Acta Clin Belg
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This report describes two patients for whom the preoperative, anaesthetic consultation led to postponing planned surgery because of important, undiagnosed health problems. In one of the two cases, this consultation was even life-saving. However, actual literature cannot prove any advantage on the outcome of the individual patient. The only proven advantages in favour of pre-operative consultation are a reduced length of stay in the hospital and a reduction in the cost of preoperative testing.
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Case Reports
Friable coronary arteries are link between pathogenesis and treatment of spontaneous coronary artery dissection.
Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is increasingly being diagnosed as the cause of an acute coronary syndrome, especially in young patients. We report the case of a 32-year-old woman with postpartum SCAD of the left main and left anterior descending coronary artery which required the implantation of two drug-eluting stents. We present a literature study that correlates the pathogenesis of SCAD to the treatment options. ⋯ The coronary arteries of these SCAD patients are friable and should be approached with caution. Percutaneous coronary intervention has a reported success rate of only 65% and may cause propagation of the dissection. Lately, more and more authors suggest the possibility of a conservative approach in the absence of remaining cardiac ischaemia, even in this era of percutaneous stent implantation.
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Reversible lesions of the splenium of the corpus callosum constitute a clinicoradiological syndrome that has been associated to various medical conditions. We report the case of a 47-year-old man who presented with encephalopathy associated to auto-immune thyroid disease in which a reversible splenial lesion was isolated. Although encephalopathy associated to auto-immune thyroid disease is characterized by variable radiological findings, it has only been once associated with a reversible splenial lesion.
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Review Case Reports
Acute respiratory distress syndrome after verapamil intoxication: case report and literature review.
Verapamil intoxication is a life-threatening condition that often presents with severe hemodynamic instability and requires vasopressor support. There are also documented case reports of the development of non-cardiogenic pulmonary oedema after verapamil overdose. ⋯ Possible mechanisms are presented after taking into account findings in the current literature. Acute respiratory distress syndrome should be considered early during the evaluation of patients with verapamil intoxication.
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We report on a rare case of septic arthritis of the sacroiliac joint in a young patient without apparent predisposing factors. ⋯ Pyogenic sacroiliitis should be taken into account in patients with sacroiliitis and fever onset. Magnetic resonance imaging shows signal anomalies well beyond disappearance of symptoms, which may or may not require prolonged antibiotic therapy.