scholarly journals Problem Based Review: The Patient with Acute Monoarthritis

2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-116
Author(s):  
Ernest Suresh ◽  

Acute monoarthritis is a common medical emergency with wide differential diagnosis. Common underlying causes include trauma, septic arthritis, crystal induced arthritis (gout and pseudogout), and reactive arthritis. Of these, septic arthritis is the diagnosis not to miss because of its association with significant morbidity and mortality. Precise diagnosis of the underlying cause of monoarthritis relies on a good history, physical examination findings, and results of focussed investigations. In this article, a practical approach to diagnosis and initial management of patients presenting with acute monoarthritis is described with the aid of a case vignette.

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 912
Author(s):  
Lisa Gamalero ◽  
Giovanna Ferrara ◽  
Teresa Giani ◽  
Rolando Cimaz

The term septic arthritis refers to an infection of the synovial space. This is an infrequent condition in healthy children, but it should be considered a medical emergency potentially leading to irreversible articular damage. Therefore, prompt diagnosis and antimicrobial treatment play a crucial role in improving the prognosis. Although septic arthritis is the most common cause of acute arthritis, many other diseases may mimic a similar clinical picture, constituting a diagnostic challenge for the clinician who first approaches the patient. Herein we analyze the main features of septic arthritis, offering an overview of the main conditions involved in the differential diagnosis and suggesting a diagnostic workup plan.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 84-91
Author(s):  
Ernest Suresh

A wide variety of conditions can present with acute thrombocytopenia, ranging from those that are relatively benign and self-limiting to those that require urgent therapeutic intervention. Initial decision-making relies on a good history and the results of some simple investigations. Although a precise diagnosis of the underlying cause might often not be possible in the acute setting, supportive treatments should be provided to all patients. This article describes a practical approach to the diagnosis and initial management of patients presenting with acute thrombocytopenia, with the aid of a case vignette.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. e242370
Author(s):  
Jiodany Perez ◽  
Stefani Sorensen ◽  
Michael Rosselli

Prompt recognition and treatment of septic arthritis are crucial to prevent significant morbidity and mortality in affected patients. During the current COVID-19 pandemic, anchoring bias may make an already challenging diagnosis like septic arthritis more difficult to diagnose quickly and efficiently. Musculoskeletal (MSK) point of care ultrasonography (POCUS) is an imaging modality that can be used to quickly and efficiently obtain objective findings that may help a clinician establish the diagnosis of septic arthritis. We report a case where MSK POCUS was a key element in establishing the diagnosis of glenohumeral joint septic arthritis and subdeltoid septic bursitis for a patient that presented to the emergency department with a fever during the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.


2021 ◽  
pp. 014556132110079
Author(s):  
Melonie Anne Phillips ◽  
Meredith Lind ◽  
Gerd McGwire ◽  
Diana Rodriguez ◽  
Suzanna Logan

Head and neck tumors are rare in pediatric patients but should be kept in the differential when a patient presents with a new swelling or mass. One of these tumors is a myxoma, which is an insidiously growing, benign mass originating from the mesenchyme. They most commonly arise in the myocardium but can also develop in facial structures, particularly in the maxilla and mandible. When arising in facial structures, ocular, respiratory, and digestive systems can be affected based on local invasion. Complete surgical resection is curative but can lead to significant morbidity as well. Here, we present a case of a 15-month-old toddler presenting with a paranasal mass, which was ultimately diagnosed as a maxillary myxoma. This tumor is very rare in the pediatric population, especially in the toddler age-group, reminding clinicians to broaden the differential diagnosis when a patient’s course is atypical.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Wang ◽  
Liucai Wang

