Suspecting a fatal condition on a plain chest radiograph; Boerhaave syndrome

2020 ◽  
pp. 003693302096118
Author(s):  
Muhammad Adeel Rizwan Hashmi ◽  
Moustafa El-Badawy ◽  
Adnan Agha
Keyword(s):  
Chest Pain ◽  
Chest Radiograph ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Organ Support ◽  
Chest Drain ◽  
Diagnostic Challenge ◽  
Plain Chest Radiograph ◽  
Pulmonary Angiogram ◽  
History Of ◽  
Boerhaave Syndrome

Spontaneous oesophagus rupture, also known as Boerhaave syndrome, is a rare but near-fatal medical condition and despite recent medical advancements, it remains a diagnostic challenge for front-door clinicians. The authors describe a similar presentation in an elderly gentleman who presented to the emergency department with sudden chest pain post vomiting. His initial chest radiograph showed bilateral dense consolidations and pleural effusions, and was treated as sepsis secondary to bilateral pneumonia. He underwent computed tomography pulmonary angiogram to rule out pulmonary embolism because of his chest pain with elevated D-dimer which confirmed the diagnosis of oesophagus rupture. His care was transferred to Surgical and Intensive care colleagues with plans for radiological chest drain insertion to limit contamination of mediastinum, however the patient became hypoxic and hypotensive and despite maximal organ support passed away within 6 hours of admission. Retrospect review of chest radiograph revealed Peri-oesophageal air tracking, a sign of Boerhaave syndrome. The aim of this case is to emphasise the importance of raising the suspicion of Boerhaave syndrome in patients with sudden chest pain, unexplained pleural effusion or pneumothorax with a history of recent vomiting as early diagnosis holds the key to prompt lifesaving management.

scholarly journals Uncommon cause of chest pain in a postoperative spinal patient

2018 ◽  
pp. bcr-2018-225293
Author(s):  
Rajesh Dwivedi
Keyword(s):  
Chest Pain ◽  
Spinal Surgery ◽  
Anterior Chest Wall ◽  
Sternal Fracture ◽  
Pulmonary Angiogram ◽  
Chest Wall Trauma ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ct Pulmonary Angiogram ◽  
Chest X Ray ◽  
Sternal Fractures

An 84-year-old woman with previous spinal operations including vertebroplasty and lumbar decompressions was admitted electively under the spinal team for right-sided L4/5 decompression for worsening back pain which she undergoes using a posterior approach. Postoperatively, she develops stabbing upper central chest pain and given unremarkable chest X-ray, ECG and cardiac troponin, she undergoes a CT pulmonary angiogram which shows a fracture of the upper part of sternum but no pulmonary embolism. There is no history of recent trauma and this is deemed to be secondary to prolonged spinal surgery in the prone position in a patient with osteopenic bones. To date, we have not come across a case of spontaneous sternal fracture as a complication of spinal surgery at our regional spinal unit. Most cases of sternal fractures are secondary to blunt anterior chest wall trauma with spontaneous fractures and stress fractures being rare.

scholarly journals Tension pneumothorax in a patient with COVID-19

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. e235861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Flower ◽  
John-Paul L Carter ◽  
Juan Rosales Lopez ◽  
Alun Marc Henry
Keyword(s):  
Chest Radiograph ◽  
Tension Pneumothorax ◽  
Good Effect ◽  
Chest Drain ◽  
Left Hemithorax ◽  
Breath Sounds ◽  
Portable Chest ◽  
Repeat Chest ◽  
History Of ◽  
Needle Decompression

A 36-year-old man was brought to the emergency department with suspected COVID-19, following a 3-week history of cough, fevers and shortness of breath, worsening suddenly in the preceding 4 hours. On presentation he was hypoxaemic, with an SpO2 of 88% on 15 L/min oxygen, tachycardic and had no audible breath sounds on auscultation of the left hemithorax. Local guidelines recommended that the patient should be initiated on continuous positive airway pressure while investigations were awaited, however given the examination findings an emergency portable chest radiograph was performed. The chest radiograph demonstrated a left-sided tension pneumothorax. This was treated with emergency needle decompression, with good effect, followed by chest drain insertion. A repeat chest radiograph demonstrated lung re-expansion, and the patient was admitted to a COVID-19 specific ward for further observation. This case demonstrates tension pneumothorax as a possible complication of suspected COVID-19 and emphasises the importance of thorough history-taking and clinical examination.

scholarly journals Simultaneous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax

