Giant unresectable lymphangioma of the trunk managed via intra-tumour injections of bleomycin

Surgical excision was once considered the mainstay of treatment for lymphangiomas. However, that paradigm is now changing with sclerotherapy emerging as a viable alternative. A 22-year-old girl presented with a mucopurulent and painful discharge from an extensive wound in the trunk. Chest roentogram showed a large soft tissue abnormality with multiple calcifications in the right upper abdomen and lower thorax. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed an extensive lobulated mass measuring 27 x 19 cm. Due to the extensive involvement of tissues, surgical excision did not appear to be a favourable option in this case. Local injections of bleomycin were successfully administered; resulting in complete regression of the lesion. There has been no recurrence at 2 years of follow up. Use of bleomycin sclerotherapy appears to be a safe and effective management strategy and obviates the need for primary surgery especially in extensive lymphangiomas

Successful surgical embolectomy in acute massive bilateral pulmonary embolism

Acute massive pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening emergency that must be promptly diagnosed and managed. A 52-year-old man presented with progressively increasing dyspnoea for three days. He had a previous history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and was currently a heavy smoker. Examination revealed bilateral wheezing. Chest x-ray and electrocardiography showed non-specific changes. The patient was initially treated as a case of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation secondary to pneumonia. However, despite optimum medical management, his oxygen saturation deteriorated. Emergent computed tomography scan of chest showed bilateral massive pulmonary emboli. As the patient\u27s haemodynamic status rapidly deteriorated, cardiothoracic surgery team was immediately consulted and the patient was taken to the operating room. Under cardiopulmonary bypass, bilateral open embolectomy was performed. Following surgical intervention, the patient made a remarkable recovery

Ruptured mycotic reverse saphenous vein graft aneurysm: A late complication of mediastinitis

Reverse saphenous vein graft aneurysm (RSVGA) is a rare complication that occurs after coronary bypass grafting surgery. Mycotic aneurysm of reverse saphenous vein graft is even more rare. We describe the case of a 76-year-old man who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting 10 years back and had mediastinitis four to five months after surgery. He presented with chest pain in July 2017 and was diagnosed as NSTEMI. Angiography showed left main coronary artery disease (90%) with aneurysm of reverse saphenous vein graft to right posterior descending artery(RPDA). Emergent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of the left main artery was performed as the patient suffered ventricular arrhythmia for which cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was done. After CPR, haematoma appeared on the left side of the sternum subcutaneously. CT scan of the chest was conducted which showed a pseudoaneurysm measuring 35 mm in the mid-segment of reverse saphenous vein graft (RSVG) to the right posterior descending artery (RPDA) with a surrounding mediastinal haematoma communicating with subcutaneous haematoma, so RSVGA to RPDA was coiled. As blood culture grew candida, antifungal medication was started. When the patient\u27s condition stabilised he was discharged

Resection of posterior mediastinal tumors by video assisted thoracic surgery

Abstract This case report illustrates successful Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS) performed on a 45-year-old woman and 52-year-old man presenting with a mass in left and right paravertebral space on the CT scan respectively. VATS has many benefits over traditional open operation (thoracotomy), resulting in less pain and shorten recovery time. However, VATS has higher equipment cost but when an experienced surgeon performs the surgery, better outcomes are achieved. VATS is not common in Pakistan\u27s surgical setup as it is an expensive method of eradicating mediastinal pathologies and not every patient undergoes VATS. The primary objective of presenting these cases is to promote the use of VATS specifically for removal of posterior mediastinal tumors and improve the surgical outcomes

Late onset postpneumonectomy empyema presenting 24 years after pneumonectomy

Empyema is a devastating complication that is rarely seen in the postpneumonectomy setting. A 56-year-old man presented to us 24 years after pneumonectomy with a 15 days history of chest pain and shortness of breath. Physical examination revealed a fluctuant swelling at the thoracotomy site. Computed tomography scan showed a large fluid density mass in the left pneumonectomy space. Needle aspiration and video assisted thoracoscopic surgery was carried out and culture of the aspirated fluid grew Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The patient was discharged with the chest tubes in place. At 2 months follow-up, the patient presented with fever and continuous copious drainage of pus from empyema tubes. Piperacillin with tazobactam at 4.5 grams per day helped in the resolution of fever but the output from the empyema tubes continued. An open window thoracostomy was performed and the patient was discharged on standard dosage of cefixime and fusidic acid. Following this antibiotic regimen, he remained stable with complete resolution of the infection

