A Missed Periorbital Foreign Body

Trauma involving the eye, orbital and periorbital regions are commonly seen in cases of road traffic accidents, sports injuries and physical assaults, but cases of intraorbital / periorbital foreign bodies are rare. Early presentation, history of trauma, and imaging help in diagnosis. However, sometimes the diagnosis is missed, particularly in cases with late presentation and a vague history of minor trauma and trauma with a non-metallic foreign body. A missed foreign body may present later with infection, repeated inflammation, ptosis, and proptosis and motility defect, further complicating the management.Here, we present a case of missed foreign body during the primary repair of facial injury in a 32-year male with polytrauma sustained in a road traffic accident. Evidence of foreign body was reported in a CT scan head advised for head injury. Re-exploration of wound and removal of foreign body is performed under local anaesthesia.

Review of ectopic pregnancy at tertiary care center: 2 years analysis

Background: Ectopic pregnancy is defined as any intra or extra-uterine pregnancy in which the fertilized ovum implants at an aberrant site which is inconducive to its growth and development. It is a catastrophic and life-threatening condition and one of the commonest acute abdominal emergencies affecting approximately 2% of all pregnancies. The purpose of this study is to review cases of ectopic pregnancy and determine: incidence, high risk factors, types of clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, management, morbidity and mortality.Methods: The present study, conducted over a period of 2-year, total number of deliveries was 16,144 and total number of ectopic pregnancies was 116. More than half of the cases (56.04%) had one or the other identifiable risk factor. Results: Amongst the various risk factors studied, history of previous pelvic surgery (15.43%), history of Pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) (12.9%), use of Intrauterine contraceptive device (IUCD) (10.3%) and either spontaneous or induced abortion (7.76%) has been found. History of self-administered medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) pill was present in 3.45%. Repeat ectopic pregnancies were seen in 1.72%. There was no identifiable risk factor in 49.63% of cases.Conclusion: Ectopic pregnancy is a major challenge in obstetrical practice because of its varied clinical presentation. It can be diagnosed early by keeping a high index of suspicion. Undue delay in referral reduces significant morbidity and improves the chances of preserving future fertility. Mass education regarding safe abortion practices and post abortal care should be promoted. Unsupervised usage of MTP pill intake should be condemned.

Abnormal placentation at a tertiary care centre

Background: Placentation abnormalities such as placenta previa, placenta accreta and vasa previa are associated with antepartum and postpartum haemorrhage, which makes them an important cause of serious fetal and maternal morbidity and even mortality in India. In spite of the significant improvement in obstetric care and management and modern transfusion service, antepartum and postpartum bleeding continues to be a significant cause of very high-risk pregnancy.Methods: This is a retrospective study conducted in department of obstetrics and gynecology, Sir Sayaji Hospital, Baroda, for a period of 2 years from January 2018 to December 2019. All cases of placenta previa and morbidly adherent placenta admitted during pregnancy in this period were included in the study. All case records were obtained and carefully analysed to find out the incidence, various types of placenta previa and adherent placenta, its clinical presentation and its outcome in relation to mode of delivery, birth weight, maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.Results: The prevalence of placenta previa was 0.87% and was more commonly present among multigravida women (80.3%). Most common type of placenta previa was type 1 in 51 cases (35.9%) cases followed by type 2 in 33 cases (23.2%). 29 cases (20.4%) were of complete placenta. Morbidly adherent placenta comprised 4.2%. Single case (0.7%) was of vasa previa. Out of 142 cases, 12 (8.4%) had atonic PPH and 8 (5.6%) cases underwent peripartum hysterectomy, (12.6%) 18 patients had hemorrhagic shock due to severe blood loss. All cases of perinatal mortality were between 28 to 30 weeks weighing between 1-1.2 kg associated with complete placenta previa in 14 cases and type 3 (incomplete) in 8 cases. There was no maternal mortality in this studyConclusions: Abnormal placentation carries a very high-risk for maternal and fetal outcome. Anticipation, prevention, early detection and appropriate management will result in favorable outcome and will boost the present scenario of management of high-risk pregnancies.

