1/11. giant cell arteritis presenting as chronic cough and prolonged fever.A 62-year-old man presented with a 3-month history of chronic non-productive cough and unexplained fever. Further questioning revealed that he had headaches and myalgia. Bilateral thickened temporal arteries were noted on physical examination. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 96 mm in 1 h. A biopsy specimen of the left temporal artery showed inflammatory changes consistent with the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis. Commencement of prednisolone resulted in rapid and dramatic resolution of his symptoms. physicians should be aware of respiratory symptoms in patients with giant cell arteritis in order to avoid delay in diagnosis and therapy of this condition.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/11. Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma which showed severe inflammatory status and myelodysplasia with increased VEGF and IL-6 serum levels after long-term immunosuppressive therapy.We report a patient with anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL) who has been given immunosuppressive therapy for Evans syndrome for 10 years. He was admitted with spike fever, intra-abdominal lymphadenopathy, and multiple liver masses. Examination of biopsy specimens obtained by para-aortic lymph nodes and liver masses resulted in a diagnosis of ALCL. Immunohistochemically, these cells were reactive to anti-CD30 antibody but were not of B- or T-lineage. bone marrow aspiration demonstrated the invasion of giant neoplastic cells and trilineage myelodysplasia. Because the patient showed severe inflammatory symptoms, we examined serum levels of various cytokines. Pretreatment levels of IL-6 and VEGF in this patient were significantly elevated compared to those of normal controls. He was treated with combination chemotherapy (ABVD regimen), achieving complete remission. Myelodysplasia and serum IL-6 and VEGF also normalized after treatment. We assumed that ALCL resulted from long-term immunosuppressive therapy and that the up-regulation of IL-6 and VEGF played a role in pathogenesis of this type of lymphoma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/11. Atypical pulmonary giant hydatid cyst as bilaterally symmetrical solitary cysts.A pulmonary giant hydatid cyst, a special clinical entity, is rare. Our case involves a young patient who presented with a bilaterally symmetrical solitary cyst in each lung, a feature consistent with congenital lung cysts. The radiological and immunological findings were equivocal. A diagnosis of giant hydatid cyst was made intraoperatively and both cysts were removed conservatively. A follow-up showed complete recovery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/11. Emergent bullectomy for acute respiratory failure in ehlers-danlos syndrome.A 49-year-old man with ehlers-danlos syndrome developed acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation. Chest computed tomography demonstrated giant right bulla extending into the contralateral hemithorax with mediastinal shift. Surgical bullectomy with pleurodesis relieved tension effects and allowed weaning.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/11. Giant osteoma of the frontoethmoidal sinus associated with two cerebral abscesses.A 36-year-old woman presented with severe frontal headache, fever, left palpebral swelling, and proptosis. Radiographic studies showed a giant frontoethmoidal osteoma, that extended intracranially into the frontal lobe and was associated with two abscesses, one within the lesion and the other in the right frontal lobe. The tumour was excised and the abscesses drained.The patient made a full recovery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/11. Hepatic granulomata. Presenting with prolonged fever. Resolution with anti-inflammatory treatment.A patient is described who presented with a 1-month history of daily fever to 38.8 degrees C. There was no sign of joint pain or swelling and no skin rash. The patient had impressive hepatomegaly without splenomegaly. The only abnormal laboratory test was a sedimentation rate of 120 mm/hr. Ultrasound examination showed hypoechoic foci throughout the liver. These foci were confirmed by CT scan, which showed multiple well-marginated lesions of decreased attenuation and variable size throughout the right and left lobes of the liver. A liver biopsy specimen showed large nodules that were yellow and gritty in texture. Microscopic examination of biopsy specimens of these nodules showed extensive areas of necrotizing granulomatous inflammation with palisading histiocytes and occasional giant cells surrounded by necrotic foci. There was an associated fibroinflammatory infiltrate. The patient was treated with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent with prompt cessation of fever. A repeat CT examination of the liver after 14 months of treatment showed only mild hepatomegaly and a normal liver parenchyma. The focal lesions had disappeared. This is a case of hepatic granulomata in a child showing features of necrotizing inflammation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/11. Multicentric giant lymph node hyperplasia. A hyperimmune syndrome with a rapidly progressive course.A patient who had diffuse lymph node enlargement, fever, skin rashes, anemia and polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia is described. Histologic examination of lymph nodes taken from different sites (cervical, axillary and inguinal) revealed the presence of giant lymph node hyperplasia. The liver and bone marrow showed a moderate lymphocytic and plasma cell infiltration. The clinical presentation of a multicentric variety of giant lymph node hyperplasia in the reported case is similar to the clinical features usually associated with angio-immunoblastic lymphadenopathy with dysproteinemia, indicating that these two disorders may be related and may affect the same organs and systems. Alternatively, this histologic reactive giant lymph node hyperplasia progressing with a rapid declivitous course can be considered distinctive of a separate entity.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3.5keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/11. Short posterior ciliary artery insufficiency with hyperthermia (Uhthoff's symptom).Transient visual blurring with heart or exercise (Uhthoff's symptom) is associated with multiple sclerosis. To our knowledge, this is the first report of its occurrence in cases of documented vascular disease. Two patients had insufficiency of the short posterior ciliary circulation. In one it was caused by a carotid occlusion and in the other by cranial (giant-cell, temporal) arteritis. The monocular blurring may have occurred during periods of relative arterial hypotension.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/11. Giant-cell arteritis of the female genital tract.A 56-year-old woman with long-lasting fever of unknown origin was diagnosed as having a giant-cell arteritis of the genital tract with no evidence of temporal arteritis. diagnosis relied on pathological examination, which showed a segmental panarteritis of ovaries, myometrium, endometrium and uterus cervix. Corticosteroid therapy led to clinical cure within a few weeks. Twenty-five cases of giant-cell arteritis of the female genital tract have been published of which only four were associated with temporal arteritis. We recommend that such a diagnosis should be considered in women presenting with long-lasting fever of unknown origin, even in the absence of temporal arteritis and the clinical evidence of genital abnormalities.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/11. Acute unilateral visual loss in the elderly due to retrobulbar optic neuropathy.A 61-year-old man developed fever and a urinary tract infection followed five days later by acute visual loss in the right eye. Funduscopic examination was normal. A retrobulbar optic neuropathy was diagnosed but careful consideration was given to choroidal ischemia as an etiology. A sphenoidal mucocele was found on emergent MRI scan and drained expeditiously, with marked improvement in visual function. The diagnosis of giant cell arteritis should always be entertained when dealing with visual loss in the elderly.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = giant (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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