A Case Of Two Common Culprits Causing Pulmonary Embolism

Pulmonary embolism is the obstruction of the pulmonary artery or its branches, commonly by thrombus or fat. We report an unusual case of double pathology - both pulmonary thromboembolism and fat embolism syndrome in a patient with bilateral femur and bilateral tibia fractures. This highlights the importance of a high index of suspicion of these conditions while managing patients with multiple long bone fractures. Morbidity and mortality can be significantly reduced with prompt and appropriate prevention strategies.

Avoiding diagnostic pitfalls in mimics of neoplasia: the importance of a comprehensive diagnostic approach

Any medical diagnosis should take a multimodal approach, especially those involving tumour-like conditions, as entities that mimic neoplasms have overlapping features and may present detrimental outcomes if they are underdiagnosed. These case reports present diagnostic pitfalls resulting from overdependence on a single diagnostic parameter for three musculoskeletal neoplasm mimics: brown tumour (BT) that was mistaken for giant cell tumour (GCT), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis mistaken for osteosarcoma and a pseudoaneurysm mistaken for a soft tissue sarcoma. Literature reviews revealed five reports of BT simulating GCT, four reports of osteomyelitis mimicking osteosarcoma and five reports of a pseudoaneurysm imitating a soft tissue sarcoma. Our findings highlight the therapeutic dilemmas that arise with musculoskeletal mimics, as well as the importance of thorough investigation to distinguish mimickers from true neoplasms.