Radiology case reports
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Radiology case reports · Nov 2021
Case ReportsSpontaneous pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax and subcutaneous emphysema: Radiological aspects of rare COVID-19 complications in 3 patients.
Spontaneous pneumomediastinum (SPM), pneumothorax (PNX) and subcutaneous emphysema are rare complications of COVID-19 pneumonia. In this paper we describe 3 cases of COVID-19 pneumonia complicated by SPM with or without PNX. Patient 1 was a 56-year-old woman whose medical history was significant for chronic leukemia. ⋯ SPM, PNX and subcutaneous emphysema are rare complications of COVID-19 pneumonia. Increased alveolar pressure and diffuse alveolar injury in severe COVID-19 pneumonia may make the alveoli more prone to rupturing which leads to gas dissemination along the peribronchovascular sheath to the mediastinum. Most cases of SPM and PNX resolve with conservative management.
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Radiology case reports · Aug 2021
Case ReportsPediatric fibrocartilaginous spine embolism induced by trauma.
Fibrocartilaginous embolic infarction of the spinal cord is a rare cause of acute back pain and motor weakness. Most symptoms start after minor trauma that is often considered harmless and forgotten, however these minor injuries can result in lethal consequences. ⋯ Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spinal cord without contrast revealed a posterior disc protrusion suggestive of post-traumatic spinal cord infarction due to fibrocartilaginous embolism. In young, otherwise healthy, patients with acute motor deficits, radiographic imaging can help identify rare presentations like fibrocartilaginous embolism in order to rapidly diagnose and efficiently treat such patients.
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Radiology case reports · Nov 2020
Case ReportsDrug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) with severe and atypical lung involvement.
Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms is a rare and potentially fatal drug hypersensitivity reaction. Reactions include skin eruption, fever, hematologic abnormalities (eosinophilia or atypical lymphocytosis), enlarged lymph nodes, and/or organic involvement. The liver is the most commonly compromised organ. ⋯ After reviewing the literature few similar cases were found. The main radiological alterations in those cases included interstitial opacities attributed to pneumonitis. Therefore, this case study is considered an unusual case with atypical presentation of drug-induced eosinophilic lung disease.
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Hepatic portal venous gas, while a rare finding with a classically poor prognosis, is not always fatal. Mortality varies depending on the underlying etiology; bowel ischemia carries the highest mortality rate. Other etiologies include gastrointestinal obstruction, gastric ulcer, infectious processes (intraperitoneal abscess and gastroenteritis), inflammatory processes (ulcerative colitis, Crohn disease, chemotherapy-induced), and complications from endoscopic procedures. We report a case of a 68-year-old woman who presented with a week-long history of diminished intake, nausea, and vomiting, with unremarkable abdominal examination, who was found to have significant portal venous gas that completely resolved within 16 hours without surgical intervention.
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Radiology case reports · Nov 2020
Case ReportsLung point-of-care (POCUS) ultrasound in a pediatric COVID-19 case.
The World Health Organization categorized coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic due to its high contagion rate and widespread infectivity in February 2020. In the United States, one of the public health concerns is the adequacy of resources to treat infected cases. We describe a case of a previously well, 9-year-old obese boy who presented to the emergency department with shortness of breath, fever, abdominal pain, and cough with chest pain. ⋯ A chest X-ray found bilateral ground glass opacities and interstitial prominences consistent with viral pneumonia. Our case suggests that lung POCUS can provide adequate and rapid imaging to assess lung pathology of COVID-19 in a pediatric patient. As there is limited literature on use of lung POCUS in pediatric patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, our case emphasizes its function as a potentially efficient modality in bedside assessment.