Acute Pancreatitis Secondary to Cocaine Intoxication: A Case Series.

Gallstones, alcohol use, hypertriglyceridemia, and hypercalcemia have been considered the most common causes of acute pancreatitis; however, about 20% of the cases remain idiopathic since no definite cause can be established. It has been noticed that there is a small number of patients who have presented to the hospital with a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis who have concurrently been using cocaine yet have no recent alcohol use and no gallstones. The purpose of this series of case reports is to review the evidence behind the association between cocaine and pancreatitis. In most of the cases, the etiology of acute pancreatitis is usually straightforward. However, when faced with a patient who has acute pancreatitis but lacks the common causes such as alcoholism, gallstones, normal triglyceride levels, and no evidence of malignancy, it seems reasonable to consider drugs as a potential cause for pancreatitis.

Atypical Manifestation of Adult Polycystic Kidney Disease in an Elderly Individual.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a rare genetic disease. Diagnosis of ADPKD is usually made by the number of renal cysts on the ultrasound for each age category. There are two types of ADPKD, and the patients with the second type have later onset of symptoms, with slower disease progression than in the first type. These patients are typically at risk of recurrent urinary tract infections, hemorrhage and rupture of cysts, end-stage renal disease, calculi, liver/pancreatic cysts, and brain aneurysm development.

Massive Calcified Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Presenting as Low Back Pain.

Calcified abdominal aortic aneurysm (CAAA) is a radiological finding that manifests the calcification in the bulged aortic walls. CAAA has high mortality. The presence of calcification as a key player in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) rupture risk was reported in the literature. Factors contributing to a CAAA compared to AAA are age, dyslipidemia, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, genetics, disturbances in calcium-phosphate homeostasis, and smoking. There are a few genetic mutations associated with CAAA as well. Causes of AAA include lipid build-up in the aortic wall, inflammatory diseases, traumas, blood vessel diseases that supply the aortic wall, and connective tissue disorders.

Metastatic Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Presenting as Acute Appendicitis.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a malignant tumor arising from the epithelial cells of kidney tubules. It may metastasize to many sites; however, metastasis of RCC to the appendix is very rare. Renal cell carcinomas usually metastasize to the lungs, lymph nodes, bones, or liver. Metastasis usually occurs within three years after radical nephrectomy; however, there is evidence of RCC metastasis many years following nephrectomy.