Clinical, microbiological, immunological and imaging characteristics of tunnels and fistulas in hidradenitis suppurativa and Crohn's disease.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) tunnels and Crohn's disease (CD) fistulas are a challenge to treat. Although pathogenic similarities have been described between HS and CD, recent studies indicate that clinical, microbiological, immunological and imaging characteristics differ between these diseases. This review highlights the differences between HS tunnels and CD fistulas. Next-generation sequencing studies demonstrate a microbiome in HS tunnels dominated by Porphyromonas spp., Prevotella spp. whereas no specific bacteria have been associated with cutaneous CD. Immunologically, TNF has been found upregulated in HS tunnels along with various interleukins (IL-8, IL-16, IL-1α and IL-1ß). In CD fistulas, Th1, Th17, IL-17, IFN-ɤ, TNF and IL-23 are increased. US imaging is an important tool in HS. US of HS tunnels depict hypoechoic band-like structure across skin layers in the dermis and/or hypodermis connected to the base of a widened hair follicle. In CD, MR imaging of simple perianal fistulas illustrates a linear, non-branching inflammatory tract relating to an internal opening in the anus or low rectum and an external opening to the skin surface. An increased awareness of the immediate potential differences between HS tunnels and CD fistulas may optimize treatment regimens of these intractable skin manifestations.

Staged surgical treatment for infection of total disc arthroplasty: three cases and a narrative review of the literature.

Although total disc arthroplasty (TDA) is a common procedure for selected cases of degenerative disc disease, until today there are only two cases of TDA infections reported in the literature. We report three cases of postoperative TDA infections, two developed cutaneous fistulas. To eradicate the infectious site, a staged removal of the device, resolute debridement, and stabilization plus fusion is proposed. Surgeons are challenged by (1) major retroperitoneal vessels adherent to the device, (2) surrounding scar tissue, (3) accompanying retroperitoneal abscess, and (4) technical issues when removing and replacing the implant. A staged multidisciplinary team approach involving vascular and plastic surgery as well as spine specialists is mandatory to achieve good results.

Pyoderma gangrenosum at multiple sites in a post-colostomy ulcerative colitis patient with chronic hepatitis B virus: A case report.

Pyoderma gangrenosum is an uncommon ulcerative cutaneous lesion manifesting as rapidly progressing single or multiple skin ulcers. Permanent stoma in inflammatory bowel disease patients remains an independent risk of pyoderma gangrenosum. In the current report, we describe a case of pyoderma gangrenosum in a post-colostomy ulcerative colitis patient with chronic hepatitis B. Pyoderma gangrenosum began seemingly as peristomal dermatitis that rapidly developed into painful ulcerations with subsequent appearance of sterile pustules and ulcerations in the left lower leg. The patient significantly improved after active management with prednisolone, antiviral therapy with entecavir, and wound dressings. Our case suggests that physicians and surgeons should have a high index of suspicion of pyoderma gangrenosum in post-colostomy ulcerative colitis patients who develop peristomal dermatitis.

Primary and secondary arterial fistulas during chronic Q fever.

