Exacerbation of hypereosinophilic syndrome with pulmonary involvement in two consecutive pregnancies: a case report and review of the literature

Hypereosinophilic syndrome represents a heterogeneous group of disorders with the common feature of prolonged eosinophilia of unknown cause and organ system dysfunction including the pulmonary system. Hypereosinophilic syndrome, with and without pulmonary involvement, in association with pregnancy is very rare, and to the best of our knowledge only one case of hypereosinophilic syndrome with pulmonary involvement during pregnancy has been previously reported in the medical literature. We describe a case of a patient with previously symptomatic hypereosinophilic syndrome with pulmonary involvement who experienced exacerbations of her disease during two consecutive pregnancies. To the best of our knowledge this is the first report which demonstrates a worsening effect of pregnancy on both eosinophil count and end organ involvement in a patient with previous diagnosis of hypereosinophilic syndrome

Nausea and vomiting as major presenting symptoms of thyrotoxicosis after bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing's disease

Thyrotoxicosis has a variety of presentations which depend on its severity and duration, as well as the age of the patient. In elderly patients, thyrotoxicosis may present with a variety of nonspecific symptoms. Nausea and vomiting as major presenting symptoms of thyrotoxicosis have rarely been reported. Thyrotoxicosis after adrenalectomy in patients with Cushing's syndrome and normal thyroid function, or with autoimmune thyroid dysfunction has rarely been reported previously. We describe a very rare case of an elderly patient with hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's thyroiditis who presented with persistent nausea and vomiting as major presenting symptoms of thyrotoxicosis, which developed after bilateral adrenalectomy for Cushing's disease. Similar case has not been reported previously. In reporting this patient we aim at drawing attention to these forgotten symptoms of thyrotoxicosis, nausea and vomiting, and to emphasize that, at times, these symptoms may be the only presenting features of thyrotoxicosis, leading to considerable difficulty in diagnosis. Furthermore, cessation of glucocorticoid excess may sometimes be accompanied with thyrotoxicosis

Chronic Stanford type A aortic dissection manifesting as systemic inflammatory disorder

Typical presentation of type A aortic dissection usually encompasses severe acute chest pain, frequently radiating to the upper back, which is seen in more than 80% of the patients, while isolated back or abdominal pain have been repeatedly reported as the first manifestation of the disease as well. Occasionally, dyspnea due to acute aortic regurgitation, syncope, or stroke, secondary to obstruction of major cerebral vessels, have also been described at presentation of type A aortic dissection. Presentation of aortic dissection as a prolonged systemic illness with a number of nonspecific clinical and laboratory findings, such as low-grade fever, fatigue, malaise, weight loss, anemia, elevated acute phase response laboratory parameters, and absence of any of typical clinical features of the dissection syndrome has been only rarely reported. We describe a patient with type A chronic aortic dissection, manifesting as a systemic inflammatory disorder in the absence of acute chest syndrome. The diagnosis was made accidentally by computed tomography, ordered in the course of the regular work up. The patient underwent emergent surgery with resection and grafting of the dissected aorta. Pathological investigation demonstrated intense acute inflammation with neutrophilic infiltration in the vicinity of the intramural hemorrhage and necrosis, as well as granulation tissue with new vessels formation and collagen deposition in the outer media. The possible pathogenic mechanisms of the phenomenon are discussed

Role of C-Reactive Protein in Discrimination between Transudative and Exudative Pleural Effusions

