Project description:PurposeOrbital myiasis is a rare condition. We report a case of massive orbital myiasis (ophthalmomyiasis profunda) arising from nasal myiasis and caused by Chrysomya bezziana in a patient with diabetes.ObservationsA 55-year-old woman presented with massive orbital myiasis from larvae invading the entire orbit, with only a small part of sclera and bulbar conjunctiva left of the ocular structures left unaffected. The patient complained of breathing difficulty and drooping of the left eyelid with no other significant complaints. Computed tomography of paranasal sinuses was performed to determine the extent of intraocular invasion of larvae and the surrounding area that might be involved. The larvae filled the nasal and orbital cavity with bony destruction. The patient had a history of diabetes mellitus with uncontrolled blood sugar.Conclusions and importanceOrbital myiasis is an infestation of any anatomical structure of the orbit with larvae from the order Diptera. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of massive orbital myiasis arising from nasal myiasis caused by C. bezziana in a patient with diabetes. Eliminating the causative larvae and topical treatment with antibiotics eye ointment therapy improved the patient's symptoms. Epidemiological data are required to improve documentation of the incidence rate of myiasis.
Project description:ObjectiveTo assess feasibility of modified protocol during percutaneous tracheostomy in coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic era.DesignA retrospective review of cohort who underwent percutaneous tracheostomy with modified protocol.SettingsMedical, surgical, and neurologic ICUs.SubjectsPatients admitted in medical, surgical, and neurologic units with prolonged need of mechanical ventilation or inability to liberate from the ventilator.InterventionsA detailed protocol was written. Steps were defined to be performed before apnea and during apnea. A feasibility study of 28 patients was conducted. The key aerosol-generating portions of the procedure were performed with the ventilator switched to standby mode with the patient apneic.Measurements and main resultsData including patient demographics, primary diagnosis, age, body mass index, and duration of apnea time during the tracheostomy were collected. Average ventilator standby time (apnea) during the procedure was 238 seconds (3.96 min) with range 149 seconds (2.48 min) to 340 seconds (5.66 min). Single-use (disposable) bronchoscopes (Ambu A/S [Ballerup, Denmark] or Glidescope [Verathon, Inc., Bothell, WA]) were used during all procedures except in nine. No desaturation events occurred during any procedure.ConclusionsPercutaneous tracheostomy performed with apnea protocol may help minimize aerosolization, reducing risk of exposure of coronavirus disease 2019 to staff. It can be safely performed with portable bronchoscopes to limit staff and minimize the surfaces requiring disinfection post procedure.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Myiasis due to Old World screw-worm fly, Chrysomya bezziana, is an important obligate zoonotic disease in the OIE-list of diseases and is found throughout much of Africa, the Indian subcontinent, southeast and east Asia. C. bezziana myiasis causes not only morbidity and death to animals and humans, but also economic losses in the livestock industries. Because of the aggressive and destructive nature of this disease in hosts, we initiated this study to provide a comprehensive understanding of human myiasis caused by C. bezziana. METHODS:We searched the databases in English (PubMed, Embase and African Index Medicus) and Chinese (CNKI, Wanfang, and Duxiu), and international government online reports to 6th February, 2019, to identify studies concerning C. bezziana. Another ten human cases in China and Papua New Guinea that our team had recorded were also included. RESULTS:We retrieved 1,048 reports from which 202 studies were ultimately eligible for inclusion in the present descriptive analyses. Since the first human case due to C. bezziana was reported in 1909, we have summarized 291 cases and found that these cases often occurred in patients with poor hygiene, low socio-economic conditions, old age, and underlying diseases including infections, age-related diseases, and noninfectious chronic diseases. But C. bezziana myiasis appears largely neglected as a serious medical or veterinary condition, with human and animal cases only reported in 16 and 24 countries respectively, despite this fly species being recorded in 44 countries worldwide. CONCLUSION:Our findings indicate that cryptic myiasis cases due to the obligate parasite, C. bezziana, are under-recognized. Through this study on C. bezziana etiology, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, epidemiology, prevention and control, we call for more vigilance and awareness of the disease from governments, health authorities, clinicians, veterinary workers, nursing homes, and also the general public.
