1/36. The pathology of human west nile virus infection.west nile virus (WNV) was identified by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) as the etiologic agent in 4 encephalitis fatalities in new york city in the late summer of 1999. The fatalities occurred in persons with a mean age of 81.5 years, each of whom had underlying medical problems. Cardinal clinical manifestations included fever and profound muscle weakness. autopsy disclosed encephalitis in 2 instances and meningoencephalitis in the remaining 2. The inflammation was mostly mononuclear and formed microglial nodules and perivascular clusters in the white and gray matter. The brainstem, particularly the medulla, was involved most extensively. In 2 brains, cranial nerve roots had endoneural mononuclear inflammation. In addition, 1 person had acute pancreatitis. Based on our experience, we offer recommendations for the autopsy evaluation of suspected WNV fatalities.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = white (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/36. Olanzapine-induced acute pancreatitis.OBJECTIVE: To report the first published case of olanzapine-induced acute pancreatitis. CASE SUMMARY: A 72-year-old white woman was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis and unintentional verapamil overdose. The patient did not consume alcohol and had undergone a cholecystectomy in the past; other medical causes of pancreatitis had been ruled out. She was taking several medications chronically, but olanzapine was started six days prior to the onset of acute abdominal symptoms. According to the Naranjo probability scale, olanzapine was considered the probable cause of acute pancreatitis in this patient. Following a 12-day stay in the ICU, the patient was transferred to the ward where she died a few days later of unrelenting peritonitis secondary to acute pancreatitis. DISCUSSION: A literature search (1966-July 2000) and contact with the manufacturer failed to detect any published reports of acute pancreatitis associated with olanzapine. The contribution of concomitant medications taken prior to ICU admission in initiating or worsening the pancreatitis was deemed unlikely. More common causes of acute pancreatitis, such as ethanol consumption and gallstones, were also ruled out in this patient. Therefore, olanzapine was rated as a probable cause for acute pancreatitis in our patient. The mechanism of this adverse reaction is unknown. CONCLUSIONS: This is believed to be the first published report suspecting olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic agent, to have caused acute hemorrhagic pancreatitis in a patient, leading to admission to the ICU and, eventually, death secondary to unrelenting peritonitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = white (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/36. metronidazole-associated pancreatitis.OBJECTIVE: To report a case of acute reversible pancreatitis associated with metronidazole-treated aspiration pneumonia. CASE SUMMARY: A 61-year-old white woman requiring coronary artery bypass surgery developed acute pancreatitis following treatment with metronidazole for suspected postsurgical aspiration pneumonia. The patient developed moderate to severe bilateral upper quadrant abdominal pain; laboratory studies revealed elevated amylase and lipase concentrations four days following the initiation of metronidazole therapy. After discontinuation of metronidazole, the patient's abdominal pain subsequently improved, and both amylase and lipase concentrations immediately declined and were within normal limits within one week. DISCUSSION: An acute attack of pancreatitis is characterized by moderate to severe abdominal pain that may radiate to the back, accompanied by increased concentrations of pancreatic enzymes and few morphologic changes in the pancreas. metronidazole is reported as having a probable association with acute pancreatitis, although the mechanism of drug-induced pancreatitis is not known. One speculative mechanism of metronidazole-induced pancreatitis is that, under aerobic conditions, metronidazole may undergo redox cycling and yield hydrogen peroxide, superoxide, and other free radicals. Such redox-active compounds are toxic to pancreatic beta-cells, and oxygen-centered free radicals have been implicated in the induction of pancreatitis. Other suggested mechanisms include immune-mediated inflammatory response, pancreatic duct constriction, and metabolic effects. CONCLUSIONS: Very few cases of metronidazole-associated pancreatitis have been reported, and the long-term sequelae are unknown. However, if metronidazole or any other drug is suspected as the causative agent in pancreatitis, it should be discontinued and rechallenge should be avoided.