1/22. Abdominal pregnancy in a 67-year-old woman undetected for 37 years. A case report.BACKGROUND: Abdominal pregnancy is an exceedingly rare occurrence, but even more unusual is prolonged retention of an advanced abdominal pregnancy with lithopedion formation. We present the case of prolonged retention of an advanced abdominal pregnancy in an elderly women. CASE: A 67-year-old, white woman presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain. An acute abdominal series revealed a fetal skeleton extending from the patient's pelvis to her lower costal margins. Pelvic examination revealed a normal postmenopausal uterus, and human chorionic gonadotropin was negative. On further questioning the patient reported that she had become pregnant 37 years earlier and was diagnosed as having a "missed" pregnancy. She refused intervention at that time but suffered no untoward consequences. She reported having had later a healthy intrauterine pregnancy, delivered vaginally at term. No attempt was made to remove the prior missed abdominal pregnancy. The acute pain episode resolved, and there was no surgical intervention. CONCLUSION: Abdominal pregnancies can have a complex course, and management decisions can be difficult. This case presents an unusual outcome of an advanced abdominal pregnancy and illustrates a unique approach to management.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = health (Clic here for more details about this article) |
2/22. streptococcus pneumoniae peritonitis postpartum.A peritonitis caused by an ascending infection is a rare complication postpartum. A 37-year-old woman presented with a secondary peritonitis due to streptococcus pneumoniae. The patient had given birth to a healthy boy 4 weeks before and showed no symptoms of a bronchitis on admission. An operation was performed after the patient developed an acute abdomen, showing a diffuse peritonitis. High vaginal swabs and blood cultures taken on admission were positive for S. pneumoniae as well as the specimen taken during the operation. Thus we concluded that this was a case of an ascending infection. After antibiotic therapy with penicillin the patient could be discharged 8 days after the operation.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = health (Clic here for more details about this article) |
3/22. 'Acute abdomen' with a rash.A previously fit and healthy 17-year-old male presented with the clinical symptoms and signs of an acute abdomen and with the secondary complaint of a rash. In view of the primary presenting complaint he was admitted to the surgical ward. The patient was initially booked for an emergency exploratory laparotomy, but after reassessment on the ward a clinical diagnosis of meningococcal septicaemia was made. The patient was treated medically with intravenous antibiotics and supportive therapy, and made a complete recovery. Medical causes of abdominal pain, as exemplified here, can be more life threatening than surgical causes and should be considered in all patients.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = health (Clic here for more details about this article) |
4/22. Spontaneous heterotopic pregnancy presenting with tubal abortion.Heterotopic pregnancies are rarely spontaneous. We present the case of a woman who presented with acute abdominal pain. Emergency laparotomy was performed. Intraoperative finding showed right tubal pregnancy and right salpingectomy was performed. Six weeks post-operation, the patient's symptoms and signs of pregnancy persisted and ultrasound showed an intrauterine single viable fetus. The pregnancy was continued to term and a healthy female baby was delivered.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = health (Clic here for more details about this article) |
5/22. pseudomyxoma peritonei.pseudomyxoma peritonei is a relatively rare and poorly understood condition in which mucus accumulates within the peritoneal cavity. The presence of cells in the mucin, either inflammatory or neoplastic, distinguishes it from simple acellular mucus ascites caused by mucinous spillage. There is widespread seeding of the peritoneal and omental surfaces with a heavy cancerous glaze. This is principally a complication of borderline or malignant neoplasm of the ovary and/or appendix. This paper describes two cases of previously healthy women who both presented with an acute abdomen, and were diagnosed postoperatively with pseudomyxoma peritonei. In addition, literature on the clinical presentation, diagnostic procedures, and treatment options has been briefly reviewed.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = health (Clic here for more details about this article) |
