Patients with Clostridium difficile infection and prior appendectomy may be prone to worse outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) occurs due to a dysbiosis in the colon. The appendix is considered a 'safe house' for gut microbiota and may help repopulate gut flora of patients with CDI. AIM: To study the impact of prior appendectomy on the severity and outcomes of CDI. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed data of 1580 patients with CDI, admitted to our hospital between 2008 to 2018. Patients were grouped based on the presence or absence of the appendix. The primary aim was to (1) assess all-cause mortality and (2) the severity of CDI. Severity was defined as per the Infectious Diseases Society of America criteria. Logistic regression, and propensity score analysis using inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) was performed. RESULTS: Of the 1580 patients, 12.5% had a history of appendectomy. There was no statistical difference in mortality between patients with a prior appendectomy or without (13.7% vs 14%, P = 0.877). However, a history of appendectomy affected the severity of CDI [odds ratio (OR) = 1.32, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.75]. On IPTW, this association remained significant (OR = 1.59, P < 0.05). On multivariable analysis of secondary outcomes, prior appendectomy was also associated with toxic megacolon (OR = 5.37, P < 0.05) and colectomy (OR = 2.77, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Prior appendectomy may affect the severity of CDI, development of toxic megacolon and the eventual need for colectomy. Since treatment of CDI is governed by its severity, stronger antibiotic regimens or earlier use of fecal microbiota transplant may be a viable option for patients with prior appendectomy.

Apixaban Causing Hepatic Cystic Bleeding: A Rare but a Life-Threatening Complication.

Cystic lesions of the liver are a heterogeneous group of disorders with varied etiology, prevalence, and clinical manifestations. Fibropolycystic liver disease encompasses a spectrum of related liver and biliary tract lesions caused by abnormal embryologic development of the ductal plates. These disorders include congenital hepatic fibrosis, biliary hamartomas, polycystic liver disease (PCLD), choledochal cysts, and Carolis disease. PCLD is arbitrarily defined as a liver that contains >20 cysts. Most liver cysts are incidentally found on imaging studies, and the majority of the patients with liver cysts are asymptomatic. Rarely, complications such as compression, infection, and bleeding within the cyst can occur. Under the effect of the increased pressure, the epithelial lining of the cyst undergoes necrosis and sloughing, causing injury of the fragile blood vessels, leading to intracystic bleeding. The bleeding within or from the cyst can be precipitated by anticoagulation. We present a patient with PCLD who developed intracystic bleeding after he was started on apixaban for the prevention of thromboembolism.

Imatinib-Resistant Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor Presenting as a Large Abdominal Mass.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the stromal or mesenchymal neoplasms affecting the gastrointestinal tract. Although they constitute 1% of primary gastrointestinal tumors, they are the most common nonepithelial tumors involving the gastrointestinal tract. They mostly present as overt or occult gastrointestinal bleeding. We present a case in which a 77-year-old female presented with a large abdominal mass. The origin of the mass was unclear on CT and MRI scan of the abdomen. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopic ultrasonography showed a cystic lesion in the perigastric region. A fine-needle biopsy of the lesion was performed, which was consistent with spindle type GIST. After the initial failure of imatinib therapy, the tumor was managed surgically.

Colitis Induced by Colon-Cleansing Agent.

Constipation is one of the most common functional gastrointestinal disorders and affects 20% of the general population. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that affects the large intestine and is characterized by chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. We report a case of a 35-year-old African American man with a past medical history of IBS who presented to the clinic with a chief complaint of abdominal pain and bloody diarrhea for 1 week. The patient stated that he used a colon-cleansing agent because of persistent constipation. Computed tomography scan of the patient's abdomen and pelvis with contrast was performed which showed diffuse contiguous segmental mural thickening and nodularity seen along the distal transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon. Colonoscopy showed moderate diffuse inflammation characterized by altered vascularity, erythema, and granularity from the rectum to the descending colon, and localized mild inflammation characterized by erythema was found at the ileocecal valve. The patient's clinical condition improved with symptomatic management over 10 days. Patients with IBS should be advised to restrain from using a colon-cleansing agent without advice from their primary doctor as it can lead to various complications.

Biliary Sphincter of Oddi Dysfunction.

Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction (SOD) is a syndrome caused by either dyskinesia or stenosis of the sphincter of Oddi. It has been categorized into biliary and pancreatic SOD based on clinical features and laboratory findings. We present a case of a 51-year-old female (post-cholecystectomy) who presented with intermittent chronic right upper quadrant pain. Laboratory investigations showed persistently elevated liver function tests and a dilated common bile duct without the presence of any stones. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography with manometry showed an elevated sphincter of Oddi pressure, thus confirming the diagnosis of SOD. She underwent endoscopic sphincterotomy and papillotomy with normalization of liver function tests and resolution of her chronic symptoms.

Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: A Rare Cause of Colonic Mass.

NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are one of the most used medications worldwide. Every day they are used by more than 30 million Americans. Here, we report a rare and interesting case of a 63-year-old woman with a history of NSAID use who presented to our emergency room with lower abdominal pain. Computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen with intravenous contrast revealed focal mucosal thickening in the cecum which was highly suspicious for colonic malignancy. She had a colonoscopy which showed two masses and ulcers in the right colon, pathology was negative for malignancy and showed inflammation consistent with NSAID colopathy.

Abdominal Ascites of Unknown Origin: Diagnostic Accuracy of Adenosine Deaminase for Tuberculous Peritonitis.

The occurrence of tuberculosis (TB) is exceedingly rare in the United States (US), and incidence has steadily declined since 1993, but the pace of decline has slowed in recent years. The US TB rate during 2019 declined to 2.7 cases per 100,000 persons, the lowest level on record. The abdominal form is the sixth leading cause of extrapulmonary TB, after lymphatic, genitourinary, osteoarticular, miliary, and meningeal. Abdominal TB can infect any part of the gastrointestinal tract, including the peritoneum and the pancreaticobiliary system. We present a case of persistently elevated adenosine deaminase in peritoneal ascites of a young, healthy female with new-onset ascites. An extended diagnostic evaluation was performed to reach the diagnosis.

Concomitant Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecium and Clostridium difficile Colitis.

Colitis is a chronic gastrointestinal system disease characterized by inflammation of the inner lining of the colon. Infectious colitis is one of the most common causes of colitis and is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. One of the rare causes of colitis includes vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (VRE). Lately, the prevalence of VRE has significantly increased in hospitals. We present a case of a 32-year-old American man who was initially admitted because of bilateral lower extremity weakness. The hospital course was complicated, with acute hypoxic respiratory failure secondary to pneumonia. The patient was intubated and was started on broad-spectrum antibiotics. Later on, the patient had severe diarrhea and was found to have clostridium difficile infection. Patient symptoms persisted despite completing the course of antibiotics. Colonoscopy was performed, and the patient was found to have a diffuse area of severely altered vascular, congested, erythematous, friable with contact bleeding, hemorrhagic, inflamed, nodular, and ulcerated mucosa in the sigmoid colon, in the descending colon, and the transverse colon. A biopsy was sent, and the patient was found to be growing VRE. Currently, there is no effective treatment available for VRE. Hospitals need to have an active surveillance program to identify these patients so that the infection does not spread to other patients.

McKittrick-Wheelock Syndrome: A Rare Cause of Chronic Diarrhea.

Diarrhea is the principal cause of the majority of healthcare utilization. When diarrhea lasts longer than four weeks, it is considered chronic diarrhea. There are several causes of chronic diarrhea, but here we focus on one of the rare causes, known as McKittrick-Wheelock syndrome (MWS). We here present the case of a patient in his seventies with chronic diarrhea, found to have tubulovillous adenoma and diagnosed with McKittrick-Wheelock syndrome. We also discuss the clinical presentation, pathophysiology, and management of MWS.

Acute Gastric Dilatation: A Cause for Concern.

Acute gastric dilatation is the radiological finding of a massively enlarged stomach as seen on plain film X-ray or a computerized tomography scan of the abdomen. It is a rare entity with high mortality if not treated promptly and is often not reported due to a lack of physician awareness. It can occur due to both mechanical obstruction of the gastric outflow tract, or due to nonmechanical causes, such as eating disorders and gastroparesis. Acute hyperglycemia without diagnosed gastroparesis, such as in patients with diabetic ketoacidosis, may also predispose to acute gastric dilatation. Prompt placement of a nasogastric tube can help deter its serious complications of gastric emphysema, ischemia, and/or perforation. We present our experience of 2 patients who presented with severe hyperglycemia and were found to have acute gastric dilation on imaging. Only one of the patients was treated with nasogastric tube placement for decompression and eventually made a full recovery.

The Impact of Appendectomy in Clostridium difficile Infection and Length of Hospital Stay.

Introduction We aim to investigate Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) recurrence, severity, complications, and length of hospital stay in patients with and without prior history of appendectomy who were admitted to the hospital with CDI. Method We analyzed retrospective data for 862 patients, 18 years and older, with C. difficile inpatients diagnosed between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2018 and sorted into two groups, with or without prior appendicectomy, to look for outcomes such as recurrence, hospital stay, complications, and related death in each group and use statistical analysis for comparison. Result There were 862 patients admitted with CDI, of which 122 (14.2%) had a prior history of appendectomy and 740 (85.8%) did not. Patients with an appendectomy prior were older (median age of 75 vs. 69, p = 0.0033) and had a higher proportion of females (68.9% vs. 53.6%, p = 0.0017). C. difficile recurrence in prior appendicectomy group vs. no appendectomy group was 12.3% and 9.3%, respectively, but no statistical difference was noted (p = 0.28). Also, there was no statistical difference in complications like ileus, colectomy, and mortality related to CDI in both groups. However, patients with appendectomies had significantly shorter hospital stays during C. difficile admission compared to patients without appendectomies (median of six days vs. seven days, p = 0.0014). Conclusion Our study shows that there is no statistical difference in the recurrence, severity, and complications of CDI in the presence or absence of the appendix but remarkably noted that people with prior appendicectomy had a shorter hospital stay.