Metabolic syndrome and its correlates: A cross-sectional study among adults aged 18� years in an Urban Area of West Bengal

Background: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is increasing dramatically of late, across all ages irrespective of gender, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity. People with MetS have twice the likelihood of developing and dying from cardiovascular disease and more than seven times the risk of developing diabetes. Objectives: This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of MetS among adults who were in their first three decades of adulthood and to find out the risk factors of MetS among them. Methods: This was a community based cross-sectional study among 388 subjects aged 18� years selected by multistage random sampling in an area of Kolkata, India, from November 2016 to October 2018 over 2 years. Data collection was done using a structured questionnaire along with anthropometry, blood pressure measurement, and relevant blood tests. Physical activity was classified by the International Physical Activity Questionnaire Short-Form questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 16.0), and descriptive statistics were calculated as frequency and percentage. Logistic regression was done to determine the strength of association between MetS and different risk factors. Results: The prevalence of MetS was 44.6% (35.4% in males and 55.6% in females), and female gender, poor economic status, sedentary lifestyle, poor diet, and addiction of tobacco were found to be the risk factors of MetS in the final model using multivariable logistic regression. Conclusion: This research revealed the high prevalence of MetS in the community. The effective primordial and primary level of prevention along with prevailing secondary or tertiary level of prevention should have been employed to curtail the epidemic of MetS.

A study evaluation of tubal factors of infertility by hystero-salpingography and diagnostic laparoscopy

Background: Infertility is one of the commonest problems encountered in gynecology. Infertility appears to be a problem in 10-15% of Indian population. Tubal factors account for (20-40%) of infertility. The objective of the study was to demonstrate the role of hystero-salpingography and hystero-laparoscopy in evaluation of tubal factors for female infertility.Methods: Present study was carried out on 70 women attending the gynaecology OPD for investigation of infertility admitted between March 2014 to December 2014 in Gynecology ward, SSG Hospital attached to Government Medical College, Vadodara, Gujarat.Results: Out of 70 patients who underwent HSG tubal block was detected in 34 cases. Out of these 34 cases tubal block was detected only in 17 cases by laparoscopy and chromopertubation. One case which showed patent tubes on HSG had unilateral tubal block on chromopertubation test. Accordingly, sensitivity of HSG for tubal patency comes out to be 0.72, specificity of 0.94, positive predictive value of 97.43%, negative predictive value of 51.61%, positive likelihood ratio of 12.28 and negative likelihood ratio of 0.30.Conclusions: HSG being simple and less invasive technique along with higher specificity and lesser complications. Hystero-laparoscopy is a valuable technique for the complete assessment of female infertility.

A case report on ruptured interstitial ectopic pregnancy: diagnostic dilemma

The ectopic pregnancy occurs when implantation of the blastocyst takes place in a site other than the endometrium of the uterine cavity. Interstitial ectopic pregnancies are gestations that implant within the proximal, intramural portion of the fallopian tubes with high vascularity. Ectopic pregnancy in the interstitial part of the fallopian tubes can be life-threatening considering the thin myometrial tissue surrounding the gestational sac and high vascularization which may result in catastrophic haemorrhage when interstitium is ruptured. Being a hazardous type of ectopic pregnancy, it becomes extremely important to diagnose and manage it. This condition presents a challenge for clinical as well as radiological diagnosis. Generally, a case of interstitial ectopic pregnancy has typical radiological features distinguishing it from other ectopic. The ultrasonographic finding of interstitial line has better sensitivity (80%) and specificity (98%) than eccentric gestational sac location (sensitivity, 40%; specificity, 88%) and myometrial thinning (sensitivity, 40%; specificity, 93%) for the diagnosis of interstitial ectopic pregnancy. Ultrasound is the mainstay of diagnosis, but magnetic resonance imaging can be helpful in unusual or complicated cases. Interstitial ectopic pregnancy rupturing into the leaves of broad ligament and creating a tamponade effect to alter the clinical presentation is a rare event which presents as a diagnostic challenge. Here authors present a case of ruptured interstitial ectopic pregnancy confined to the leaves of broad ligament, with atypical presentation and radiological features which led to difficulty in diagnosing the interstitial ectopic pregnancy. After laparoscopic confirmation of ruptured interstitial ectopic pregnancy, the patient was managed successfully by laparoscopic cornual resection.

