Avascular Necrosis of the Hip in Primary Care / 가정의학회지

Avascular necrosis, or osteonecrosis of the femoral head, is a debilitating condition which leads to the destruction of the hip joint due to an interruption in the blood supply to the bony region and is most commonly due to trauma. The case discussed here has been highlighted as it presented as non-traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head with an absence of risk factors in a healthy adult male. A 37-year-old male presented with a 4-month history of recurrent left hip pain, which worsened with initiation of movement and weightbearing on the affected side. The patient was overweight but normotensive with a full range of movement of the hips bilaterally. There were no abnormalities detected on initial X-ray images of the left hip. However, due to the persistent pain and sclerotic changes in a subsequent X-ray, a magnetic resonance image of the bilateral hips was obtained, leading to the diagnosis of osteonecrosis of the bilateral femoral heads. Due to the lack of improvement with physiotherapy and analgesia, the patient was subjected to conservative surgery of the symptomatic left hip with concurring evidence of avascular necrosis based on intraoperative anatomical biopsy. This case emphasizes the importance of identifying underlying issues during history taking and physical examination in adults without risk factors. The early diagnosis of osteonecrosis assists in preventing joint collapse and can delay the requirement of joint replacements. High levels of suspicion are necessary to instigate investigation in persistent cases without the presence of risk factors.

Avascular Necrosis of the Hip in Primary Care / 가정의학회지

Avascular necrosis, or osteonecrosis of the femoral head, is a debilitating condition which leads to the destruction of the hip joint due to an interruption in the blood supply to the bony region and is most commonly due to trauma. The case discussed here has been highlighted as it presented as non-traumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head with an absence of risk factors in a healthy adult male. A 37-year-old male presented with a 4-month history of recurrent left hip pain, which worsened with initiation of movement and weightbearing on the affected side. The patient was overweight but normotensive with a full range of movement of the hips bilaterally. There were no abnormalities detected on initial X-ray images of the left hip. However, due to the persistent pain and sclerotic changes in a subsequent X-ray, a magnetic resonance image of the bilateral hips was obtained, leading to the diagnosis of osteonecrosis of the bilateral femoral heads. Due to the lack of improvement with physiotherapy and analgesia, the patient was subjected to conservative surgery of the symptomatic left hip with concurring evidence of avascular necrosis based on intraoperative anatomical biopsy. This case emphasizes the importance of identifying underlying issues during history taking and physical examination in adults without risk factors. The early diagnosis of osteonecrosis assists in preventing joint collapse and can delay the requirement of joint replacements. High levels of suspicion are necessary to instigate investigation in persistent cases without the presence of risk factors.

Acanthamoeba encephalitis in an immunocompetent child and review of the imaging features of intracranial acanthamoebic infections in immunocompetent patients

Granulomatous amoebic encephalitis caused by Acanthamoeba is a rare entity mainly affecting immunocompromised patients. We reported a case of Acanthamoeba encephalitis of a 1-year-old immunocompetent child and described the CT and MRI findings of the brain, while reviewing the relevant literatures. The imaging findings of Acanthamoeba meningoencepalitis in immunocompetent patients are non-specific and pose a diagnostic challenge.

Pulmonary actinomycosis masquerading as aspergilloma

We report a case of a 34-year-old man who was initially treated as community acquired pneumonia following a three-month-history of productive cough, loss of weight and loss of appetite. However, three months after discharged from the hospital, he presented again with worsening respiratory symptoms and radiological evidence of a lung cavitation with intracavitary lesion resembling an aspergilloma associated with surrounding consolidation. Unfortunately, he remained symptomatic despite on antifungal therapy. The repeat computed-tomography demonstrated persistent cavitating lesion with development of necrotising pneumonia. He underwent lobectomy and the histopathological analysis of the resected specimen however revealed the diagnosis of actinomycosis. KEY WORDS: Actinomycosis, Aspergillosis