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = white (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/36. Secondary pancreatic involvement by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma presenting as acute pancreatitis: treatment and outcome.We report the case of a 33-year-old man who presented with a large B-cell non Hodgkin's lymphoma presenting as acute pancreatitis. Abdominal CT showed diffuse swelling of the pancreas, with two distinct masses in the corpus and the tail. Thoracic CT showed a markedly enlarged mediastinum, with a voluminous mass in the middle mediastinum. Direct biopsy of this mass revealed a large B-cell lymphoma. Chemotherapy followed by peripheral blood cell autotransplantation led to complete disappearance of the pancreatic and mediastinal masses. Fatty diarrhea occurred after chemotherapy, probably owing to gland destruction by lymphomatous infiltration. Twenty-six months later, the patient is disease-free but continues to require pancreatic enzyme supplements.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 3.6969408576871keywords = blood cell (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/36. A pair of monozygotic twins with anomalous pancreaticobiliary junction and pancreatitis.The authors describe a pair of white 7-year-old monozygotic twin girls with the same anomaly of the pancreaticobiliary junction (APBJ), in whom the clinical presentation and disease evolution are slightly divergent. The pathogenesis and genetic control of the disease are discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = white (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/36. Acute pancreatitis associated with angiotensin ii receptor antagonists.OBJECTIVE: To report a case of acute pancreatitis in a patient receiving a combination formulation of irbesartan and hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ). CASE SUMMARY: A 33-year-old white woman developed acute pancreatitis 10 days after starting irbesartan 300 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 12.5 mg for treatment of hypertension. Her symptoms disappeared and serum concentrations of lipase and amylase returned to normal 2 days after irbesartan/HCTZ was discontinued. A search of medline (1990-September 2002) and the Australian Adverse Drug Reaction Advisory Committee database revealed 1 additional case of pancreatitis associated with irbesartan/HCTZ and 3 cases of pancreatitis associated with losartan. DISCUSSION: An objective causality assessment indicates that it is probable that pancreatitis was caused by the angiotensin ii receptor antagonist irbesartan (and the same is probably true for losartan). It is less likely that the hydrochlorothiazide in irbesartan/HCTZ caused pancreatitis in our patient since the dose was lower than that usually associated with thiazide-induced pancreatitis. angiotensin ii receptors are thought to be important in regulation of pancreatic secretion and microcirculation, but the mechanism of pancreatitis induced by angiotensin ii receptor antagonists remains unclear. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be aware that irbesartan/HCTZ or losartan may cause acute pancreatitis. If abdominal pain develops, the medication should be discontinued and the patient investigated for acute pancreatitis.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = white (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/36. endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration cytology of intraductal papillary mucinous tumor of the pancreas. A case report.BACKGROUND: Intraductal papillary mucinous tumor (IPMT) of the pancreas is a recently proposed pancreatic tumor entity with a peculiar clinical and pathologic profile. It presents with symptoms that are mostly attributed to the mass effect of the tumor. However, a long history of diabetes mellitus and/or chronic pancreatitis is usually noted. It is thought that IPMT has better prognosis than the usual pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and its early identification is important. On imaging studies these neoplasms appear usually as multiloculated, cystic tumors that cannot be easily differentiated from other cystic pancreatic neoplasms. CASE: A 73-year-old, white woman with recent symptoms related to bile duct obstruction and diabetes mellitus and a long history of "chronic pancreatitis" was found to have a pancreatic mass on computed tomography. endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of the pancreatic mass and dilated pancreatic duct was performed. Cytopathologic examination of the aspirated material revealed large cells with abundant, eosinophilic cytoplasm arranged singly or occasionally in large sheets with complex papillary fragments. Occasional goblet cells or cells with cytoplasmic mucin-containing vacuoles were also noted within the tumor tissue fragments. The nuclei were large, with nuclear size variability and prominent nucleoli. Copious amounts of mucin and numerous muciphages were noted in the background. A diagnosis of "cystic mucinous tumor, cannot rule out invasion," was entertained. The patient underwent partial pancreatectomy. The histologic features of the resected specimen were consistent with IPMT, with focal areas suggestive of early stromal invasion. CONCLUSION: The cytologic features encountered in the aspirate of this tumor are highly suggestive of IPMT and can help differentiate it from other pancreatic tumors with mucin production, such as the classic mucinous cystic neoplasm and the more common ductal carcinoma.