Incidental finding of isolated colonic neurofibroma.

Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder manifested by characteristic cutaneous lesions called neurofibromas. There are two distinct neurocutaneous syndromes named neurofibromatosis type 1 (also called von Recklinghausen disease or NF1) and neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). NF1 is by far the most common presentation and is caused by an autosomal dominant mutation in the NF1 gene mapped to chromosome 17q11.2. The literature shows that gastrointestinal involvement is noted in systemic neurofibromatosis in up to 25% of patients, but isolated intestinal neurofibromatosis is a very rare manifestation. We herein present the case of a 70-year-old woman who was diagnosed with an isolated colonic neurofibroma without any systemic signs of neurofibromatosis; only a few case reports of this condition have been published to date.

A rare occurrence of primary hepatic leiomyosarcoma associated with epstein barr virus infection in an AIDS patient.

Primary hepatic leiomyosarcoma is exceedingly rare accounting for less than 1% of the hepatic tumors. Close to 45 cases have been reported in the English literature. Presentation is usually nonspecific and diagnosis is often delayed until tumors reach a large size. This leads to a dismal prognosis. The tumors are not yet fully understood, hence the standard of care is not well defined. Curative resection remains the mainstay of management. Close association of Epstein Barr virus (EBV) induced soft tissue sarcomas is proven, especially in the presence of immunosuppression encountered in HIV/AIDS patients and in posttransplant patients. We herein present a case report of a 54-year-old man diagnosed to have HIV/AIDS and EBV infection admitted to our hospital with complaints of intractable hiccups for more than a week. Extensive workup revealed primary leiomyosarcoma of the liver.

Life-threatening manifestation of diarrhea.

Acute diarrhea is usually mild and self-limited in normally healthy individuals. Further diagnostic evaluation is indicated in patients with severe diarrhea. We present a case of a 46-year-old woman who presented with dehydration and acute renal failure due to acute severe diarrhea. Initial stool study was suggestive of Aeromonas. Further stool test revealed offending bacteria, which led to appropriate antibiotic use. This paper emphasizes the importance of complete history and correlation between clinical data and laboratory tests.

Incidental finding of esophageal pneumatosis.

Pneumatosis of the gastrointestinal tract is a rare condition characterized by the presence of air filled cavities in the gastrointestinal tract wall. Its occurrence has been described throughout the gastrointestinal tract from the esophagus to the rectum, however it is most commonly reported in the small intestine. Despite multiple case reports in literature, its pathogenesis still remains unclear. Pneumatosis may be idiopathic or associated with a variety of disorders namely peptic ulcer disease, jejunoileal bypass, intestinal obstruction and non-gastrointestinal disorders like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, infectious enteritis, etc. We here present a rare case of pneumatosis of the esophagus diagnosed incidentally at an esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). A 78-year-old asymptomatic woman underwent EGD and colonoscopy at our hospital for evaluation of anemia. Few months prior to EGD, she had undergone excision of laryngocele at our hospital. EGD revealed extensive submucosal blebs distributed throughout the esophagus, otherwise unremarkable stomach and duodenum. Colonoscopy showed a tubular adenomatous polyp. Since our patient was asymptomatic she did not require any surgical intervention. Management of pneumatosis depends on the underlying cause.

Rare endoscopic manifestation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Gastric ulcer secondary to direct invasion from pancreatic adenocarcinoma is rare. Metastases to the stomach have been commonly reported with melanoma and with primary tumors of the breast, lung, ovary, liver, colon and testis. We report a patient who presented with epigastric pain and in whom subsequently upper endoscopy showed a malignant gastric ulcer secondary to direct invasion from pancreatic adenocarcinoma of the body. An 81-year-old female presented to our hospital with epigastric pain and subsequently underwent endoscopy with endoscopic ultrasound for evaluation of a pancreatic body mass. She had a large gastric ulcer in the fundus which was in direct continuity with the pancreatic mass. Pathology from biopsy of the ulcer revealed invasive well-to-moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma, and immunohistochemical stains were strongly positive for CA19-9, CK7, CK19 and carcinoembryonic antigen. These findings were consistent with a histopathological diagnosis of metastatic carcinoma of the pancreas. Patients with gastrointestinal metastases usually have advanced malignancy with poor prognosis. Endoscopic evaluation with adequate biopsies should be performed for symptomatic patients.

