Goblet cell carcinoid of the appendix – diagnostic challenges and treatment updates: a case report and review of the literature

Goblet cell carcinoid is a rare but distinct entity of appendiceal tumors which is a hybrid or mixed tumor consisting of both epithelial (glandular) and neuroendocrine elements containing goblet cells. This en...

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Varicella causing remission of Cushings disease

An 18-year-old male with Cushing's disease presented with generalised skin eruptions and backache. He was diagnosed with varicella infection. During the course of the illness, he developed persistent vomiting. Hormonal evaluation suggested adrenal insufficiency. MRI of brain showed features of pituitary apoplexy. Initially, he required hydrocortisone replacement. Later on his hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis recovered and he is currently asymptomatic without any treatment.

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Extreme scoliosis from CKD-MBD resulting in respiratory failure and death

Description 

A 64-year-old man presented to our hospital because of dyspnoea. Twenty years ago, he had started peritoneal dialysis (PD) for chronic kidney disease. He had been diagnosed with secondary hyperparathyroidism 7 years before his presentation to our hospital, with an intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) 1227 pg/mL (normal range 10–60 pg/mL), calcium level of 10.1 mg/dL (normal range 8.8–10.5 mg/dL), phosphorus level of 5.5 mg/dL (normal range 2.4–4.1 mg/dL) and alkaline phosphatase level of 377 IU/L (normal range 140–338 IU/L). His medications included cinacalcet. Ultrasonography showed a 5-milimetre nodule at the lower pole of the parathyroid, but  99mTc-hexakis2- methoxyisobutylisonitrile (MIBI)scintigraphy revealed no abnormal accumulation.

The patient's intact PTH increased to 2606 pg/mL 6 years prior to presentation. At that time, the patient deferred parathyroidectomy. A year later, he switched from PD to haemodialysis. Intact PTH remained elevated to more than 4000 pg/mL. His thorax became scoliotic curving to the left. He had experienced dyspnoea on...

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Barriers to healthcare for female patients in Papua New Guinea

A 25-year-old woman presented to hospital in the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) with a 3-year history of increasing abdominal distension, amenorrhoea and syncope. Ultrasound showed a large unilocular ovarian cyst. During her work-up, she was found to be HIV positive. She was treated with antiretroviral therapy, and once her CD4 count improved, she underwent a laparotomy and removal of the ovarian cyst with immediate improvement in symptoms. PNG has high levels of HIV particularly in young women and children.¹ This is partly due to a lack of screening and treatment facilities and partly due to significant gender discrimination. PNG is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world for females; women are treated as second-class citizens with few human rights or access to services such as healthcare.² Rape, sexual assault and domestic violence are common, and their lives are dictated to them by their husbands or male relatives.^{2 3} The lack of healthcare resources and significant levels of gender discrimination meant that this patient had a delayed presentation resulting in potentially grave complications.

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Uncommon cause of pelvic inflammatory disease leading to toxic shock syndrome

A 44-year-old Caucasian female with a history of endometriosis is admitted to the intensive care unit due to severe left lower quadrant abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. With patients' positive chandelier sign on pelvic examination, leucocytosis, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate and elevated C-reactive protein indicated that she had pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). PCR tests were negative for Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Chlamydia trachomatis; however, her blood and urine cultures grew Group A streptococci (GAS) with a negative rapid Streptococcus throat swab and no known exposure to Streptococcus. On further review, patient met criteria for GAS toxic shock syndrome based on diagnostic guidelines. The patient was promptly treated with intravenous antibiotics and supportive care, and she acutely recovered. This case demonstrates a rare cause of PID and an atypical aetiology of severe sepsis. It illuminates the importance of considering PID as a source of infection for undifferentiated bacteraemia.

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On a knife-edge: clinical uncertainty with an extensive knife blade in situ in the craniofacial region

A 25-year-old man presented to the trauma department following a penetrating stab wound to his left infraorbital margin with retained knife blade causing superoposterior displacement of the globe. Plain skull X-ray revealed an extensive retained blade with subsequent CT imaging revealing the tip of the blade had reached the right styloid process with no neurovascular compromise. Initial concern was primarily for the left eye leading to ophthalmology being the first specialty requested to review the patient. However, once the extent of the injury was established, ophthalmology requested further review from maxillofacial, ENT and neurosurgery. This resulted in an 84 hours wait between the initial injury and the removal of the knife blade. Incredibly, the patient had no initial sequelae from such an extensive injury and had an unremarkable recovery with no further complications aside from a laceration to the left inferior rectus muscle that was conservatively managed.

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Mast cell deposition and activation may be a new explanation for epiploic appendagitis

Epiploic appendagitis is as an acute painful condition of the fat on the outside of the intestine. Thus far, there have been no publications to our knowledge that appendagitis can be caused by mast cells or can be associated with chronic pain. A patient with multisystemic disorders suffered with both chronic and acute attacks of abdominal pain for a year. The worst attack led to surgical resection of an enlarged sigmoid colon epiploic appendage. Careful review of her complex medical history and mast cell stains of gastrointestinal biopsies led to the diagnosis of mast cell activation syndrome. Re-examination of the resected appendage using an immunohistochemical stain demonstrated a high mast cell density which is a new histopathological finding. Treatment of mast cell activation syndrome and other related syndromes led to marked improvement in her health, including all types of chronic abdominal pain.

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