AbstractSeptic arthritis (SA) represents a medical emergency that needs immediate diagnosis and urgent treatment. Despite aggressive treatment and rapid diagnosis of the causative agent, the mortality and lifelong disability, associated with septic arthritis remain high as close to 11%. Moreover, with the rise in drug resistance, the rates of failure of conventional antibiotic therapy have also increased. Among the etiological agents frequently isolated from cases of septic arthritis, Staphylococcus aureus emerges as a dominating pathogen, and to worsen, the rise in methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates in bone and joint infections is worrisome. MRSA associated cases of septic arthritis exhibit higher mortality, longer hospital stay, and higher treatment failure with poorer clinical outcomes as compared to cases caused by the sensitive strain i.e methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA).In addition to this, equal or even greater damage is imposed by the exacerbated immune response mounted by the patient’s body in a futile attempt to eradicate the bacteria. The antibiotic therapy may not be sufficient enough to control the progression of damage to the joint involved thus, adding to higher mortality and disability rates despite the prompt and timely start of treatment. This situation implies that efforts and focus towards studying/understanding new strategies for improved management of sepsis arthritis is prudent and worth exploring.The review article aims to give a complete insight into the new therapeutic approaches studied by workers lately in this field. To the best of our knowledge studies highlighting the novel therapeutic strategies against septic arthritis are limited in the literature, although articles on pathogenic mechanism and choice of antibiotics for therapy, current treatment algorithms followed have been discussed by workers in the past. The present study presents and discusses the new alternative approaches, their mechanism of action, proof of concept, and work done so far towards their clinical success. This will surely help to enlighten the researchers with comprehensive knowledge of the new interventions that can be used as an adjunct therapy along with conventional treatment protocol for improved success rates.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 3144
Author(s):  
Danilo L. Andrade ◽  
Marina C. Viana ◽  
Sandro C. Esteves

The differential diagnosis between obstructive and nonobstructive azoospermia is the first step in the clinical management of azoospermic patients with infertility. It includes a detailed medical history and physical examination, semen analysis, hormonal assessment, genetic tests, and imaging studies. A testicular biopsy is reserved for the cases of doubt, mainly in patients whose history, physical examination, and endocrine analysis are inconclusive. The latter should be combined with sperm extraction for possible sperm cryopreservation. We present a detailed analysis on how to make the azoospermia differential diagnosis and discuss three clinical cases where the differential diagnosis was challenging. A coordinated effort involving reproductive urologists/andrologists, geneticists, pathologists, and embryologists will offer the best diagnostic path for men with azoospermia.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kwang-Hoon Lee ◽  
Sang-Tae Choi ◽  
Soo-Kyung Lee ◽  
Joo-Hyun Lee ◽  
Bo-Young Yoon

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 441-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eljim P. Tesoro ◽  
Gretchen M. Brophy

Seizures are serious complications seen in critically ill patients and can lead to significant morbidity and mortality if the cause is not identified and treated quickly. Uncontrolled seizures can lead to status epilepticus (SE), which is considered a medical emergency. The first-line treatment of seizures is an intravenous (IV) benzodiazepine followed by anticonvulsant therapy. Refractory SE can evolve into a nonconvulsive state requiring IV anesthetics or induction of pharmacological coma. To prevent seizures and further complications in critically ill patients with acute neurological disease or injury, short-term seizure prophylaxis should be considered in certain patients.


2003 ◽  
Vol 131 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 458-460 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivera Markovic ◽  
Dragomir Marisavljevic ◽  
Vesna Cemerikic-Martinovic

Nodal presentation of Burkitt-like lymphoma is common, particularly in gastrointestinal tract. However, only few cases with massive ascites and signs of subileus due to lymphoma proliferation are described. We report a 31-year-old male patient who presented with fever, night sweats, vomiting and abdominal fullness. Physical examination suggested much ascites. Abdominal X-rays showed hidroaeric levels. Diagnosis of Burkitt-like lymphoma was established on the basis of cytological and imunohistochemical examination of ascites (immune phenotype of malignant cells was EMA -, NSE -, LCA +, CD10 -/+, CD20 +, IgM +, Ki-67 +100%). After treatment with BMF protocol complete remission was achieved and retained for 2.5 years. Authors stressed that imunohistochemical examination of ascites has been proved as simple and efficient method for establishing precise diagnosis. In this way laparotomy was avoided, which otherwise would be necessary due to exclusive abdominal localization of the disease.


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