Background: There is still no wide agreement regarding the efficacy of the serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRPs), pleural fluid levels of CRP (CRPpf), and their ratio (CRPr) in the discrimination between transudative (Tr) and exudative (Ex) pleural effusions (PEs). Most of the previous studies were conducted on small cohorts, and the role of CRPs in the CRPpf gradient (CRPg) in this discrimination has not been previously reported. The present study aims to assess the diagnostic efficacy of CRPs, CRPpf, CRPg, and CRPr in the discrimination between TrPE and ExPE in a relatively large cohort of patients with PE. Methods: The study population included 492 patients with PE, 210 of them with TrPE and 282 with ExPE. The levels of CRPs and CRPpf were measured, and the CRPg and CRPr were calculated. The values are presented as mean ± SD. Results: The mean levels of CRPs, CRPpf, CRPg, and CRPr of the TrPEs were 11.3 ± 5.7 mg/L, 4.6 ± 2.8 mg/L, 6.7 ± 3.9 mg/L, and 0.40 ± 0.14, respectively, and for the ExPEs, they were 140.5 ± 112.8 mg/L, 52.8 ± 53.2 mg/L, 87.2 ± 72.4 mg/L, and 0.37 ± 0.15, respectively. The levels of CRPs, CRPpf, and CRPg were significantly higher in the ExPEs than in the TrPEs (p < 0.0001). No significant difference was found between the two groups for the levels of CRPr (p = 0.15). The best cut-off value calculated by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis for discriminating TrPE from ExPE was for CRPs, 20.5 mg/L with area under the curve (AUC) = 97% and p < 0.0001; for CRPpf, 9.9 mg/L with AUC = 95% and p < 0.0001; and for CRPg, 13.6 mg/L with AUC = 96% and p < 0.0001. Conclusion: CRPs, CRPpf, and CRPg are strong markers for discrimination between TrPE and ExPE, while CRPr has no role in this discrimination

Coronary CT Angiography Findings in Patients with Ambiguous Left Main Coronary Artery Disease

Left main coronary artery (LMCA) stenosis is a high risk subset of coronary artery disease; however, its occurrence may be misjudged by coronary angiography. Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) was performed on 5 patients with clinically highly suspicious and angiographically borderline LMCA disease (ostial: 3 patients, mid: 1 patient and distal: 1 patient). A cross-sectional CCTA image was used to calculate the diameter stenosis. The quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) reference diameter (RD) correlated well with CCTA RD in all 5 patients. However, the lesion site minimal lumen diameter (MLD) by QCA correlated less well with that obtained by CCTA. The grade of stenosis measured by CCTA was significantly lower than that measured by QCA. Morphologically, three patients had LMCA ostial angulation (with minimal atheromatous changes), one patient had a biconcave configuration of the LMCA (with normal vessel wall) and one other had a tapering-morphology of the LMCA (with minimal atheromatous changes). In conclusion, CCTA may have a complementary diagnostic role in patients with angiographically ambiguous or inconclusive LMCA lesions and therefore it should be considered in the assessment of selected patients before they undergo coronary bypass surgery. In order to validate CCTA for main stem stenosis a proper gold standard, such as IVUS, is required

Chronic Stanford type A aortic dissection manifesting as systemic inflammatory disorder

Typical presentation of type A aortic dissection usually encompasses severe acute chest pain, frequently radiating to the upper back, which is seen in more than 80% of the patients, while isolated back or abdominal pain have been repeatedly reported as the first manifestation of the disease as well. Occasionally, dyspnea due to acute aortic regurgitation, syncope, or stroke, secondary to obstruction of major cerebral vessels, have also been described at presentation of type A aortic dissection. Presentation of aortic dissection as a prolonged systemic illness with a number of nonspecific clinical and laboratory findings, such as low-grade fever, fatigue, malaise, weight loss, anemia, elevated acute phase response laboratory parameters, and absence of any of typical clinical features of the dissection syndrome has been only rarely reported. We describe a patient with type A chronic aortic dissection, manifesting as a systemic inflammatory disorder in the absence of acute chest syndrome. The diagnosis was made accidentally by computed tomography, ordered in the course of the regular work up. The patient underwent emergent surgery with resection and grafting of the dissected aorta. Pathological investigation demonstrated intense acute inflammation with neutrophilic infiltration in the vicinity of the intramural hemorrhage and necrosis, as well as granulation tissue with new vessels formation and collagen deposition in the outer media. The possible pathogenic mechanisms of the phenomenon are discussed