Severe hypernatremia is defined as serum sodium levels above 152 mEq/L, with a mortality rate ≥60%. 85-year-old gentleman was brought to the emergency room with altered level of consciousness after refusing to eat for a week at a skilled nursing facility. On admission patient was nonverbal with stable vital signs and was responsive only to painful stimuli. Laboratory evaluation was significant for serum sodium of 188 mmol/L and water deficit of 12.0 L. Patient was admitted to medicine intensive care unit and after inadequate response to suboptimal fluid repletion, hemodialysis was used to correct hypernatremia. Within the first fourteen hours, sodium concentration only changed 1 mEq/L with a fluid repletion; however, the concentration dropped greater than 20 mEq/L within two hours during hemodialysis. Despite such a drastic drop in sodium concentration, patient did not develop any neurological sequela and was at baseline mental status at the time of discharge.
Background:Pilocytic astrocytoma (PA) is the most prevalent central nervous system (CNS) tumor in pediatric population and accounts for an approximate of 5–6% of all gliomas. This neoplasm can occur at all levels of the neuraxis, with majority (67%) arising in the cerebellum and optic pathway. PAs are World Health Organization Grade I tumors and are the most benign of all astrocytomas characterized by an excellent prognosis. Other differentials include subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA), ependymoma, meningioma, and low-grade gliomas such as pilocytic or diffuse astrocytoma; calcification is more commonly regarded as a feature of benign or slow-growing tumors.Case Description:We present a case of a 17-year-old female presenting with an unusual cause of hydrocephalus, a rare case of a calcified pilocytic astrocytoma as an intraventricular tumor.Conclusion:PA rarely presents as an intraventricular tumor and should be included in the differential diagnosis of a large mass with massive intratumoral calcification.
BackgroundCold agglutinin disease is a rare disorder characterized by an autoimmune hemolytic anemia occurring at low temperatures. Physical examination findings, often limited to acrocyanosis, are combined with a thermal amplitude test to help establish the diagnosis. Thermal amplitude testing determines the highest temperature at which the cold agglutination will occur and is an important parameter in diagnosing cold agglutinin disease.Case presentationHere we describe a 57-year-old white man of German and Nicaraguan descent with known chronic cold agglutinin disease who presented to our ophthalmology clinic for evaluation of a cataract. During routine cataract surgery, the lowered temperature of the conjunctiva from intermittent flow of balanced salt solution at room temperature induced a cold agglutination reaction in conjunctival vessels easily visible under a surgical microscope.ConclusionsTo the best of our knowledge, this method of demonstrating cold agglutinin disease has not been described in the literature and could easily be performed utilizing an ordinary slit lamp. This method could be used as an alternative and rapid screening method for cold agglutinin disease.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13256-018-1573-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Multiple myeloma is a malignant plasma-cell disorder that primarily involves the bone marrow, but extramedullary involvement is becoming increasingly common (Bladé et al., 2012) both at initial presentation and follow-up. Most common initial presentations for multiple myeloma include generalized fatigue, renal insufficiency, bone pain, and recurrent bacterial infections. We present a case of a healthy 55-year-old man that presented to the emergency department with a three-week history of anorexia and jaundice without any past medical history. Patient's initial labs were significant for hyperbilirubinemia and elevated liver function enzymes (AST, ALT, ALP, and GGT). Additional laboratory workup was significant for mild hypercalcemia and increased protein gap. MRI and ERCP suggested primary sclerosing cholangitis but were not diagnostic. Liver biopsy illustrated plasma-cell infiltration and bone marrow biopsy diagnosed multiple myeloma with extramedullary disease. Patient was started on dexamethasone, bortezomib, and cyclophosphamide, but, despite this aggressive regimen, the patient continued to decline. We take this opportunity to present this atypical presentation of a common hematological malignancy and review the associated literature.
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