Project description:BACKGROUND: Chromoblastomycosis is a chronic mycotic infection, most common in the tropics and subtropics, following traumatic fungal implantation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 72 year-old farmer was admitted to Luang Namtha Provincial Hospital, northern Laos, with a growth on the left lower leg which began 1 week after a forefoot leech bite 10 years previously. He presented with a cauliflower-like mass and plaque-like lesions on his lower leg/foot and cellulitis with a purulent tender swelling of his left heel. Twenty-two Chrysomya bezziana larvae were extracted from his heel. PCR of a biopsy of a left lower leg nodule demonstrated Fonsecaea pedrosoi, monophora, or F. nubica. He was successfully treated with long term terbinafin plus itraconazole pulse-therapy and local debridement. CONCLUSIONS: Chromoblastomycosis is reported for the first time from Laos. It carries the danger of bacterial and myiasis superinfection. Leech bites may facilitate infection.
Project description:BackgroundWhile most patients with tuberculosis (TB) can be successfully treated using short-course medical chemotherapy, thoracic surgery is an important adjunctive strategy for many patients with drug-resistant disease. The need for physical, technical and financial resources presents a potential challenge to implementing surgery as a component of treatment for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) in resource-poor settings. However, a cohort of patients with severe MDR-TB in Lima, Peru underwent surgery as part of their treatment.Methods121 patients underwent pulmonary surgery for drug-resistant tuberculosis between May 1999 and January 2004. Surgery was performed by a team of thoracic surgeons under the Ministry of Health. Patient demographic data, clinical characteristics, surgical procedures and surgical outcomes were studied.ResultsMost of the patients had failed multiple TB regimens and were resistant to a median of seven drugs. The median time of follow-up after surgery was 33 months. 79.3% of patients were culture-positive before surgery, and sustained culture-negative status among survivors was achieved in 74.8% of patients. 63% of those followed up for at least 6 months after surgery were either cured or probably cured. Postoperative complications, observed in 22.6% of patients, were associated with preoperative haemoptysis, vital capacity <50% and low forced expiratory volume in 1 s.ConclusionsThis is one of the largest cohorts with MDR-TB to be treated with surgery, and the first from a resource-poor country. Although surgery is not often considered an option for patients in resource-poor settings, the findings of this study support the argument that adjunctive surgery should be considered an integral component of MDR-TB treatment programmes, even in poor countries such as Peru.
Project description:BackgroundMycetoma is a chronic granulomatous infection involving cutaneous and subcutaneous tissues. It is endemic in tropical and subtropical areas, but sporadic cases have been reported also in countries of temperate climate. The purpose of this paper is to review the cases of mycetoma in European subjects (and presumably acquired in Europe), to give an insight in the main factors associated with this condition, and to describe two previously unpublished cases observed at our Centre.Methods and findingsPubMed was systematically searched for case reports and case series of mycetoma in Europeans reported between 1980 and 2014, using specific search strategies. Two further cases diagnosed by the authors are described. Forty-two cases were collected. Eleven cases were caused by Scedosporium apiospermium, mainly in immunosuppressed patients from Bulgaria, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and the United Kingdom. Excluding all patients with immunosuppression, 29 cases remain. Most of them were reported from Bulgaria and in Albanian patients (all diagnosed outside Albania). In the Bulgarian case series many different micro-organisms, both bacteria and fungi, were isolated, while all the 5 cases from Albania were caused by Actinomadura spp. Other countries reporting cases were Greece, Italy and Turkey. In general, Actinomadura spp is the most frequent causative agent isolated, followed by Nocardia spp and Madurella mycetomatis. The foot was the most reported site involved. Most patients were medically treated, but unfortunately a long-term follow up (at least one year) was available only in a few cases.ConclusionsOur review and our own cases suggest that Europeans without travel history can be affected by Madura foot. The lack of a surveillance system is likely to cause an underreporting of cases. Moreover, the unfamiliarity of Western doctors with this peculiar infection may cause a mismanagement, including unnecessary amputations.
Project description:Background Schwannoma is a benign tumor, of which degenerated schwannoma is a subtype. Retroperitoneal schwannomas are extremely rare, as they account for only 3% of retroperitoneal tumors.Degenerated schwannoma is a schwannoma subtype. However,degenerated schwannoma occurring in the adrenal glands is extremely rare. Case summary Case 1: A 42-year-old man was referred to our hospital for further examination of a left adrenal mass that was incidentally discovered during a routine physical check-up.No significant abnormalities were found in laboratory tests results. Robotic-assisted laparoscopic excision of the left adrenal gland was performed under general anesthesia. Case 2: A 47-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of a left adrenal mass found on a routine physical examination.The patient was previously in good health, and there was no family history of a similar disorder. Left-sided laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed under general anaesthesia. Case 3: A 62-year-old woman with hypertension and diabetes mellitus was referred to our hospital after an incidentally found left adrenal mass.There was no family history of a similar disorder. Left-sided laparoscopic adrenalectomy was performed under general anaesthesia. None of the patients had a recurrence in our study during the postoperative follow-up. Conclusion Degenerated schwannoma of the adrenal glands is very rare. The clinical presentations of degenerated schwannoma are nonspecific; a small number of patients do not have any symptoms, and the mass is only found incidentally during physical examination for any number of reasons. The preoperative diagnosis of adrenal degenerated schwannoma is difficult because the diagnosis must rely on pathological examination and immunohistochemistry assays. The management is surgical excision and regular follow-up.
