Acta medica Austriaca
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Acta medica Austriaca · Jan 2000
Case Reports[Pericardial effusion and aortitis: unusual main manifestations of giant cell arteritis].
Giant cell arteritis is a systemic vasculitis with segmentary vascular localisation, usually manifesting as temporal arteritis (Horton's disease). The predominant localisation in different vascular districts leads to clinical heterogeneity and poses a considerable diagnostic challenge. ⋯ The findings of pericardial effusion and thickening of aortic wall in chest-CT suggested the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis, fully confirmed by the following biopsy and histologic examination of a macroscopically and palpatory normal arteria temporalis. Undergoing an appropriate corticosteroid-medication the patient has been free of symptoms since 8 months.
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Acta medica Austriaca · Jan 2000
Case Reports[Retroperitoneal fibrosis as the etiology for recent onset of abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting--a rare and easily missed differential diagnosis].
Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare disease with unspecific symptomatic signs. Mortality rates are high with a 10-year mortality rate of 10 to 20%. We describe a case of a 55 year old woman with retroperitoneal fibrosis and discuss clinical findings, symptomatic signs, diagnosis, and treatment of this rare disease.
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Nowadays, the ultrasound examination is considered to be the most important procedure in the morphological examinations of the thyroid gland and its importance can be compared to the value of the basal thyroid stimulating hormone level (b-TSH) estimation in the examination of the thyroid function. Both methods in their preliminary stages can already exclude morphological and functional changes. In case of a disease, sonography makes the selection of further investigation procedures possible, in regard to their necessity and urgency. The organ size (in all 3 dimensions); the relationship to neighbouring structures; the echo pattern or the blood circulation are sonographic informations, which offer the specialist, the thyroid clinic or the surgeon (all with their wide differences of aims) an excellent means in the exclusion; the diagnosis; the investigation and the treatment strategy of thyroid gland diseases.