Tropical doctor
-
We describe a young male who presented to the emergency room with sudden onset dyspnea, and was found to have aortic root aneurysm with aortic regurgitation and cardiac tamponade. He underwent a Bentall procedure, and excised aortic root tissue showed epithelioid cell granulomas with panaortitis. ⋯ Although tubercular aortitis is fairly common, tuberculous mycotic aneurysm of the aorta is rare, with involvement of the aortic root being exceedingly uncommon. We report only the fifth case in English literature of tuberculous mycotic aneurysm of the aortic root.
-
Human brucellosis is caused by one of the three species of Brucella: Brucella mellitensis, B. abortus, and B. suis. Worldwide, the incidence of human brucellosis ranges from <0.01 to >200 per 100,000 population. Cardiovascular complications occur in <2%, but accounts for most of the mortality. ⋯ A combination of antibiotics and valve replacement is the most acceptable treatment. So far only 15 adult cases have been reported as having been cured with medical therapy alone. We report another case treated successfully with antibiotics alone.
-
Rectal bezoars commonly occur due to seeds, especially in children living in countries south of the Mediterranean and in the Middle-East. Dried seeds are considered a delicacy and consumed widely. Inadequate chewing or hastily eating without removing the hull may lead to their impaction as bezoars, which may require manual removal under general anaesthesia.
-
Cysticercosis is a common public health problem in the Tropics. However, disseminated cysticercosis is rare. We report a patient with chronic liver disease and seizures, in whom a simple plain radiographic examination helped in narrowing down the differential diagnosis to disseminated cysticercosis. The diagnosis was confirmed by serum cysticercal antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and computerized tomography of the brain.