Atrial Septal Aneurysm Leading to Ischemic Stroke: A Case Report and Literature Review.

Stroke is the most common cause of death and disability in the world, and ischemic etiology plays a major role. Atrial septal aneurysm (ASA) is a localized saccular deformity of the atrial septum, associated with ischemic stroke independently or in association with other atrial septal defects (ASD). There is a higher incidence of stroke in the population with ASD. In these patients, the presence of ASA is an important predictor of recurrent stroke. This is a case of ischemic stroke in a 44-year-old who presented with sudden-onset right-sided body weakness, expressive aphasia, and non-specific confusion for one hour, with an initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score of 7. CT angiogram revealed occlusion of the M3 branch of the left middle cerebral artery in the left lateral frontal lobe. Code stroke was called, and the patient was given tenecteplase (TNK), after which her right-side weakness and aphasia resolved. Trans-thoracic echo with bubble study showed ASA with positive bubble study. Lone ASA or ASA with concomitant ASD poses a higher risk of recurrent stroke in younger patients, especially those without significant risk factors for strokes. Patients with ASA and concomitant ASD are at high risk for recurrent ischemic stroke and should be kept under surveillance with continued medical therapy. We present a case of ischemic stroke caused by ASA and a review of the current literature and case reports documenting cases with similar presentations.

Is Physiologic Stress Test with Imaging Comparable to Anatomic Examination of Coronary Arteries by Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography to Investigate Coronary Artery Disease? - A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objective Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is a noninvasive diagnostic modality that remains underutilized compared to functional stress testing (ST) for investigating coronary artery disease (CAD). Several patients are misdiagnosed with noncardiac chest pain (CP) that eventually die from a cardiovascular event in subsequent years. We compared CCTA to ST to investigate CP. Methods We searched MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase from January 1, 2007 to July 1, 2018 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CCTA to ST in patients who presented with acute or stable CP. We used Review Manager (RevMan) [Computer program] Version 5.3 (Copenhagen: The Nordic Cochrane Centre, The Cochrane Collaboration, 2014) for review and analysis. Results We included 16 RCTs enrolling 21,210 patients; there were more patients with hyperlipidemia and older patients in the ST arm compared to the CCTA arm. There was no difference in mortality: 103 in the CCTA arm vs. 110 in the ST arm (risk ratio [RR] = 0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.71-1.21, P = .58, and I2 = 0%). A significant reduction was seen in myocardial infarctions (MIs) after CCTA compared to ST: 115 vs. 156 (RR = 0.71, CI = 0.56-0.91, P < .006, I2=0%). On subgroup analysis, the CCTA arm had fewer MIs vs. the ST with imaging subgroup (RR = 0.70, CI = 0.54-0.89, P = .004, I2 = 0%) and stable CP subgroup (RR = 0.66, CI = 0.50-0.88, P = .004, I2 = 0%). The CCTA arm showed significantly higher invasive coronary angiograms and revascularizations and significantly reduced follow-up testing and recurrent hospital visits. A trend towards increased unstable anginas was seen in the CCTA arm. Conclusions Our analysis showed a significant reduction in downstream MIs, hospital visits, and follow-up testing when CCTA is used to investigate CAD with no difference in mortality.

Tolvaptan-induced Liver Injury: Who is at Risk? A Case Report and Literature Review.

Hyponatremia is a common clinical condition encountered in the hospital setting. Syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) is an important and one of the most common causes of hyponatremia. SIADH accounts for approximately one-third of all cases of hyponatremia. Tolvaptan is a vasopressin receptor antagonist used to treat SIADH. Hepatoxicity is a rare yet dangerous side effect from Tolvaptan use. We present a case of cholestatic liver injury in an elderly female who presented with hyponatremia. She received two doses of tolvaptan 15mg and developed worsening in her total bilirubin (T Bili) and alkaline phosphatase (Alk Phos) levels. Tolvaptan is known to cause elevated transaminase levels and the mechanism of action is thought to be idiosyncratic. Fortunately, the patient responded with an improvement in T Bili and Alk Phos levels after stopping tolvaptan. This case highlights the cautious use of tolvaptan in elderly patients with SIADH as even small doses can potentiate hepatotoxicity.

Imaging of Tendinopathy: A Physician's Perspective.

Imaging plays an important role in the clinical evaluation of patients with musculoskeletal-related pain, but its utility for the management of tendinopathy is debatable. Findings on ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging may not correlate with clinical symptoms, and it is not uncommon to find anatomical changes associated with tendinopathy in tendons of asymptomatic individuals. Likewise, patients with clinical symptoms of tendinopathy can present with normal imaging evaluation. The use of diagnostic and interventional ultrasound has significantly increased over the past decade in a bid for better treatments of tendinopathy. Despite the limitations of traditional imaging in the diagnosis and management of tendinopathy, interventional procedures that utilize ultrasound hold promise. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2015;45(11):826-828. doi:10.2519/jospt.2015.0113.

CT Pelvis in Children; Should We Routinely Scan Pelvis for Wilms Tumor and Hepatoblastoma? Implications for Imaging Protocol Development.

Wilms tumor and hepatoblastoma are the most common intra-abdominal solid organ childhood tumors. CT examination is one of the routinely performed procedures in hospitals for children with these tumors inspite of high radiation exposure associated with CT scans. Sixty patients (Wilms tumor = 45, hepatoblastoma = 16) were evaluated retrospectively. Higher proportion (44.4%) of metastatic disease was identified at presentation in the Wilms tumor subset as compared to hepatoblastoma (6.3%) [p=0.006]. Metastatic disease was noted in 6 patients having Wilms tumor on follow-up while it was also low in hepatoblastoma which was noted in only 2 patients (p > 0.05). No significant difference was identified in pelvic extension of disease at presentation in both studied population (p > 0.05). Pelvic metastasis was noted in 1 patient only with Wilms tumor on follow-up while no pelvic metastasis was seen in the hepatoblastoma patients (p-value > 0.05).