Pentalogy of Cantrell associated with exencephaly and spinal dysraphism: antenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis. Case report.

The pentalogy of Cantrell, a rare syndrome, consists of the defects in the anterior diaphragm, diaphragmatic pericardium, lower sternum and supraumbilical abdominal wall, along with congenital cardiac abnormalities. Till date, only few patients with full spectrum of this syndrome have been reported with only 2 cases showing associated exencephaly and spinal dysraphism. We report extremely rare association of complete pentalogy of Cantrell syndrome with exencephaly and spinal dysraphism on antenatal sonogram and autopsy in a 18 weeks fetus of a 19 year-old primi gravida female.

Medical management of renal stone.

Kidney stone is a common clinical problem faced by clinicians. The prevalence of the disease is increasing worldwide. As the affected population is getting younger and recurrence rates are high, dietary modifications, lifestyle changes, and medical management are essential. Patients with recurrent stone disease need careful evaluation for underlying metabolic disorder. Medical management should be used judiciously in all patients with kidney stones, with appropriate individualization. This chapter focuses on medical management of kidney stones.

Cardio-renal syndrome type 5: epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment.

The cardio-renal syndromes (CRS) recently were defined systematically as disorders of the heart or kidney whereby dysfunction of one organ leads to dysfunction of another. Five types of CRS are defined. The first four types describe acute or chronic cardio-renal or renocardiac syndromes. Type 5 CRS refers to secondary cardio-renal syndrome or cardio-renal involvement in systemic conditions. It is a clinical and pathophysiological entity to describe the concomitant presence of renal and cardiovascular dysfunction. Type 5 CRS can be acute or chronic and it does not strictly satisfy the definition of CRS. However, it encompasses many conditions in which combined heart and kidney dysfunction is observed. Because this entity has been described only recently there is limited information about the epidemiology, clinical course, and treatment of this condition.

High-resolution sonography is effective in detection of soft tissue foreign bodies: experience from a rural Indian center.

OBJECTIVE: Patients with penetrating trauma or field injuries are commonly encountered by emergency physicians. Clinical examination by inspection or palpation can detect superficial foreign bodies (FBs), and radiographs can detect radiopaque FBs. However, soft tissue FBs can be easily missed. The aim of our series was to evaluate the role of high-resolution sonography in detection of soft tissue FBs. METHODS: All patients referred to our center for sonographic evaluation of suspected soft tissue FBs from 1999 to 2008 were included in this analysis. Patients were scanned with an ultrasound machine using a 7.5-MHz transducer. The suspected area was scanned in both axial and sagittal planes. The nature of the FB, length, and depth from the surface were recorded and reported. The presence of an FB was confirmed by surgical excision. RESULTS: During the study period, 123 patients underwent sonography for a suspected FB, of which 12 were lost to follow-up and excluded from the analysis. The study group included 73.8% male patients; the mean age was 36.2 years. Wood fragments and wooden thorns were the most frequently observed FBs, at 46.2% and 36.2%, respectively. The surgeon was satisfied with the reported depth of the FB from the surface in most cases (89%). The overall sensitivity and specificity of sonography were 94.5% and 53.8%. CONCLUSIONS: High-resolution sonography is a very sensitive tool in diagnosis of soft tissue FBs. It also helps the surgeon with accurate localization, permitting easy removal.