Isolated Gastric Tuberculosis Mimicking Malignancy

Isolated tuberculosis of upper gastrointestinal tract is a rare pathology, often mimicking malignancy in clinical presentation and radiological features. We present a case of middle aged gentleman with isolated tuberculosis of stomach, proven on histopathology and showing remarkable improvement on follow up

Can computer assisted diagnosis (CAD) be used as a screening tool in the detection of pulmonary nodules when using 64-slice multidetector computed tomography?

Objectives:To evaluate (1) whether or not the addition of computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD) to 64-slice multidetector computed tomography (CT) can be used as a screening tool for detection of pulmonary nodules in routine CT chest examinations and (2) whether or not to advocate the incorporation of CAD as a screening tool into our daily practice. Materials And Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 109 consecutive Patients who had all undergone routine contrast-enhanced CT chest examinations for indications other than lung cancer at the Radiology Department of Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, between November 2010 and January 2011. All examinations were evaluated in terms of the detection of pulmonary nodules by a consultant radiologist and CAD (ImageChecker CT Algorithm R2 Technology) software. The ability of CAD software to detect pulmonary nodules was evaluated against the reference standard. In addition, a chest radiologist also calculated the number of pulmonary nodules. The sensitivity and specificity of the CAD software were calculated against the reference standard by using a 2 * 2 table. The Mann-Whitney U test was applied to compare the performances of CAD and the radiologist. Results: CAD detected 610 pulmonary nodules while the radiologist detected only 113. The reference standard declared 198 pulmonary nodules to be true nodules. CAD detected 95% of all true nodules (189/198), whereas the radiologist detected only 57% (113/198). In the detection of true pulmonary nodules, CAD had 98% sensitivity compared with the radiologist who had 57% sensitivity, the statistical difference between their performances had a P value Conclusion: Considering the high sensitivity of CAD to detect nearly all true pulmonary nodules, we advocate its application as a screening tool in all CT chest examinations for the early detection of pulmonary nodules and lung carcinoma

Autoimmune Disease Presenting As Acute Abdomen

Mesenteric vasculitis and resultant bowel ischemia is rare but serious complication of autoimmune disorders. Early detection and treatment is the key to avoid potentially fatal outcomes of bowel perforation and peritonitis. In this series, we present patients presenting with acute abdominal pain and having CT imaging features of bowel ischemia who responded well to immunosuppressive therapy. The aim of this work is to familiarize health professionals with possibility and imaging features of mesenteric vasculitis

Primary cutaneous B cell lymphoma--leg type (NEW EORTC--WHO classification), with nasal sinuses involvement

Primary Cutaneous lymphomas of B cell origin are rare, there remains a controversy in truly classifying these lymphomas and an updated EORTC classification divides them on the basis of their distinct histopthological grounds rather than on the basis of their anatomic location as in WHO classification, while the new WHO- EORTC joint classification maintains some characteristics of both systems, We report an elderly gentleman who primarily had a typical Leg dominant Cutaneous lymphoma of B cell origin uniquely with involvement of nasal Sinusues, bearing the Immunohistochemical staining features of Cutaneous lymphoma - Leg Type befitting the new joint WHO-EORTC classification of Cutaneous B cell Lymphoma

Spontaneous uterine rupture secondary to morbidly adherent placenta in an unscarred uterus

We report a case of spontaneous uterine rupture in a primigravida with an unscarred uterus, which was secondary to morbidly adherent placenta proven on surgery and histology. Although rare, uterine rupture should be considered as a differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain in pregnancies, especially when associated with free fluid, even with the absence of vaginal bleeding. Abnormal placentation is associated with spontaneous antepartum uterine rupture even in early pregnancy. Most cases in the literature have advocated emergency hysterectomy to arrest life-threatening hemorrhage

Splenic rupture, secondary to G-CSF use for chemotherapy induced neutropenia: a case report and review of literature

Introduction: Chemotherapy Induced neutropenia is a frequent and serious complication of cytotoxic cancer treatment. Granulocyte colony stimulating factors (G-CSF) are frequently used to counter neutropenia, attempt rapid recovery of Patients and allow for continuation of treatment without compromise on dose, especially in curative malignancies. Generally regarded as safe, G-CSF use has been very rarely reported to have resulted in serious side effects, such as, splenic rupture. Case Presentation: We are reporting a case of a twenty years old man, who was being treated for T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and received colony stimulating factors for treatment of severe neutropenia and suffered from splenic rupture, He was treated with splenectomy. Conclusion: Although extremely rare, splenic rupture can be a serious and sometimes life threatening complication of high dose colony stimulating factors therapy

Papillary craniopharyngioma: A clinicopathologic study of a rare entity from a major tertiary care center in Pakistan

