Aortic rupture complicating the fracture of an ankylosed lumbar spine

Background: A 79-year-old man was transferred to the emergency department after a fall on the forehead. On arrival, he seizured and went into shock and apnea. His medical history included ankylosing spondilitis and alcoholism with recurrent falls. An initial ultrasonographic examination was strongly limited by obesity and intestinal air. Therefore, a CT scan of the abdomen was immediately performed

Visceral artery aneurysm

Background: A 36-year-old female patient with no relevant clinical history was referred to the gastroenterology department for chronic epigastric pain. Blood analysis and gastroscopy were normal. Subsequently, abdominal ultrasonography and CT scan of the abdomen were made

Acquired pancreatic arteriovenous malformation

Pancreatic arteriovenous malformation is a rare vascular anomaly which may cause abdominal pain, acute pancreatitis, gastrointestinal bleeding and portal hypertension. Pancreatic arteriovenous malformation is mostly congenital; however secondary pancreatic arteriovenous malformation due to pancreatitis has been suggested by some authors. We encountered a case which can confirm this presumption. Several imaging modalities are useful for the diagnosis of pancreatic arteriovenous malformation, especially dynamic contrast-enhanced studies. Angiography is the most important diagnostic tool because of the dynamic features of this vascular lesion. Treatment is advised and consists of surgical resection and/or transarterial embolization

Nation-wide prospective surveillance of Clostridium difficile infections in hospitals in Belgium, July 2007-June 2008.

We report here baseline data from the first year of compulsory surveillance of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) in hospitals in Belgium. Between 1 July 2007 and 30 June 2008, 2,704 CDI were reported: 12% were recurrent and 66% were hospital-associated (half of which occurred 15 days or more after admission). CDI was considered the cause of death (direct or indirect) for 10% of the episodes. The median incidence of CDI was 1.5 per 1,000 admissions and 1.9 per 10,000 hospital-days for all cases, and 0.9 per 1,000 admissions, and 1.1 per 10,000 hospital-days for hospital-associated cases. Further investigation of risk stratification by average length of stay in the reporting hospitals is warranted as a way to improve the comparability of indicators across hospitals and surveillance systems. In spite of methodological issues, the surveillance of CDI in Belgian hospitals has been able to produce robust baseline data that should allow monitoring of trends at hospital and national level, and provide a basis for international comparisons. Remaining challenges are to define and monitor targets for the control of CDI, and to improve the individual feed-back of data at hospital level

Jejuno-ileal diverticulosis : a review of literature

Jejunal diverticulosis is a rare entity with variable clinical and anatomical presentations. The majority of cases are discovered incidentally during radiological investigations. Based on a case of a 77 year old woman with jejunal diverticulitis, the current literature about small bowel diverticulosis is reviewed. A jejuno-ileal diverticulum is usually uncomplicated and can be treated conservatively. Serious complications that require surgery can occur. Abdominal CT is the preferred diagnostic tool