An inflammatory fibroid polyp in the hepatic flexure of the colon treated with argon plasma coagulation, endoscopic clipping and polypectomy.

Inflammatory fibroid polyp (IFP) is a rare benign polypoid lesion of the gastrointestinal tract. Most IFPs occur in the stomach and colonic occurrence is very rare. Histologically IFP is characterized by a mixture of numerous small vessels, fibroblasts and edematous connective tissue associated with marked inflammatory infiltration by eosinophils. We present a rare case of a pedunculated IFP in the hepatic flexure of the colon treated successfully with a combination of argon plasma coagulation, endoclipping and polypectomy. A 74-year-old asymptomatic female underwent a screening colonoscopy in our hospital. A 12-mm pedunculated polyp was found at the hepatic flexure of the colon. After saline injection, we attempted to remove the polyp with a hot snare. However the polyp stalk was extremely difficult to resect despite several attempts with the hot snare. We placed an endoclip at the base of the stalk and then applied argon plasma coagulation at 1.0 l/min and 40 W. After these measures we were able to resect the stalk and the polyp was retrieved. Histologically the polyp was located in the submucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. Proliferation of spindle cells and infiltration of inflammatory cells such as plasma cells and eosinophils were observed. The spindle cells were positive for CD34 and S100 but negative for c-kit and muscle markers. These findings are consistent with a histopathological diagnosis of IFP.

Ileoileal intussusception secondary to an ileal fibroma.

Intussusception is defined as the telescoping of a segment of the gastrointestinal tract (intussusceptum) into an immediately adjacent distal bowel (intussuscipiens). Intussusception is a relatively rare cause of intestinal obstruction in adults. Unlike in children, a lead point is present in 90% of adult cases. The most common causes of small bowel intussusception are benign, usually hamartomas, lipomas, inflammatory polyps, adenomas and leiomyomas, in contrast to the large intestine where malignant tumors, usually adenocarcinomas, are more common. The clinical presentation of adult intussusception is non-specific with variable manifestations, predominantly those of intestinal obstruction, often making the diagnosis a challenge. The onset of symptoms may be acute, intermittent or chronic. We present a rare case of an ileal fibroma presenting with intussusception. A 43-year-old woman presented to our outpatient clinic with a history of recurrent abdominal pain. The clinical presentation and CT scan findings led to the diagnosis of ileoileal intussusception. Subsequently she underwent laparotomy which revealed an ileal fibroma as the lead point of the intussusception. Surgical exploration remains essential for diagnosis and treatment since in the majority of cases a pathologic lead point is identified. Ileal fibroma is an uncommon benign neoplasm of the small bowel and must be considered in the differential diagnosis for small bowel intussusception.

Hypertriglyceridemia Induced Pancreatitis in a Non-Diabetic Pregnant Patient Requiring the Use of Total Parenteral Nutrition.

Hypertriglyceridemia induced pancreatitis in pregnancy is established and has been widely reported. However there are very scanty reports of cases involving the use of total parenteral nutrition. We report the case of a 37-year-old gravida 3, para 2 woman at 34 weeks of gestation who presented with one day of severe epigastric pain radiating to the back, nausea and bilious vomiting caused by pancreatitis induced by hypertriglyceridemia. Her initial serum triglyceride, amylase and lipase concentration were 6,552 mg/dl, 314 U/L and 537 U/L respectively. She initially received intravenous fluids and insulin with reduction of serum triglyceride levels to 583 mg/dl on the fifth day of admission. However attempts to refeed the patient with solid food resulted in induction of hypertriglyceridemia and relapse of pancreatitis. Lipid free total parenteral nutrition was commenced in the third week of admission and lead to a better control of triglyciderides and resolution of pancreatitis until delivery of a full term healthy neonate.