Internal medicine
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Case Reports
The Early Onset of Levodopa-induced Dyskinesia in a Patient with Multiple System Atrophy.
Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by Parkinsonism, cerebellar ataxia, and autonomic dysfunction. While less frequent than Parkinson's disease, MSA patients with a beneficial levodopa response may occasionally present with levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID). We herein report a 50-year-old woman diagnosed with MSA-parkinsonism who developed LID in the unilateral lower extremity 10 months after the start of levodopa treatment. In this case, the distribution of LID, the timing of its onset, and the presence of LID despite relatively poor levodopa responsiveness were distinctive.
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Case Reports
A Case of Pancreaticobiliary Maljunction with Repeated Pancreatitis Due to Protein Plugs in a Short Period.
A 70-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital 1 month prior to presentation with acute pancreatitis due to pancreaticobiliary maljunction. After discharge, she was referred for elevated hepatobiliary enzyme levels. She was diagnosed with an acute pancreatitis flare-up. ⋯ ERCP revealed a defect in the duct, suspected to be caused by protein plugs, which were removed using a balloon after endoscopic papillary balloon dilatation. An analysis revealed that this component was a protein. No recurrence of pancreatitis was observed after the treatment.
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Case Reports
Symptomatic epiphrenic diverticulum in an older patient successfully treated nonsurgically.
Epiphrenic diverticulum is a rare condition commonly diagnosed in middle-aged adults. Symptoms include dysphagia and regurgitation, which are associated with underlying esophageal motility disorders. ⋯ The patient was successfully treated non-surgically without any complications. This case demonstrates that conservative treatment is an option for older high-risk patients.
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Case Reports
Acute Liver Injury and Bilateral Pulmonary Artery Thrombosis due to Hypereosinophilic Syndrome: A Case Report.
A 46-year-old Japanese man was referred to our hospital because of a marked increase in his eosinophil count (22,870/μL) and elevated liver enzyme levels. Computed tomography (CT) showed thrombi measuring approximately 8 cm in both femoral veins. ⋯ Four days after starting treatment, the patient experienced sudden chest pain and cardiopulmonary arrest. CT revealed bilateral pulmonary artery thrombosis, and despite administration of a tissue plasminogen activator, the patient died.
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Objective Radwisp™ is a fluoroscopic video analysis workstation recently developed to evaluate pulmonary circulation, thereby obviating the need for contrast medium or breath-holding. This study validated Radwisp as a diagnostic tool for acute pulmonary embolism (APE) and evaluated its potential utility in patients with symptoms of suspected APE. Methods The study included 10 patients (mean age, 69±16 years old) who were admitted to our hospital for suspected APE based on symptoms and physical examination findings between January 2020 and April 2021. ⋯ Among the residents, the sensitivity and specificity were 88% and 35%, respectively, and the positive and negative predictive values were 76% and 55%, respectively. Conclusion This study showed an initial validation of Radwisp for diagnosing APE, revealing a high sensitivity but not yet achieving a high specificity. Further studies with a larger number of cases are needed to thoroughly evaluate the diagnostic performance.