The American journal of emergency medicine
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Ischemic injury to the lumbosacral nerve roots and plexus is a rare condition resulting from thrombosis of one or several lumbar arteries. As the arterial supply of the spine presents great variations between subjects, the clinical presentation of lumbar thrombosis is highly variable depending on the relative involvement of nerve roots, bones or muscles. ⋯ We present the case of a 59-year-old woman who presented with spontaneous incomplete cauda equina syndrome due to diffuse lumbar nerve root infarction. On imaging, acute lumbar artery thrombosis was confirmed, and in addition to nerve roots, adjacent vertebral and paraspinal muscle infarctions were also present.
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Case Reports
More than just gastritis: An unusual presentation of strangulated transmesenteric hernia in a pediatric patient.
Internal hernias are a rare occurrence, reported in only 0.2-0.9% of the general population, and predominantly occur in adult patients as postsurgical complications. However, internal hernias can occur in pediatric patients, typically due to herniation of bowel through congenital mesenteric defects, and are associated with high rates of strangulation or volvulus (up to 30-40%) in this population. ⋯ She ultimately went on to have ultrasound and then CT imaging that revealed a high grade bowel obstruction due to an internal hernia from a mesenteric defect for which she required emergent resection of 119 cm of necrotic bowel. Ultimately this case illustrates a fairly benign presentation of a rare etiology of pediatric vomiting and abdominal pain that if left undetected could prove fatal, and is therefore essential for the emergency clinician to consider on the differential for vomiting and nonspecific abdominal pain in the pediatric patient.
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Letter Randomized Controlled Trial
Narrative communication to improve patient satisfaction with forgoing low value care.