2018 ◽  
Vol 146 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 203-206
Author(s):  
Vanja Kostovski ◽  
Aleksandar Ristanovic ◽  
Nebojsa Maric ◽  
Natasa Vesovic ◽  
Ljubinko Djenic
Keyword(s):  
Chest Pain ◽  
Chest Radiograph ◽  
Spontaneous Pneumothorax ◽  
Thoracoscopic Surgery ◽  
Diagnostic Algorithm ◽  
Chest Drain ◽  
Initial Examination ◽  
Breath Sounds ◽  
Pleural Abrasion ◽  
Life Threatening

Introduction. Simultaneous bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax (SBSP) is a potentially life-threatening state that may imitate many lung diseases. The aim of this report was to describe the presentation and highlights the potential difficulties in diagnosis and management of patients with SBSP. Case outline. A 23-year-old female was urgently assessed because of a progressive dyspnoea of 2-day's duration with associated bilateral chest pain. Lung auscultation revealed equally diminished breath sounds on both sides. During initial examination, there was the evidence of symptomatic deterioration with bilateral pleuritic chest pain, increased dyspnoea and agitation. She was found to have type II respiratory failure with the following biochemical parameters: pH=7.34, PaCO2=6.3 kPa and PaO2=7.9 kPa. The chest radiograph confirmed bilateral partial pneumothoraces of approximately 30%. Both left and right-sided thoracostomies with large-bore chest drain insertions were performed emergently, followed by partial resolutions of pneumothoraces. CT of the chest demonstrated residual pneumothoraces bilaterally with multiple apical bullae. In the further course, she subsequently underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery with bilateral apicoectomies, bullectomies and pleural abrasion. Her chest drains were removed 3 days after surgery and a chest radiograph post-treatment demonstrated resolution of the pneumothoraces. She was discharged home without complications. Conclusion. Using clinical presentation, diagnostic algorithm and therapeutic management applied in the case of our patient, we emphasized a few mandatory steps in establishing the diagnosis of SBSP and further treatment.

Chest pain from chest drain

2011 ◽  
Vol 59 (S 01) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Schlarb ◽  
H Welp ◽  
V Kösek ◽  
J Sindermann ◽  
A Hoffmeier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chest Pain ◽  
Chest Drain

Refractory Ascites as the Only Presenting Symptom of Chronic Calcified Constrictive Pericarditis: A Diagnostic Challenge

2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 42
Author(s):  
Shi-Min Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Liver Cirrhosis ◽  
Female Patient ◽  
Constrictive Pericarditis ◽  
Delayed Diagnosis ◽  
Young Female ◽  
Refractory Ascites ◽  
Diagnostic Challenge ◽  
Massive Ascites ◽  
History Of

Extracardiac manifestations of constrictive pericarditis, such as massive ascites and liver cirrhosis, often cover the true situation and lead to a delayed diagnosis. A young female patient was referred to this hospital due to a 4-year history of refractory ascites as the only presenting symptom. A diagnosis of chronic calcified constrictive pericarditis was eventually established based on echocardiography, ultrasonography, and computed tomography. Cardiac catheterization was not performed. Pericardiectomy led to relief of her ascites. Refractory ascites warrants thorough investigation for constrictive pericarditis.

A Rare Case of Bilateral Incarcerated Obturator Hernias and a Right-Side Femoral Hernia

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Jinping Xu ◽  
Jinping Xu ◽  
Ruth Wei ◽  
Salieha Zaheer
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Department ◽  
Abdominal Pain ◽  
Femoral Hernia ◽  
Rare Case ◽  
Hernia Recurrence ◽  
High Morbidity ◽  
Diagnostic Challenge ◽  
Abdominal Ct ◽  
Abdominal Ct Scan ◽  
History Of

Obturator hernias are rare but pose a diagnostic challenge with relatively high morbidity and mortality. Our patient is an elderly, thin female with an initial evaluation concerning for gastroenteritis, and further evaluation revealed bilateral incarcerated obturator hernias, which confirmed postoperatively as well as a right femoral hernia. An 83-year-old female presented to the outpatient office initially with one-day history of diarrhea and one-week history of episodic colicky abdominal pain. She returned 4 weeks later with diarrhea resolved but worsening abdominal pain and left inner thigh pain while ambulating, without changes in appetite or nausea and vomiting. Abdominal CT scan then revealed bilateral obturator hernias. Patient then presented to the emergency department (ED) due to worsening pain, and subsequently underwent hernia repair. Intraoperatively, it was revealed that the patient had bilateral incarcerated obturator hernias and a right femoral hernia. All three hernias were repaired, and patient was discharged two days later. Patient remained well postoperatively, and 15-month CT of abdomen showed no hernia recurrence.

