ABSTRACT
A 21-year-old female with a history of right nephrectomy due to trauma presented with several years of multidrug-resistant hypertension. Her workup included negative findings from autoimmune and vasculitides panels and urine catecholamine testing. Computed tomography showed an acute hairpin turn of her left renal artery. Intraoperatively, the artery demonstrated kinking with exhalation. She underwent excision of the diseased portion of the renal artery and an end-to-end anastomosis. Final pathologic examination demonstrated fibromuscular dysplasia. This is a unique case of mechanical artery kinking combined with fibromuscular dysplasia contributing to renovascular hypertension, for which open surgery was beneficial at improving the patient's hypertension.
Subject(s)
COVID-19/complications , Ischemia/diagnostic imaging , Leg/blood supply , Peripheral Vascular Diseases/diagnostic imaging , Thrombosis/diagnostic imaging , Angiography , Anticoagulants/therapeutic use , Combined Modality Therapy , Diagnosis, Differential , Heparin/therapeutic use , Humans , Ischemia/therapy , Middle Aged , Obesity/complications , Pandemics , Peripheral Vascular Diseases/therapy , SARS-CoV-2 , Thrombectomy , Thrombosis/therapyABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Primary neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) of the appendix are uncommon, but when present are usually not hyperfunctioning. This case represents an extraordinarily rare primary hyperfunctioning NET of the appendix with a clinical presentation of symptomatic hypoglycemia in an otherwise healthy man. CASE PRESENTATION: A previously healthy 34-year-old man was found to be symptomatically hypoglycemic in early 2018. After the workup, the apparent explanation was a tumor in his midappendix, for which he was referred to our surgical oncology service for resection. The patient's clinical course is described in detail, including imaging, as well as surgical and pathologic descriptions of the appendiceal NET. DISCUSSION: A literature review demonstrates no other case series or reports of a primary hyperfunctioning NET of the appendix presenting with hypoglycemic crisis. The symptoms of tumor-induced hypoglycemia more typically arise with islet cell tumors, such as pancreatic NETs or insulinomas. We believe this case represents a nonislet cell tumor-induced hypoglycemia. This patient's elevated serum proinsulin level preoperatively implies secretion of proinsulin by the tumor. However, tumor-induced hypoglycemia caused by proinsulin has been described previously only in pancreatic tumors. This unique case adds knowledge to the possible glycemic endocrine effects of nonpancreatic NETs, specifically those that arise primarily in the appendix.
