ABSTRACT
Abnormalities of the inferior vena cava are rare. Its embryological development occurs between the sixth and eighth week of gestation and depends on the persistence or regression of three pairs of veins: the posterior cardinal veins, the subcardinal veins and the supracardinal veins. The type of congenital alteration depends on the moment that embryogenesis is altered. The most frequent clinical presentation is deep vein thrombosis, which occurs mainly in young men. We report a 16-year-old male presenting with edema of the left leg. No risk factor for thrombosis was recorded. A Doppler ultrasound confirmed the presence of a deep femoro-popliteal vein thrombosis. An abdominal CAT scan showed an agenesis of the supra and infra-adrenal inferior vena cava, with multiple collaterals. The study for thrombophilia was negative. The patient was treated with vitamin K antagonists with a good clinical response.
Subject(s)
Adolescent , Humans , Male , Vena Cava, Inferior , Venous Thrombosis , Vena Cava, Inferior/diagnostic imaging , Tomography, X-Ray Computed , Ultrasonography , Venous Thrombosis/drug therapy , Venous Thrombosis/diagnostic imaging , Fibrinolytic AgentsABSTRACT
We report a 76-year-old male who was admitted due to progressive congestive heart failure lasting several months. An echocardiogram showed a large pericardial effusion with early signs of pericardial tamponade and an irregular surface suggestive of cancer infiltration. The patient was operated, creating a pericardial window and draining 1,200 ml of a brownish yellow fluid with abundant cellularity. Pericardial biopsy showed infiltration by CD68 (+), CD1a (-) and S100 (-) cells. Twenty-eight months earlier, due to fatigue, dyspnea, and a non-specific inflammatory process, an enhanced-contrast-scan showed that aorta was coated with a hypodense tissue that began near the aortic valve and extended until the inferior mesenteric artery, with stenosis of the left subclavian, celiac axis, renal and upper mesenteric arteries. An angioplasty and stent placing was carried out in the last two arteries. Both kidneys had the appearance of "hairy kidneys". A bone scan showed increased uptake in femurs and tibiae and X-ray examination showed osteosclerosis in metaphysis and diaphysis. The diagnosis of Erdheim-Chester disease (non-Langerhans-cell histiocytosis) was made and the patient was treated with steroids and methotrexate.
Subject(s)
Aged , Humans , Male , Cardiac Tamponade/etiology , Erdheim-Chester Disease/complications , Cardiac Tamponade/pathology , Diagnosis, Differential , Erdheim-Chester Disease/pathology , Femur , TibiaABSTRACT
The porphyrias are a group of diseases caused by a deficiency of enzymes responsible for the synthesis of heme, that can lead to severe disease that requires early diagnosis to avoid complications. The frequency of the disease is low and its association with pregnancy unusual, but it is a good time for patients carrying develop the disease or suffer an exacerbation of the same, hence the vital importance of prophylaxis of the factors risk.
Las porfirias son un grupo de enfermedades producidas por un déficit de las enzimas encargadas de la síntesis del hemo, que pueden dar lugar a un cuadro clínico grave que requiere un diagnóstico precoz para evitar complicaciones. La frecuencia de la enfermedad es baja y su asociación con el embarazo inusual, pero es un buen momento para que las pacientes portadoras desarrollen la enfermedad o sufran una exacerbación de la misma, de ahí la importancia vital de la profilaxis de los factores de riesgo.