OBJECTIVE: After primary infection with Coxiella burnetii, patients may develop acute Q fever, which is a relatively mild disease. A small proportion of patients (1%-5%) develop chronic Q fever, which is accompanied by high mortality and can be manifested as infected arterial or aortic aneurysms or infected vascular prostheses. The disease can be complicated by arterial fistulas, which are often fatal if they are left untreated. We aimed to assess the cumulative incidence of arterial fistulas and mortality in patients with proven chronic Q fever. METHODS: In a retrospective, observational study, the cumulative incidence of arterial fistulas (aortoenteric, aortobronchial, aortovenous, or arteriocutaneous) in patients with proven chronic Q fever (according to the Dutch Chronic Q Fever Consensus Group criteria) was assessed. Proven chronic Q fever with a vascular focus of infection was defined as a confirmed mycotic aneurysm or infected prosthesis on imaging studies or positive result of serum polymerase chain reaction for C. burnetii in the presence of an arterial aneurysm or vascular prosthesis. RESULTS: Of 253 patients with proven chronic Q fever, 169 patients (67%) were diagnosed with a vascular focus of infection (42 of whom had a combined vascular focus and endocarditis). In total, 26 arterial fistulas were diagnosed in 25 patients (15% of patients with a vascular focus): aortoenteric (15), aortobronchial (2), aortocaval (4), and arteriocutaneous (5) fistulas (1 patient presented with both an aortocaval and an arteriocutaneous fistula). Chronic Q fever-related mortality was 60% for patients with and 21% for patients without arterial fistula (P < .0001). Primary fistulas accounted for 42% and secondary fistulas for 58%. Of patients who underwent surgical intervention for chronic Q fever-related fistula (n = 17), nine died of chronic Q fever-related causes (53%). Of patients who did not undergo any surgical intervention (n = 8), six died of chronic Q fever-related causes (75%). CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of patients with proven chronic Q fever developing primary or secondary arterial fistulas is high; 15% of patients with a vascular focus of infection develop an arterial fistula. This observation suggests that C. burnetii, the causative agent of Q fever, plays a role in the development of fistulas in these patients. Chronic Q fever-related mortality in patients with arterial fistula is very high, in both patients who undergo surgical intervention and patients who do not.

Arteriocutaneous Fistula Associated with Bilateral Femoral Pseudoaneurysms Caused by Bacillus Calmette-Guérin. Apropos of a Case and Review of Literature.

Vascular complications of intravesical instillation of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) are rare. BCG is an attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis that was initially developed for vaccination against tuberculosis, but it has also been used as an adjuvant treatment for bladder transitional carcinoma. We report a patient with a history of instillation of BCG 2 years before, who underwent surgical treatment of 2 pseudoaneurysms. The first, located in the left superficial femoral artery (SFA), was resected, and the artery was ligated because he had a history of femoropopliteal occlusion. After 4 weeks, he presented another one associated with hemorrhage by cutaneous fistula, in the right common femoral artery. In this case, revascularization was performed by means a common-to-deep femoral artery bypass with polytetrafluorethylene graft and reimplantation of SFA. Initially, bacterial cultures were negative, but bacilli cultures identified M. bovis after 3 weeks. Antituberculosis therapy was administered. After 13 months, the patient was asymptomatic and duplex ultrasound showed no signs of recurrent infection. This exposure should be considered if presentation of the false aneurysm is spontaneous and there is a history of bladder carcinoma.

Sternal wound infections following open heart surgery - a review.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common complications after open heart surgery. Fortunately, most are superficial and respond to minor wound debridement and antibiotics. However, 1-3% of patients develop deep sternal wound infections that can be fatal. Late infections with sternocutaneous fistulas, are encountered less often, but represent a complex surgical problem. This evidence-based review covers etiology, risk factors, prevention and treatment of sternal SSIs following open heart surgery with special focus on advances in treatment, especially negative-pressure wound therapy.

Cutaneous fistula due to pulmonary actinomycosis in a Mapuche girl.

Actinomycosis is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by Gram-positive anaerobic bacteria of the genus Actinomyces. Pulmonary actinomycosis is a rare infection in children, and its extension into the chest wall is infrequently reported. We report a case of pulmonary actinomycosis in a 14-year-old girl of Mapuche descent who presented with chronic respiratory symptoms and multiple discharging skin sinuses on her right lower chest wall. The diagnosis was made by skin biopsy, which showed sulfur granules with actinomyces colonies. She was successfully treated with intravenous ceftriaxone and penicillin G for 6 weeks, followed by oral amoxicillin for 6 months.

An analysis of complex, life-threatening infectious complications of hip and knee joint arthroplasty based on departmental data.

