scholarly journals Management of Upper Airway Infantile Hemangiomas: Experience of One Italian Multidisciplinary Center

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marialuisa Corbeddu ◽  
Duino Meucci ◽  
Andrea Diociaiuti ◽  
Simona Giancristoforo ◽  
Roberta Rotunno ◽  
...  

Airway infantile hemangiomas (IHs) can represent a life-threatening condition since the first months of life. They may be isolated or associated to cutaneous IHs, and/or part of PHACES syndrome. Diagnosis, staging, and indication to treatment are not standardized yet despite the presence in the literature of previous case series and reviews. The diagnosis might be misleading, especially in the absence of cutaneous lesions. Airway endoscopy is the gold standard both for diagnosis and follow-up since it allows evaluation of precise localization and entity of obstruction and/or stricture. Proliferation of IH in the infant airways manifests frequently with stridor and treatment is required as soon as possible to prevent further complications. The first line of therapy is oral propranolol, but duration of treatment is not yet well-defined. All considered, we report the experience of our multidisciplinary center from 2009 to date, on 36 patients affected by airway IHs, and successfully treated with oral propranolol. Thus, the authors propose their experience for the management of airway IHs, specifically early diagnosis, when to perform endoscopy, how to interpret its findings, and when to stop the treatment.

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuya Kato ◽  
Yoshikazu Ogawa ◽  
Teiji Tominaga

Abstract Background Pregnancy is a known risk factor for pituitary apoplexy, which is life threatening for both mother and child. However, very few clinical interventions have been proposed for managing pituitary apoplexy in pregnancy. Case presentation We describe the management of three cases of pituitary apoplexy during pregnancy and review available literature. Presenting symptoms in our case series were headache and/or visual disturbances, and the etiology in all cases was hemorrhage. Conservative therapy was followed until 34 weeks of gestation, after which babies were delivered by cesarean section with prophylactic bolus hydrocortisone supplementation. Tumor removal was only electively performed after delivery using the transsphenoidal approach. All three patients and their babies had a good clinical course, and postoperative pathological evaluation revealed that all tumors were functional and that they secreted prolactin. Conclusions Although the mechanism of pituitary apoplexy occurrence remains unknown, the most important treatment strategy for pituitary apoplexy in pregnancy remains adequate hydrocortisone supplementation and frequent hormonal investigation. Radiological follow-up should be performed only if clinical symptoms deteriorate, and optimal timing for surgical resection should be discussed by a multidisciplinary team that includes obstetricians and neonatologists.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 205511692110059
Author(s):  
Michal Vlasin ◽  
Richard Artingstall ◽  
Barbora Mala

Case summary This paper presents two cases of acute postoperative upper airway obstruction following ventral bulla osteotomy (VBO) in cats. The first cat underwent a unilateral left-sided VBO for a suspected inflammatory polyp. The second cat underwent a single-session bilateral VBO procedure for bilateral otitis media. In the first case, immediate re-intubation and a gradual lightening of the anaesthetic plane resolved the clinical signs; in the second case, the patient deteriorated and went into acute cardiorespiratory arrest and received cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Both patients recovered well and were discharged home 3 days after surgery. Both cases were reported to show no further clinical signs on postoperative follow-up 3 weeks and 4 months after surgery, respectively. Relevance and novel information Upper airway obstruction should be regarded as a potential complication of VBO in cats.


2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernanda Prata Martins ◽  
Erika Pereira de Macedo ◽  
Gustavo Andrade de Paulo ◽  
Frank Shigueo Nakao ◽  
José Celso Ardengh ◽  
...  

Bleeding from gastric varices is a life-threatening condition. We report our experience with cyanoacrylate injection. Twenty three patients with portal hypertension and gastric varices underwent intra-variceal injection of a cyanoacrylate/lipiodol solution (1:1). Study endpoint was variceal obliteration. Mean follow-up was 25.3 months. Variceal obliteration was achieved in 87% of patients. Recurrence occurred in one patient (4.3%) and rebleeding in another case (4.3%). Mild abdominal pain was described in 13% of patients. Overall mortality was 21.7% and rebleeding related mortality rate was 4.3%. Our results confirm that cyanoacrylate injection is effective and safe to eradicate gastric varices.


