Nonpuerperal vaginal hemorrhage secondary to complete uterine inversion: A case report.

Approximately 95% of uterine inversion cases are associated with pregnancy in the early postpartum period. This case describes a rare presentation of uterine inversion in the nonpuerperal period secondary to a submucosal leiomyoma. A 48-year-old G2P2 peri-menopausal female was admitted for 6 weeks of abnormal uterine bleeding and a 17 × 10 cm mass prolapsing into the cervical canal and upper vagina, with a large vascular pedicle inserting into the central superior aspect of the lesion from the fundal region. A computed tomography (CT) scan confirmed the diagnosis of a complete uterine inversion secondary to a large fundal leiomyoma with a submucosal component. Laparoscopic total hysterectomy was performed with no complications, and pathology confirmed the diagnosis of a benign leiomyoma. Though rare, uterine inversion can be caused by a leiomyoma in the nonpuerperal period and should be considered in patients with abnormal uterine bleeding and pelvic masses. Ultrasonography and CT scan were sufficient in providing an accurate diagnosis for which surgical management was indicated in this case.

Porta hepatis abscess and portal vein thrombosis following ingestion of a fishbone.

A man in his late 50s presented to the emergency room with a 1-month history of severe abdominal pain and an endoscopic fishbone retrieval from his rectum. Serial CT scans revealed a fishbone located in the patient's upper abdomen, which had migrated through the stomach wall, into the periportal space, causing a contained gastric perforation, development of a porta hepatis abscess and secondary portal vein thrombosis. Furthermore, the sharp tip of the fishbone lay 5 mm from the patient's hepatic artery. He was transferred to a hepatobiliary centre where he underwent urgent exploratory laparotomy, with surgical exploration of the porta, drainage of the abscess and retrieval of the fishbone. Postoperatively, he received further treatment with antibiotics and anticoagulation and recovered without further sequelae.

Evaluation of a point-of-care ultrasound scan list in a resource-limited emergency centre in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: Emergency centres (EC) in low- and middle-income countries often have limited diagnostic imaging capabilities. Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is used in high-income countries to diagnose and guide treatment of life-threatening conditions. This study aims to identify high impact POCUS scans most relevant to practice in an Ethiopian EC. METHODS: A prospective observational study where patients presenting to Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital EC in Addis Ababa were eligible for inclusion. Physicians referred patients with a clinical indication for POCUS from a pre-determined 15-scan list. Scans were performed and interpreted, at the bedside, by qualified emergency physicians with POCUS training. RESULTS: A convenience sample of 118 patients with clinical indications for POCUS was enrolled. The mean age was 35 years and 42% were female. In total, 338 scans were performed for 145 indications in 118 patients. The most common scans performed were pericardial (n = 78; 23%), abdominal free fluid (n = 73; 22%), pleural effusion/haemothorax (n = 51; 15%), inferior vena cava (n = 43; 13%), pneumothorax (n = 38; 11%), and global cardiac activity (n = 25; 7%). One hundred and twelve (95%) POCUS scans provided clinically useful information. In 53 (45%) patients, ultrasound findings changed patient management plans by altering the working diagnosis (n = 32; 27%), resulting in a new treatment intervention (n = 28; 24%), resulting in a procedure/surgical intervention (n = 17; 14%) leading to consultation with a specialist (n = 16; 14%), and/or changing a disposition decision (n = 9; 8%). DISCUSSION: In this urban, low-resource, academic EC in Ethiopia, POCUS provided clinically relevant information for patient management, particularly for polytrauma, undifferentiated shock and undifferentiated dyspnea. Results have subsequently been used to develop a locally relevant emergency department ultrasound curriculum for Ethiopia's first emergency medicine residency program.

Acute Abdomen in the Emergency Department: Is CT a Time-Limiting Factor?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to quantify and integrate key emergency department (ED) and radiology department workflow time intervals within the ED length of stay (LOS) for patients presenting with acute abdomen who require CT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An 11-month retrospective review was performed of all patients presenting to the ED with an acute abdomen who required abdominal CT. Nine key time points associated with ED LOS and CT workflow were collected: triage, physician assessment, CT request, porter schedule, CT start, CT complete, provision of first CT report, ED disposition decision, and physical discharge. The median and 90th percentile times for each interval were reported. RESULTS: Ninety-six percent (2194/2292) of ED encounters during the study period met the inclusion criteria. The median ED LOS was 9.22 hours (90th percentile, 15.7 hours). Intervals associated with CT workflow accounted for 29% of the total LOS. Radiology turnaround time accounted for 32% of the entire CT workflow interval. Timeline analysis found three unique patterns of ED disposition: disposition after initial imaging report, disposition before report, and disposition before CT. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this study is the first to quantify the contribution of CT-related workflow time intervals within the context of ED LOS. We have shown that patients do not have identical ED transit pathways, and this may under- or overestimate time interval calculations. These results show the importance of site-specific ED LOS timeline analysis to identify potential targets for quality improvement and serve as baseline targets for measuring future quality improvement initiatives.

Retroperitoneal Fasciitis: Spectrum of CT Findings in the Abdomen and Pelvis.

Retroperitoneal fasciitis is a rare but potentially lethal complication of infection. Early diagnosis is crucial and is usually made when there is a high degree of clinical suspicion combined with characteristic imaging findings leading to early surgical intervention. Computed tomography (CT) can play a central role in demonstrating early findings, assessing the extent of disease to help determine the best surgical approach, identifying the primary source of infection, and evaluating the treatment response. The possible presence of retroperitoneal fasciitis should be considered in patients presenting with symptoms of sepsis, including pain that is disproportionate with the clinical abnormality. When retroperitoneal fasciitis is suspected, emergency CT can facilitate early diagnosis and evaluation of the extent of disease. Common findings at CT include fascial thickening and enhancement, muscular edema, fat stranding, fluid collections, and abscess formation. Gas tracking along fascial planes in the retroperitoneum is the hallmark of retroperitoneal fasciitis but is not seen in all cases. Another important clue to the diagnosis is asymmetric involvement of the retroperitoneal fascial planes and deep tissues. Fasciitis in the retroperitoneum may originate from infected retroperitoneal organs or from infection that spreads along indirect and/or direct pathways from a primary source elsewhere in the body. Findings of indirect tracking and transgression of fascial planes may indicate more severe infection associated with the necrotizing form of retroperitoneal fasciitis. Despite aggressive antibiotic treatment, early and repeated surgical débridement may be required to remove nonviable tissue in patients with the necrotizing form of retroperitoneal fasciitis. Awareness of the anatomy of the retroperitoneum, potential routes of spread of infection, and the spectrum of CT findings in retroperitoneal fasciitis is needed to achieve prompt diagnosis and guide treatment.

MR pulse sequences: what every radiologist wants to know but is afraid to ask.

The use of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is growing exponentially, in part because of the excellent anatomic and pathologic detail provided by the modality and because of recent technologic advances that have led to faster acquisition times. Radiology residents now are introduced in their 1st year of training to the MR pulse sequences routinely used in clinical imaging, including various spin-echo, gradient-echo, inversion-recovery, echo-planar imaging, and MR angiographic sequences. However, to make optimal use of these techniques, radiologists also need a basic knowledge of the physics of MR imaging, including T1 recovery, T2 and T2* decay, repetition time, echo time, and chemical shift effects. In addition, an understanding of contrast weighting is very helpful to obtain better depiction of specific tissues for the diagnosis of various pathologic processes.