Delayed Diagnosis of Neck Pain: Eagle Syndrome.

Eagle syndrome is a rare condition characterized by an abnormally elongated styloid process with or without abnormal direction and/or ossification of the styloid ligament. Clinically, it consists of throat and neck pain radiating to the ear. Here, we present the case of a 34-year-old female with the complaint of left-sided neck pain below the ear for the past year. The patient had tried different analgesics after seeing different doctors, but the pain did not resolve. After conducting radiological investigations at the hospital, a diagnosis of Eagle syndrome was made. The patient was treated with surgical styloidectomy, followed by subsequent remission of the symptoms.

Long QT-Syndrome With Torsades de Pointes Managed Considering Financial Constraints Faced by the Patient.

Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a rare arrhythmogenic condition characterized by abnormally long QT intervals on an electrocardiogram. The prevalence varies between 1 in 3000 and 1 in 10,000 but often remains undiagnosed. It is responsible for 3000 to 4000 sudden deaths among children and adults in the United States alone. LQTS can lead to torsades de pointes which is seen as twisting of QRS complex on electrocardiogram. We report a case of a 35-year-old patient with LQTS who presented with syncope and was found to have torsades de pointes. After acute management the patient was advised for automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillator (AICD) but because of financial constraints, she was placed on beta-blockers and permanent pacemaker.

Postinfectious Cerebellar Syndrome With Paraneoplastic Antibodies: An Association or Coincidence?

Cerebellar ataxia has a very broad differential diagnosis in adults, including paraneoplastic and postinfectious etiologies. We report a case of a 56-year-old male presented with right-sided cerebellar dysfunction preceded by fever and headache. He was diagnosed with subacute postinfectious cerebellar ataxia. Blood serology showed the presence of anti-amphiphysin and anti-Ri (ANNA-2, antineuronal nuclear autoantibody type 2) antibodies, which have a known association with cerebellar syndrome. The patient subsequently improved with the steroids. Although no evidence of an underlying tumor was found in the patient, the presence of the paraneoplastic antibodies remains a mystery. We suggest a probable association of these antibodies with the postinfectious cerebellar syndrome.

Therapeutic Strategies for Human Epidermal Receptor-2 Positive Metastatic Breast Cancer: A Literature Review.

Breast cancer is a frequently occurring malignancy in women. Immunologically, breast cancers can be classified into four subtypes depending on the types of receptors present and their expression profiles. These are estrogen positive, progesterone positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) positive, and triple-negative as identified by immunohistochemistry. This classification is the basis of response to treatment, prognosis, and survival. With the identification of HER2 receptor overexpression, targeted therapies with anti-HER2 agents have been developed. The first-line therapy approved for HER2 positive tumors is trastuzumab and pertuzumab linked to taxane and further treatment with an antibody-drug conjugate to achieve satisfactory outcomes. Tyrosine kinase overexpression can be treated with lapatinib, which has also been approved for improving survival and is used in combination with capecitabine. Acquired resistance in HER2 positive tumors is shown in many cases due to genetic or epigenetic modifications. Therefore, it is very important to plan therapeutic strategies and design effective treatment approaches. For a long time, only two agents, trastuzumab and lapatinib, have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of HER2 positive breast cancers. There has been no appropriate treatment for trastuzumab resistance and its failure to reduce tumor growth. Lapatinib was approved by the FDA in 2007 for HER2 positive breast cancer. Three existing therapy options after trastuzumab resistance was proposed by clinicians: continuation of trastuzumab, starting therapy with lapatinib, and the synergistic use of trastuzumab and lapatinib. There have been several effective therapies proposed for HER2 positive breast cancers in correlation with clinical trials. Discovering the mechanisms of trastuzumab resistance would increase its response to therapy and better clinical outcome. Clinicians are being continuously challenged by the resistance mechanisms and bioavailability of the drugs in the treatment of metastatic breast cancers. The addition of new drugs to the chemotherapeutic regimen increases the complexity, burden of side effects, and chances of relapse. Novel anti-HER2 agents have been directed towards therapy making a major paradigm shift.

Pulmonary Cryptococcosis in a Human Immunodeficiency Virus Negative Patient: A Case Report.

Cryptococcosis is a major life-threatening fungal infection in patients with severe HIV infection and other immunocompromised states. Lung and central nervous system (CNS) are the most commonly involved organs in disseminated cryptococcosis. Others include skin, prostate, medullary cavity of bones, eyes, heart, liver, etc. Pulmonary cryptococcosis may be misdiagnosed because of comparatively nonspecific clinical and radiological features. We report the case of a 61-year-old male patient who is a known case of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), myasthenia gravis, and steroid-induced diabetes mellitus. He was diagnosed with gangrenous cholecystitis at another institution but refused surgery. At our hospital, he experienced loss of consciousness in the out-patient department (OPD) and was therefore admitted for further evaluation where he was found to have pulmonary cryptococcosis and pancytopenia. Pulmonary cryptococcosis is usually found in HIV-positive immunosuppressed patients. However, sometimes it is also seen in HIV-negative patients, and they tend to have a good prognosis with adequate treatment.

Spontaneous Intramural Duodenal Hematoma: A Rare Complication of Pancreatitis.

Intramural duodenal hematoma is an uncommon entity, usually associated with trauma. Spontaneous intramural duodenal hematoma is an even more rare phenomenon reported in patients with anticoagulation therapy, gastrointestinal endoscopy procedure or coagulopathy. We report a case of spontaneous intramural duodenal hematoma in a 30-year-old male as a pancreatitis complication, very few cases have been known in the past and still a lot is to be discovered about this rare hematoma associated with pancreatitis. This condition can have catastrophic consequences and should be managed appropriately.

Hemiconvulsion-Hemiplegia-Epilepsy Syndrome in Adult with Uncontrolled Seizures and Phenytoin Toxicity.

Hemiconvulsion-hemiplegia-epilepsy (HHE) syndrome is a rare condition, characterized by sudden onset of unilateral seizures leading to cerebral hemisphere atrophy and hemiplegia which might persist for lifetime. It is believed to be outcome of prolonged or unmanaged status epilepticus in pediatric age group. HHE is diagnosed during childhood but we report an undiagnosed case of 30-year-old male who was dealing with uncontrolled seizure, phenytoin toxicity and hemiparesis. He was diagnosed with HHE based on characteristic imaging findings leading to complete alteration of management and opened wide array of surgical options to manage this debilitating condition.

Hirayama's Disease in a Young Male: A Rare Case Report.

Hirayama disease is a rare neurological condition also known as monomelic amyotrophy (MMA). It is a type of cervical myelopathy, which involves the anterior horn cells and affects the distal upper extremities. It is self-limited, asymmetrical lower motor weakness of hands and forearms. Young males are more commonly affected. The condition is hypothesized to occur due to an asymmetric compression of the cervical spinal cord by the dural sac, however, the exact mechanism(s) continue to be investigated. We report a case of a 20-year-old male who presented with complaints of right hand and forearm weakness, who was diagnosed with Hirayama disease and treated.