• Roberson Bowling posted an update 1 year, 7 months ago

    Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit recreational drug in the United States. Growing public support for marijuana law reform has resulted in a significant increase in its use. The harmful pulmonary consequences of chronic marijuana smoking are less researched and discussed than those of tobacco smoking. We present a case of recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax in a patient with heavy, persistent marijuana abuse who has no past medical or surgical histories and denied smoking cigarettes or other illicit substance use.Achalasia is a relatively rare motor disorder characterized by esophageal aperistalsis and incomplete relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter. In only 10% of patients, untreated or poorly managed achalasia can progress to esophageal dilation and eventual loss of total functionality resulting in a characteristic sigmoid dolichomegaesopahagus. In extremely rare instances, this sigmoid dolichomegaesopahagus can present clinically as acute airway obstruction or a fatal, life-threatening hemorrhage requiring immediate intervention. We present the case of a 65-year-old female with a past medical history of long-standing achalasia who had complaints of shortness of breath, chest pain, and two episodes of life-threatening hematemesis requiring a blood transfusion. An angiography illustrated significant distention of the esophagus occupying most of the right hemithorax and non-specific intraluminal fluid with a small amount of gas. Emergent esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed fibrosis and necrosis of the esophageal mucosa with food debris, suggesting that the bleeding was likely coming from an ulcer caused by pressure necrosis. The patient was hemodynamically unstable after the procedure and was transferred to another facility the next day for an esophagectomy. Patients with achalasia have an increased susceptibility to develop pressure ulcers due to increased shear force on the esophageal wall, increased moisture of the esophageal wall from prolonged contact of food boluses, and underlying malnutrition and weight loss from the indigestion of food causing atrophy of the mucosal barriers. The management of these ulcers is to treat and manage the underlying cause. Although there are no curative treatments for achalasia, symptomatic relief through both surgical and medical therapies are the mainstay of management, with an esophagectomy reserved for refractory cases or in patients who develop end-stage complications.The incidence of symptomatic vasculitis in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients is approximately 1%, and it commonly presents as arterial occlusive disease or aneurysmal disease. Early diagnosis of vascular complications in those patients is essential; however, it is extremely challenging. Iliac aneurysms are usually silent, and because of their deep location, detection of these aneurysms is typically difficult. Therefore, they always continue to be asymptomatic until rupture unless they are discovered incidentally on a radiological investigation for an irrelative condition. We present the case of a 61-year-old HIV-positive man with bilateral iliac aneurysms and total coronary artery occlusion presenting with a leg ulcer.A 54-year-old male with a history of hypertension, diabetes, and sleep apnea presented with a two-week history of dyspnea. The patient was hypoxic with bilateral leg edema. Initial workup showed elevated troponin at 0.15 ng/mL, brain natriuretic peptide of 720 pg/mL, and hyponatremia. Chest X-ray revealed lungs infiltrates with possible pneumonia. An electrocardiogram showed sinus tachycardia and ST depression in septal leads. He received diuretics and antibiotics for fluid overload and pneumonia. Blood culture showed methicillin-sensitive staphylococcus aureus (MSSA). Transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) revealed a left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) of 55-60%, a bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) with mild aortic stenosis and calcification, and an ascending aortic aneurysm of 4.2 cm, though no vegetations. A transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) demonstrated the BAV, 1.4 cm mobile vegetation, an abscess on the aortic annulus, severe aortic regurgitation, and 4.6 cm ascending aortic aneurysm. He underwent aortic valve replacement, ascending aortoplasty, and coronary artery bypass grafting. He was discharged with eight weeks of antibiotics after a good recovery with resolution of fever, dyspnea, and bacteremia. His son was diagnosed with BAV earlier. Consequently, by screening echocardiogram and education, our patient could have avoided complications of severe infective endocarditis.The treatment effects of metastasis-directed therapy in patients with oligometastatic disease have received much attention. In our case, a 72-year-old man with oligometastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer was referred to our hospital. The patient had undergone radical radiotherapy with a total dose of 76 Gy in 36 fractions for localized prostate cancer nine years prior to the first visit. Positron emission tomography showed a slight increase in accumulation in the para-aortic lymph nodes. The patient received conventional radiotherapy at a total dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions to the para-aortic region as oligometastasis-directed local therapy. After radiotherapy, his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level decreased slightly, but it increased again soon after. According to the results of positron emission tomography, the accumulation around the para-aortic lymph nodes had decreased; however, a slight increase in accumulation in the sub/supra-clavicular lymph nodes was observed. He received radiotherapy at a total dose of 50 Gy in 25 fractions to the sub/supra-clavicular region. read more We confirmed a significant reduction in lesion volume and a downward trend in PSA levels. Metastasis-directed therapy has shown remarkable effectiveness in controlling disease without severe treatment-related adverse events. Metastasis-directed therapy is considered as one of the treatment options in patients who need salvage therapy.Pseudotumor cerebri, or idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH), is a syndrome of elevated intracranial pressure (ICP) of unknown etiology that occurs predominantly in obese women of childbearing age. Pseudotumor cerebri literally means “false brain tumor”. It is a “diagnosis of exclusion” therefore a complete work-up to rule out life-threatening causes for increased ICP must be performed through a comprehensive history, complete physical examination, diagnostic imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis before the diagnosis can be made. The authors present the case of a young woman with headache, and near blindness due to pseudotumor cerebri. The presentation, diagnosis, and treatment options are discussed.

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