BACKGROUND: The growing popularity of arthroplasty results in an increase in the number of infectious complications. The clinical course of inflammation, silent initial symptoms of the disease and non-medical factors, such as poor public awareness and difficulty in finding specialist care, lead patients to postpone the decision about surgical intervention. This results in a state of imminent threat to health or life by endangering other organs of the body. The purpose of this study was to analyze extreme cases of vital organ damage due to infections following hip and knee replacement procedures. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective analysis of selected cases of life-threatening infectious complications resulting in vital organ damage (urinary tract, large vessels, cardiorespiratory system, etc.) treated at the Department of Orthopedics at the Center of Postgraduate Medical Education (CPME) over the past 12 years. RESULTS: Establishment of an early diagnosis, and above all, confirmation of periprosthetic infection are extremely important. This allows for a biologically reasonable, early and radical management with the best possible treatment options and prevents the risk of life-threatening complications. CONCLUSIONS: Universal access to antibiotics, suppression rather than treatment of infections, silent and unusual course of septic joint loosening and the lack of sufficient awareness of the problem among physicians, contribute to the reoccurrence of such cases and cause significant treatment challenge. They require management at multidisciplinary centers specializing in such cases and rarely end successfully.

Incidence of sternocutaneous fistulas following open heart surgery in a nationwide cohort.

We studied the incidence and characteristics of surgically treated sternocutaneous fistulas in a nationwide cohort of patients undergoing open heart surgery in Iceland. Between 2000 and 2010, sternocutaneous fistulas were treated surgically in 6 out of 2446 patients undergoing open heart surgery (incidence 0.25%, 95% confidence interval 0.11-0.53%). All patients were male, with a mean age of 71 ± 9 y. In addition to antibiotic treatment, debridement of the wound was performed in all cases. Staphylococcus aureus and/or coagulase-negative staphylococci were identified as pathogens in 5 cases and Candida albicans in 1. Chronic infections developed in 3 patients who were treated repeatedly, 1 of them unsuccessfully. In-hospital stay ranged from 0 to 50 days (mean 19 days). Sternocutaneous fistulas are rare, but since they may have a devastating course, increased awareness of this infectious complication of open heart surgery is important.

Botryomycosis presenting as nasal cutaneous fistulas caused by Prevotella melaninogenica.

Botryomycosis is an uncommon chronic suppurative granulomatous bacterial infection that can affect the skin and viscera. Clinically, lesions typically consist of small tender nodules from which draining sinuses may develop to expel a purulent discharge. Histopathological features include characteristic aggregation of microorganisms (grain) within the inflammatory infiltrate. The commonest causative organisms are Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, of others. Botryomycosis resulting from Prevotella melaninogenica has not been reported previously. We report the case of a middle-aged patient with botryomycosis presenting as nasal cutaneous fistulas caused by P. melaninogenica, which was successfully treated with surgical intervention combined with systemic antibiotic treatment.

Pott puffy tumor appearing with a frontocutaneous fistula.

Pott puffy tumor is defined as a forehead-localized swelling with overlying subperiosteal abscess and osteomyelitis of the frontal bone. It is an uncommon disease entity and more rarely reported with its frontocutaneous fistula. We report the unusual case of Pott puffy tumor appearing with a frontocutaneous fistula. We performed a frontal sinus surgery using a combined endonasal and percutaneous approach and frontal bone reconstruction with a resorbable mesh plate and bone cement. During a follow-up 1 year after the surgery, there was no recurrence, and we achieved excellent result from the aesthetic point of view.

[Pulmonary actinomycosis - a case report]. / Promienica pluc - opis przypadku.

Pulmonary actinomycosis is a rare disease caused by Actinomyces sp. Its symptoms and radiological findings are not characteristic, so the diagnosis might be difficult to establish. We report a case of a 59 year old male, who developed bronchopulmonary Actinomycosis due to poor dental hygiene. The infectious process affected lung parenchyma and infiltrated chest wall causing multifocal sternal osteolisis and multiple cutaneous fistulas. The radiological findings sugested neoplasmatical process. The diagnosis was based on histopatological findings of fistular scrapes. The material contained Actinomyces colonies. Afler 6 months of antibiotic therapy the patient's state improved and the cutaneous fistulas healed. Radiological finding revealed partial resolution of the lung infiltration.

[Tuberculosis of shoulder bone]. / Gruzlica kosci ramiennej.

