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International Journal of Surgery Case... Jul 2023Pleuropulmonary blastoma is a rare, aggressive intrathoracic neoplasm of early childhood.
INTRODUCTION
Pleuropulmonary blastoma is a rare, aggressive intrathoracic neoplasm of early childhood.
CASE PRESENTATION
We report a case of a 4-month-old male baby who has presented with recurrent respiratory infections since birth. A surgical team was consulted due to abnormal opacification observed on a chest X-ray. An enhanced-contrast CT scan of the chest revealed a heterogenous, well-delineated mass measuring about 3,8 × 6 cm in the posterior mediastinum. A left posterolateral thoracotomy was performed. The mass was separated from the lung parenchyma, located behind the parietal pleura, and adherent to the chest wall and superior ribs. The lesion was totally removed. Histologically, the lesion was a pleuropulmonary blastoma type III. Currently, the patient is on a 6-month course of chemotherapy.
CLINICAL DISCUSSION
The aggressive, insidious behavior of PPB requires a high index of suspicion for diagnosis. The clinical manifestations and imaging modalities are atypical and nonspecific. However, PPB should be kept in mind when a huge solid or cystic mass is observed in the lung field on imaging.
CONCLUSION
Extrapulmonary pleuropulmonary blastoma is a very rare entity characterized by highly aggressive behavior and a poor prognosis. Early excision of thoracic cystic lesions in children is warranted regardless of the symptoms to avoid future mishaps.
PubMed: 37423144
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2023.108461 -
World Journal of Clinical Cases Jun 2023Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a hematological neoplasm, and an increase in myeloblasts is representative of leukemic hematopoiesis in advanced MDS. Low-risk MDS...
BACKGROUND
Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a hematological neoplasm, and an increase in myeloblasts is representative of leukemic hematopoiesis in advanced MDS. Low-risk MDS usually exhibits deranged autoimmunity resembling that of aplastic anemia (AA), whereas advanced MDS is characterized by a phenotype of immune exhaustion. MDS can be normo/hyperplastic or hypoplastic. Generally, bone marrow cellularity and myeloblasts increase with disease progression. Transformation from advanced MDS to AA-like syndrome with leukemic cell regression has not previously been reported.
CASE SUMMARY
A middle-aged Chinese woman had a 4-year history of leukocytopenia. Six months prior to admission, the patient developed gradually worsening fatigue and performance status. The leukocytopenia further progressed. She was diagnosed with MDS with excess blasts-2 based on increased bone marrow cellularity and an increased percentage of myeloblasts on marrow and blood smears, an increased percentage of cluster of differentiation (CD)34+CD33+ progenitors in immunotyping analysis, a normal karyotype in cytogenetic analysis, and the identification of somatic mutations in and in molecular analysis. Initially, neutropenia was the predominant hematological abnormality, with mild anemia and thrombocytosis, and the degree of fatigue was far more severe than the degree of anemia. In the following months, the patient experienced several febrile episodes. Intravenous antibiotic treatments were able to control the febrile episodes, but the elevated inflammatory indices persisted. The hematological parameters dramatically fluctuated with the waxing and waning of the inflammatory episodes. With recurrent flares of the inflammatory condition, agranulocytosis and severe anemia developed, with mild thrombocytopenia. During the patient's hospitalization, computed tomography (CT) scans revealed the presence of extensive inflammatory lesions involving the lungs, mediastinum, pleura, gastrointestinal tract, peritoneum and urinary tract, with imaging features suggestive of the reactivation of disseminated tuberculosis. Reevaluation of the bone marrow smears revealed that the cellularity became hypoplastic, and the leukemic cells regressed, suggesting that both normal and leukemic hematopoiesis had been heavily suppressed. Immunological analysis of the bone marrow samples revealed a decreased percentage of CD34+ cells and an immunological signature resembling that of severe AA (SAA), confirming the regression of the leukemic cells by autoimmune-mediated attacks. The patient demonstrated resistance to multiple drugs, including antituberculotics, recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, broad-spectrum antibiotics, voriconazole, ganciclovir, immune suppressants, eltrombopag and intravenous immunoglobulin, which further worsened the hematological injury and patient's performance status. The patient eventually died of overwhelming infection and multidrug resistance.
CONCLUSION
Advanced MDS can transform to aplastic cytopenia with leukemic cell regression and an immunological signature of SAA during inflammatory flare-ups.
PubMed: 37388797
DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i17.4105 -
Tomography (Ann Arbor, Mich.) Jun 2023This review has the purpose of illustrating schematically and comprehensively the key concepts for the beginner who approaches chest radiology for the first time. The... (Review)
Review
This review has the purpose of illustrating schematically and comprehensively the key concepts for the beginner who approaches chest radiology for the first time. The approach to thoracic imaging may be challenging for the beginner due to the wide spectrum of diseases, their overlap, and the complexity of radiological findings. The first step consists of the proper assessment of the basic imaging findings. This review is divided into three main districts (mediastinum, pleura, focal and diffuse diseases of the lung parenchyma): the main findings will be discussed in a clinical scenario. Radiological tips and tricks, and relative clinical background, will be provided to orient the beginner toward the differential diagnoses of the main thoracic diseases.
Topics: Humans; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Lung; Radiography, Thoracic; Lung Neoplasms; Radiology
PubMed: 37368547
DOI: 10.3390/tomography9030095 -
International Journal of Surgery Case... Jul 2023Intrathoracic herniation of gastric conduit (IHGC) is a specific complication following esophagectomy with retrosternal gastric pull-up but is not well recognized....
INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE
Intrathoracic herniation of gastric conduit (IHGC) is a specific complication following esophagectomy with retrosternal gastric pull-up but is not well recognized. Diagnosis and management are challenging due to the lack of literature reviews.
CASE PRESENTATION
We report a 50-year-old man where a reconstructed gastric conduit hernia into the mediastinal pleural cavity after esophagectomy. The patient underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy with cervical anastomosis for middle esophageal carcinoma followed by retrosternal reconstruction; during the tunneling phase, the mediastinal pleura was injured. Subsequently, the patient developed progressive dysphagia postoperatively, and chest CT scans revealed that the dilating gastric tube had moved into the mediastinal pleural cavity.
CLINICAL DISCUSSION
After ruling out the pyloric stenosis by endoscopy, our diagnosis was severe gastric outlet obstruction due to gastric conduit herniation. We performed laparoscopic surgery to mobilize and straighten the redundant gastric conduit. No recurrence occurred throughout the follow-up for one year.
CONCLUSION
IHGC can cause gastric conduit obstruction, which requires reoperation to repair. The laparoscopic approach is an appropriate strategy with the advantages of being less invasive and effective in mobilizing and straightening the gastric conduit. To prevent mediastinal pleural injury - which affects the continuation of the reconstructions, the surgeon should use blunt dissection with direct observation during the route creation.
PubMed: 37320978
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2023.108392 -
Surgical Case Reports Jun 2023Esophagogastric bypass is performed for esophageal strictures. Mucus retention, known as mucocele, sometimes occurs at the stricture oral side of the remnant esophagus....
BACKGROUND
Esophagogastric bypass is performed for esophageal strictures. Mucus retention, known as mucocele, sometimes occurs at the stricture oral side of the remnant esophagus. It is often asymptomatic and is expected to be naturally decompressed, but it may cause respiratory failure depending on the case. Herein, we report a case in which we successfully performed thoracoscopic esophageal drainage as emergency airway management due to tracheal compression by a mucocele after esophagogastric bypass for unresectable esophageal cancer with esophagobronchial fistula.
CASE PRESENTATION
A 56-year-old man underwent esophageal bypass surgery for an unresectable esophageal carcinoma with an esophagobronchial fistula following chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Nine months after bypass surgery, he experienced severe dyspnea due to tracheal compression caused by mucus retention on the oral side of the esophageal tumor. We planned thoracoscopic surgery for mucus retention drainage through the right thoracic cavity to secure the airway as an emergency procedure under general anesthesia. Intubation can be performed safely by guiding bronchoscopy in the semi-supine position. Upper esophageal dilation was observed on the cranial side of the azygos arch. We dissected the mediastinal pleura of the upper thoracic esophagus and exposed its wall. A 12-Fr silicone drain was placed in the esophagus through the right chest wall and 120 ml of white fluid was aspirated. He was discharged 9 days after surgery without complications and resumed treatment with an immune checkpoint inhibitor 23 days after surgery. Thereafter, he continued chemotherapy for esophageal cancer, but died of tumor progression and lung metastasis 35 months after bypass surgery and 25 months after thoracoscopic surgery.
CONCLUSIONS
Thoracoscopic esophageal drainage could be performed safely as emergency airway management, shorten the period of discontinuance, and allow cancer treatment to be resumed promptly. We believe that this thoracoscopic procedure is an effective and less invasive method if the percutaneous approach is difficult.
PubMed: 37316766
DOI: 10.1186/s40792-023-01693-w -
Cureus Apr 2023Schwannomas are benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors typically found in the neck, flexor surfaces of the extremities, mediastinum, posterior spinal roots,...
Schwannomas are benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors typically found in the neck, flexor surfaces of the extremities, mediastinum, posterior spinal roots, cerebellopontine angle, and retroperitoneum. Pleural schwannomas are a type of neoplasm that arises from autonomic nerve fiber sheaths in the pleura and rarely originate in the thoracic cavity. These schwannomas tend to be asymptomatic, benign, and slow-growing neoplasms. Although pleural schwannomas commonly occur in males, our report highlights a unique presentation of a pleural schwannoma presenting as musculoskeletal-type chest pain in an adult female. Our patient's diagnosis of pleural schwannoma was supported after X-Ray, Computed Tomography (CT) Scan, and Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan imaging was complete. All imagining and immunohistochemical staining yielded pleural schwannoma as the final diagnosis. We aim to bring awareness to the necessity of imaging and histopathological staining in atypical clinical cases of pleural schwannoma. Our novel case highlights pleural schwannoma as a differential diagnosis for patients with intermittent, musculoskeletal-type chest pain.
PubMed: 37213956
DOI: 10.7759/cureus.37771 -
Journal of Zhejiang University.... May 2023Chest pain is one of the most common complaints in the emergency department. Diseases of the heart, aorta, lungs, esophagus, stomach, mediastinum, pleura, and abdominal...
Chest pain is one of the most common complaints in the emergency department. Diseases of the heart, aorta, lungs, esophagus, stomach, mediastinum, pleura, and abdominal viscera can all cause chest discomfort (Gulati et al., 2021; Jiao et al., 2021; Lu et al., 2022). Clinicians in the emergency department are expected to immediately recognize life-threatening chest pain (Jiao et al., 2021). Delayed diagnosis further increases the risk of complications and mortality (Liu et al., 2021). In this case, we present an elderly Chinese female who had a history of myocardial infarction two years previously, with chest pain eventually found to be caused by ingestion of a duck bone.
Topics: Humans; Female; Aged; Esophagus; Foreign Bodies; Chest Pain; Emergency Service, Hospital; Heart
PubMed: 37190894
DOI: 10.1631/jzus.B2300026