Internal medicine
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A 73-year-old man presented with left hypochondral pain. Dynamic computed tomography (CT) revealed abnormal vessels surrounding the pancreas, leading to a suspected diagnosis of pancreatic arteriovenous malformation (PAVM). ⋯ At >1 year after surgery, no recurrence of PAVM was observed. Surgical resection should be considered in patients with symptomatic PAVM.
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A 78-year-old man with a history of pancreatic carcinoma underwent chest computed tomography (CT), which revealed a slowly enlarging consolidation in the right lower lobe. Forceps and percutaneous CT-guided lung biopsies showed no evidence of malignancy; therefore, organizing pneumonia was suspected. ⋯ Pulmonary metastasis is an important differential diagnosis when chest CT shows consolidation, mimicking organized pneumonia. In addition, a TBCB can be a useful diagnostic tool for detecting lepidic growth patterns.
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Hypercalcemia is a significant complication in cancer patients, primarily caused by parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP) and, rarely, by parathyroid hormone (PTH) production from tumors. We report a case of severe hypercalcemia in a woman with uterine cancer who exhibited elevated PTH and PTHrP levels. ⋯ A molecular analysis confirmed the expression of the PTH gene and protein within the tumor, indicating ectopic PTH production. In diagnosing and treating cancers, it is necessary to consider not only PTHrP production but also ectopic PTH production.
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Retained placenta can lead to septic shock; however, sepsis-induced cardiomyopathy (SICM) due to retained placenta has not been reported previously. This report presents a rare case of SICM following septic shock due to retained placenta after miscarriage in a 40-year-old woman, accompanied by the "shark fin sign" on an electrocardiogram, a pattern typically linked to myocardial ischemia. ⋯ We also reviewed previous cases of shark fin sign in patients without myocardial infarction. A review showed that half of the cases experienced lethal arrhythmias, even without myocardial infarction.