IntroductionMassive gastrointestinal bleeding is an emergency that can sometimes require immediate surgery. We report the first case, to the best of our knowledge, of massive rectal bleeding due to Yersinia enterocolitica, requiring ileocecal resection.Case presentationA 41-year-old North African woman was admitted to our emergency department for massive rectal bleeding. She had a history of an iron deficiency anemia of unknown cause, and diarrhea 2 months before the admission. On admission to our emergency unit, she was in a state of hemodynamic collapse. An examination showed discolored conjunctivas, massive rectal bleeding with clots and no abdominal pain. The first medical treatment included the use of noradrenaline. An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was performed and did not show any lesions. Computed tomography of her abdomen showed significant and hypervascular wall thickening of her terminal ileum suggestive of a tumor. Because her massive rectal bleeding worsened and her collapse persisted, an exploratory laparotomy and ileocecal resection were immediately performed on the patient. Histopathological analysis showed enteritis caused by Yersinia enterocolitica. Her outcome was favorable.ConclusionEnteritis due to Yersinia enterocolitica can take a pseudotumoral form and mislead the diagnosis of gastrointestinal bleeding.
Primary hepatic lymphoma is rare. Clinical and radiological presentations are not specific. The diagnosis is often late. Chronic hepatitis or cirrhosis, especially post-viral C usually precedes primary liver lymphoma. The differential diagnosis arises mainly with other hepatic tumors, such as atypical hypovascular cellular hepatocellular carcinoma when there is liver cirrhosis and with hypovascular hepatic metastases, especially colorectal, stomach and lung metastases. Other differential diagnosis are tuberculosis or sarcoidosis, particularly when there is multiple lesions.
We report the case of a 52-year woman, with a history of hepatitis C infection, presenting liver cirrhosis with multiple hepatic lesions. Radiological aspect was not specific which makes it difficult to distinguish from other hepatic tumors, especially hypovascular liver metastases.
Lemmel’s syndrome is a rare and misdiagnosed cause of obstructive jaundice. The cause of the obstacle is a duodenal diverticulum located at the periampullary generating a compression effect on the common bile duct with secondary dilation of the extra- and intra-hepatic bile ducts. Late diagnosis of this entity is common and may lead to unnecessary further investigations and therapeutic delay. There are only few case reports of this rare condition. We report a case of 77-year-old female presenting with obstructive jaundice due to Lemmel’s syndrome. The diagnosis was made on a set of clinical, biological and radiological arguments with good improvement after medical treatment.
Teaching Point:
Although frequent, the coexistence of diffuse hepatic hemangiomatosis (DHH) with giant cavernous hemangioma (GCH) should be mentioned clearly and communicated to the referring physician for an appropriate management.
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