6/22. The surgical abdomen associated with cocaine abuse.cocaine use is common and is associated with gastrointestinal complications that can present as a surgical abdomen. We report a case of a previously healthy 25-year-old man who presented to the Emergency Department with severe abdominal pain and vomiting after using IV cocaine. Exploratory celiotomy revealed massive free intraperitoneal (IP) clotted blood with no evidence of underlying pathology. This unusual case underscores the possibility of life-threatening hemorrhage in cocaine consumers.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = health (Clic here for more details about this article) |
7/22. Ruptured heterotopic pregnancy: a report of unusual acute abdominal syndrome in two cases.A heterotopic pregnancy is in effect a multiple pregnancy with one or more intrauterine pregnancies coexisting with an ectopic pregnancy. Prompt diagnosis, rapid fluid and blood resuscitation, heart-sparing anesthesia and gentle, expeditious surgery collectively contribute to a favorable outcome for the mother and fetus in patients with a ruptured tubal pregnancy. In this report we present two cases of heterotopic pregnancies with ruptured tubal components; one spontaneous and the other one after clomiphene citrate treatment. Explorative laparotomy and salpingectomy were performed in both patients. After surgery, the intrauterine pregnancies were not damaged, and were still healthy on progression.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = health (Clic here for more details about this article) |
8/22. Percutaneous removal of retained calculi from the abdomen.With rising pressure placed on health service resources minimally invasive techniques requiring only short hospital admissions are increasing in importance. We describe the techniques used to remove calculi from the peritoneal cavity which had been retained after surgery and continued to cause clinical problems. In both cases described the calculi lay within abscess cavities associated with fistulous tracks to the skin. The fistulae were dilated to allow passage of therapeutic radiologic and endoscopic equipment enabling manipulation and subsequent extraction of the stones. In both cases removal of the calculi allowed complete resolution of the fistulae and the patients made a full clinical recovery. Removal of gallstones which have escaped into the peritoneum at laparoscopic cholecystectomy leading to sepsis has been described; we describe the novel management of a patient in whom extraction had already been attempted, at another hospital, without success. Removal of an appendicolith, described here in another patient, does not appear to have been reported previously.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = health (Clic here for more details about this article) |
9/22. Cystic lymphangioma of the jejunal mesentery in an adult: a case report.We herein describe the case of a 27-year-old female, who presented with a large mass of the upper left abdominal cavity discovered incidentally, through an annual health examination. Preoperative studies including abdominal ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging were performed, but they could not accurately determine the nature of the tumor. At laparotomy, a large cystic tumor of the small bowel mesentery was found. Histopathologic examination diagnosed the tumor as a cystic lymphangioma. Although lymphangiomas are rare, especially in the abdomen of adults, they may sometimes present as acute abdomen, causing complications that require emergent surgery.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = health (Clic here for more details about this article) |
10/22. Splenic syndrome in patients at high altitude with unrecognized sickle cell trait: splenectomy is often unnecessary.BACKGROUND: The health risks associated with sickle cell trait are minimal in this sizable sector of the world's population, and many of these patients have no information about their sickle cell status. Splenic syndrome at high altitude is well known to be associated with sickle cell trait, and unless this complication is kept in mind these patients may be subjected to unnecessary surgery when they present with altitude-induced acute abdomen. methods: Four patients were admitted to the surgical ward with a similar complaint of acute severe left upper abdominal pain after arrival to the mountainous resort city of Abha, saudi arabia. All were subjected to splenectomy because of lack of suspicion regarding sickle cell status. RESULTS: Histologic examination of the spleen showed all patients had sickle cells in the red pulp. On further assessment all were found to have sickle cell trait with splenic infarction. In a similar study of 6 patients with known sickle cell disease who had comparable problems when they travelled to the colorado mountains, all made an uncomplicated recovery with conservative management. CONCLUSIONS: In ethnically vulnerable patients with splenic syndrome, sickle cell trait should be ruled out before considering splenectomy. These patients could respond well to supportive management, and splenectomy would be avoided.- - - - - - - - - - ranking = 1keywords = health (Clic here for more details about this article) |
| | Next -> |