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = white (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/36. dapsone-induced acute pancreatitis.OBJECTIVE: To report a case of acute pancreatitis associated with dapsone use. CASE SUMMARY: An 87-year-old white man was prescribed dapsone for dermatitis herpetiformis. Four weeks later, he developed acute abdominal pain requiring hospitalization. The patient had elevated serum amylase and lipase levels. Laboratory test results for other possible etiologies were negative. His symptoms resolved when dapsone was discontinued. dapsone was reintroduced for exacerbation of dermatitis herpetiformis 4 months later. The patient again had severe abdominal pain with high amylase and lipase levels. Again, symptoms resolved following dapsone discontinuation. DISCUSSION: Only 1 other case of pancreatitis associated with dapsone was found in a medline search of the literature (1966-June 2003) using the key terms dapsone and pancreatitis. An objective causality assessment revealed dapsone to be a probable cause of acute pancreatitis, based on the Naranjo probability scale. Drugs should always be considered as causative factors for pancreatitis in patients without known risk factors. dapsone is increasingly used as a second line of treatment of pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP). The recognition of dapsone-induced pancreatitis is of particular importance in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: While dapsone is traditionally used for the treatment of leprosy and dermatitis herpetiformis, its use for PCP prophylaxis, malaria, brown recluse spider bites, and acne is not uncommon. pancreatitis is an uncommon adverse effect of dapsone, and greater awareness of this association will prompt a high index of suspicion in an appropriate clinical setting. Further reporting of cases and clinical research of drug-induced pancreatitis is indicated.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = white (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/36. Acute onset of pancreatitis with concomitant use of tenofovir and didanosine.OBJECTIVE: To report a case of pancreatitis associated with the combined use of didanosine and tenofovir. CASE SUMMARY: A 51-year-old white man with hiv was initiated on antiretroviral therapy with didanosine 250 mg/day, tenofovir 300 mg/day, lamivudine 300 mg/day, stavudine 60 mg/day, and efavirenz 600 mg/day. didanosine was prescribed at a reduced dosage due to the known interaction with tenofovir. Despite this dosage adjustment, the patient developed acute pancreatitis 10 weeks after antiretrovirals were initiated. pancreatitis resolved spontaneously after antiretroviral discontinuation. DISCUSSION: Our report of didanosine-induced pancreatitis secondary to concurrent use with tenofovir is the third reported case that utilized a reduced didanosine dosage. Five previous pancreatitis reports have been described using full-strength didanosine with tenofovir. The exact mechanism of action for this interaction is unknown. Utilizing the Naranjo probability scale to assess causality, a possible adverse drug reaction was determined. CONCLUSIONS: Tenofovir and didanosine may be used cautiously in antiretroviral combination therapy. Reduced didanosine dosage (250 mg) should be used to reduce serum didanosine concentrations and subsequent toxicities. Practitioners should be aware that a significant drug interaction with resulting pancreatitis may occur even when a reduced dosage is prescribed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = white (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/36. Xanthogranulomatous pancreatitis: mass lesion of the pancreas simulating pancreatic carcinoma--a report of two cases.Xathogranulomatous inflammation is well known in the gall bladder and kidney. Xanthogranulomatous pancreatitis has not been previously described. We report two cases of this new clinicopathologic entity. The first was a 50 years old male with cholelithiasis and progressive obstructive jaundice for 5 months. radiology was suggestive of carcinoma head of pancreas and a Whipples procedure was performed. The second was a 36 years old male with choledocholithiasis and features of chronic pancreatitis. During pancreaticojejunostomy, a mass was found in the tail of pancreas, which was excised with a suspicion of carcinoma. Gross examination of both specimens showed firm grey white masses, demarcated from the surrounding pancreas but with infiltrative margins, and were thought to be carcinoma. Histopathological examination showed localized inflammation with numerous foamy histiocytes along with dilated ducts and microabscesses. A diagnosis of xanthogranulomatous pancreatitis was made in both instances. In view of clinical, radiological, operative and gross appearances of our cases simulating carcinoma, recognition of xanthogranulomatous chronic pancreatitis as a distinct clinicopathological entity seems important, analogous to similar lesions of the kidney and gall bladder.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = white (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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