Background: Papillary craniopharyngioma (PCP) are uncommon variants of craniopharyngiomas (CP), which are benign epithelial neoplasms of the sellar and suprasellar region. Histologically, PCPs are typically composed of well-differentiated stratified squamous epithelium; however, focal variations are not uncommon. A distinction from other lesions of the region, despite being difficult to achieve due to the overlapping radiological and clinical features, is important for adequate treatment to be administered.Objective: Our aim was to study the clinical and histological features of PCP with emphasis on features that are helpful in its distinction from other lesions that are similar in appearance.Materials and Methods: We reviewed 13 cases of PCP diagnosed in our institution between January 2010 and December 2015.Results: The mean age at presentation was 30.76 years. Two of the patients belonged to the pediatric age group. Male-to-female ratio was 2.25:1. Suprasellar location (either alone or in combination with sellar region) was the most common tumor site. Microscopically, all of the cases showed stratified squamous epithelium with frequent pseudopapillae formation. Focal adamantinomatous epithelium and columnar epithelium with variable cilia and goblet cells were seen in 4 (30.7%) cases. Brain invasion was observed in 3 (23%) cases. Four patients died of their disease; 2 of the 7 patients with an available follow up, developed recurrences; and, 5 experienced severe postoperative morbidity.Conclusion: Majority of the PCPs exhibited typical features with minor variations. Knowledge of the variations in histologic features helps in reaching the correct diagnosis. These tumors can behave aggressively with a high recurrence rate and decreased overall survival

Non-contrast CT in the Evaluation of Urinary Tract Stone Obstruction and Haematuria

Non-contrast computed tomography (CT) abdomen has emerged as a first line investigation in suspected upper urinary tract obstruction. Underlying causes can usually be ascertained on computed tomography of kidneys, ureters and bladder (CT KUB). However, further investigations may be required to delineate/confirm underlying pathology like ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJ), differentiation between obstruction and residual dilatation. Actual protocol of CT KUB for evaluation of stone disease and haematuria vary on institutional guidelines. CT KUB is not only extremely sensitive and specific in the diagnosis of stone; it is now used in the pre-operative nomograms in predicting success of various endourological interventions like percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) and shock wave lithotripsy (SWL). Determination of stone density, stone volume, stone composition, skin to stone distance, presence of ureteral wall oedema, perinephric oedema are highly predictive of stone free rate. CT recognition of various anomalies, presence of retro-renal colon, horse-shoe kidney, malrotation, etc. can help in better planning to avoid complications. One of the major limitations of CT is the radiation dose, besides cost and availability. Modification in technique and technological innovation has resulted in significant dose reduction from 4.5 to about 1 mSv

Treatment of chronic hepatitis D patients with pegylated interferon: a real-world experience

Background: Published experience of treating chronic hepatitis D patients with pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN)-alpha is limited. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of 48 weeks of treatment with PEG-IFN in naive patients outside the clinical trial setting, in the real world. Methods: Patients with chronic hepatitis D were treated with PEG-IFN. The primary end points were sustained clearance of HDV RNA and normal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) at 24 weeks post-treatment. Results: The total number of patients treated with PEG-IFN was 104; 91 males, mean age ±SD 30.1 ±10.0 years (range 15-55). Cirrhosis was present in 41 patients. With an intention-to-treat analysis, end of treatment virological response (ETR) was achieved in 44 (42.3%), normalization of ALT in 38 (35%) and a combined response in 23 (22.1%) patients. Sustained virological response (SVR) at 24 weeks post-treatment was seen in 24 (23.1%) patients each for the virological and biochemical responses and in 13 (12.5%) as combined response. Both ETR and SVR were associated with a negative HDV RNA at 24 weeks of treatment (P=0.001 and P=0.000, respectively). Detectable HDV RNA at this point had a positive predictive value of 0.95 (range 0.85-0.99) for detectable RNA at 6 months post-treatment. End of treatment biological response, that is, normal ALT at the end of treatment was also a predictor of ETR and SVR (P=0.004 and P=0.041, respectively). Conclusion:: Treatment with PEG-IFN for hepatitis D is of limited efficacy. Detectable HDV RNA at 24 weeks of treatment is a predictor for a failed SVR

Intrahepatic biliary cystadenoma mimicking hydatid cyst of liver: A clinicopathologic study of six cases

Background: Intrahepatic biliary cystadenomas are rare hepatic neoplasms, which are usually cystic. These tumors are often misdiagnosed as simple liver cysts and hydatid cysts clinically and radiologically owing to nonspecific clinical and radiologic features. These tumors require complete resection, as recurrence and malignant transformation can occur following incomplete excision. It is essential that these tumors be diagnosed accurately so that they can be adequately excised. Methods: Clinical and radiological features of six cases of biliary cystadenoma are described. Results: All of these cases were resected with the clinical and/or radiological impression of simple liver cysts and/ or hydatid cysts. Out of the six patients, five were female and one was male. Ages of the patients ranged from 28 to 60 years (mean 45 years). The patients presented with nonspecific symptoms. Internal septations were seen on preoperative imaging (when available). On gross examination, all tumors were cystic; their sizes varied from 5.5 to 14 cm, mean size was 9.0 cm. On histopathologic examination, cystic spaces were lined by cuboidal to columnar mucin-secreting epithelium with underlying ovarian-type stroma. In one case, ovarian-type stroma was not seen. Recurrence was seen in three cases at 1 to 5 years of follow up. Conclusions: Owing to their malignant potential and high recurrence rate following incomplete resection, an aggressive surgical approach is recommended. Prognosis is excellent after complete resection