Extensive Cervico-Thoraco-Abdominal Attacks of Angioedema: CT Diagnosis in Two Unusual Cases

Angioedema (AE) classically manifests as an acute transient swelling of extra-visceral spaces, subcutaneous and submucosal tissues. Sometimes it may be a life-threatening condition. The causes are numerous, and the common denominator is an increased vascular permeability allowing diffusion or extravasation of fluid from the vascular bed to the interstitial space. The severity of AE is related to the cause, body location, and extension. We hereby report two very unusual cases characterized by a massive attack of AE from the left cervical area to the pelvis through the length of the mediastinum and axial posterior retroperitoneum. The diagnosis was established by CT. The first case was found related to drug intake, and the second appeared idiopathic

Nationwide Harmonization Effort for Semi-Quantitative Reporting of SARS-CoV-2 PCR Test Results in Belgium.

From early 2020, a high demand for SARS-CoV-2 tests was driven by several testing indications, including asymptomatic cases, resulting in the massive roll-out of PCR assays to combat the pandemic. Considering the dynamic of viral shedding during the course of infection, the demand to report cycle threshold (Ct) values rapidly emerged. As Ct values can be affected by a number of factors, we considered that harmonization of semi-quantitative PCR results across laboratories would avoid potential divergent interpretations, particularly in the absence of clinical or serological information. A proposal to harmonize reporting of test results was drafted by the National Reference Centre (NRC) UZ/KU Leuven, distinguishing four categories of positivity based on RNA copies/mL. Pre-quantified control material was shipped to 124 laboratories with instructions to setup a standard curve to define thresholds per assay. For each assay, the mean Ct value and corresponding standard deviation was calculated per target gene, for the three concentrations (10, 10 and 10 copies/mL) that determine the classification. The results of 17 assays are summarized. This harmonization effort allowed to ensure that all Belgian laboratories would report positive PCR results in the same semi-quantitative manner to clinicians and to the national database which feeds contact tracing interventions