ABSTRACT
Whipple's disease is a multisystemic chronic infectious condition caused by Tropheryma whipplei (T. whipplei). Though characterised often by insidious weight loss, diarrhoea, and arthralgia, three other distinct manifestations can be observed, namely localised disease, acute infection and asymptomatic carriage. The diagnosis relies on histopathological examination of duodenal biopsies and polymerase chain reaction analysis of the 16S rRNA gene for T. whipplei. We report the case of a middle-aged man admitted for etiologic investigation of prolonged, migrating, and inflammatory arthralgias and subsequent development of gastrointestinal symptoms. Despite its reputation as a great mimicker of many different illnesses, the difficulty in diagnosis probably lies with its rarity rather than its masking.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents , Whipple Disease , Male , Middle Aged , Humans , Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use , Whipple Disease/complications , Whipple Disease/diagnosis , Whipple Disease/drug therapy , Rare Diseases , RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics , BiopsySubject(s)
Appendiceal Neoplasms , Appendix , Granular Cell Tumor , Humans , Appendiceal Neoplasms/diagnostic imaging , Appendiceal Neoplasms/surgery , Appendiceal Neoplasms/pathology , Appendix/diagnostic imaging , Appendix/surgery , Appendix/pathology , Appendectomy , Granular Cell Tumor/diagnostic imaging , Granular Cell Tumor/surgery , Granular Cell Tumor/pathologyABSTRACT
Leiomyosarcomas arising directly from the blood vessels are rare. These tumours are formed from the muscular wall of either a major vein or artery. The authors describe the case of an 84-year-old woman with lower back pain with bilateral abdominal irradiation and marked peripheral oedema, who was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava after biopsy of an infrahepatic mass. An endovascular prosthesis was placed as the patient was proposed for palliative care. Leiomyosarcomas of the inferior vena cava may present with non-specific symptoms. Therefore, the authors aim to draw attention to the diagnosis process, as well as imaging findings related to this pathology.