Malignant triton tumor of the chest wall invading the lung. A case report and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Malignant triton tumor (MTT) is an histological deviation of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor with additional rhabdomyosarcomatous elements. It is very rare, profoundly aggressive, with a tendency to recur locally and metastasize early. If manifests itself more often in individuals with neurofibromatosis type I (NF-1) disease but also sporadically or post radiotherapy. Description of case: A 57-year-old male was admitted with a history of malignant triton tumor of the chest wall. Despite prior aggressive locoregional treatment including wide excision and adjuvant consolidating radiotherapy, the tumor recurred. The patient underwent a new operation and systemic chemotherapy, but expired a few months later due to disease progression. CONCLUSION: MTT is exceedingly malignant requiring multimodality treatment. The cornerstone of management is radical surgical resection with clear margins. Nevertheless, the overall prognosis remains dismal.

Fatal acute acalculous cholecystitis as an early complication after radiation therapy..

Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) is a life-threatening condition whose incidence is steadily increasing, although it is still very much lower than that of the corresponding calculus form. The severity of the disease is due to the rapid course towards gallbladder necrosis and biliary peritonitis. Traditionally, it has been thought that AAC is associated with recent trauma, overeating or major surgical procedures. We describe a patient who presented acute cholecystitis, two days after completion of radiation therapy for metastatic lymphadenopathy along the hepatoduodenal ligament and distal common bile duct. He underwent exploratory laparotomy but he died from uncontrolled sepsis three days later. Histological study of the resected gallbladder showed findings of acute acalculous cholecystitis.

Gastric predominant hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia.

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) or Rendu-Osler-Weber disease is an autosomal-dominant disorder that frequently presents with epistaxis and gastrointestinal bleeding which may be a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. We describe a 48-year-old monk with familiar history of HHT, who presented with frequent epistaxes and symptoms of ferropenic anemia. Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed innumerable telangiectasias in the stomach. The patient underwent three sessions with argon plasma coagulation treatment but the results were poor. We also review the literature on the pathophysiology of the disease and discuss the suggested treatment.

Dieulafoy-like lesion of the colon presenting with massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding.

The Dieulafoys lesion is a rare cause of severe gastrointestinal hemorrhage. The lesion is usually located in the stomach, although it may occur anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract. It is characterized by severe bleeding from a minute submucosal arteriole that bleeds through a punctate erosion in an otherwise normal mucosa. We describe an elderly patient who presented with severe lower gastrointestinal bleeding caused by a colonic Dieulafoy-like lesion. This is the third report of colonic Dieulafoys lesion treated successfully with endoscopic hemoclipping. We review the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of this rare disease.

The effect of indwelling endoprosthesis on stone size or fragmentation after long-term treatment with biliary stenting for large stones.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic biliary stenting is often used for large or difficult common bile duct (CBD) stones, but the effect of indwelling endoprosthesis on size or fragmentation of stones after long-term treatment with biliary stenting has not been formally established. We compared the stone size or fragmentation of common bile duct stones after a long period of biliary stenting. METHODS: Endoscopic biliary endoprosthesis was performed for 49 high-risk patients with CBD stones too large or difficult to be extracted by conventional endoscopic means. Bile duct drainage was established in all the patients without complications. Of the patients, 24 died with endoprosthesis in situ all from causes unrelated to biliar disease; 22 underwent a second and three patients a third attempt at stone extraction. The largest stone diameter was >12 mm in all patients. RESULTS: In 11 of 25 patients (44%) the endoprosthesis allowed resolution of the problem of unextractable common bile duct stones. Four patients showed no existence of stent, and ERCP complete stone clearance from the CBD on programmized appointment after endoprosthesis insertion. Reduced size or fragmentation of stones was obtained in seven patients, and the stones could be removed endoscopically. The remaining 14 patients demonstrated no significant change in the size or fragmentation of their stones, and endoprostheses were replaced. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that endoscopic endoprosthesis for large or difficult CBD stones is an effective method to clear the duct in selected cases, as well as an important definitive treatment in high-risk patients.

Double Dieulafoy-like lesion in the stomach.

Dieulafoy's lesion is an uncommon cause of major gastrointestinal bleeding and may be difficult to recognize. It consists of an arteriole that protrudes through a tiny mucosal defect usually within 6 cm of the gastroesophageal junction on the lesser curve of the stomach. Despite widespread awareness of this entity, it remains a diagnostic challenge for gastroenterologists because of its small size and hidden location. Emergency endoscopy is the most effective method of diagnosing the disease. We report a patient, with double Dieulafoy-like lesion, who was successfully treated endoscopically using hemostatic clip application. The characteristics of the Dieulafoy's lesion, its current diagnosis, and its treatment are discussed.

Endoscopic sphincterotomy for cholangitis after recent coronary artery bypass graft surgery.

It is particularly attractive to perform endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with sphincterotomy for cholangitis due to common bile duct stone because of the increased morbidity and mortality of the alternative therapy of choledochal exploration. The safety of therapeutic ERCP after recent myocardial injury is unknown since there are only five previously reported cases. Three patients underwent therapeutic ERCP after recent coronary artery bypass graft surgery for indication of recent cholangitis due to choledochal stones. Initially, the cholangitis was managed medically in all patients. Endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) was performed 11, 17, and 14 days after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The calculi were successfully extracted by sweeping the choledochus with a balloon-tipped catheter or basket in all cases. During ERCP the vital signs remained stable; no cardiac arrhythmias, hemorrhage, or pulmonary complications occurred. Our study demonstrates that therapeutic ERCP is not absolutely contraindicated after recent myocardial injury and suggests that ES is preferable to surgery for cholangitis due to common bile duct stones.

Black esophagus induced by severe vomiting in a healthy young man.

Black esophagus is an uncommon entity that has been described only a few times previously. It is defined as a dark pigmentation of the esophagus associated with histologic mucosal necrosis. Most cases have no known etiology, although ischemia, nasogastric tube trauma, infection, gastric outlet obstruction, gastric volvulus, and hypersensitivity to antibiotics have all been suggested as possible causes. Herein we report the case of a young, healthy, athletic man who developed black esophagus due to severe vomiting after alcohol overindulgence and summarize the other published cases to date.

Pyogenic cholangitis after inadvertent submucosal contrast injection in the papilla of Vater in a patient with cholestatic hepatitis.

Common bile duct stones and tumors constitute the leading cause of acute biliary tract obstruction and cholangitis. Septic complications after diagnostic endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) are very unusual in unobstructed bile ducts. There are only three reported cases of patients without evidence of biliary tract disease who developed cholangitis and liver abscesses due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Biliary endoscopists believe that the inadvertent submucosal injection of contrast into the papilla of Vater is an innocent accident that has no serious consequences other than increasing the percentage of unsuccessful catheterizations of the common bile duct. Herein we describe a patient with drug-induced cholestatic hepatitis who developed pyogenic cholangitis after the inadvertent injection of submucosal contrast in the papilla of Vater.