Intraoperative impending compartment syndrome (ICS) is an extremely rare but lethal occurrence that can involve the upper and/or lower limb(s). It commonly occurs in patients who undergo anaesthesia in various special positions such as lithotomy, lateral decubitus or prone. We present a patient who developed an ICS of his left forearm during a cervical spine surgery in prone position. This devastating condition was fortunately identified when the pulse oximetry, intra-arterial wave form and motor-evoked potentials signal disappeared abruptly from our monitors. We discuss our perioperative challenges and management for the patient which had eventually saved the patient's limb.
Morgagni hernia is the rarest type of congenital diaphragmatic hernia, which can present late in adulthood. Here, we report a case of Morgagni hernia in an elderly woman who presented as an acute coronary syndrome with raised troponin level. X-ray of the chest (CXR) showed air-fluid level in the right lower hemithorax with loss of right diaphragmatic outline and subsequently confirmed strangulated Morgagni hernia with CT. She was treated with emergency laparotomy to reduce the hernia content and surgical repair with mesh done. In conclusion, Troponin can be falsely positive in Morgagni hernia patients, possibly due to strain on the heart by herniated bowel contents. Basic imaging such as a (CXR) is useful in the case of chest pain to rule out the non-cardiac causes. Although 'time is the myocardium' in the setting of all cases of chest pain with raised troponin, CXR should be done before treatment that poses bleeding risk and unnecessary delay in laparotomy.
Postoperative pseudomeningocele usually has a benign course. We report a rare presentation of postoperative acute neurological deficit caused by compressive thoracic pseudomeningocele. This patient had posterior spinal fusion and decompression surgery for thoracic ossification of posterior longitudinal ligament and ligamentum flavum. Intraoperative incidental durotomy was covered with hydrogel dural sealant. She developed acute neurological deterioration 1 week after index surgery. Emergency decompression surgery was performed. One year after the surgery, she showed good neurological recovery.
Postauricular swelling is usually encountered in an emergency setting in otorhinolaryngology, resulting from complication of acute or chronic suppurative otitis media. Besides that, postauricular swelling may occur secondary to various other conditions including infectious disease, tumour, vascular malformation, granulomatous condition and even trauma. Children less than 2 years old are prone to fall and up to 10% sustain traumatic brain injury without any obvious signs of neurological deficit. We describe a rare case of a postauricular swelling in a toddler which turned out to be salmonella extradural abscess from an infected traumatic haematoma. The importance of high clinical suspicion especially in a child with a history of fall cannot be emphasised more because a missed brain abscess could lead to potentially life-threatening problems. We would like to highlight that meticulous history taking along with prompt assessment and intervention is prudent for a better prognosis and recovery.
Hypokalaemic periodic paralysis secondary to subclinical hyperthyroidism is an uncommon clinical phenomenon characterised by lower limb paralysis secondary to hypokalaemia in the background of subclinical hyperthyroidism. In this article, we report a patient who presented with progressive lower limb muscle weakness secondary to hypokalaemia that was refractory to potassium replacement therapy. He has no diarrhoea, no reduced appetite and was not taking any medication that can cause potassium wasting. Although he was clinically euthyroid, his thyroid function test revealed subclinical hyperthyroidism. His 24-hour urine potassium level was normal, which makes a rapid transcellular shift of potassium secondary to subclinical hyperthyroidism as the possible cause. He was successfully treated with potassium supplements, non-selective beta-blockers and anti-thyroid medication. This case report aimed to share an uncommon case of hypokalaemic periodic paralysis secondary to subclinical hyperthyroidism, which to our knowledge, only a few has been reported in the literature.
A 39-year-old man presented with bilateral nasal obstruction for 4 months and associated with hyposmia and foul-smelling nasal discharge. Nasal endoscopy showed irregular mucosa of the nasal cavity with easily bleeding. Nasal biopsy reported as extranodal Natural Killer/T cell lymphoma, nasal type. In-situ hybridisation for Epstein-Barr encoding region was positive. He was treated with six cycles of gemcitabine, oxaliplatin and L-asparaginase and peripheral blood stem cell transplant. After the treatment, he was asymptomatic until 9 months where he had splenic abscess and undergone splenectomy. He was asymptomatic of the disease for 2 years.
