Hepatic portal venous gas (HPVG), an ominous radiologic sign, is associated in some cases with a severe underlying abdominal disease requiring urgent operative intervention. HPVG has been reported with increasing frequency in medical literature and usually accompanies severe or lethal conditions. The diagnosis of HPVG is usually made by plain abdominal radiography, sonography, color Doppler flow imaging or computed tomography (CT) scan. Currently, the increased use of CT scan and ultrasound in the inpatient setting allows early and highly sensitive detection of such severe illnesses and also the recognition of an increasing number of benign and non-life threatening causes of HPVG. HPVG is not by itself a surgical indication and the treatment depends mainly on the underlying disease. The prognosis is related to the pathology itself and is not influenced by the presence of HPVG. Based on a review of the literature, we discuss in this paper the pathophysiology, risk factors, radiographic findings, management, and prognosis of pathologies associated with HPVG.
Thyroid hormones define basal metabolism throughout the body, particularly in the intestine and viscera. Gastrointestinal manifestations of dysthyroidism are numerous and involve all portions of the tract. Thyroid hormone action on motility has been widely studied, but more complex pathophysiologic mechanisms have been indicated by some studies although these are not fully understood. Both thyroid hormone excess and deficiency can have similar digestive manifestations, such as diarrhea, although the mechanism is different in each situation. The liver is the most affected organ in both hypo-and hyperthyroidism. Specific digestive diseases may be associated with autoimmune thyroid processes, such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Grave's disease. Among them, celiac sprue and primary biliary cirrhosis are the most frequent although a clear common mechanism has never been proven. Overall, thyroidrelated digestive manifestations were described decades ago but studies are still needed in order to confirm old concepts or elucidate undiscovered mechanisms. All practitioners must be aware of digestive symptoms due to dysthyroidism in order to avoid misdiagnosis of rare but potentially lethal situations.
Letters to the Editor should be submitted online to www.editorialmanager.com/ amsurg. (See details online under ''Instructions for Authors''.) They should be no more than 3 double-spaced pages excluding an Abstract and sub-headings with a maximum of four (4) references. If figures are included, they should be limited to two (2). The cost of printing color figures is the responsibility of the author.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.