Project description:BackgroundHuman myiasis is a parasitic dipteran fly infestation that infects humans and vertebrates worldwide. However, the disease is endemic in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is under-reported and therefore its prevalence is unknown. This systematic review aims to elucidate the prevalence of human myiasis, factors that influence the infection, and myiasis-causing fly species in SSA. The review also dwelled on the common myiasis types and treatment methods of human myiasis.MethodsHere, we collect cases of human myiasis in Sub-Saharan Africa based on literature retrieved from PubMed, Google Scholar and Science Direct from 1959 to 2022. A total of 75 articles and 157 cases were included in the study. The recommendations of PRISMA 2020 were used for the realization of this systematic review.ResultsIn total, 157 cases of human myiasis in SSA were reviewed. Eleven fly species (Cordylobia anthropophaga, Cordylobia rodhaini, Dermatobia hominis, Lucilia cuprina, Lucilia sericata, Oestrus ovis, Sarcophaga spp., Sarcophaga nodosa, Chrysomya megacephala, Chrysomya chloropyga and Clogmia albipuntum) were found to cause human myiasis in SSA. Cordylobia anthropophaga was the most prevalent myiasis-causing species of the reported cases (n = 104, 66.2%). More than half of the reported cases were from travelers returning from SSA (n = 122, 77.7%). Cutaneous myiasis was the most common clinical presentation of the disease (n = 86, 54.7%). Females were more infected (n = 78, 49.6%) than males, and there was a higher infestation in adults than young children.ConclusionThe findings of this study reveals that international travelers to Sub-Saharan Africa were mostly infested therefore, we recommend that both international travelers and natives of SSA be enlightened by public health officers about the disease and its risk factors at entry points in SSA and the community level respectively. Clinicians in Sub-Saharan Africa often misdiagnose the disease and most of them lack the expertise to properly identify larvae, so we recommend the extensive use of molecular identification methods instead.
Project description:BackgroundMyiasis is defined as the infestation of living tissues by Diptera larvae. Ophthalmic involvement occurs in less than 5% of cases. As the most uncommon type of involvement, orbital myiasis usually affects patients with poor personal hygiene, a low socioeconomic status, a history of surgery, and cancer.FindingsIn January 2020, an 89-year-old man presented to the Oculoplastic Department of Farabi Eye Hospital (Iran) with a history of left-side progressive orbital mass for six months. A large infiltrative mass of the left orbit with extension to the globe, periorbita, and adnexa was remarkable at the presentation, and its appearance suggested malignancy. Our findings persuaded us to perform exenteration and histopathological evaluation which were reported as "undifferentiated carcinoma". Regular follow-up visits were recommended. In June 2020, with a 3-month delay, the patient presented with the recurrence of the mass complicated with mobile alive larva. Examinations revealed numerous maggots crawling out of an ulcerative and foul-smelling lesion. He stated that fear of COVID-19 infection postponed his follow-up visit. The patient underwent immediate mechanical removal of larvae, followed by wide local excision of the mass.ConclusionPatients with carcinoma of the adnexal tissues seem to be more prone to myiasis infestation even though it is an uncommon disease. Since COVID-19 is an ongoing pandemic with no end in sight appropriate protocols should be implemented to prevent loss of follow-up in these high risk patients.
Project description:Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are the most common mesenchymal tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and usually occur in the stomach and the small intestine. The pancreas is an extremely rare primary site for GISTs and there are 25 reported cases of pancreatic GIST with most being treated with surgical resection. We describe a 52-year-old African-American female who was diagnosed with limited stage small cell carcinoma in November 2009 and treated with concurrent cisplatin/etoposide chemotherapy and radiation. She subsequently achieved complete remission. Two years later she was diagnosed with localized pancreatic GIST by endoscopic ultrasonography guided fine needle aspiration. We treated her with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) imatinib 400 mg oral dose daily as she declined surgery. Her disease is stable based on computed tomography imaging scans 40 months after diagnosis without any metastasis. To the best of our knowledge, our case is the second case of localized pancreatic GIST treated with TKI monotherapy.