Drug-Induced Acute Pancreatitis After Long-Term Sulfasalazine Therapy.

The list of drugs associated with acute pancreatitis is increasing with each passing year. Nevertheless, knowledge of drug-induced pancreatitis (DIP) are often curtailed by the limited availability of evidence needed to implicate given agents, especially for non-prescription medications. Indeed, the majority of available data are derived from case reports, case series, or case-control studies. We present a case chemically and radiologically proven pancreatitis in a 43-year-old female who was on sulfasalazine as a maintenance therapy for ulcerative colitis.

Metastasis From Gastric Signet Ring Cell Adenocarcinoma Presenting as a Rectosigmoid Stricture: A Rare Case.

We present the case of a 55-year-old man who was admitted with new abdominal ascites and change in stool caliber. The colonoscopy examination revealed a severe stricture with inflamed friable mucosa measuring 8 cm in length in the rectosigmoid colon. Histologically, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with signet ring cells was seen. The patient underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD), which was suggestive of linitis plastica of the stomach. On microscopic examination, biopsy reported poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with occasional signet ring cells as the primary source.

Enoxaparin-Induced Liver Injury.

Enoxaparin, a form of low-molecular-weight heparin, can cause a rare, underreported, and often reversible form of hepatocellular injury. This report describes a case of enoxaparin-induced hepatotoxicity in a 61-year-old male diagnosed with pulmonary embolism. Elevations of liver enzymes were noted within 1 week of starting the drug, followed by a dramatic improvement upon its discontinuation, with subsequent normalization in the following days.

Cameron Ulcers: Rare Case of Overt Upper Gastrointestinal Bleed in a Patient with Alcohol Use Disorder.

Cameron lesion is an uncommon cause of overt upper gastrointestinal bleed (GI bleed). Though hiatal hernia is a well-known entity, Cameron lesions that may occur in them are usually missed during upper endoscopy. Patient with Cameron lesions usually presents as chronic iron deficiency anemia, rarely as acute GI bleed. Multiple other risk factors such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use, alcohol consumption, gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) may be present concomitantly which makes initial differential diagnosis of Cameron lesions more difficult as seen in our case.

Over-the-Counter Drug Causing Acute Pancreatitis.

Acute pancreatitis is caused by alcohol, gall stone disease, drugs, trauma, infections, and metabolic causes such as hypercalcemia and hyperlipidemia. Hypercalcemia-induced acute pancreatitis has been well documented but only rarely occurs due to over-the-counter calcium carbonate. In this article, we present a case of over-the-counter calcium carbonate-induced acute pancreatitis.

Recent Anti-platelet Therapy Revealing Underlying Undiagnosed Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor in Otherwise Healthy Patient.

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) are uncommon tumors of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract that arise from primitive mesenchymal cells. Usually, GIST presents as chronic gastrointestinal symptoms or obscure gastrointestinal bleed. Not many cases have been reported in the literature with acute symptoms in the setting of recent aspirin use. We report a case of 70-year-old male otherwise healthy who presented to the hospital with the complaint of black tarry stool for the past two days after taking one tablet of aspirin once a day for two days. The patient underwent upper endoscopy which showed a moderate size polypoid mass in the gastric fundus. Initially, standard endoscopic biopsy was negative for malignancy, due to high suspicion for GIST, later the patient underwent upper endoscopic ultrasound with fine-needle aspiration which confirmed low-grade GIST.

Isolated Thrombosis of the Superior Mesenteric Vein.

Most cases of pancreatitis are mild and self-limited. On the other hand, a few patients with pancreatitis may develop vascular complications. Splenic vein thrombosis is the most common vascular complication of acute pancreatitis. Isolated superior mesenteric vein thrombosis is rare and can lead to gut ischemia and necrosis if not timely diagnosed and managed. We report the case of a 40-year-old patient who presented to the hospital with abdominal pain due to acute pancreatitis, leading to superior mesenteric vein thrombosis, which was timely diagnosed and treated with a good outcome.

Amiodarone-Induced Acute Liver Injury.

Amiodarone is a lipophilic structure with a half-life of 25-100 days. Long-term oral amiodarone is associated with photosensitivity, thyroid dysfunction, and pulmonary and hepatic toxicity. Intravenous amiodarone can lead to sweating, heating sensation, nausea, phlebitis at the injection site, and rarely acute hepatitis. This is a compelling case of a 60-year-old male who developed acute liver injury 24-36 h after starting amiodarone. All the possible causes of acute liver injury were ruled out, and his liver enzymes improved after discontinuing amiodarone.