We present a case of 39-year old man in whom after one year of corticotherapy due to suspicion of lung sarcoidosis, pathologic changes in left shoulder bone were diagnosed. Bone biopsy was carried out with subsequent development of skin fistula with matter drainage. Based on histological examination of bone specimen and bacteriological tests - tuberculosis was diagnosed. Patient received typical antituberculous therapy for 6 months resulting in healing of the fistula. After next 6 months new fistula developed within the muscles of the left arm. Examination by magnetic resonance revealed changes suggestive of tuberculosis of the left shoulder bone with the presence of two fistulas and abscess in the muscle. The patient received another course of antituberculous treatment and the content of fistula was removed. After 8 months of therapy fistula was healed while changes in shoulder bone regressed only partially, so the therapy was prolonged until 12 month.

Mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis with intractable fistula to the neck.

A 62-year-old female consulted our hospital due to an ulceration on the skin of her neck and a mediastinal tumor. Chest CT scan and MRI revealed a mediastinal tumor-like lesion with direct progression to the neck skin lesion. En bloc resection of the tumor including the neck skin ulcer was performed under a median sternotomy. Mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis was diagnosed histologically. This is a case of a very rare type of mediastinal tuberculous lymphadenitis that progressed to the neck with an intractable fistula.

[Thoracic chest wall fistula formation]. / Une suppuration thoracique fistulisante Actinomycose thoracique avec atteinte pulmonaire et pariétale.

Thoracic actinomycosis is a suppurative infection which can be difficult to diagnose as its presentation may mimic cancer or tuberculosis. We report a new case of thoracic actinomycosis in a 35-year-old man who presented with thoracic symptoms associated to a productive parietal fistula. Imaging exploration revealed an opacity of the right ventroapical segment with parietal infiltration. A bilobectomy and a parietectomy were performed. The anatomopathologic diagnosis actinomycosis was confirmed. The patient was first put on a treatment of azathioprine 1g daily during two weeks, then switched to a combination with Vibramycin 100 mg twice a day during 17 months, The evolution was marked by the persistence of productive fistulae, which were treated surgically, and resistance to the initial treatment leading to a switch to Augmentin 3 g daily during 25 days. The patient experienced clinical improvement with a follow up of 18 months than was lost to follow-up.

Healing of spongiosus-cutaneous fistula with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT): a case report.

INTRODUCTION: We present a case of a spongiosus-cutaneous fistula in a 39-year-old man with recurrent episodes of cutaneous abscess in dorsal middle third penis (5 × 3 cm) treated with Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). CASE REPORT: After emptying nodular abscess, the patient was noncompliant for further surgery. Therefore, it was suggested the association between HBOT and antibiotic therapy. HBOT is carried out in a hyperbaric room, where the internal pressure is increased (compression phase) by entering compressed air up to 283.71 kPa in about 10 minutes. Every HBOT cycle lasted 24 days in which the patient had been taking Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid 875 mg/125 mg 3 tabs/day and Sulfamethoxazole/Trimethoprim 160 mg/800 mg 2 tabs/day for 2 weeks. At the end of the treatment, a penile magnetic resonance imaging and an ultrasonography were executed and they evidenced a complete remission of the lesion. In the subsequent 22 months, there was no recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that HBOT is an effective treatment for chronic wounds, including a spongiosus-cutaneous fistula of unknown cause, when used in combination with conventional standard therapy or further interventions. At present time, the gold standard remains surgery; nevertheless, our experience with HBOT may stimulate its use in clinical trials.

Inguinal site infection as a rare cause of secondary peritonitis: report of a case.

BACKGROUND: Many rare conditions may cause secondary peritonitis. Injection site infection as a primary source of peritonitis has not been reported. METHODS: Case report and review of the pertinent English-language literature. RESULTS: We describe a 39-year-old intravenous drug user who presented with peritonitis. During the surgical exploration, all abdominal organs were intact, but there was an orifice in the pelvic peritoneum that was related to an inguinal site infection. Cultures of both the inguinal area and the peritoneal cavity discharge revealed Staphylococcus aureus. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians should be aware of secondary peritonitis induced by self-injection of illicit substances in proximity to the peritoneal envelope.

Cases presenting as parotid abscesses in children.

BACKGROUND: A parotid abscess is a rare complication of acute suppurative parotitis which most often requires hospitalization, intravenous antibiotic therapy, and surgical drainage. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinical picture, treatment, and prognosis of children with a parotid abscess in a search for optional clinical guidelines for treatment. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was performed for 10 children (age