Annals of Saudi medicine
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Annals of Saudi medicine · Sep 2012
ReviewThe investigation of Cushing syndrome: essentials in optimizing appropriate diagnosis and management.
The investigation of Cushing syndrome (CS) should start with careful history taking and clinical examination, and exogenous steroid usage must be excluded. It is essential to confirm hypercortisolism before further investigations are undertaken. The recommended first-line tests include midnight salivary cortisol and/or the 1 mg overnight or low-dose dexamethasone suppression tests. ⋯ Many dynamic tests may be considered, but we suggest that bilateral inferior petrosal sinus sampling should be performed in almost all patients with ACTH-dependent CS, except for patients with a pituitary macroadenoma. Imaging should include MR scanning of the pituitary, and CT scanning of the chest and abdomen to look for an ectopic source. Confirmation of the diagnosis of CS and accurate localization of its source are vital to optimize therapy for this complex disorder.
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Annals of Saudi medicine · Sep 2012
The role of seating position in determining the injury pattern among unrestrained children involved in motor vehicle collisions presenting to a level I trauma center.
Seating position in motor vehicle collisions (MVC) plays a major role in determining the injury pattern in mainly restrained children. However, compliance with child seating and restraint laws is still suboptimal. The role of seating position in predicting injury patterns among unrestrained children has not been previously studied. ⋯ Injury pattern can vary according to seating position among unrestrained children presenting at trauma centers after MVC. While FS children are more likely to present with HNFI, BS children more often sustain LPF. BS children had similar trauma severity compared with FS children despite the higher-impact nature of their MVCs. While highlighting the value of proper restraints use and seating position, these results can be valuable in the initial assessment of traumatized children involved in MVC.
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Annals of Saudi medicine · Jul 2012
The relationship between markedly elevated glucose challenge test results and the rate of gestational diabetes mellitus and gestational impaired glucose tolerance.
Even though the 50 g oral glucose challenge test (GCT) is the most commonly used screening modality for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), no consensus for the diagnostic approach is available to patients with a markedly elevated GCT result. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of markedly elevated GCT results and the impact of age using the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) as gold standard. ⋯ The GCT result of 200 mg/dL is an ideal cutoff value for the diagnosis of GDM + GIGT in patients ≥35 years, and OGTT can be omitted in these patients. In younger patients, the cutoff value should be chosen as 230 mg/dL.
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Annals of Saudi medicine · Jul 2012
Recurrent trichilemmal carcinoma with a large cutaneous horn formation.
We describe an unusual case of trichilemmal carcinoma accompanied by a large horn formation in a 79-year-old man who presented with a brown tumor mass including a 15-cm-long horn on the vertex for one and a half years. Two months after the surgical removal of the primary tumor, the tumor recurred with a dimension 10x8x8 cm. ⋯ After 2 years, the patient had not shown any recurrence or metastases. We highlight the features that distinguish trichilemmal carcinoma from the other malignant tumors, such as squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, nodular melanoma, or keratoacanthoma.
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Annals of Saudi medicine · Jul 2012
Health-related quality of life of Saudi hepatitis B and C patients.
Although usually asymptomatic, many chronic hepatitis C patients have extrahepatic manifestations and impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL), while hepatitis B virus (HBV) patients have normal or nearly normal HRQOL. The aim of this study was to investigate HRQOL in Saudi patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) in comparison with patients infected with HBV in an effort to document the prevalence of and find factors associated with reduced HRQOL in these patients. ⋯ Saudi hepatitis C patients showed significantly lower HRQOL scores in various domains compared to hepatitis B patients.