Biliary-enteric fistula is a rare complication of cholelithiasis that can lead to gallstone ileus. Gallstone impaction in the duodenum and pylorus is extremely rare and can lead to gastric outlet obstruction, a condition known as Bouveret syndrome. Bouveret syndrome needs to be diagnosed and managed in a timely fashion, as it has a high mortality rate. We describe a case of an elderly patient who presented with Bouveret syndrome secondary to impaction of the biliary calculus in the first part of duodenum.
Ectopic varices account for 1%–5% of all variceal bleeding episodes. The most common presentation of cecal varices is an acute episode of a massive lower gastrointestinal hemorrhage. However, cecal varices can be found incidentally and can be silent for a prolonged period of time before presenting with a massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Through this case of a 63-year-old woman, we would like to highlight the paucity of literature in the treatment of nonbleeding cecal varices.
Partial anomalous pulmonary venous return (PAPVR) is a congenital anomaly in which some of the pulmonary veins drain erroneously into the superior vena cava (SVC) or directly into the right atrium (RA). We present four cases of PAPVR presenting in adults. We discussed various presentations, diagnostic approaches and challenges in the management of these patients. Our first case had anomalous drainage from the right upper lobe of lung to SVC and was managed medically with riociguat and ambrisentan. The second patient had an unsuccessful attempt at repair of the anomalous vein. Our other two patients had right upper lobe veins draining into SVC. One of them had a successful surgical repair whereas the other patient declined surgery and is being monitored. In PAPVR patients, the decision for surgical repair depends on symptoms, shunt fraction, recurrent pulmonary infections, and concurrent indication for cardiac surgery.
A 91-year-old male presented to the emergency room with hemodynamically significant upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The patient underwent an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), which showed frank blood in the duodenum interfering with the visualization. Hence, the patient underwent urgent interventional radiology (IR)-guided arteriogram and embolization. An EGD done 48 hours later showed a giant, non-bleeding, cratered duodenal ulcer with a visible vessel and vascular coils partially protruding into the duodenal bulb lumen. The patient had no evidence of bleeding post embolization. The patient presented three months later with abdominal pain. Computed tomography (CT) abdomen showed multiple liver abscesses. IRguided drainage of abscesses was performed, and the culture grew Streptococcus intermedius. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and barium enema were unremarkable. The patient was treated with a prolonged course of intravenous (IV) antibiotics and recovered without any further issues. IR guided arterial embolization can be lifesaving in cases where GI bleeding cannot be controlled endoscopically, however, it can lead to serious complications, including endovascular coil migration into the gastrointestinal (GI) lumen causing infection and rebleeding. Endovascular coil migration can occur immediately or several years later, which can result in fatal bleeding and infection. The best approach to prevent and manage migrated endovascular coils in the GI lumen remains unclear.
Background
Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) are rare causes of ventricular arrhythmias and are associated with sudden cardiac death. Differentiation between both is important for proper management.
Case summary
We present a 56-year-old man with sudden cardiac arrest and was diagnosed to have ARVC based on cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). He developed gradually worsening shortness of breath over the next 1 year. CS was unmasked after a cardiac positron emission tomography (PET). Patient was treated with methotrexate. A repeat cardiac PET scan showed improvement.
Discussion
The distinction between ARVC and CS is challenging. Both these entities have a patchy involvement and can have similar presentations. ARVC has a predominant right heart involvement. It is diagnosed with the help of an MRI, which shows regional right ventricular wall motion abnormality. These findings can have an overlap with CS. It is important to note that, even though sarcoidosis is a pathologic diagnosis, cardiac biopsy is rarely done owing to its patchy involvement. Cardiac PET scan has a high sensitivity and specificity to diagnose this entity. Once diagnosis is made, patients should be treated with immunosuppressants and should be closely followed. Repeat imaging should be considered at intervals to monitor disease progression. This case highlights the importance of multimodality imaging and tissue diagnosis to unmask the diagnosis of CS, a treatable infiltrative disorder which shares features with a potentially untreatable ARVC.
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.