scholarly journals Diagnostic markers for discriminating between acute aortic dissection and acute myocardial infarction during the pre-hospital phase: analysis of 3,195 cases

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
K Watanabe ◽  
H Yoshino ◽  
T Takahashi ◽  
M Usui ◽  
K Akutsu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Acute Myocardial Infarction ◽  
Back Pain ◽  
Chest Pain ◽  
Aortic Dissection ◽  
Acute Aortic Dissection ◽  
Diagnostic Markers ◽  
Network Database ◽  
History Of ◽  
First Contact

Abstract   Both acute aortic dissection (AAD) and acute myocardial infarction (AMI) present with chest pain and are life-threatening diseases that require early diagnosis and treatment for better clinical outcome. However, two critical diseases in the very acute phase are sometimes difficult to differentiate, especially prior to arrival at the hospital for urgent diagnosis and selection of specific treatment. The aim of our study was to clarify the diagnostic markers acquired from the information gathered from medical history taking and physical examination for discriminating AAD from AMI by using data from the Tokyo Cardiovascular Care Unit (CCU) Network database. We examined the clinical features and laboratory data of patients with AAD and AMI who were admitted to the hospital in Tokyo between January 2013 and December 2015 by using the Tokyo CCU Network database. The Tokyo CCU Network consists of >60 hospitals that fulfil certain clinical criteria and receive patients from ambulance units coordinated by the Tokyo Fire Department. Of 15,061 patients diagnosed as having AAD and AMI, 3,195 with chest pain within 2 hours after symptom onset (537 AAD and 2,658 AMI) were examined. The patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest were excluded. We compared the clinical data of the patients with chest pain who were diagnosed as having AAD and AMI. The following indicators were more frequent or had higher values among those with AAD: female sex (38% vs. 20%, P<0.001), systolic blood pressures (SBPs) at the time of first contact by the emergency crew (142 mmHg vs. 127 mmHg), back pain in addition to chest pain (54% vs. 5%, P<0.001), history of hypertension (73% vs. 58%, P<0.001), SBP ≥150 mmHg (39% vs. 22%, P<0.001), back pain combined with SBP ≥150 mmHg (23% vs. 0.8%, P<0.001), and back pain with SBP <90 mmHg (4.5% vs. 0.1%, P<0.001). The following data were less frequently observed among those with AAD: diabetes mellitus (7% vs. 28%, P<0.001), dyslipidaemia (17% vs. 42%, P<0.001), and history of smoking (48% vs. 61%, P<0.001). The multivariate regression analysis suggested that back pain with SBP ≥150 mmHg (odds ratio [OR] 47; 95% confidence interval [CI] 28–77; P<0.001), back pain with SBP <90 mmHg (OR 68, 95% CI 16–297, P<0.001), and history of smoking (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.38–0.63, P<0.001) were the independent markers of AAD. The sensitivity and specificity of back pain with SBPs of ≥150 mmHg and back pain with SBPs <90 mmHg for detecting AAD were 23% and 99%, and 4% and 99%, respectively. In patients with chest pain suspicious of AAD and AMI, “back pain accompanied by chest pain with SBP ≥150 mmHg” or “back pain accompanied by chest pain with SBP <90 mmH” is a reliable diagnostic marker of AAD with high specificity, although the sensitivity was low. The two SBP values with back pain are markers that may be useful for the ambulance crew at their first contact with patients with chest pain. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

scholarly journals Imaging in alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency: a window into the disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 12_suppl ◽  
pp. 204062232110245
Author(s):  
Yuh-Chin Tony Huang ◽  
Marion Wencker ◽  
Bastiaan Driehuys
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Obstructive ◽  
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease ◽  
Essential Information ◽  
Plain Chest Radiograph ◽  
Antitrypsin Deficiency ◽  
Alpha 1 Antitrypsin Deficiency ◽  
History Of ◽  
Detailed Assessment ◽  
Alpha 1 Antitrypsin ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri

