Duodenopancreatic fistula accompanying Crohn's disease of the distal duodenum.

A 47-yr-old male with known Crohn's disease involving the third and fourth part of the duodenum and terminal ileum presented to hospital with nausea and vomiting due to duodenal obstruction. An upper gastrointestinal series revealed a clinically unsuspected fistula joining the duodenum and pancreatic duct. He subsequently underwent vagotomy and gastroenterostomy to bypass the obstructed segment of duodenum. The duodenopancreatic fistula was not disturbed. Post-operatively, his symptoms resolved, he gained 30 pounds of weight, and manifested no ill effect secondary to the fistula. A repeat upper gastrointestinal series 9 months postoperatively revealed the fistula to have closed, although marked duodenal narrowing remained.

Gastrointestinal features of culture-positive Yersinia enterocolitica infection.

Yersinia enterocolitica was cultured from feces of 122 symptomatic adults in a single facility using selective culture media; all isolates were confirmed in an independent reference laboratory. Of 128 isolates, multiple serotypes were defined and all were biochemically typical for Yersinia enterocolitica. Other agents were seen in 20 patients; of these, seven were Yersinia fredriksenii and six were Clostridium difficile. Diarrhea (80%) and abdominal pain (64%) were common, whereas other features such as fever (9%) and bloody stools (8%) were unusual. Use of antibiotics (24%) or opiates (28%) in the month before culture was common. The terminal ileum was seen radiographically in 20 patients, but only two barium studies showed abnormalities. Fiberoptic endoscopy and biopsy studies, done in greater than 50% of the cases, showed minimal or no changes in most patients. However, 3 patients had pseudomembranous colitis with concomitant Clostridium difficile cytotoxin and 7 had diffuse severe colitis. New culture techniques, and possibly geographic differences, have contributed to the high isolation rates of this organism. Yersinia enterocolitica occurs sporadically, involves a variety of serotypes, and is associated with a broader clinical spectrum than was formerly appreciated.

Central venous catheter malposition presenting as chest pain.

Erroneous positioning of central venous catheters in small tributaries of large central veins is a rare occurrence. We describe three such unusual incidents involving cannulation of the left internal mammary vein. Malposition was suspected when infusion of hypertonic parenteral nutrition led to persistent precordial pain. Unusual chest pain syndromes may indicate central venous catheter malposition and have not previously been described.