2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Yuan ◽  
J. Chen ◽  
F. Liu ◽  
Y. C. Dang ◽  
Q. T. Kong ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Mucormycosis is a rare fungal infection occurring chiefly in the lung or the rhino-orbital-cerebral compartment, particularly in patients with immunodeficiency or diabetes mellitus. Among Mucorales fungi, Rhizopus spp. are the most common cause of mucormycosis. Case presentation We report a case of pulmonary mucormycosis caused by Rhizopus microsporus in a young patient with diabetes but no other apparent risk factors. The diagnosis mainly relied on clinical manifestation, positive pulmonary tissue biopsy, and fungal culture. The patient was successfully treated with posaconazole oral suspension and remains asymptomatic at one-year follow-up. Conclusions Pulmonary mucormycosis is a life-threatening condition and posaconazole is an effective treatment for pulmonary mucormycosis caused by Rhizopus microspores.


Author(s):  
Massimo Barbagallo ◽  
Daryl Naef ◽  
Pascal Köpfli ◽  
Urs Hufschmid ◽  
Tilo Niemann ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Presence of right ventricular thrombus (RVT) is a rare but life-threatening condition, thus immediate diagnosis and therapy are mandatory. Unfortunately, detection and distinction from intraventricular tumor masses or vegetations represents a complex task. Furthermore, consecutive therapy is principally led by clinical presentation without considering morphological features of the thrombus. Current literature suggests a multimodal non-invasive imaging approach. In this paper, we discuss the role of cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) for the detection of RVT in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). We consider the relatively expensive and not broadly available imaging procedure and weigh it up to its assumed high sensitivity, specificity and importance for differential diagnosis and therapeutic decision making. Case Summary In this case series we report three cases of RVT with concomitant PE, whereof two were missed during routine cardiac workup by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and computer tomography (CT). CMR led to detection and further characterization of the thrombi in both cases. These patients were diagnosed and treated at the Cantonal Hospital of Baden in the division of General Medicine. Conclusions CMR reliably detects and characterizes RVT, even under unfavourable conditions for echocardiography such as arrhythmia, adiposity or in posterior position of RVT. Obtained information could facilitate the choice of therapeutic approach (anticoagulation vs. systemic lysis, vs. surgical thrombectomy). Future risk-stratification scores will promote cost-effective use of CMR.


Circulation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 143 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jung-Im Shin ◽  
Yao Qiao ◽  
Aditya Surapaneni ◽  
Lesley Inker ◽  
Derek Fine ◽  
...  

Introduction: Statin-induced rhabdomyolysis is a rare, but potentially life-threatening condition. It is unknown whether specific statins carry a greater risk of rhabdomyolysis and whether the risk differs between patients with and without chronic kidney disease (CKD). The objective of this study was to investigate the association of rosuvastatin use vs. atorvastatin use with the risk of rhabdomyolysis across CKD status. Hypothesis: Rosuvastatin use is associated with a higher risk of rhabdomyolysis as compared to atorvastatin use and the risk is greater among those with CKD than those without CKD. Methods: We identified adult patients who initiated rosuvastatin or atorvastatin between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2018 and were free of end-stage kidney disease at the time of prescription in the Geisinger Health System. The association between rosuvastatin use and rhabdomyolysis was assessed using Cox proportional hazards regression models with an interaction between rosuvastatin use and CKD (i.e., estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73 m 2 ) in an inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) sample. Results: Of 8,748 rosuvastatin users (mean [SD] age, 59.7 [12.6] years; 49.8% female; 11.8% CKD) and 31,770 atorvastatin users (mean [SD] age, 59.1 [12.6] years; 48.2% female; 11.9% CKD), 0.7% and 0.4% patients developed rhabdomyolysis, respectively, during a median follow-up of 5.1 years. Rosuvastatin use was associated with a higher risk of rhabdomyolysis in patients with CKD (hazard ratio [HR], 3.29; 95% CI, 1.53-7.09), but not in those without CKD (HR, 1.29; 95% CI, 0.82-2.03; p-interaction=0.04). A higher risk of rhabdomyolysis associated with rosuvastatin use in lower eGFR was also observed in the analysis with continuous eGFR ( Figure ). Conclusions: The findings suggest that rosuvastatin use in patients with CKD may be associated with excess risk of rhabdomyolysis as compared to atorvastatin.


