Adenoma mimicking hyponatremia of SIAD

Hyponatremia is a common electrolyte disorder, with prevalence as high as 20% in inpatient settings. It is classified based on volume status, urine sodium and osmolality results. While this approach might help narrow down the differential diagnoses, it can leave other diagnoses unentertained. In this case, we report recurrent and refractory hyponatremia secondary to hypocortisolism due to non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma. Interestingly, urine studies mimicked syndrome of inappropriate antidiuresis, but exclusively responded to hydrocortisone replacement. Hospital course was also complicated by hyponatremia-induced rhabdomyolysis, which is a rare complication of severe hyponatremia. We also discuss the role of anchoring heuristics and how they influence the physician's decision leading to possible diagnostic errors. One way to minimise the effect of anchoring bias on physicians is their cognitive awareness of such bias. In addition, discussing complicated cases with all members of medical team can highlight the clinician's thought processes, share uncertainty and help broaden differential diagnoses.

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Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) in a patient with undiagnosed systemic sclerosis

Pneumatosis cystoides intestinalis (PCI) refers to the presence of gas within the wall of the small or large intestine. The pathophysiology is incompletely understood and is probably multifactorial in nature. PCI is a known but rare complication of systemic scleroderma, and the aetiology of PCI in patients with scleroderma is not fully understood. We present the case of a patient who was referred to gastroenterology clinic by her general practitioner for investigation of 8 months of weight loss, urgency, diarrhoea, bloating and crampy abdominal pain. Extensive investigations were performed to exclude infective, inflammatory or malignant aetiologies for these symptoms. She was diagnosed with PCI on her colonoscopy and was subsequently screened for secondary causes. Our patient was diagnosed with the limited cutaneous (CREST) variant of systemic scleroderma. This case report illustrates that PCI could be an uncommon presentation of systemic sclerosis, therefore clinicians should be aware of the association between these conditions.

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Correction: Non-operative management, supported by self-monitoring using web-based patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), in knee osteoarthritis

Webb E, Parkes RJ, Gough AT, et al. Non-operative management, supported by self-monitoring using web-based patient reported outcome measures (PROMs), in knee osteoarthritis. BMJ Case Rep 2018. doi:10.1136/bcr-2017-223560.

This article was published with an error in the funding statement. The correct funding statement should read: 'the authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors'.

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Perianeurysmal vasogenic oedema (PAVO) following aneurysm embolisation: a unique case of asymptomatic long-term progression and review of the literature

Perianeurysmal vasogenic oedema is a recognised although rare phenomenon following endovascular treatment of certain intracranial aneurysms. We present a unique case of asymptomatic perianeurysmal vasogenic oedema following bare platinum coil embolisation of an incidentally discovered right middle cerebral artery aneurysm that slowly increased over a period of 6 years before stabilising and regressing. During this time, the coiled aneurysm per se remained completely stable on serial magnetic resonance angiography.

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Pneumopericardium due to bronchopericardial fistula in a patient with lung cancer

Description 

Documented cases of pneumopericardium in patients with lung cancer are extremely rare.

We report the case of a 66-year-old man with a 45 pack-year smoking history and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 4. He presented with dyspnoea and chest pain in the last 2 hours. There were no signs of cardiac tamponade present.

CT angiography of the chest revealed a 78 mm right pulmonary mass containing small areas with gas density and a pneumopericardium of 28 mm in maximum thickness (figure 1). Transthoracic echocardiography showed the air gap sign, identified as the loss of signal during the systolic phase presented in patients with pneumopericardium. Bronchofibroscopy showed extensive infiltration and destruction of the carina bronchial wall and of the main bronchi by malignancy and endobronchial disease (figure 2). Endobronchial biopsies revealed an invasive squamous cell carcinoma.

Figure 1

CT angiography of the chest...

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Unusual case of primary pulmonary Hodgkins lymphoma presenting with a continuous murmur

Systemic to pulmonary fistulas are an unusual entity, even more so in association with Hodgkin's lymphoma. We herein report a case of a 33-year-old woman that presented with an incidental lung lesion on a chest radiograph with an associated high-frequency continuous murmur over the lesion. The diagnosis of primary pulmonary Hodgkin's lymphoma, nodular sclerosis type, was obtained by a CT transthoracic biopsy. We achieved an excellent response after polychemotherapy with near-complete disappearance of the mass and a residual faint systolic murmur over the lesion.

https://ift.tt/2DHk4Er

Gardener-associated fibroma: an unusual cause of upper airway obstruction

We present the first case of upper airway obstruction secondary to a retropharyngeal Gardner-associated fibroma (GAF). A 16-month-old infant presented with a 3-month history of worsening dyspnoea and apnoeic episodes. Examination revealed stridor and left-sided retropharyngeal asymmetry. MRI demonstrated a mass in the retropharynx. Tracheostomy and pharyngeal biopsy under anaesthesia were performed, and histology confirmed a diagnosis of GAF. The mass was excised using a transcervical approach, and postoperative recovery was unremarkable. GAF is associated with Gardner's syndrome (GS) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), both of which are associated with multiple colonic polyps and increased risk of colorectal malignancy. Subsequent testing for an APC mutation seen in GS and FAP was negative in our patient. The details of this unusual presentation of a rare disease are given in addition to a review of the literature.

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