1/273. Postpartum onset of acute heart failure possibly due to postpartum autoimmune myocarditis. A report of three cases.autoimmune diseases, especially autoimmune thyroid disease, frequently develop after delivery due to the immune rebound mechanism. Most cases have transient dysfunction of affected organs. Cardiac dysfunction developed after delivery is called postpartum or peripartum cardiomyopathy. However, the aetiology of the disease is not clarified yet. Here we report three cases that developed acute heart failure in the postpartum period. One was complicated with an atrioventricular block and postpartum autoimmune thyroiditis. All patients recovered to normal cardiac function or pre-attack condition after 1 month of therapy with conventional drugs and bed rest. All three had positive antiheart antibody detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay, and one had antibody to heart myosin detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Moreover, one of two patients examined revealed lymphocytic infiltration by endomyocardial biopsy. antibodies to 26 viruses were not elevated significantly during the first 2 weeks after admission in any case. It is strongly suggested that heart failure is induced by postpartum autoimmune myocarditis, and thus clinicians should be aware of this disease.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = liver (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/273. Virtual consult--pregnant woman with sickle-cell disease.A young woman in her 20s with a lifelong history of sickle-cell disease presents with sickle-cell crisis while in active labor. After delivery of the neonate via cesarean section, her fever spikes to nearly 106 F (41.1 C) and stays there. Clinicians are invited to comment on this case in a discussion moderated by Joseph Pastorek, MD, FACOG.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = liver (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/273. The time course of the change in antibody titres in herpes gestationis.The time course of the change in antibody titres was examined postpartum after treatment in two patients with herpes gestationis. The first patient, a 29-year-old woman seen first in the 32nd week of her first pregnancy, had an exudative erythema, and developed an itchy erythema with small tense vesicles on the trunk and legs after delivery in the 40th week of pregnancy. The second patient, a 28-year-old woman seen first in the 28th week of her first pregnancy, had an itchy exudative erythema, small tense vesicles and crusts on the legs. After a Caesarean section in the 40th week of pregnancy performed because of cardiac complications in the fetus, the skin lesions extended to the trunk and extremities. Direct immunofluorescence revealed linear depositions of IgG and C3 at the basement membrane zone (BMZ) and indirect immunofluorescence was positive at the epidermal side of the BMZ in 1 mol/L NaCl-split skin in both cases. In patient 1, prednisolone, 20 mg/day, administered 4 months after delivery, gave rapid improvement (within 1 week) of the skin lesions; in patient 2, minocycline, 200 mg/day, administered 2 weeks after delivery, gave improvement within 2 weeks. immunoblotting against epidermal extracts revealed the presence of antibodies directed to the 180 kDa bullous pemphigoid antigen in both sera. Indirect immunofluorescence and immunoblot were positive for at least 2 months in patient 1 and for 5 months in patient 2 after disappearance of the skin lesions.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1.5keywords = liver (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/273. Severe nonendemic pemphigus foliaceus presenting in the postpartum period.The new onset of pemphigus in the postpartum period is exceedingly rare with only 1 case previously reported in the literature. We describe a 31-year-old woman who developed extensive denudation of her skin shortly after delivering her second child. Histologic examination, immunofluorescence testing, and immunoprecipitation with desmoglein 1 confirmed the diagnosis of pemphigus foliaceus. The patient responded to treatment with prednisone, cyclophosphamide, and plasmapheresis. The effect of the postpartum period on the onset and exacerbation of immune-mediated bullous diseases is discussed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = liver (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/273. Management of chronic myeloid leukemia during pregnancy with leukapheresis.We describe the successful treatment of a pregnant patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic phase by using only leukapheresis. Following 20 leukapheresis procedures initiated during the 13th week of gestation and performed over approximately 7 weeks, the patients white blood cell count dropped from 242,000/microl to 19,300/microl. The WBC remained stable over the ensuing 17 weeks until the time of delivery. The patient gave birth by cesarean section to a healthy 2,640 g boy at 37.5 weeks of gestation. This is the second report of the successful use of leukapheresis alone for chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic phase during the first half of pregnancy. We conclude that where leukapheresis is available, it may provide an alternative treatment to chemotherapy or alpha-interferon, especially in light of their potential teratogenic and leukemogenic side-effects.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = liver (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/273. Endovascular thrombolysis for symptomatic cerebral venous thrombosis.OBJECT: The authors sought to treat potentially catastrophic intracranial dural and deep cerebral venous thrombosis by using a multimodality endovascular approach. methods: Six patients aged 14 to 75 years presented with progressive symptoms of thrombotic intracranial venous occlusion. Five presented with neurological deficits, and one patient had a progressive and intractable headache. All six had known risk factors for venous thrombosis: inflammatory bowel disease (two patients), nephrotic syndrome (one), cancer (one), use of oral contraceptive pills (one), and puerperium (one). Four had combined dural and deep venous thrombosis, whereas clot formation was limited to the dural venous sinuses in two patients. All patients underwent diagnostic cerebral arteriograms followed by transvenous catheterization and selective sinus and deep venous microcatheterization. Urokinase was delivered at the proximal aspect of the thrombus in dosages of 200,000 to 1,000,000 IU. In two patients with thrombus refractory to pharmacological thrombolytic treatment, mechanical wire microsnare maceration of the thrombus resulted in sinus patency. Radiological studies obtained 24 hours after thrombolysis reconfirmed sinus/vein patency in all patients. All patients' symptoms and neurological deficits improved, and no procedural complications ensued. Follow-up periods ranged from 12 to 35 months, and all six patients remain free of any symptomatic venous reocclusion. Factors including patients' age, preexisting medical conditions, and duration of symptoms had no statistical bearing on the outcome. CONCLUSIONS: patients with both dural and deep cerebral venous thrombosis often have a variable clinical course and an unpredictable neurological outcome. With recent improvements in interventional techniques, endovascular therapy is warranted in symptomatic patients early in the disease course, prior to morbid and potentially fatal neurological deterioration.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = liver (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/273. Treatment for postdural puncture headache associated with late postpartum eclampsia.Postdural puncture headache (PDPH) is the most common complication of accidental or deliberate dural puncture. It also occurs after epidural or spinal analgesia for labor and delivery. Treatment may be conservative with analgesics and/or caffeine. Definitive treatment can be accomplished with an epidural blood patch (EBP). We present a case of postpartum convulsions which were temporally related to a caffeine infusion and an EBP.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = liver (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/273. impetigo herpetiformis during the puerperium.We report on a 29-year-old primigravida who developed impetigo herpetiformis 1 day after delivery. To our knowledge, this patient is the second reported case of impetigo herpetiformis presenting during the puerperium. The patient responded quickly to systemic administration of methotrexate and prednisolone.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = liver (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/273. Effective administration of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) during resuscitation of a post partum patient with massive pulmonary embolism.Severe pulmonary embolism with cardiac arrest occurred half an hour after the 5th spontaneous delivery in a 34-year-old multipara. Standard resuscitation for 30 minutes remained ineffective. Only after Actilyse rt-PA infusion the patient's state improved. She regained consciousness on the third day. After 32 days of hospital treatment the patient was discharged in a generally good condition. Today, 5 years after the described event her state of health is very good.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = liver (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/273. hyperbaric oxygenation for rectovaginal fistula: a report of two cases.A rectovaginal fistula after delivery is a rare complication, and its management can become difficult if infection occurs. In two such cases, we administered hyperbaric oxygenation (HBO) treatment against complicated infections, and we obtained a good outcome in each case.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 0.5keywords = liver (Clic here for more details about this article) |
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