Un syndrome de Budd-Chiari associé à une thrombose veineuse portomésentérique : mode de révélation inhabituel d’une hémoglobinurie paroxystique nocturne

Le syndrome de Budd-Chiari (SBC) est une maladie vasculaire du foie faisant suite souvent à une thrombose veineuse sus-hépatique. L’hémoglobinurie paroxystique nocturne (HPN), affection clonale acquise rare, réalise une des conditions prothrombotiques bien connues prédisposant au SBC primitif. L’association SBC–HPN est souvent rapportée sous forme de cas cliniques isolés ou de petites séries présentant des spécificités pronostiques et thérapeutiques. Nous rapportons le cas d’une fille de 27 ans ayant une HPN révélée dans le cadre du bilan étiologique d’un SBC, associé à des thromboses veineuses portale, mésentérique et à une embolie pulmonaire.

[Prevalence of extra-hepatic manifestations in infection with hepatitis C virus: study of 140 cases]

AIM

To determine the extrahepatic manifestations (EHM) in chronic hepatitis C and to correlate signs with age, sex, degree of fibrosis and genotype of hepatitis C virus.

METHODS

One hundred forty cases of chronic infection by hepatitis C virus were investigated in a period of 10 years. By interrogation, clinical examination and laboratory tests, the EHM were determined. Correlations with age, sex, viral genotype and degree of fibrosis were determined by the chi2 test.

RESULTS

Mean age of our patients was 59 years (16-85 years). 74% were women. The genotype 1b was found in 75% of cases. The clinical EHM were found in 62% of cases: buccal dryness in 17.1% of cases, arthralgias in 33% of cases and fatigue in 65% of cases. 25% of patients had at least one biological EHM associated with chronic hepatitis C: proteinuria in 3 cases, cryoglobulinemia in 4 cases, dysthyroidism in 8 cases and more frequently a positive immunologie test. During the follow-up, we found one case of breast cancer, one case of rectal cancer, 2 cases of MALT lymphoma and one case pf splenic lymphoma. A positive correlation was found between the prevalence of EHM in chronic hepatitis C and the female sex. A degree of fibrosis ³ 2 in METAVIR classification was significantly associated with more important frequency of EHM.

CONCLUSION

EHM should be screened systematically in chronic infection with HCV. Pathogenic mechanisms in a B lymph node proliferation or diabetes and outcome of these abnormalities under antiviral therapy should be further investigated.

Diffuse primary malignant melanoma of the upper gastrointestinal tract

Primary malignant melanomas of the GI tract are very rare. Their symptomatology is not specific. We report a 78-year-old Tunisian woman hospitalised with a 6-month history of recurrent abdominal pain, loss of appetite, weakness and weight loss. She had no personal history of cutaneous or ocular melanoma. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed multiple small, raised darkly pigmented tumours. Theses lesions were found in the oesophagus, the stomach, the bulb and the duodenum. Biopsy specimens were taken and histology showed the presence of melanocytic cells with abundant melanin pigment. Immunohistochemically, tumour cells were positive for HMB-45. Morphological examinations revealed hepatomegaly with multiple nodules with small lymph nodes at the celiac axis. All available diagnostic procedures failed to identify any other site of ocular or cutaneous melanoma, the present case was considered as primary GI melanoma. Palliative chemotherapy was not possible because patient was extremely cachectic and she died one month later.

[Pregnancy-related liver diseases]

The liver diseases of pregnancy are specific liver disorders during the pregnancy. The principal hepatic anomaly during hyperemesis gravidarum is a reversible augmentation of liver enzymes under reanimation. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy occur during the last 2 trimesters of pregnancy, manifested usually by pruritus preceeding a jaundice. The liver enzymes and the serum biliary acids are augmented. The acute fatty liver of pregnancy occur during the last trimester of pregnancy leading to early interruption of pregnancy which would help to diminish the elevated level of maternal and fetal mortality. The HELLP syndrome usually observed during the toxemia of pregnancy, associate an hemolysis elevation of liver enzymes and low platelets.