Rectus abdominis endometrioma.

A 31-year-old woman presented with complaints of increasingly severe right lower quadrant discomfort that had occurred for several days each month over the course of the previous 6 months. A tender mass of the abdominal wall was palpated on physical examination, and subsequent ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging disclosed a discrete mass of the body of the right rectus abdominis muscle which was confirmed as endometrial tissue on biopsy. Rectus abdominis endometrioma is a relatively rare cause of abdominal pain which may mimic an acute abdomen. Clinical clues to the diagnosis include previous uterine or gynecological surgery/invasive procedure (with preservation of ovarian function), cyclical nature of the discomfort, and the presence of a palpable mass with or without associated skin color changes.

Putaminal infarct in methanol intoxication: case report and role of brain imaging studies.

Methanol toxicity can cause severe central nervous system insult in which a characteristic pattern of bilateral putaminal injury is noted on brain imaging studies. We present a fatal case of subacute methanol toxicity with associated diffuse brain involvement, including bilateral putaminal necrosis and cerebral edema with ventricular compression. Theoretical basal ganglia toxicologic mechanisms of methanol poisoning are reviewed, and the role of brain imaging studies will regard to diagnosis, prognosis and impact on management is discussed.

The effect of transfusions on the incidence of bacterial infection.

The use of blood transfusions has been a art of medical practice for over half a century. The efficacy of blood and blood products in patients in hypovolemic shock from trauma or operative procedures has been well established. During the past quarter century, it has been demonstrated that blood transfusions administered prior to transplantation decrease the frequency and severity of allograft rejection. More recent work has indicated that this beneficial effect is the result of the transfusion inducing a state of immunosuppression in the recipient. A number of reports have suggested that this posttransfusion immunosuppression may result in an increased susceptibility to bacterial infections.

Paracoccidioidal infection in the wife of a patient with paracoccidioidomycosis.

Three agar immunoprecipitin techniques (double immunodiffusion, immunoelectrophoresis and immunoelectroosmophoresis-immunodiffusion) made with paracoccidioidin and serum of a paracoccidioidomycosis patient's wife, permitted us to observe a specific band in 6 successive samples of blood taken from the wife over a period of 21 months. The case represents an example of a subclinical paracoccidioidomycosis infection that is usually diagnosed in its disseminated, progressive form. Three possible sources of infection are discussed. But an interhuman contagion appears to be the most feasible.