Melanonychia and mucocutaneous hyperpigmentation from hydroxyurea use for the treatment of essential thrombocytosis

Hydroxyurea is an antineoplastic agent commonly used to treat essential thrombocytosis. We report the case of a 50-year-old woman who was incidentally detected to have essential thrombocytosis after suffering an episode of cerebrovascular accident with faciobrachial monoparesis. She was subsequently initiated on hydroxyurea. Within seven weeks of therapy, the patient noticed irregular hyperpigmented patches over her feet, hands and perioral region, with bluish-grey longitudinal bands on all 20 nails. Hydroxyurea-induced hyperpigmentation and melanonychia are not commonly reported. To the best of our knowledge, this is only the third published report of hydroxyurea-induced hyperpigmentation and melanonychia involving all 20 nails. Physicians need to be aware of such mucocutaneous side effects to avoid misdiagnosis and unwarranted fear in patients. The decision to discontinue the intake of the drug depends heavily on the future risk of thrombotic events.

A rare case of community acquired Burkholderia cepacia infection presenting as pyopneumothorax in an immunocompetent individual

Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia) infection is rarely reported in an immunocompetent host. It is a well known occurence in patients with cystic fibrosis and chronic granulomatous disease where it increases both morbidity and mortality. It has also been included in the list of organisms causing nosocomial infections in an immunocompetent host, most of them transmitted from the immunocompromised patient in which this organism harbors. We report a rare case of isolation of B. cepacia from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of an immunocompetent agriculturist who presented with productive cough and fever associated with a pyopneumothorax. This is the first case of community acquired infection reported in an immunocompetent person in India.

Refractory hypocalcemia precipitated by dual infection with typhoid fever and hepatitis A in a patient with congenital hypoparathyroidism

We present this rare occurrence of a 17 yr old boy, a known case of congenital hypoparathyroidism, who presented with fever and jaundice for 8 days and 2 episodes of generalised tonic-clonic seizures. Premorbidly patient was on regular oral calcium supplementations with normal serum calcium levels. Investigations revealed severe hypocalcaemia (3.2 mg/dL), low 25 hydroxyvitamin D levels and hypomagnesaemia. The marked elevation of serum bilirubin was accompanied by derangement of liver enzymes. Microbiological investigations were confirmatory for both hepatitis A and typhoid fever. In spite of the aggressive management with intravenous calcium gluconate infusion, refractory hypocalcaemia persisted with recovery only after gradual decline in the bilirubin levels. We inferred that the cholestatic process produced by both acute viral hepatitis A and typhoid fever precipitated this state of refractory hypocalcaemia in the previously well preserved patient.

Unilateral massive hemothorax in Dengue hemorrhagic fever: a unique presentation

Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a more serious form of disease characterised by plasma leakage syndrome, thrombocytopenia and disseminated intravascular coagulation. We present a 51 year old male who presented with fever, petechiae and acute onset of breathlessness. Emergency chest rhoentogram showed a massive right sided pleural effusion. On insertion of intercostal drain, there was a sudden gush of blood tinged fluid suggestive of hemothorax. There was no history of trauma or bleeding tendencies. Laboratory investigations revealed a raised hematocrit and severe thrombocytopenia. Dengue IgM was surprisingly positive. After aggressive supportive management the patient gradually improved and was discharged. While bilateral pleural effusion is a known occurrence in dengue hemorrhagic fever, massive hemothorax is unheard of. We report the first case in literature of dengue hemorrhagic fever presenting as unilateral massive hemothorax. A suspicion of dengue must also be borne in mind in cases of non-traumatic hemothorax especially in endemic areas.

Relationship of obesity with micronutrient status.

