RESUMEN
A 67-year-old female presented to the emergency department with acute-onset severe left flank pain as well as nausea and vomiting. Physical examination was notable for left-sided abdominal, flank tenderness, and costovertebral angle tenderness. Laboratory workup revealed an elevated lactate of 9.2 mmol/L and elevated serum creatinine of 1.14 mg/dL, with an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 53 mL/minute/1.73m2. Urinalysis showed moderate leukocyte esterase with microscopy showing 12 white blood cells and three red blood cells per high-power field. CT of the abdomen and pelvis with intravenous contrast was notable for moderate amounts of left-sided perinephric and periureteric fluid without the presence of an obstructing calculus. Due to the amount of perinephric and periureteric fluid without associated nephrolithiasis, the differential diagnosis was broadened to include spontaneous ureter rupture as well as concern for malignancy. A delayed post-contrast CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis was obtained, which confirmed a spontaneous proximal and mid-ureter rupture. Spontaneous ureter rupture is a rare disease process with significant morbidity and mortality. It often poses a diagnostic dilemma due to a lack of clinical awareness and varied presentation. Diagnosis rests upon obtaining delayed post-contrast CT of the abdomen and pelvis. Currently, there are no standardized treatment guidelines, although most experts utilize minimally invasive endourological approaches in their treatment plans.
RESUMEN
A 22-year-old female patient was seen in the emergency department with a two-week onset of progressively worsening pain and swelling to the medial aspect of her distal left femur. The patient was involved in an automobile versus pedestrian accident two months prior sustaining superficial swelling, tenderness, and bruising to the affected area. Radiographs revealed soft tissue swelling without osseous abnormalities. Examination of the distal femur region revealed a large, tender, ovoid area of fluctuance with a dark crusted lesion and surrounding erythema. Bedside ultrasonography revealed a large anechoic fluid collection in the deep subcutaneous plane with mobile internal echogenic debris which was suspicious for a Morel-Lavallee lesion. The patient underwent contrast enhanced CT of the affected lower extremity demonstrating a 8.7 cm x 4.1 cm x 11.1 cm fluid collection superficial to the deep fascia of the distal posteromedial left femur, confirming the diagnosis of a Morel-Lavallee lesion. A Morel-Lavallee lesion is a rare, post-traumatic degloving injury that results in the separation of the skin and subcutaneous tissues from the underlying fascial plane. The resultant disruption of the lymphatic vessels and underlying vasculature leads to progressively worsening hemolymph accumulation. If not recognized and treated in the acute or subacute period, complications can ensue. Complications of Morel-Lavallee include recurrence, infection, skin necrosis, neurovascular injury, as well as chronic pain. Treatment is based on the size of the lesion and ranges from conservative management and surveillance for small lesions to percutaneous drainage as well as debridement, sclerosing agents, and surgical fascial fenestration approaches for larger lesions. Additionally, the utilization of point-of-care ultrasonography can help in the early identification of this disease process. This is important as a delay in diagnosis and subsequent treatment of this disease state is associated with long-term complications.
RESUMEN
A 29-year-old male presented to our emergency department with complaint of abdominal pain after allegedly ingesting a 4-gram packet of heroin in an attempt to evade detection. Initial evaluation including computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen/pelvis with intravenous and oral contrast, as well as laboratory workup was negative and the patient was discharged. The patient returned 3 days later with complaint of "I feel high" and severe constipation, and demonstrated an opiate toxidrome requiring naloxone with improvement of symptoms. A repeat CT of the abdomen/pelvis, this time without contrast revealed a 2.1 × 1.8 cm foreign body in the gastric antrum. The patient was promptly taken to endoscopy with surgical backup. Foreign body removal included multiple plastic bags encasing heroin, which had sustained a small leak causing a gastric outlet obstruction as well as a slow opiate toxidrome. The foreign body was removed and the patient was observed and discharged with a favorable outcome.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Persistency with drug therapy reflects a number of factors, including patient tolerability of adverse events resulting from therapy and clinician satisfaction with the medication's effectiveness in reducing intraocular pressure. OBJECTIVE: This study assesses persistency with topical glaucoma medications administered as initial therapy by evaluating rates of discontinuation and change in therapy. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using pharmacy claims data from 3 geographically diverse healthcare plans. Newly treated glaucoma patients younger than 65 years of age were selected based on an initial glaucoma medication fill during a 12-month period. Patients were followed for persistency, defined as discontinuation or change (switch or add-on) of initial glaucoma therapy; discontinuation of therapy was also evaluated as a separate end point. RESULTS: In all, 1330 patients (followed for 1126 person-years) met the eligibility criteria. Compared with latanoprost users, patients initiated on other topical monotherapies were more likely to discontinue or change therapy, and patients initiated on other topical monotherapies were more likely than latanoprost users to discontinue therapy. CONCLUSION: Population-based data indicate that latanoprost offers superior persistency compared to agents from other popular classes of topical ocular hypotensives.