Mediastinal seminoma presenting as superior vena cava syndrome and tracheal obstruction

Malignant germ cell tumours of the mediastinum are rare, presenting mostly in young males. These are bulky tumours, mostly intrathoracic, infiltrating into adjacent structures early in the growth process. Patients may present with symptoms of compression. Occasionally, mediastinal adenopathy and superior vena cava (SVC) syndrome may occur. We discuss a case of a 19 year old boy with six weeks history of progressively worsening shortness of breath and mid-sternal chest heaviness and one month history of swelling of the face and upper limbs. The entire face and upper extremities were grossly oedematous with engorged veins suggesting SVC syndrome. CT scan chest showed a large mediastinal mass 18 x 24 cm extending from the superior mediastinum to the mid pericardial area. The trachea was extrinsically compressed to almost 80% at its distal portion. Mass was resected completely. Post operative course was unremarkable. The final histopathology showed a fibrotic mass with no viable tumour. Surgery followed by radiation therapy has been the usual initial treatment with multimodal chemotherapy showing remarkable results

Successful tricuspid valvectomy in a septic patient with tricuspid valve endocarditis

Abstract Endocarditis is characterized by vegetations, which is a mass of platelets, fibrin, micro-colonies of micro-organisms, and inflammatory cells, in the endocardium. Over the past three decades, the incidence of right-sided endocarditis has risen dramatically in Pakistan. We report a 36-year woman with a history of repeated intravenous analgesic injections for low back pain, presenting with high grade fever, sepsis and a white cell count of 44,000 with 90% neutrophils. Echocardiography showed large mobile vegetations on TricuspidValve (TV). Tricuspid Valve Endocarditis (TVE) is generally responsive to medical treatment; however, about 25% of TVE patients require surgical intervention. Long-term survival of a patient is possible without a prosthetic TV replacement, particularly if the pulmonary artery pressure is normal

Primary melanotic schwannoma with typical histology

Abstract We present a case of a 17-year male with a soft tissue density spreading from the neural foramina (T3) of the spinal cord and involving the right upper thoracic cavity. We managed the patient through surgical intervention and resected the complete tumor. Gross definition and microscopic findings of the resected tissue revealed the definitive diagnosis of melanotic schwannoma. The histological characteristics in this case were very specific and harbour an important diagnostic clue for this rare disease. Malignant melanoma was ruled out on the basis of histological findings. The patient recovered completely and was healthy on one-year follow-up

Peri-operative determinants of prolonged CICU stay after coronary artery bypass graft surgery in elderly at a private tertiary care hospital: a case control study

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To explore peri-operative risk factors associated with prolonged stay in cardiac intensive care unit among patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting. METHODS: This retrospective case control study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, comprised medical records of patients who had undergone cardiothoracic revascularisation surgery from January 2006 to December 2013. The patients were grouped into cases and controls at a ratio of 1:2 on the basis of length of stay at cardiac intensive care unit, i.e. \u3e72 hours andanalysis. RESULTS: Of the 999 patients, 333(33.3%) were cases and 666(66.6%) were controls. The mean age of cases was 62.5±9.7 years and that of controls was 60.8±9.6 years (p=0.007). The number of males was 280(84.1%) among the cases and 489(73.4%)among the controls. Adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval for age and male gender were 1.02 (1.0,1.03) and [1.90 (1.32,2.74)]; diabetics were at high risk of staying longer [1.51 (1.13,2.02)]; previous cardiovascular interventions [1.65 (1.05,2.59)], intra-aortic balloon pump insertion [1.45 (1.01,2.08)], initial ventilation time and post-operative bleeding tamponade were independently associated with prolonged cardiac intensive care unit stay [1.01 (1.00, 1.01)] and [1.9 (1.13,3.2)], respectively. The risk of dying among the cases was three times more after adjusting for all covariates in the model [3.1 (1.52,6.31)]. CONCLUSION: Advanced age, male gender, diabetes, previous cardiovascular interventions, post-operative intra-aortic balloon pump insertion, initial ventilation support and post-op bleeding tamponade were found to be the independent risk factors for prolonged cardiac intensive care unit stay