Leriche syndrome in a patient with situs inversus totalis.

Situs inversus is a rare congenital defect defined by a mirror image anatomic variation of the thoracic and abdominal organs. In this situation, abdominal aortic surgery may become particularly challenging. This is the case of a 51-year-old man, who presented with an incapacitating lower limb claudication. On his workup, a complete occlusion of the infrarenal aorta requiring surgical revascularization was found. Additionally, a situs inversus totalis was identified along with a single horseshoe kidney. The patient underwent uneventfully a surgical aortobifemoral interposition. The sole modification to the standard procedure regarded the graft limbs tunneling, which was performed in a prerenal pathway in the retroperitoneal space, thus avoiding iatrogenic injury to the anteriorly positioned iliac veins. Although challenging, conventional aortic surgery can be safely accomplished in patients with situs inversus totalis.

Successful treatment of calciphylaxis by a multidisciplinary approach.

A 48-year-old woman performing peritoneal dialysis for end-stage renal disease presented with a painful leg ulcer. The investigation revealed an elevated parathyroid hormone level and the histological examination of the biopsy tissue from the ulcer revealed medial calcification of the arterioles, consistent with calciphylaxis. The patient developed additional ulcers in the lower limbs and treatment with antibiotics, cinacalcet, sevelamer, sodium thiosulfate, low calcium dialysate and hyperbaric oxygen therapy was instituted. The patient had a favourable outcome and after 9 months the ulcers had healed and the parathyroid hormone level reached the normal range. Calciphylaxis is a rare and life-threatening disorder associated with a mortality of 60-80%. Its pathogenesis is not fully understood hence there is no consensus in the treatment of this pathology.

Iliac artery pseudoaneurysm: a rare complication following allograft nephrectomy.

Our aim is to present a case of a common iliac artery pseudoaneurysm, which complicated an allograft nephrectomy. A 27-year-old woman presented with acute abdominal pain and a palpable pulsatile mass in the right iliac fossa, 1 year after a right pelvic allograft nephrectomy. An iliac pseudoaneurysm was suspected and confirmed on triplex ultrasound and CT angiography. The patient underwent a pseudoaneurysm resection with direct repair of the previous allograft Carrell patch suture dehiscence. The intervention and recovery were uneventful and after a follow-up of 6 months, the patient remains asymptomatic with no clinical or imaging recurrence of the pseudoaneurysm.Vascular complications following allograft nephrectomy are rare but may present significant morbidity and mortality. Endovascular exclusion is currently the preferred option for the management of pseudoaneurysms following allograft nephrectomy; however, open surgical approach remains an alternative for selected patients.

Sepsis-induced purpura fulminans caused by Pasteurella multocida.

A 52-year-old man was admitted with a cutaneous rash associated with septic shock and multiorganic failure, 6 days after a dog bite. He was started on empiric antibiotherapy and supportive measures. The patient's condition aggravated, with need for invasive mechanical ventilation and intermittent haemodialysis, and evolution from a petechiae-like rash to purpura and gangrene, culminating in bilateral lower limb amputation. The blood cultures revealed only Pasteurella multocida, after 10 days of incubation. P multocida infection is a rare cause of soft tissue infection that subsides with oral antibiotherapy. Infections causing sepsis are rare and appear in immunocompromised patients. Purpura fulminans induced by sepsis is a rare, life-threatening disorder. This syndrome should be recognised promptly, so early treatment is instituted. We found no case reports of purpura fulminans caused by Pasteurella infections in our literature review.