BackgroundVaricella zoster virus presents clinically as primary (chickenpox) or secondary (herpes zoster) infection. Cutaneous and extracutaneous dissemination may occur, usually in immunocompromised patients. VZV hepatitis that progresses to fulminant hepatic failure is very rare and fatal. To the best of our knowledge, 9 cases have been reported to date, of which 7 were in immunocompromised adults, and only one patient was on short duration steroid therapy.Presentation of caseWe present a 26-year old man who was admitted initially with acute abdomen as query persistent biliary colic. Later, he showed clinical and laboratory findings of VZV hepatitis that progressed rapidly despite maximal medical ICU support and he expired on day 3 of admission.ConclusionsAcute VZV infection may present as fulminant hepatitis. The presentation may initially be challenging for the diagnosis and should be considered if the patient has been in contact with a sick case. Low dose corticosteroid could carry a risk for fatal VZV fulminant hepatitis and should be used very cautiously especially with VZV patients’ contacts. Further causative relationships remain to be established.
BackgroundWe aimed to study the presentation, management, and outcomes of patients with a pancreatic traumatic injury.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed data for all patients who were admitted with pancreatic injuries between 2011 and 2017 at the only level 1 trauma center in the country.ResultsThere were 71 patients admitted with pancreatic trauma (0.6% of trauma admissions and 3.4% of abdominal injury admissions) with a mean age of 31 years. Sixty-two patients had pancreatic injury grade I–II and nine had injury grade III–IV. Thirty-eight percent had Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) <9 and 73% had injury Severity Score (ISS) >16. The level of pancreatic enzymes was significantly proportional to the grade of injury. Over half of patients required laparotomy, of them 12 patients had an intervention on the pancreas. Eight patients developed complications related to pancreatic injuries ranging from pancreatitis to pancreatico-cutaneous fistula while 35% developed hemorrhagic shock. Mortality was 31% and regardless of the grade of injury, the mortality was associated with high ISS, low GCS, and presence of hemorrhagic shock.ConclusionPancreatic injuries following blunt trauma are rare, and the injured subjects are usually young men. However, most injuries are of low-grade severity. This study shows that regardless of the pancreatic injury grade on-admission shock, higher ISS and lower GCS are associated with worse in-hospital outcomes. Non-operative management (NOM) may suffice in patients with lower grade injuries, which may not be the case in patients with higher grade injuries unless carefully selected.
Jejunoileal diverticulosis (JID) is a rare and nonspecific symptomatic disease. It is usually an acquired condition associated with false diverticula and integrated with colonic diverticulosis which can be diagnosed incidentally or later with complications. A sixty-nine-year-old male presented with sudden onset generalized abdominal pain. Computed tomography (CT) imaging was suggestive of ileal diverticulitis with localized perforation. The patient was treated conservatively with IV fluids and antibiotics and kept nil per orem for three days and discharged after symptoms subsided. The patient returned with a similar presentation but with a greater intensity. CT with oral contrast revealed evidence of distal ileal perforation. The terminal ileum was resected, and a double barrel ileostomy was created. Six months later, the stoma was reversed after resecting 50 cm of proximal terminal ileum which included all diverticula. The patient had a smooth postoperative recovery. Small bowel diverticulitis is generally managed conservatively unless the patient’s clinical condition mandates urgent exploration. This report may add knowledge and lead to a change in clinical practice.
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