1/205. Isolated intrathoracic injury with air bag use. The restrained (air bag and seatbelt) driver of a vehicle involved in a high-speed motor-vehicle accident sustained a tear of the thoracic aorta with no signs of external injury. air bag deployment may mask significant internal injury, and a high index of suspicion is warranted in such situations. ( info) |
2/205. Acute pseudohepatitis in a chronic substance abuser secondary to occult seat belt injury. Causes of a massive elevation in serum aminotransferases (aspartate aminotransferase [AST] and alanine aminotransferase [ALT]) in the substance-abusing patient include viral hepatitis and drug hepatotoxicity. A patient chronically addicted to injection heroin and cocaine presented to the emergency room in a confused state and was admitted to a medical ward with an AST of 4120 U/L, ALT 3820 U/L and right upper quadrant discomfort. Investigations for viral and hepatotoxic causes for the liver dysfunction revealed only hepatitis c seropositivity. A computed tomogram of the abdomen, however, revealed a significant contusion to the right lobe of the liver consistent with traumatic injury. A motor vehicle accident, in which the patient was wearing a seat belt, and which had occurred a few days before admission and had been thought to be minor, was the cause of the liver dysfunction. Significant blunt abdominal traumatic injuries are usually managed exclusively by surgical trauma units. This case underlines the need for medical specialists to be aware of hepatic contusion injuries and to have a high index of suspicion when investigating unexplained hepatocellular dysfunction in chronic substance abusers who have been in motor vehicle accidents. ( info) |
3/205. Posterior chamber intraocular lens dislocation with the bag. We report a rare case of a 46-year-old man presenting with a luxation of a posterior chamber intraocular lens (IOL) with the capsular bag after ocular contusion. Preoperative axial length was 36.58 mm. After trauma, pars plana extraction of the dislocated IOL inside the capsular bag was performed using a forceps. Capsular fibrosis had probably weakened the zonules, which were ruptured by the trauma. This observation confirms the necessity of a large continuous curvilinear capsulotomy and meticulous cleaning of the anterior and posterior capsules to minimize postsurgical fibrosis and capsule contraction. ( info) |
4/205. Coeliac disease in adults: variations on a theme. In childhood, coeliac disease (gluten enteropathy) tends to show itself with failure to thrive and growth retardation; in adult life with malabsorption syndromes. We report six cases in adults who presented atypically, with features including clotting disorder, hypoglycaemia, weight loss, anaemia and angina pectoris, all of which responded to gluten withdrawal. ( info) |
| An aphakic patient with severe chronic hypotony had an alternative treatment of a traumatic cyclodialysis cleft: a 3-port pars plana vitrectomy, cryotherapy of the cleft, and fluid-gas exchange with subsequent supine positioning. The therapeutic principle was mechanical apposition of the detached ciliary muscle to the scleral spur by the gas bubble and scar induction by cryotherapy. intraocular pressure increased to within normal ranges, and visual acuity improved over a 15 month follow-up. ( info) |
6/205. Dorsal compartment syndrome of the upper arm. A case report. A rare case of posttraumatic dorsal compartment syndrome of the upper arm is reported. This case was diagnosed by measuring the intracompartmental pressure. The patient was administered local anesthesia and immediately underwent surgery. The result was successful. ( info) |
7/205. Contusion of lungs. A 16 years old male with history of beating by army personnel was admitted in the hospital with the complaints of chest pain and breathlessness. After about 5 hours of admission, the patient died in spite of treatment with analgesics, antibiotics, fluids and oxygen inhalation. The autopsy report showed multiple bruises on different body parts and there were contusions on the lungs showing impression of rib patterns. Histological examination showed alveoli filled with blood and cellular infiltrate in interalveolar and interstitial spaces. ( info) |
8/205. indocyanine green angiographic features of choroidal rupture and choroidal vascular injury after contusion ocular injury. PURPOSE: To report features of choroidal rupture and choroidal vascular injury after contusion ocular injury on indocyanine green angiography. methods: In a prospective study, nine patients (nine eyes) with choroidal rupture after ocular contusion underwent initial fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography within 19 days after trauma. Eyes that had a distinct abnormality of the retinal pigment epithelium were excluded from this study. Subtraction indocyanine green angiography was also performed. Follow-up fluorescein angiographic and indocyanine green angiographic findings were also studied. RESULTS: Initial ophthalmoscopic examination revealed subretinal hemorrhage in all nine eyes. In five of the nine eyes, choroidal rupture was not seen on initial ophthalmoscopic or fluorescein angiographic examination because it was hidden beneath the subretinal hemorrhage, but it was detected on subsequent examinations. In the remaining four eyes, choroidal rupture was observed by ophthalmoscopy at the time of initial examination, and these eyes exhibited hyperfluorescent streaks on fluorescein angiography in the region of the subretinal hemorrhage. On initial indocyanine green angiography of all nine eyes, observed hypofluorescent streaks became more obvious with time. For each eye, there were more hypofluorescent streaks on indocyanine green angiography than hyperfluorescent streaks on fluorescein angiography. In one eye, the location of indocyanine green leakage nearly coincided with the location of a hyperfluorescent streak on fluorescein angiography. In this case, crescentic streaks of hypofluorescence were seen on the temporal side of the subretinal hemorrhage on indocyanine green angiography, although choroidal rupture was not observed in that region by ophthalmoscopy or fluorescein angiography. In two of the nine eyes, indocyanine green angiography and the subtraction technique demonstrated disturbance of flow into choroidal vessels, especially at the choroidal rupture site. CONCLUSION: After ocular contusion injury, various features of choroidal rupture and choroidal vascular injury were observed on indocyanine green angiography. This technique may contribute to the diagnosis of choroidal rupture and to the understanding of the clinical course after injury. ( info) |
9/205. Tumoral calcinosis: a case report with an electron microscopic study. A 68-year-old woman developed large subcutaneous masses on her abdomen and thighs after a bruise sustained in a traffic accident. She had severe pain when sitting up straight. Histological examination revealed calcified tissues in the entire dermis of the injured areas. On electron microscopy, crystalline materials were observed in the dermis, which seemed to be formed by the deposition of hydroxyapatite on unusual proteoglycan. In a vessel wall, a thick, layered basement membrane was observed. This suggests that vascular injury and subsequent hypoxia play a role in the process of calcinosis. We performed a partial resection with good results in alleviating the patient's pain. ( info) |
10/205. A 20-year-old man with eosinophilia and easy bruisability. Acquired platelet dysfunction with eosinophilia is a rare, benign self-limiting disorder characterised by platelet dysfunction and an association with parasitic infections. A 20-year-old national serviceman who presented with easy bruising and spontaneous epistaxis is reported. Investigations revealed eosinophilia and an abnormal platelet function test similar to that seen in patients with Glanzmann's thrombasthenia infections. He also had evidence of hookworm infestation. Following a course of mebendazole, his symptoms and platelet dysfunction resolved. Hence, this disorder of acquired platelet dysfunction with eosinophilia should be considered in patients with bleeding disorders secondary to platelet dysfunction. ( info) |