A 14-year-old girl who presented in 2017 with headache, unilateral right eye ptosis and secondary amenorrhoea had an initial workup consistent with non-functioning pituitary macroadenoma. She underwent debulking of pituitary tumour in October 2017. Postoperatively, she developed recurrent cavernous sinus thrombosis. In view of recurrent thrombosis, she was reinvestigated and was found to have adrenocorticotropic hormone-dependent Cushing. Follow-up MRI 1 year after initial presentation showed that there was structural recurrence of pituitary macroadenoma. She subsequently underwent a petrosal craniotomy for debulking of tumour. Postsurgery she remained biochemically Cushingnoid. MRI 5 months after second surgery showed an enlarging pituitary mass which was deemed inoperable. A multidisciplinary meeting discussion consensus for treatment included radiotherapy and somatostatin analogue, pasireotide. She completed 30 cycles of radiotherapy and MRI post radiotherapy showed reduction in the size of the macroadenoma. Currently, she is waiting for pasereotide initiation.
Pleomorphic adenoma, otherwise called as benign mixed tumour, is the most common salivary gland tumour which accounts for 60% of all benign salivary gland tumours. The clinical, radiological and histopathological presentations are varied. The tumour occurs in diverse anatomical sites and can consist of epithelial and mesenchymal components. In this case report, the patient reported with an asymptomatic swelling on the face. CT scan with contrast was advised. The clinical, roentgenographic findings and Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology were indicative of pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland. Treatment included partial superficial parotidectomy under general anaesthesia using the modified Blair's incision. The facial nerve was not involved. Part of the gland along with the tumour was resected completely superficial to the facial nerve with a margin of normal tissue all around. Histopathologic examination of tissue specimen confirmed the lesion as pleomorphic adenoma. The patient was asymptomatic at 6-month follow-up.
Tracheostomy is an aerosol-generating procedure and performing it in patients with COVID-19 requiring mechanical ventilation raises significant concerns of infection risk to healthcare workers. We herein report a case of tracheostomy in a critically ill patient with severe COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome. This article depicts the use of personal protective equipment, highlighting the common challenges it presents and ways to address them.
We report a case of COVID-19 in a 29-week preterm infant. This child is the youngest reported case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Malaysia, and to the best of our knowledge, one of the youngest documented cases of established vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 reported in literature. Our report highlights the clinical course, timelines of viral shedding by real-time reverse transcription-PCR and antibody seroconversion in a premature infant infected with SARS-CoV-2. In addition, we discuss the challenges faced in managing a preterm infant infected with SARS-CoV-2 and the knowledge gaps that need to be explored.
Poland's syndrome (PS) is a rare developmental anomaly that can manifest mild (pectoralis muscles involvement) to severe deformities (rib hypoplasia and hand deformities). We report a case of 69-year-old man who presented to the emergency department with a traumatic chest injury after a fall. It was initially thought to have a significant chest injury as the trauma survey revealed a palpable defect and tenderness in the right anterior chest wall. There was also a symbrachydactyly deformity in the right hand. CT of the chest showed lack of right pectoralis muscles, which were consistent with PS. This case highlights the importance of gathering detail history in adult trauma patients such as congenital disorder especially in the presence of bony deformity. With possibilities of several traumatic conditions in trauma patients eliminated, one can expand the non-traumatic differential, keeping in mind the possibility of a congenital disorder that can mimic traumatic chest injury.
IgG4-related disease (IgG4-RD) is a systemic fibroinflammatory disease characterised by dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltration rich in IgG4-positive plasma cells, storiform fibrosis and obliterative phlebitis. Serum IgG4 levels are typically elevated but half of the patients had normal serum IgG4 levels. IgG4-RD represents a spectrum of diseases that involve various organs such as the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and salivary glands often manifesting as diffuse organ enlargement or a mass-like lesion mimicking cancer. An increased incidence of malignancy among patients with IgG4-RD has been reported. Thus, differentiating malignancy from IgG4-RD manifestation is important as the treatment differs. Glucocorticoids are considered first-line therapy and should be started early to prevent fibrosis. Patients usually have an excellent clinical response to steroids, and poor steroid response is indicative of an alternative diagnoses such as malignancy. This case report describes a case of IgG4-RD with renal mass in a young man that resolved with glucocorticoid therapy alone.
Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis (BBE) is a rare autoimmune encephalitis characterised by ataxia, ophthalmoplegia and altered consciousness. An overlap between BBE with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) shows similar clinical and immunological features. We report a case of BBE with GBS overlap secondary to Chlamydia pneumoniae infection. The triad of altered consciousness, ataxia and ophthalmoplegia were present in the patient. The investigations included cerebrospinal fluid cytoalbuminological dissociation, nerve conduction test that showed prolonged or absent F wave latencies, hyperintensity in the left occipital region on brain MRI and diffuse slow activity on the electroencephalogram. The chlamydia serology was positive indicating a postinfectious cause of BBE syndrome. He required artificial ventilation as his consciousness level deteriorated with tetraparesis, oropharyngeal and respiratory muscle weakness. Immunotherapy with intravenous immunoglobulin and methylprednisolone was commenced. He made good recovery with the treatment. Prompt recognition of this rare condition following chlamydia infection is important to guide the management.
Recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury is one of the main complications of total thyroidectomy. If the injury is bilateral, total airway obstruction, aphonia and hoarseness of voice could be precipitated. Hence, it is wise for the operating surgeon to be guided by neural monitoring during thyroidectomy. We present a valuable experience handling a middle-aged man with a huge papillary thyroid carcinoma . He needed an urgent thyroidectomy due to obstructive symptoms. We highlight our intraoperative dexterity in handling his surgery in the context of continuous monitoring of RLN using electromyography.
We describe an uncommon cause of paraneoplastic optic neuropathy in adenocarcinoma of the lung. A 45-year-old healthy woman presented with seizure and encephalitis, followed by an acute visual loss in both eyes for 1 week. Her visual acuity was no perception of light in the right eye and hand movement in the left eye. There was a generalised restriction of extraocular muscle movements in both eyes. Funduscopy showed a bilateral pale optic disc. A paraneoplastic antigen autoimmune profile showed a positive anti-CV2/CRMP-5 antibody. CT of the thorax revealed the presence of right apical lung mass, confirmed to be adenocarcinoma through a biopsy. She was scheduled for lung lobectomy and chemotherapy. Unfortunately, her health deteriorated and she passed away eventually.
We report a term newborn who presented on day 3 of life with unilateral, tender scrotal swelling with skin discolouration, which was subsequently diagnosed as haemophilia A at about 6 months of age. He received intramuscular vitamin K and hepatitis B vaccine at birth uneventfully. The scrotal swelling was treated as an infected hydrocoele, considering the absence of a family history of bleeding disorder and other risks of bleeding tendency, as well as the ultrasonographic features. He also had congenital pneumonia requiring venepuncture, non-invasive oxygen supplementation and intravenous antibiotics, without any complication. The swelling slowly improved over 2 months. He later developed post-trial vaccine injection haematoma at 4 months of age, and multiple non-traumatic bruises when he was 6 months old, leading to the diagnosis. This case demonstrates an uncommon, but a possible, early manifestation of haemophilia A at birth with a unilateral scrotal haematoma.
Infantile haemangioma represents a congenital vascular anomaly commonly observed in the head and neck region. Such an occurrence over the postcricoid region, however, is rather unusual. Herein, the authors report a case of a synchronous postcricoid haemangioma in a 7-week-old newborn diagnosed with severe laryngomalacia. In addition to the floppy redundant arytenoid mucosa, flexible laryngoscopy revealed a lobulated bluish mass at the postcricoid. The lesion was hyperintense on T1-weighted sequence and was enhanced with contrast, supporting the diagnosis of a haemangioma. She underwent surgical excision of the haemangioma with intralesional steroid injection. Surveillance at 6-month postoperation did not show disease recurrence.