1/837. Psychogenic vomiting: report of two cases. Two patients were admitted to our hospital with the diagnosis of psychogenic vomiting of more than 9 months' duration. Both were treated with a combination of pharmacotherapy, relaxation training, cognitive therapy and supportive psychotherapy. Behavioral therapy and verbal catharsis were also used in one of the cases involving bereavement. The intervention was not directly aimed at the vomiting, but at the aspects of the patients' stress and emotional problems. Change in condition was assessed on basis of the frequency of vomiting and the severity of anxiety and depression. vomiting was found to be positively related to anxiety but not to depression. These 2 patients improved to the extent that the disturbance caused by vomiting was significantly reduced, and the reduction was closely related to the severity of anxiety. Both were also found to have similar personality traits and family types, which have been reported to be related to psychogenic vomiting. We review the characteristics of psychogenic vomiting and relate some important considerations for treating Chinese psychogenic vomiting cases. ( info) |
2/837. An unusual clinical presentation of pancreatic carcinoma: duodenal obstruction in the absence of jaundice. A case of pancreatic carcinoma, presenting with the uncommon initial manifestation of vomiting secondary to duodenal obstruction without jaundice, is reported. A review of 72 consecutive biopsy-proven cases of pancreatic carcinoma admitted to our institution in the past five years revealed an 8.3% incidence of this unusual primary complaint. Although infrequently reported previously, pancreatic carcinoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of gastric outlet obstruction in the absence of jaundice. The classic triad of progressive jaundice, weight loss and abdominal pain suggests carcinoma of the head of the pancreas. Emesis, secondary to high grade duodenal obstruction in the absence of jaundice, is an infrequent clinical presentation. The case described is illustrative of widespread pancreatic carcinoma that remained silent until obstruction developed. ( info) |
3/837. Downbeat nystagmus caused by thiamine deficiency: an unusual presentation of CNS localization of large cell anaplastic CD 30-positive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. A 24-year-old woman with a large cell anaplastic CD 30-positive T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) developed downbeat nystagmus, anisocoria, and oscillopsia. Prior to overt cerebral invasion by NHL, she had a thiamine deficiency with very low thiamine concentrations in the CSF, probably caused by protracted vomiting and increased vitamin B1 consumption by intrathecal tumor cells. We believe that her neurologic symptoms were caused -- at least partly -- by thiamine deficiency, as she reacted well to thiamine supplementation at the beginning of treatment. ( info) |
4/837. Markedly high eosinophilia and an elevated serum IL-5 level in an infant with cow milk allergy. BACKGROUND: interleukin-5 (IL-5) promotes the production and function of eosinophils, and an increase in the serum soluble CD23 (sCD23) level is suggestive of enhanced type-2 helper T-cell activity. The secretion of a large amount of the proinflammatory cytokine, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), has been reported to alter the intestinal barrier capacity. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether or not distinct profiles of cytokine production were involved in the marked peripheral eosinophilia of as high as 20,000/mm3 and the gastrointestinal symptoms seen in an infant with cow milk allergy. methods: The levels of IL-5, sCD23, and TNF-alpha in serum and the culture supernatants of mononuclear cells were compared with those in infants with anaphylaxis to cow milk and nonallergic infants. RESULTS: interleukin-5 was detected in the serum (19 pg/mL) but became undetectable after 2 weeks on a milk-free diet together with clinical remission. A kinetic decrease in the serum sCD23 level was also observed during the administration of a milk-free diet with improvement of the eosinophilia in 2 months. The TNF-alpha produced in vitro after stimulation with cow milk protein was not different from in controls. CONCLUSION: It seems likely that the allergic inflammation due to cow milk can induce marked eosinophilia with an associated increase in IL-5 production. ( info) |
5/837. Epidural pneumatosis associated with spontaneous pneumomediastinum: case report and review of the literature. Epidural pneumatosis rarely has been reported in association with spontaneous pneumomediastinum. We report a case of an asymptomatic 24-year-old male who presented after forceful vomiting with both findings. The patient recovered uneventfully without residual signs or symptoms. We discuss spontaneous pneumomediastinum as well as epidural pneumatosis and review reported cases in the literature. ( info) |
