A late presentation of a left paraduodenal hernia in an elderly patient admitted in emergency: A case report

Small bowel internal hernias (IHs), a rare cause of small bowel occlusion (SBO) and small bowel strangulation, while more commonly seen in young adults, can also affect elderly patients and pose a significant diagnostic challenge due to their nonspecific symptoms. In most cases, laparotomy was used to diagnose IHs. However, multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) is usually the best imaging tool to use in the emergency setting for the diagnosis of IHs. An 83-year-old man was admitted to emergency with acute abdominal pain and a coffee-ground vomitus. The abdominal MDCT showed a clustered-like appearance of proximal jejunal loops at the level of the Treitz ligament with the absence of transit of the medium water-soluble iodine oral contrast agent (Gastrografin). Mesenteric edema was also present with initial suffering of the intestinal wall. A left paraduodenal hernia (LPDH) with strangulation was suspected following the radiological report. The emergency laparotomy revealed about 20 cm of proximal jejunal loops herniated through a 3 cm wide hernia orifice (HO) along the Treitz ligament, at the level of Landzert fossa, located in the confluence of the descending mesocolon, posterior to the inferior mesenteric vein (IMV) and confirming the LPDH. The patient was discharged in good condition some days later. IHs do not have sufficient coverage in literature, especially in cases regarding elderly patients, however, they can be a cause of SBO in people older than 80 years of age. Radiologists and surgeons should be aware of the anatomical aspects of the IHs

COVID-19 Pneumonia in Vaccinated Population: A Six Clinical and Radiological Case Series

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its related disease (COVID-19) continue to represent a challenge for humans. To date, vaccination programs have represented an opportunity to navigate the pandemic. However, the advent of new genetic COVID-19 variants has increased more attention representing a worrying threat not only for not vaccinated but also for vaccinated people as virus infections have been shown also in the last ones. Herein, we report different clinical cases and radiological findings of COVID-19 pneumonia in six fully vaccinated patients. Two patients had a history of Rituximab therapy for follicular lymphoma and with persistent positivity for SARS-CoV-2 on nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal (NP/OP) swabs and with moderate pneumonia on the chest computed tomography (CT). One patient who resulted to be positive to delta variant 8 days after the second vaccination dose, died shortly after. Two patients were hospitalized due to the worsening of fever and dyspnea in presence of mild pneumonia on CT. In one patient mild pneumonia was found on the chest-CT performed after a lipothymic episode associated with chest pain and positive NP/OP swab tested for SARS-CoV-2. These data suggested that in fully vaccinated people, caution should be preserved, and the use of masks and social distancing should be continued in all closed environments. However, further clinical trials should be done to better understand how various factors can influence vaccine immunogenicity as the presence of virus mutations, age factors, and the presence of an immunocompromised state

MDCT in acute ischaemic left colitis: a pictorial essay

The pathogenesis of acute ischaemic colitis depends on two different forms of vascular colonic insult: occlusive injury and non-occlusive injury. Clinically, ischaemic colitis may be classified as two major forms: mild (non-gangrenous) and acute fulminant (gangrenous). The classic presentation is abdominal pain, diarrhoea and/or rectal bleeding, but it is not specific and highly variable and so the diagnosis usually depends on clinical suspicion and is supported by serologic and colonoscopic findings. Imaging methods have their role in diagnosing IC. While plain radiography and ultrasound can orient the diagnosis, CT allows to define the morphofunctional alterations discriminating the non-occlusive forms from the occlusive forms and in most cases to estimate the timing of ischaemic damage. Purpose of the review is to define the role of CT in the early identification of pathological findings and in the definition of evolution of colonic ischaemic lesions, in order to plan the correct therapeutic approach, suggesting the decision of medical or surgical treatment

Intestinal and Extraintestinal Findings of Graft-versus-Host Disease on CT: A Case Series with Radiological and Histopathological Correlations

Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is an expected and relatively common complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. It may affect different organs and typically involves the skin, liver, and gastrointestinal tract (GI-GVHD). GI-GVHD may show heterogeneous presentations with peculiar diagnostic implications. Although an endoscopic biopsy is considered the “gold standard” for the diagnosis of GI-GVHD, its broad application is limited due to the poor clinical conditions usually present in these patients, including thrombocytopenia. In the emergency department, enhanced computed tomography (CECT) has emerged as the best imaging modality for the evaluation of GI damage in frail patients. However, the role of CT in the context of either acute or chronic GI-GVHD has not been systematically investigated. Herein, we focus on the radiological features found on CECT in five patients with GI-GVHD confirmed on histology. CECT was performed for the persistence of GI symptoms in three cases (case 1, case 3, and case 4), for small bowel occlusion in one case (case 5), and for acute GI symptoms in one case (case 2). Serpiginous intestinal wall appearance with multisegmental parietal thickness and homogeneous, mucosal, or stratified small bowel enhancement were common features. Colic involvement with segmental or diffuse parietal thickness was also present. One patient (case 5) presented with inflammatory jejunal multisegmental stenosis with sub-occlusion as a chronic presentation of GI-GVHD. Regarding mesenterial findings, all five patients presented comb signs in the absence of lymphadenopathy. Extraintestinal findings included biliary tract dilatation in two cases (case 2 and case 4). These data support the utility of appropriate radiological investigation in GI-GVHD, paving the way for further serial and systematic investigations to track the appearance and evolution of GI damage in GVHD patients

A Pictorial Review of the Role of Imaging in the Detection, Management, Histopathological Correlations, and Complications of COVID-19 Pneumonia

Imaging plays an important role in the detection of coronavirus (COVID-19) pneumonia in both managing the disease and evaluating the complications. Imaging with chest computed tomography (CT) can also have a potential predictive and prognostic role in COVID-19 patient outcomes. The aim of this pictorial review is to describe the role of imaging with chest X-ray (CXR), lung ultrasound (LUS), and CT in the diagnosis and management of COVID-19 pneumonia, the current indications, the scores proposed for each modality, the advantages/limitations of each modality and their role in detecting complications, and the histopathological correlations