ABSTRACT
Cough syncope is characterized by the loss of consciousness occurring after vigorous coughings. There are approximately 90 reported cases of cough syncope within the medical literature. Most cases involving middle aged, overweight and chronic bronchitic male smokers. Although many studies have been published in the medical literature, the mechanism and pathophysiology for cough syncope has not been well established. Cough syncope is treated by correcting the underlying cause when identified, or by avoiding conditions that may cause the cough syncope. In addition, cough suppression modalities can also be used. We herein report 3 cases of cough syncope presenting in lung cancer patients.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Cough , Lung , Lung Neoplasms , Overweight , Syncope , UnconsciousnessABSTRACT
Single coronary artery (SCA) is a rare congenital anomaly and commonly associated with other congenital cardiac malformations. Some subgroups of SCA can lead to angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction, or even sudden cardiac death in the absence of atherosclerosis. An anomalous origin of the right coronary artery, arising from the distal portion of the left circumflex artery, has previously been reported in a few cases. In this article, we report a case of a right coronary artery arising from the distal portion of the left circumflex artery with no other cardiac congenital anomaly.
Subject(s)
Angina Pectoris , Arteries , Atherosclerosis , Coronary Vessels , Death, Sudden, Cardiac , Microvascular Angina , Myocardial InfarctionABSTRACT
To our knowledge, this is the first report of case of high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma metastasized to the stomach. Endometrial stromal sarcoma is very rare, accounting for 0.2% of female genital tract malignancies. High-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma demonstrates more frequent infiltration into the muscle layer of the uterus or metastasis to other organs, having a poorer prognosis than low grade disease. During its clinical course, endometrial stromal sarcoma may involve ovary, fallopian tube and pelvic cavity. Distant metastasis to lung, liver, bladder, breast, heart, brain and bones have been reported. However, to the best of our knowledge, high-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma presenting with gastric metastasis has never been reported. We now report a case of a 52-year-old woman with previously diagnosed lung metastasis having stomach metastasis from endometrial stromal sarcoma of the uterus.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Accounting , Brain , Breast , Endometrium , Fallopian Tubes , Heart , Liver , Lung , Muscles , Neoplasm Metastasis , Ovary , Prognosis , Sarcoma , Sarcoma, Endometrial Stromal , Stomach , Urinary Bladder , UterusABSTRACT
It is known that neutropenia caused by combination pegylated interferon plus ribavirin therapy for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is well tolerated and carries a negligible risk of infection. Neutropenic enterocolitis is encountered most frequently in patients with hemato-oncologic diseases who are undergoing intensive chemotherapy. However, little information exists regarding this life-threatening event in the setting of HCV therapy. We present here an unusual case of fatal neutropenic enterocolitis in a cirrhotic patient receiving combination therapy for HCV infection. This is the first report of a death from neutropenic enterocolitis associated with treatment for chronic HCV infection. The present case suggests that caution should be exercised when continuing HCV therapy in neutropenic patients with advanced fibrosis, and the decision to maintain such therapy should be balanced against the potential for serious adverse events.
Subject(s)
Humans , Enterocolitis, Neutropenic , Fibrosis , Hepacivirus , Hepatitis C , Hepatitis C, Chronic , Hepatitis, Chronic , Interferons , Neutropenia , RibavirinABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Malignant bowel obstruction causes gastrointestinal symptoms and leads to diminished quality of life in patients with advanced cancer. Several studies have shown the efficacy of octreotide for the relief of malignant bowel obstruction-related symptoms. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of octreotide in patients with malignant bowel obstruction. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of twenty nine patients who had suffered from malignant bowel obstruction without clinical improvement of conservative care and subsequently, received octreotide treatment. Initial dosage of octreotide was 0.1 mg/day, and dose was escalated depending on the clinical effect. For each patient, we assessed visual analogue scale (VAS) of pain, number of vomiting episode, and amount of nasogastric tube drainage. RESULTS: Median dosage of octreotide was 0.2 mg/day (range 0.1~0.6), and median duration from initial medication to death was 20 days (range 2~103). VAS before and after octreotide treatment were 5.6+/-1.24, and 2.7+/-0.96, respectively. The numbers of vomiting episode before and after octreotide treatment were 3.6/day+/-2.5, and 0.4/day+/-0.8, respectively. The mean amounts of nasogastric tube drainage before and after octreotide treatment were 975+/-1,083 cc/day and 115+/-196 cc/day, respectively. Statistically significant reduction in VAS, the number of vomiting episode and the amount of nasogastric tube drainage were observed after octreotide treatment (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Administration of octreotide in patients with malignant bowel obstruction, which is uncontrolled by other medication, was effective and safe. In such clinical situations, physicians should consider to add of octreotide for symptomatic control.