Jellylike Bumps on Scleral Contact Lens of a Child Aged 13 Years.

This case report discusses the finding of calculi on the scleral contact lens of a 13-year-old child with a history of keratoconus.

Isolated intramuscular cysticercosis: a case report.

Human cysticercosis is caused by Cysticercus cellulosae, larvae of a tapeworm, Taenia solium. Cysticercosis can involve any tissue in the body; the most common affected sites are central nervous system, subcutaneous tissue, eyes, and muscles. A few cases of isolated intramuscular cysticercosis without any other tissue involvement have been reported in pediatric population. Here, we report a case of intramuscular cysticercosis diagnosed by ultrasonography in a 5.5 year-old boy who presented with the swellings over the calf and the scapular region, without any associated neurological or ocular involvement. The patient responded well to the course of steroids and Albendazole with complete resolution of both the swellings.

VACTERL association-type anomalies in a male neonate with a Y-chromosome abnormality.

The acronym VACTERL describes the non-random co-occurrence of three of the following anomalies: vertebral (V), anal (A), cardiac (C), tracheoesophageal fistula with or without oesophageal atresia (TE), renal (R) and limb defects (L). Here, we report a newborn baby with VACTERL-type anomalies along with a single umbilical artery. The additional interesting findings include development dysplasia of the right hip, dislocation of the left knee and the left club foot. The karyotype revealed 46, X,i (Yp), i.e. deletion in the long arm, while duplication in the short arm of the Y chromosome (isochromosome Yp), which has never been previously reported in VACTERL association.

Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: a cause of unresponsive malaria in a 5-year-old girl.

A 5-year-old immunocompetent girl presented with fever, jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia. The peripheral blood smear demonstrated mixed malaria infection (Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum). Fever was persistent despite antimalarials in the absence of any coexisting bacterial or viral infection. Laboratory findings included cytopaenia, hyperbilirubinaemia, hyperferritinaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, hyponatraemia, deranged partial thromboplastin time, decreasing ESR and megaloblastic changes on bone marrow aspiration. A final diagnosis of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) with megaloblastic anaemia associated with severe mixed malaria was made. There was a dramatic response to corticosteroid treatment with improvement in her clinical condition. This report endorses the use of corticosteroids in malaria-associated HLH whenever there is no clinical improvement with antimalarials alone.

Haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: a cause of unresponsive malaria in a 5-year-old girl.

A 5-year-old immunocompetent girl presented with fever, jaundice, hepatosplenomegaly and pancytopenia. The peripheral blood smear demonstrated mixed malaria infection (Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum). Fever was persistent despite antimalarials in the absence of any coexisting bacterial or viral infection. Laboratory findings included cytopaenia, hyperbilirubinaemia, hyperferritinaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia, hyponatraemia, deranged partial thromboplastin time, decreasing ESR and megaloblastic changes on bone marrow aspiration. A final diagnosis of haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) with megaloblastic anaemia associated with severe mixed malaria was made. There was a dramatic response to corticosteroid treatment with improvement in her clinical condition. This report endorses the use of corticosteroids in malaria-associated HLH whenever there is no clinical improvement with antimalarials alone.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis associated with cytomegalovirus infection in an immunocompetent infant: a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge!

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a potentially fatal syndrome that results from inappropriate activation of the immune system. Many viral agents are known to trigger HLH but cytomegalovirus (CMV) associated HLH is rarely described. We report a case of CMV related HLH in a 3½ month old immunocompetent male infant who presented with fever, respiratory distress and hepatosplenomegaly. He had fulminant sepsis like course in the hospital as he continued to have hectic fever spikes, progressive pneumonia, increasing hepatosplenomegaly and multiple episodes of generalized convulsions. Investigations revealed bicytopenia, biochemical hepatitis, hyperferritinemia and hypofibrinogenemia. CMV IgM serology was reactive in both infant and mother. Diagnosis of CMV-HLH was made as per HLH 2004 diagnostic protocol. Infant was successfully treated with intravenous ganciclovir along with dexamethasone and etoposide.

Concurrent malaria and dengue Fever: a need for rapid diagnostic methods.

Malaria and dengue fever are endemic in the South-East Asian region including India. Both the illnesses share similar symptomatology, but differ in certain respects such as different- causative organisms and mosquito vector with diverse habitat. Hence, concurrent malaria and dengue fever in the same patient is said to be unusual. There have been cases of concurrent malaria and dengue, but they are scarce from highly endemic region like ours. Here, we describe three unusual cases of Plasmodium vivax and dengue co-infection diagnosed by use of rapid diagnostic tests. Early diagnosis and timely intervention is crucial in managing such patients.

Acute glomerulonephritis in dengue haemorrhagic fever in the absence of shock, sepsis, haemolysis or rhabdomyolysis.

Renal damage in dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) has been reported in association with shock, haemolysis, rhabdomyolysis and sepsis. This report describes acute glomerulonephritis with DHF without the above-mentioned complications. A 3-year-old boy presented with fever, vomiting and oliguria. He had hypertension, deranged renal function and low serum complement (C3), and urine microscopy showed red blood cells and granular casts. The IgM and IgG ELISA (rapid test) for dengue virus were positive. He was managed with maintenance fluids, intravenous furosemide and supportive care. He made an uneventful recovery and was discharged 7 days after admission.

Unusual presentations of midgut volvulus with the whirlpool sign.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this series was to emphasize the varied presentations of midgut volvulus from neonatal life to well into adulthood and to evaluate the role of the whirlpool sign on sonography in diagnosing this condition. METHODS: A retrospective search of all midgut volvulus cases diagnosed in the radiology department of a 1500-bed general hospital between February 2002 and July 2005 was done. Eight patients with surgically confirmed midgut volvulus were found, all of whom had undergone sonography as the initial screening investigation. RESULTS: Eight patients, with ages ranging from 9 days to 32 years (mean age, 11.8 years), had undergone sonography for varied conditions, including bilious and nonbilious vomiting, vague abdominal pain, epigastric lumps, weight loss, features mimicking appendicitis, and pancreatitis. In all patients, the diagnosis of midgut volvulus was made on the basis of the clockwise whirlpool sign on sonography. Subsequently, 4 patients underwent upper gastrointestinal series, and contrast-enhanced computed tomography was done in 6 cases. Surgical confirmation of the diagnosis was obtained in all cases. Two patients were taken for surgery on the basis of only sonographic findings. CONCLUSIONS: Midgut volvulus can also appear much beyond the neonatal age group with a variety of clinical presentations, making the clinical diagnosis in such patients very difficult, if not impossible. Identification of the clockwise whirlpool sign on sonography is an accurate way of diagnosing this condition, which can preclude the need for further investigations and can allow prompt surgical intervention.