Clinical medicine (London, England)
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Case Reports
Piriformis syndrome as the only initial manifestation of septic sacroiliac osteomyelitis.
Piriformis syndrome refers to sciatica symptoms that do not originate from spinal root compression, but involve the overlying piriformis muscle. Diagnosis is clinical since there are no definitive tests to confirm the diagnosis. Piriformis syndrome is often misinterpreted as sciatica or other pains. ⋯ Thus, prompt diagnosis is crucial to the prognosis. Here, we report a patient suffering from acute pelvic osteomyelitis with piriformis syndrome as the only initial manifestation without fever. This unusual manifestation rendered prompt and correct diagnosis difficult.
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Health anxiety, formerly part of hypochondriasis, but now reformulated as excessive concern about health and, by extension, illness, comprises a large proportion of consultations in hospital practice. For too long it has been ignored in practice and not formally treated. ⋯ A stepped care approach in which physicians and nurses are first helped to identify health anxiety, explain its significance to patients and then, if necessary, administer these treatments in the clinical setting without referral to psychiatric services, is recommended as a way forward. This approach should be embraced in secondary care.
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Cardiac syncope and epileptic seizure are two very similar presentations and difficult to differentiate without a proper history, physical examination and investigations. In a former study, 10 out of 22 episodes of induced ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation can result in stereotypical tonic-clonic movement with varied electroencephalography changes. We present a case which was diagnosed as ventricular tachycardia from seizure-like attack. It is to emphasise the importance of including ventricular tachycardia among other differential diagnoses of seizure-like activity in a patient with cardiovascular risks.