Author(s):  
Parag B. Lad ◽  
N. Venkateshwaran ◽  
M. R. Thatte ◽  
Sanket Tanpure

AbstractManagement of child abuse with flexor tendons, neurovascular injuries, and life-threatening conditions is challenging. It needs a multisectoral coordinated and synchronized team effort for successful outcomes. We present a case series of children abused by a parent with a sharp object. The children sustained multiple flexor tendon injuries, neurovascular injuries in upper limbs, and tracheal injury compromising respiration. We performed a tracheostomy to save a child and subsequently repaired numerous flexor tendons, nerves, and arteries. During follow-up, these children required secondary reconstruction (tenolysis, tendon lengthening, nerve reconstruction) for flexor contractures, stiffness, and sensory loss in distal forearms. We measured the range of movements and assessed the children’s functional outcome using the Strickland score at 3-year follow-up. The range of movement and functional outcome was excellent in both children in our series. A timely performance of surgery, aided with efficient intensive care, therapy, and consistent posttraumatic psychosocial rehabilitation, produced excellent results in our series.


2018 ◽  
Vol 100 (8) ◽  
pp. e223-e225
Author(s):  
A Matsushita ◽  
S Hosokawa ◽  
D Mochizuki ◽  
J Okamura ◽  
K Funai ◽  
...  

Huge cervical and mediastinal masses may lead to acute respiratory failure caused by laryngotracheal compression and airway obstruction. Thyroid storm is also a life-threatening endocrine emergency originating almost exclusively from uncontrolled Graves’ disease. We report a case of a 42-year-old man with acute upper airway obstruction and tachycardia from progressive swelling of a giant thyroid, in conjunction with thyroid storm resulting from uncontrolled Graves’ disease. Fibreoptic-assisted nasal intubation was performed while the patient was awake, immediately followed by emergency total thyroidectomy via a cervical and sternal approach. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course and recovered well. Respiratory failure due to swelling of a giant thyroid is a life-threatening condition and should be treated immediately with endotracheal intubation while the patient is awake following emergent total thyroidectomy, even with a sternotomy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoyang Hong ◽  
Ruijie Li ◽  
Zhe Zhao ◽  
Jiangheng Guan ◽  
Hui Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Pulmonary artery sling (PA sling) often presents as a life-threatening condition requiring urgent surgical correction. We reported 32 cases of PA sling in children who were followed up postoperatively in the past 6 years. All patients with PA slings who were admitted to the hospital from January 2012 to December 2017 and underwent surgery were retrospectively analyzed. The mean age of the 32 patients at repair was 16.97 months (range, 15 days to 128 months). Six patients required ventilator assistance for respiratory failure. All children underwent left pulmonary artery (LPA) reimplantation (n = 32), and 3 patients needed reimplantation slide tracheoplasty (n = 3) due to ventilation weaning failure. Four patients died, 27 patients survived until discharge, and 18 patients were followed up. Pulmonary computed tomography imaging and echocardiography were performed in 18 patients who were followed up. After LPA reimplantation, the tracheal carina area was significantly enlarged compared to that preoperation (p = 0.0002). In this follow-up cohort study, 75% of the patients who underwent LPA reimplantation survived until discharge. The survivors had subsequently well-developed pulmonary arteries and tracheas.


2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 316-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Aydogdu ◽  
Can Hasdemir ◽  
Ahmet Acarer ◽  
Sezin Alpaydin ◽  
Cumhur Ertekin

AbstractBackground:We sought to characterize a cohort of participants with swallow-induced syncope (SIS) with clinical and electrophysiologic evaluations.Methods:Using electrocardiographic monitoring and neurophysiologic methods of swallowing, we evaluated a cohort of 5 patients with SIS, 4 of whom had longitudinal follow-up.Results:We determined electrophysiologically that the duration between the onset of swallow and a bradyarrhythmia or asystole is extremely short (2–3 seconds) in SIS. Most participants with SIS do not have a neurologic or esophageal disorder. SIS can occur with different food types, in sitting or standing position, and has varying frequency in different participants. Permanent pacemaker placement is a curative measure in SIS.Conclusions:Our findings suggest that SIS is elicited by reflex afferent pathways originating in the oropharynx, rather than an esophageal origin, as previously proposed. Our longitudinally followed cohort with detailed clinical and electrophysiologic characterization should aid the clinician in the diagnosis and treatment of this potentially life-threatening condition.


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