Background & objectives: Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Body mass index (BMI), a measurement which compares weight and height, defines people as overweight when their BMI is between 25 kg/m2 and 30 kg/m2, and obese when it is greater than 30 kg/m2. A survey of the literature indicates that little is known about the influence of the obese condition on the tissue status and metabolism of essential trace metals; however, available data suggest that trace metal status of obese humans and animals is altered. Hence our aim was to study the changes in the micronutrient status in overweight and obese people in comparison with normal weight controls. Methods: Ninety Adults of age 30-40 years were divided into three groups (30 each) into normal, overweight and obese individuals based on their BMI. The serum samples of all the three groups were used for estimation of micronutrient status (serum iron by Bathophenanthroline method, zinc and copper by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy). Results: We found that the mean iron levels in obese individuals were significantly decreased in overweight and obese individuals than those in the control group (P<0.0001), whereas the mean zinc levels were slightly lower than those of the control group (P=0.2080) but not statistically significant. Serum copper levels were significantly increased in obese individuals when compared to controls (P < 0.0003). Interpretation & Conclusion: The presence of nutritional deficiencies in overweight and obesity may seem paradoxical in light of excess caloric intake, but several micronutrient deficiencies appear to be higher in prevalence in overweight and obese adults and children. Causes are multifactorial and could include decreased consumption of fruits and vegetables, increased intake of high-calorie, but nutritionally poor-quality foods, and increased adiposity, which may influence the storage and availability of some nutrients. Hence medical practitioners must be aware of nutritional deficiencies in overweight and obese patients and appropriately recognize and treat common and rare nutritional deficiencies.

Uncommon Neurological Presentation due to Non-Ketotic Hyperglycemia (NKH) –Report to two cases.

Two patients of uncommon neurological presentation due to non-ketotic hyperglycemia (NKH) are being described in this report. Generalized choreo-athetosis and epilepsia partialis continua as presenting symptoms in non-ketotic hyperglycemia is rare. The abnormal movements responded completely to insulin therapy. In acute onset of abnormal movements, besides other causes, metabolic disorders such as non-ketotic hyperglycemia should also be ruled out as they are treatable.

Successful management of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis with atropine sulfate.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of atropine sulfate in management of infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis (IHPS). DESIGN: Prospective observational. SUBJECT: Patients attending the hospital with complaints of persistent vomiting and later clinically and sonographically diagnosed as cases of IHPS were selected for the trial. METHODS: Atropine was initially administered intravenously in a dose of 0.06 mg/kg/day in eight divided doses, increased by 0.15 mg/kg/day till vomiting ceased and remained so for a period of 24 hours at a stretch and ultrasonography showed a transit time (of gastric contents through pyloric canal) of less than 1 minute. Intravenous atropine was then substituted by oral atropine at double the effective IV dose for 3 weeks. Ultrasonographic evaluation of pyloric muscle thickness and length was done at the commencement of IV treatment, after completion of oral treatment and at 3,6,9,12 and 15 months follows up. Transit time of gastric contents was measured at the commencement of intravenous treatment and then daily after the vomiting stopped for more than 24 h at a stretch. RESULTS: Medical treatment of IHPS with atropine was successful in 50/52 (96.2%) cases. Vomiting ceased in 1-3 days in all patients with mild hypertrophy and in 4-7 days in all the cases with moderate hypertrophy. In all except 2 patients with severe hypertrophy, vomiting ceased in 8-12 days. These two cases continued to vomit at least once daily even after 2 weeks of IV treatment and ultimately opted out for pyloromyotomy. All the 50 medically treated children made uneventful recovery during oral therapy except 3 cases (6%) in whom vomiting recurred during the follow-up. These 3 children later responded by increasing the dose of oral atropine. All of them began to gain weight by the time oral therapy was commenced and ultrasonographic evidence of normalization of pylorus was observed in all these children 3-15 months after completion of oral therapy. CONCLUSION: Atropine sulfate proved to be an effective and safe treatment option for IHPS.

C-reactive protein as an indicator of complications in bacterial meningitis.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the value of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) estimation in the follow-up of bacterial meningitis (BM). DESIGN: Longitudinal follow-up. SETTING: Urban hospital. METHODS: Sequential serum CRP estimation was done in 50 healthy children and in 100 children with BM. Serial serum CRP value was correlated with the clinical picture in BM. RESULTS: Serial serum CRP in 14 patients with complicated BM was significantly different than the 72 uncomplicated BM cases. CONCLUSIONS: Serial determination of serum CRP may be a cheap, simple and reliable prognostic indicator in BM.