Imaging modalities such as plain chest radiograph and computed tomography (CT) are important tools in the assessment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) of any etiology. These methods facilitate differential diagnoses and the assessment of individual lung pathologies, such as the presence of emphysema, bullae, or fibrosis. However, as emphysema is the core pathological consequence in the lungs of patients with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), and because AATD is associated with the development of other lung pathologies such as bronchiectasis, there is a greater need for patients with AATD than those with non-AATD-related COPD to undergo more detailed assessment using CT. In the field of AATD, CT provides essential information regarding the presence, distribution, and morphology of emphysema. In addition, it offers the option to quantify the extent of emphysema. These data have implications for treatment decisions such as initiation of alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) therapy, or suitability for surgical or endoscopic interventions for reducing lung volume. Furthermore, CT has provided vital insight regarding the natural history of emphysema progression in AATD, and CT densitometry has underpinned research into the efficacy of AAT therapy. Moving forward, hyperpolarized xenon gas (129Xe) lung magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is emerging as a promising complement to CT by adding comprehensive measures of regional lung function. It also avoids the main disadvantage of CT: the associated radiation. This chapter provides an overview of technological aspects of imaging in AATD, as well as its role in the management of patients and clinical research. In addition, perspectives on the future potential role of lung MRI in AATD are outlined.

scholarly journals Clinical judgement in chest pain: a case report 

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mishita Goel ◽  
Shubhkarman Dhillon ◽  
Sarwan Kumar ◽  
Vesna Tegeltija
Keyword(s):  
Chest Pain ◽  
Coronary Artery ◽  
Tobacco Use ◽  
Stress Test ◽  
Artery Bypass ◽  
Pretest Probability ◽  
Clinical Judgement ◽  
Test Results ◽  
Cardiac Stress ◽  
History Of

Abstract Background Cardiac stress testing is a validated diagnostic tool to assess symptomatic patients with intermediate pretest probability of coronary artery disease (CAD). However, in some cases, the cardiac stress test may provide inconclusive results and the decision for further workup typically depends on the clinical judgement of the physician. These decisions can greatly affect patient outcomes. Case presentation We present an interesting case of a 54-year-old Caucasian male with history of tobacco use and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) who presented with atypical chest pain. He had an asymptomatic electrocardiogram (EKG) stress test with intermediate probability of ischemia. Further workup with coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) and cardiac catheterization revealed multivessel CAD requiring a bypass surgery. In this case, the patient only had a history of tobacco use but no other significant comorbidities. He was clinically stable during his hospital stay and his testing was anticipated to be negative. However to complete workup, cardiology recommended anatomical testing with CCTA given the indeterminate EKG stress test results but the results of significant stenosis were surprising with the patient eventually requiring coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Conclusion As a result of the availability of multiple noninvasive diagnostic tests with almost similar sensitivities for CAD, physicians often face this dilemma of choosing the right test for optimal evaluation of chest pain in patients with intermediate pretest probability of CAD. Optimal test selection requires an individualized patient approach. Our experience with this case emphasizes the role of history taking, clinical judgement, and the risk/benefit ratio in deciding further workup when faced with inconclusive stress test results. Physicians should have a lower threshold for further workup of patients with inconclusive or even negative stress test results because of the diagnostic limitations of the test. Instead, utilizing a different, anatomical test may be more valuable. Specifically, the case established the usefulness of CCTA in cases such as this where other CAD diagnostic testing is indeterminate.

scholarly journals Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis manifesting as Bell’s palsy and bilateral macular necrotizing retinitis: an atypical presenting feature

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lagan Paul ◽  
Tanya Jain ◽  
Manisha Agarwal ◽  
Shalini Singh
Keyword(s):  
Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis ◽  
Clinical History ◽  
Neurological Complications ◽  
Bell’S Palsy ◽  
Ocular Involvement ◽  
Bell's Palsy ◽  
Diagnostic Challenge ◽  
Bladder Control ◽  
Mri Brain ◽  
History Of

Abstract Background Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) is a potentially lethal complication of measles infection. Neurological complications take years to manifest after primary viral infection of brain and can lead to blindness in some individuals. Findings A 13-year-old female patient with history of Bell’s palsy 2 months prior, presented with rapidly progressing necrotizing retinitis in both eyes. Soon after, she was unable to walk, developed myoclonic jerks, altered sensorium and loss of bowel and bladder control. Her clinical history, CSF IgG measles antibody analysis, MRI brain and EEG findings confirmed the diagnosis of SSPE. Conclusion SSPE in our case presented as Bell’s palsy and sudden painless diminution of vision due to ocular involvement, and developed full blown disease within 2 months. SSPE can present as a diagnostic challenge and warrants early identification and referral for timely diagnosis and management.

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