ABSTRACT
Sclerosing mesenteritis is a rare benign disease presenting with chronic inflammation of the mesenteric adipose tissue and variable degrees of fibrosis. A 47-year-old black man presented to the emergency department with symptoms of small bowel obstruction, requiring surgical treatment. The laparotomy revealed a stenosis of the distal ileum with mesenteric thickening and an enterectomy was performed. The postoperative period was complicated by the maintenance of bowel obstruction. The patient underwent a second laparotomy, in which the fibrosing process of the mesentery was much aggravated, and an ileo-colic resection was needed. After knowledge of the histological diagnosis, the patient was started on immunomodulators with clinical improvement. At 26 months of follow-up, patient is asymptomatic under medical treatment. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of a patient with progressive fibrosis in such short period of time requiring surgical re-intervention for bowel obstruction, owing to sclerosing mesenteritis.
Subject(s)
Intestinal Obstruction/etiology , Mesentery/pathology , Panniculitis, Peritoneal/drug therapy , Panniculitis, Peritoneal/pathology , Diagnosis, Differential , Humans , Immunologic Factors/therapeutic use , Intestinal Obstruction/surgery , Laparotomy/methods , Male , Middle Aged , Panniculitis, Peritoneal/diagnosis , Postoperative Complications/pathology , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Acupuncture is a well-known form of complementary medicine that is increasingly being used worldwide. Despite being rare, pneumothorax is the most common serious complication described in acupuncture. A 79-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department with a pneumothorax. Two days before, she had undergone an acupuncture treatment for chronic back pain. She felt a sharp right shoulder pain as needles were inserted in the interscapular area. As the pain did not resolve, she consulted her general practitioner and had a chest radiography done, revealing a right-sided pneumothorax. At the hospital, a right chest tube was inserted with relief of the symptoms and lung expansion. The chest tube was removed on the second day of admission, and she was discharged on the third day. Both acupuncturists and clinicians need to be aware of the possibility of adverse events following acupuncture, especially in those who develop symptoms.