6/837. Diaphragmatic hernia of Morgagni. Most cases of Morgagni hernia are asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally on routine chest x-ray film, but they may occasionally become symptomatic. Symptomatic Morgagni hernias may present in many different ways, making the diagnosis challenging. We describe a patient with a Morgagni hernia, resulting in intractable nausea and vomiting, give a brief review of symptoms, note the different types of abdominal contents herniated, and describe the methods used to make the diagnosis. ( info) |
| Cogan's syndrome is a rare clinical entity defined by the association of a nonsyphilitic interstitial keratitis and vestibuloauditory dysfunction, typically Meniere's disease-like; the condition has been reported in association with a variety of cutaneous diseases. We now report a case of pyoderma gangrenosum complicating Cogan's syndrome in a 57-year-old woman, which then healed dramatically, as more interestingly did the associated uveitis with minocycline therapy. ( info) |
8/837. Necrotizing encephalopathy and macrocephaly with mitochondrial complex I deficiency. A neonate presented in the first weeks after birth with vomiting. He was unresponsive, with hypotonia, macrocephaly, and lactic acidosis. The cranial computed tomographic scan revealed a hypodense brain, with increased brain volume and extensive cerebral edema. He died at 6 weeks of age; postmortem examination revealed necrotizing encephalopathy with marked brain edema, spongiosis, thalamic necrosis, and basal ganglia calcifications. Enzyme studies of the mitochondrial respiratory chain revealed complex I deficiency in both muscle and liver. ( info) |
| BACKGROUND: Although water intoxication leading to brain damage is common in children, fatal child abuse by forced water intoxication is virtually unknown. methods: During the prosecution of the homicide of an abused child by forced water intoxication, we reviewed all similar cases in the united states where the perpetrators were found guilty of homicide. In 3 children punished by forced water intoxication who died, we evaluated: the types of child abuse, clinical presentation, electrolytes, blood gases, autopsy findings, and the fate of the perpetrators. FINDINGS: Three children were forced to drink copious amounts of water (over 6 L). All had seizures, emesis, and coma, presenting to hospitals with hypoxemia (PO2 = 44 /- 8 mm Hg) and hyponatremia (plasma Na = 112 /- 2 mmol/L). Although all showed evidence of extensive physical abuse, the history of forced water intoxication was not revealed to medical personnel, thus none of the 3 children were treated for their hyponatremia. All 3 patients died and at autopsy had cerebral edema and aspiration pneumonia. The perpetrators of all three deaths by forced water intoxication were eventually tried and convicted. INTERPRETATION: Forced water intoxication is a new generally fatal syndrome of child abuse that occurs in children previously subjected to other types of physical abuse. patients present with coma, hyponatraemia, and hypoxemia of unknown etiology. If health providers were made aware of the association, the hyponatremia is potentially treatable. ( info) |
10/837. Novel surgical treatment and gastric pathology in diabetic gastroparesis. AIMS: Observations are made on four Type 1 diabetic patients with the rare syndrome of intractable vomiting from confirmed gastroparesis, to determine whether radical surgery would alleviate their symptoms and subsequently to examine in detail the gastric histopathology. methods: The surgical approach consisted of an approximate 70% resection of the stomach, including the antrum and pylorus, with closure of the duodenum and restoration of gastrointestinal continuity with a 60-cm Roux-en-Y jejunal loop. Four longstanding Type 1 diabetic patients were examined and treated as described. They were all women in the age range 2741 years with grossly abnormal autonomic function tests in whom other causes for gastric paresis had been excluded. RESULTS: vomiting episodes leading to multiple hospital admissions (6-8) in the year preceding surgery were eliminated in three of the four patients, while in the fourth initial success was followed by the need for dialysis for renal failure. Gastric histopathology showed evidence of smooth muscle degeneration and fibrosis, with eosinophilic inclusion bodies (M-bodies) which appear to be unique to this condition. The findings suggest the presence of a gastromyopathy. CONCLUSIONS: Satisfactory relief of intractable vomiting from diabetic gastroparesis was achieved by a novel radical surgical procedure. Histopathological findings suggest that gastromyopathy may contribute to the production of this syndrome. ( info) |