Hydatid acute pancreatitis: a rare complication of hydatid liver disease. Report of two cases

Acute pancreatitis (AP) is known to be a rare complication of hydatid disease. We present two cases of AP due to intrabiliary ruptured hydatid cysts of the liver. High serum and urine amylase levels and ultrasonographic findings, compatible with AP, were detected. On ultrasonography and computed tomography dilated bile ducts and cystic masses in the liver were seen. A communication between the bile ducts and a cyst in one case, and a total common bile duct obstruction with hydatid material in the other case, were seen on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatograms. The patients were treated surgically with mainly omentoplasty. Recovery was uneventful. A diagnosis of AP should be kept in mind in patients with hydatid liver disease presenting with upper abdominal pain.

99Tcm-HMPAO-labelled white blood cell scans to detect acute appendicitis in older patients with an atypical clinical presentation

Forty-nine patients (age > 50 years) with an acute abdomen and suspected appendicitis, but with atypical findings, were included in the study. After the intravenous injection of 99Tcm-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (99Tcm-HMPAO) labelled white blood cells (WBCs), serial anterior images of the abdomen and pelvis were obtained after 30, 60, 120 and 240 min. Any abnormal localization of WBC accumulation in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen equal to or greater than bone marrow activity was considered positive. Twenty-five patients had positive WBC scans, all of whom underwent laparotomy. Twenty-three of these patients were shown to have appendicitis; the other 2 did not. The other 24 patients had a negative WBC scan, 2 of whom underwent laparotomy and were shown to have appendicitis; the other 22 patients did not undergo surgery and showed no evidence of appendicitis during follow-up. The overall sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive and negative predictive values of WBC scans for diagnosing appendicitis were as follows: 92.0%, 91.7%, 91.8%, 92.0% and 91.7% respectively. In conclusion, 99Tcm-HMPAO-labelled WBC scans provide a rapid and highly accurate method for diagnosing appendicitis in older patients with equivocal clinical findings.

[Amebic colitis and amebic liver abscess--epidemiology and personal case report]

The large intestine reacts relatively monomorphically to different stimuli. From this differential-diagnostic problems may result. The history of a patient is described which could be pursued clinically over 12 weeks and during the course of which the correction of the diagnosis ulcerative colitis into amoebic colitis was necessary. It is concluded that in every symptomatology of colitis bacterial and parasitologic examinations of the faeces should be performed primarily specially if there is a history of overseas travel. In these cases it must be also thought of spontaneous amoebic infections.

Abdominal pain

Abdominal pain remains a common complaint in children and adolescents and accounts for a frequent number of visits to pediatricians as well as gastroenterologists. A thorough understanding of the neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of the abdomen and its contents is immensely important in understanding the origins of abdominal pain and formulating a limited differential diagnosis for the patient presenting with abdominal pain. With this as fundamental background, and the important clues provided by a thorough history and physical examination, a rapid and accurate diagnosis for the pediatric patient presenting with either acute, subacute, or chronic abdominal pain can be in most instances reasonably ascertained. Subsequently, specific studies for confirmation can then be performed and appropriate treatment implemented. The tremendous advancement in the field of gastroenterology provided by the continued development of endoscopic procedures has allowed for precise identification of many GI disorders. Endoscopy in concert with radiology procedures can be used effectively now to adequately establish a diagnosis in almost all patients presenting with abdominal pain.

Efficacy of a beta-lactamase inhibitor combination for serious intraabdominal infections

A double-blind trial was conducted in 385 patients with suspected bacterial intra-abdominal infections to compare the efficacy and safety of ampicillin-sulbactam with cefoxitin. Patients were randomized to receive either 3 g ampicillin-sulbactam (2 g ampicillin-1 g sulbactam), or 2 g cefoxitin, every 6 hours. To be evaluable, patients had to demonstrate positive culture evidence of peritoneal infection at the time of operation. A total of 197 patients were evaluable for clinical efficacy. The two treatment groups were comparable in demographic features and in the presence of risk factors for infection. Clinical success (absence of infection and of adverse drug reaction) was observed in 86% of patients in the ampicillin-sulbactam group and 78% in the cefoxitin group. Eradication of infection occurred in 88% of the ampicillin-sulbactam group and 79% of the cefoxitin group. There were no differences in the nature or frequency of side effects observed in the two groups. Ampicillin-sulbactam demonstrated no difference in safety or efficacy when compared with cefoxitin in the treatment of serious intra-abdominal infections of bacterial origin.

