Project description:BackgroundLoeffler endocarditis is a rare and fatal disease, which is prone to be misdiagnosed, owing to its various clinical manifestations. Consequently, an early identification of Loeffler endocarditis and its effective treatment are crucial steps to be undertaken for good prognosis.Case presentationThis report describes two cases of Loeffler endocarditis with different etiologies and clinical manifestations. Case 1 was caused by idiopathic eosinophilia and presented with a thrombus involving the tricuspid valve and right ventricular inflow tract (RVIT). The patient suffered from recurrent syncope following activity. After the patient underwent tricuspid valve replacement and thrombectomy, he took oral prednisone and warfarin for 2 years, consequent to which he discontinued both drugs. However, the disease recurred 6 months later, this time manifesting as edema of both legs. Echocardiography showed that a thrombus had reappeared in the RVIT. Thus, oral prednisone and warfarin therapy was readministered. Three months later, the thrombus had dissolved. Low-dose prednisone maintenance therapy was provided long term. Case 2 involved a patient who presented with recurrent fever, tightness in the chest, and asthma, and whose condition could not be confirmed, despite multiple local hospitalizations. In our hospital, echocardiography revealed biventricular apical thrombi. After comprehensive examinations, the final diagnosis was eosinophilic granulomatosis polyangiitis (EGPA) involving multiple organs, including the heart (Loeffler endocarditis), lungs, and kidneys. After administration of corticosteroid, anticoagulant, and immunosuppressive agents along with drugs to improve cardiac function, the patient's symptoms improved significantly.ConclusionIn Loeffler endocarditis due to idiopathic eosinophilia, long-term corticosteroid use may be required. Diverse and non-specific symptoms cause Loeffler endocarditis to be easily misdiagnosed. So, when a patient shows a persistent elevation of the eosinophil count with non-specific myocardial damage, the possibility of this disease, should always be considered. Furthermore, even when an invasive clinical procedure such as endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) is not available or acceptable, corticosteroids should be administered promptly to bring the eosinophil count back to the normal range, thereby halting the progression of disease and reducing patient mortality.
Project description:Fungal infective endocarditis (IE) is uncommon in postoperative cardiac surgical patients. The fungal IE accounts for 1.3'-6.8' of all IE cases and is considered the most severe form with a mortality rate as high as 45'-50'. There are various predisposing factors for fungal IE which include congenital heart defects, cardiac interventions like pacemaker insertion, degenerative valvular heart diseases, long-term use of broad-spectrum antimicrobial therapy, and long-term use of central venous. Mortality can reach up to 100' without specific treatment. Definitive therapy necessitates surgical debridement of vegetations/mass/abscess followed by long-term treatment with antifungal agents in patients who have symptoms of heart failure despite optimum medical management. We, hereby, report a case of fungal IE which occurred after the closure of a ventricular septal defect and was treated successfully with liposomal amphotericin B.
Project description:Uterine torsion (UT) is one of the most uncommon obstetric complications. It usually occurs in the third trimester. The confirmed diagnosis relies on > 45° rotation at the utero-cervical junction around its longitudinal axis. The etiology is unknown in 20% of cases. It might be asymptomatic in some rare cases; however, symptoms usually manifest with acute abdominal pain, fetal bradycardia, vaginal bleeding or failure of labor progress. Laparotomy is used to establish the diagnosis and the management of UT. We report a 180° uterine dextrotorsion case of an obese 24-year-old pregnant female who presented with severe abdominal pain at the 35th gestational week, which was diagnosed and managed by an emergency laparotomy. UT is a rare though serious condition and must be doubted before a suspicious clinical image. Therefore, it is suggested to avoid consecutive pregnancies and the resultant uterine rupture.
Project description:BackgroundLoeffler-endocarditis (LE) is considered a chronic restrictive cardiomyopathy and manifestation of eosinophilic myocarditis characterized by eosinophilic infiltration. LE is a rare underdiagnosed disease and associated with high morbidity and mortality.Case presentationWe report a case of a 46-year-old man suffering from LE associated with thromboembolic events without peripheral eosinophilia. The patient presented with typical clinical signs of acute onset of limb ischaemia, predominantly on the right limb, indicating immediate iliacal thrombectomy and due to a severe compartment syndrome additional fasciotomy. Total occlusion also of left popliteal artery suggesting an impaired chronic and aggravated impaired perfusion indicated also urgent left sided revascularization. Subsequent echocardiography revealed severe left ventricular dysfunction with a striking amount of spontaneous echo-contrast, noticeable in the left ventricular cavity. Furthermore the initial CT scan demonstrated asymptomatic left kidney- and brain infarctions. Diagnostic workup including endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) of the left ventricle, uncovered an underlying LE without peripheral eosinophilia.ConclusionsThis case demonstrates and highlights the findings, treatment and outcome of a patient with LE and associated thrombo-embolic events without peripheral eosinophilia and emphazises the importance of awareness for LE in patients presenting with an acute cardiac decompensation and thrombo-embolic events. EMB should be performed early in unstable patients unsuitable for cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging.
Project description:Dental implant surgery is a common procedure in oral and maxillofacial surgery practices. Extensive training, skill, and experience allow this procedure to be performed with an atraumatic approach, but like any surgical technique, it is subject to accidents and complications. This is an unusual clinical case of an accidental displacement of an implant into the submandibular space that progressed to Ludwig's angina, and it has not yet been described in the literature. This case report describes a clinical case of dental implant displaced into the submandibular space after healing cap removal. After seven days, it progressed to Ludwig's angina. The removal was performed through extraoral access in the submandibular area by using hemostatic forceps and radioscopic technique. After implant removal, the clinical case showed a satisfactory repair emphasizing the importance of a meticulous clinical planning to achieve an appropriate treatment plan, which is essential for a favorable prognosis. Therefore, prevention and management of displaced objects requires proper planning and surgical technique.