher sensitivity without reducing its specificity.

[Psoas abscesses. An up-dated perspective]. / Abscesos del psoas. Una perspectiva actual.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the characteristics of abscesses of the psoas muscle and assess the differences between pyogenic and tuberculous abscesses. METHODS: Retrospective descriptive study of all patients with psoas abscess in our hospital over the period 1994 to 2004. RESULTS: Fourteen patients were studied (10 males), with a mean age of 42 years. Half of them had had an underlying disease. The most frequent clinical manifestations were abdominal pain (64%), fever (57%), and back pain (43%). All the abscesses were secondary. In 7 patients the origin was gastrointestinal, in 6 osteoarticular, and 1 was related with infection of an aortobifemoral bypass. Computed tomography was the diagnostic imaging method in all patients. Culture of drainage specimens was positive in 92% of patients undergoing this procedure. Causal microorganisms included Mycobacterium tuberculosis (5), Streptococcus intermedius (4), Staphylococcus aureus (3), Escherichia coli (3) and Bacteroides fragilis (2). Tuberculous abscesses originated in spondylitis and the clinical presentation was longer prior to diagnosis. Drainage was performed in 12 patients (8 percutaneous and 4 surgical). Mean duration of antimicrobial therapy was 4 weeks. The infection resolved in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: Psoas abscess commonly had a gastrointestinal and osteoarticular origin. We underscore the high percentage of tuberculous etiology, which had a more insidious clinical and analytical presentation and was usually secondary to spondylitis. Prolonged antimicrobial treatment associated with drainage was effective therapy.

Abscesos del psoas. Una perspectiva actual / Psoas abscesses. An up-dated perspective

Objetivo. Analizar las características de los abscesos del músculo psoas y evaluar las diferencias entre los abscesos piógenos y tuberculosos. Métodos. Estudio retrospectivo descriptivo de los pacientes con absceso de psoas en nuestro hospital en el período 1994-2004. Resultados. Se incluyeron 14 pacientes, 10 varones, con una edad media de 42 años. El 50% tenía una enfermedad de base subyacente. Las manifestaciones clínicas más frecuentes fueron dolor abdominal (64%), fiebre (57%) y dolor lumbar (43%). Todos los abscesos fueron secundarios. En siete el origen fue gastrointestinal, en seis óseo y uno en relación con infección de un by-pass aortobifemoral. La tomografía computarizada fue la prueba de imagen diagnóstica en todos los pacientes. El cultivo del drenaje fue positivo en el 92% de los casos realizados. Los microorganismos causales fueron Mycobacterium tuberculosis (5), Streptococcus intermedius (4), Staphylococcus aureus (3), Escherichia coli (3) y Bacteroides fragilis (2). Los abscesos tuberculosos tuvieron su origen en una espondilitis y presentaron una duración mayor de la sintomatología previa al diagnóstico. En 12 casos se realizó drenaje (8 percutáneos y 4 quirúrgicos). La duración media del tratamiento antimicrobiano fue de 4 semanas. Se produjo la curación en todos los pacientes. Conclusiones. El absceso de psoas suele tener un origen gastrointestinal y osteoarticular. Destacamos la elevada proporción de etiología tuberculosa, con un carácter más insidioso en su presentación clínica y analítica, y habitualmente secundario a una espondilodiscitis. La antibioterapia prolongada asociada a drenaje representa una terapia eficaz (AU)

Objective. To analyze the characteristics of abscesses of the psoas muscle and assess the differences between pyogenic and tuberculous abscesses. Methods. Retrospective descriptive study of all patients with psoas abscess in our hospital over the period 1994 to 2004. Results. Fourteen patients were studied (10 males), with a mean age of 42 years. Half of them had had an underlying disease. The most frequent clinical manifestations were abdominal pain (64%), fever (57%), and back pain (43%). All the abscesses were secondary. In 7 patients the origin was gastrointestinal, in 6 osteoarticular, and 1 was related with infection of an aortobifemoral bypass. Computed tomography was the diagnostic imaging method in all patients. Culture of drainage specimens was positive in 92% of patients undergoing this procedure. Causal microorganisms included Mycobacterium tuberculosis (5), Streptococcus intermedius (4), Staphylococcus aureus (3), Escherichia coli (3) and Bacteroides fragilis (2). Tuberculous abscesses originated in spondylitis and the clinical presentation was longer prior to diagnosis. Drainage was performed in 12 patients (8 percutaneous and 4 surgical). Mean duration of antimicrobial therapy was 4 weeks. The infection resolved in all patients. Conclusions. Psoas abscess commonly had a gastrointestinal and osteoarticular origin. We underscore the high percentage of tuberculous etiology, which had a more insidious clinical and analytical presentation and was usually secondary to spondylitis. Prolonged antimicrobial treatment associated with drainage was effective therapy (AU)