Mayo Clinic proceedings
-
In recent years, the antiviral armamentarium has expanded considerably. Currently available agents are virustatic, inhibiting specific steps in the process of viral replication. No agent is active against nonreplicating or latent viruses. ⋯ Patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection and CD4 lymphocyte counts of less than 500 cells/mm3 should be treated with zidovudine. Amantadine is useful in a therapeutic and prophylactic role in the management of influenza A virus infection. With the expanded use of and indications for antiviral therapy, clinically significant resistance to these agents has been encountered with increasing frequency.
-
The use of conservative or radical surgical procedures in the management of hepatic echinococcosis is controversial. A review of data on 23 patients with hydatid cysts of the liver that were diagnosed between 1935 and 1990 at our institution was undertaken to determine the safety and efficacy of various surgical procedures. In eight patients (group 1), the cysts were treated conservatively by instillation of a scolicidal agent followed by evacuation of the cyst, drainage, or omentoplasty of the residual cyst cavity. ⋯ Group 1 and group 2 patients had similar complication rates (62% and 54%, respectively) and mean hospital stay (24 and 23 days, respectively). Recurrent cysts, however, were detected in three of six patients who underwent a conservative surgical procedure and participated in follow-up, whereas no patients treated by a radical procedure had a recurrence. Because pericystectomy and hepatic resection resulted in a low rate of recurrence and eliminated the need for use of potentially toxic scolicidal agents, these procedures may be the preferred method for the surgical management of hepatic hydatid disease.
-
Mayo Clinic proceedings · Aug 1991
Comparative StudyCauses of death in patients with tuberous sclerosis.
Of the 355 patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) examined at the Mayo Clinic, 49 had died (9 of causes other than TSC). We attempted to determine what pattern of organ involvement occurred most often in the 40 patients who died of TSC. One baby died of cardiac failure due to cardiac rhabdomyomas, and one child died of rupture of an aneurysm of the thoracic aorta. ⋯ Thirteen patients with severe mental handicaps died of either status epilepticus or bronchopneumonia; in all but one of these patients, the only source of information was the death certificate. Survival curves show a decreased survival for patients with TSC in comparison with that for the general population. Patients with TSC need lifelong follow-up for early detection of potentially life-threatening complications.
-
Mayo Clinic proceedings · Jul 1991
Review Case ReportsReversibility of blue-gray cutaneous discoloration from amiodarone.
A 45-year-old man had severe blue-gray cutaneous discoloration during amiodarone therapy for atrial fibrillation. Therefore, this drug regimen was discontinued, and long-term anticoagulation and digoxin therapy were used. The patient was advised to avoid exposure of his skin to sunlight, and a bleaching agent was prescribed. ⋯ The presence of high concentrations of iodine, detected by electron probe analysis, suggests that the cutaneous deposits are amiodarone itself or a metabolite. The slow rate of elimination of amiodarone and a high uptake by fat-associated tissues may explain the delayed disappearance of cutaneous photosensitivity and late resolution of the blue-gray discoloration. Our current case supports the reversibility of these adverse effects on long-term follow-up.