Journal of medical case reports
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The diagnosis of calcaneal osteomyelitis is a challenge, and diagnostic delays have been reported in the literature. The progression is often indolent, laboratory results commonly fail to reveal an underlying infectious process and radiographs changes are seen after 7 days. We discuss the literature on the diagnosis and treatment of calcaneal osteomyelitis which can result in long-term sequelae in the pediatric patient. ⋯ Physicians should include calcaneal osteomyelitis as a differential in any child presenting with heel pain. Delays in the diagnosis can result in disastrous complications in the pediatric patient, such as growth arrest.
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Low grade fibromyxoid sarcoma is a distinctive variant of fibrosarcoma. We recently experienced a rare case of low grade fibromyxoid sarcoma arising in the masseter muscle. ⋯ Low grade fibromyxoid sarcoma is an extremely rare tumor, and report of the present case is noteworthy since it represents a rare localization of low grade fibromyxoid sarcoma in the head and neck. Close follow up on a long-term basis is considered necessary because of its high potential to metastasize.
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Case Reports
Acute neck pain caused by septic arthritis of the lateral atlantoaxial joint with subluxation: a case report.
Crystal-induced arthritis of the lateral atlantoaxial joint may be intimately involved in acute neck pain in the elderly. Patients typically have a good prognosis, and symptoms usually subside within a few weeks. On the other hand, septic arthritis of the lateral atlantoaxial joint requires early diagnosis and antibiotic treatment. Diagnostic delay is a risk factor for an unfavorable outcome of vertebral osteomyelitis. Even though septic arthritis of the lateral atlantoaxial joint is a very rare clinical entity, it is important to differentiate septic arthritis from crystal-induced arthritis. ⋯ A patient with septic arthritis of the lateral atlantoaxial joint with subluxation presenting with acute neck pain was successfully treated with antibiotics and fusion surgery. In patients with persistent neck pain, septic arthritis of the lateral atlantoaxial joint should be considered and further examinations performed.
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Pleural effusion induced by sarcoidosis is rare, and pleural sarcoidosis is often diagnosed by thoracoscopic surgery. The diagnosis of pleural sarcoidosis using thoracentesis may be less invasive when sarcoidosis is already diagnosed histologically in more than one organ specimen. Here we report the case of a 64-year-old woman with pleural sarcoidosis diagnosed on the basis of an increased CD4/CD8 lymphocyte ratio in pleural effusion fluid obtained by thoracentesis. This case report is important because it highlights the usefulness of the CD4/CD8 lymphocyte ratio in pleural effusion as an indicator of pleural involvement of sarcoidosis. ⋯ Analysis of the CD4/CD8 lymphocyte ratio in pleural effusion fluid obtained by thoracentesis may be helpful for the diagnosis of pleural sarcoidosis when the diagnosis is already made by histological examination of more than one organ specimen.
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The presentation of an acute bowel obstruction caused by endometriosis in an emergency department setting is rare, as it usually presents through years of complaints in the absence of a distinct acute onset. In this report, we present a case of a patient who was familiar with abdominal complaints and eventually required emergency surgery to treat an acute bowel obstruction caused by endometriosis. Endometrioses present infrequently in the acute phase, and only a few cases in which emergency surgery was required have been described in the literature. ⋯ Infiltrating endometriosis is an invalidating disease that can be misdiagnosed for a wide range of other diseases. Emergency room physicians and surgeons should be aware that it can present as an acute obstruction and should be considered in diagnosing women of childbearing age. After initial colonoscopy, emergency surgery is the best therapeutic approach if there is a complete obstruction.