Acute small bowel volvulus in adults. A sporadic form of strangulating intestinal obstruction

Small bowel volvulus is an uncommon but important cause of small intestinal obstruction. It often results in ischemia or even infarction. Delay in diagnosis and surgical intervention increases morbidity and mortality rates. Based on cause, small bowel volvulus can be divided into primary and secondary type. Goals for treatment of small bowel volvulus should include physician awareness of this uncommon diagnosis, accurate workup, and advanced surgical intervention. The presentation and subsequent management of 35 patients with small bowel volvulus confirmed by laparotomy are reviewed and discussed. The incidence of small bowel volvulus in the adult European and North American is low. The resultant mortality rate, however, makes diagnosis critically important. The cardinal presenting symptom is abdominal pain. There is no single specific diagnostic clinical sign or abnormality in laboratory or radiologic finding. In practice, the diagnosis can only be made by laparotomy. The failure to perform an exploratory laparotomy cannot be justified. Early diagnosis and early surgery are the keys for successful management of strangulation obstruction of the small bowel.

Torsion of an accessory spleen in an elderly patient

Torsion of an accessory spleen is recognized as a rare cause of acute abdominal pain in childhood. A case is reported which, however, is unusual in that it occurred in a patient of 75, who had had no previous symptoms which might have suggested the presence of an accessory spleen.

A case of group B streptococcal pyomyositis

The group B streptococcus is an opportunistic pathogen that causes a variety of serious infections including bacteremias, puerperal sepsis, and neonatal meningitis. Group B streptococcal infections of muscle are rare. We report here an unusual case of group B streptococcal pyomyositis. Pyomyositis arises predominantly from infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus and, occasionally, Streptococcus pyogenes. Because of the rarity of pyomyositis in temperate climates, the common lack of localizing signs or symptoms, and the frequently negative blood cultures, considerable delay often precedes the diagnosis of pyomyositis; in fact, the infection has been initially misdiagnosed as muscle hematoma, cellulitis, thrombophlebitis, osteomyelitis, or neoplasm. Diagnosis may be greatly aided by radiologic techniques that can demonstrate the sites of muscle enlargement and the presence of fluid collections. The response to antibiotics is usually rapid, but resolution of the infection may require aspiration of deeply situated muscle abscesses. This report describes a diabetic patient with an unusual presentation of pyomyositis that mimicked an acute abdomen.

Correspondence analysis as a screening method for indicants for clinical diagnosis

In clinical diagnosis, a patient's symptoms are observed and the probabilities of various diseases are assessed. A widely used method of formalizing this approach is independent Bayes in which symptoms are assumed to be independent conditional on the disease category. Correspondence analysis provides a method for examining the dependence between symptoms and assists in the selection of a reduced set of symptoms for the application of the independent Bayes method. This approach is illustrated on two data sets concerned with patients attending Accident and Emergency departments with chest pain and acute abdominal pain, respectively.

[Acute diseases of the appendices epiploicae]

There were 5 patients with acute pathological conditions of the appendices epiploicae of the colon. Three of them had inflammation of the appendices one had necrosis due to strangulation of the appendix, and one patient had perforation of the colon in the region of the appendix. From their personal experience the authors conclude that all patients with acute diseases (inflammation, torsion, necrosis) of the appendices epiploicae should be treated by an emergency operation for removal of the appendices, closure of their beds with double-row interrupted sutures and plastics with a pedicled omentum graft.

Spontaneous rupture of renal oncocytoma with acute abdomen. Case report

A unique case of spontaneous rupture of a renal oncocytoma presenting with hemorrhagic shock and acute abdomen is reported.

Acute abdominal disease in the aged

The elderly patient with acute abdominal disease may present with a classical clinical picture. However, the presentation often is atypical and perplexes the physician. The factors involved include altered anatomical features, fear of being placed in an institution, difficulty in communicating with the physician and family members, diminished response to infection, and multiple coexisting diseases. Awareness of the atypical clinical presentations and the judicious use of special investigations will enable the clinician to make earlier and more accurate diagnoses and, thus, reduce morbidity and mortality.