European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine
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Spider bites are an uncommon presenting complaint to Irish emergency services. We describe the case report of a patient diagnosed with a spider bite, thought due to an Australian (White-Tailed) spider unintentionally imported in a traveller's luggage. Her lesions were consistent with those caused by White-Tailed Spiders, and her clinical course and management is described. ⋯ The ascription of various clinical effects to particular spiders is problematic because of poor case definition and a lack of confirmed scientific evidence. However, spider bite enquiries are now the single most common reason for calls to Australian poisons centres. The diagnosis and treatment of spider bites is discussed with reference to the use of antibiotics, steroids and antivenoms, as featured in the recent literature.
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Review Case Reports
Torsion of the ovary: a known but frequently missed diagnosis.
Torsion of the ovary or fallopian tube is a rare acute gynaecological disorder, seen by different medical specialists. The diverse clinical presentation is one of the main reasons this diagnosis is frequently missed at first presentation. For the preservation of ovarian function it is of utmost importance to diagnose an ovarian torsion at an early stage. ⋯ Although every specialist is familiar with the disorder, the diagnosis in acute presentation is frequently missed. To bring this entity and its great variability in clinical presentation into focus once again, we will highlight three patients out of a series of 13. Furthermore, we will discuss the possible causes of the disorder and present a proposition for treatment.