A case is presented to illustrate the difficulties
encountered in the clinical diagnosis of an intraocular mass. The fundus was not visible ophthalmoscopically because of opaque media. The anterior surface of the iris showed three discrete hyperpigmented nodular patches. Ultrasound showed an intraocular mass occupying half the posterior segment. The eye did not have useful vision and was enucleated after a clinical diagnosis of malignant melanoma of the choroid was made. The eye did not contain a melanoma but an organised blood clot after an extensive vitreous haemorrhage because of systemic hypertension.
Spontaneous unilateral orbital haematoma in children is not common and very rarely caused by scurvy. Scurvy is a clinical syndrome with a spectrum of clinical manifestations due to severe prolonged vitamin C deficiency leading to impairment of collagen synthesis over skin, bone, teeth and blood vessels. This paper presents a unique case of a 7- year-old girl with learning difficulty who presented with spontaneous right proptosis due to scurvy. Imaging studies suggestive of intra- orbital extraconal haemorrhage. The child was treated with a higher than recommended dose of vitamin C initially in emergency situation. She responded well and discharged without complication. Spontaneous orbital haematoma due to scurvy is very rare with less than 10 cases published in literature. The present case should raise the awareness regarding this forgotten disease and importance of balance nutrition amongst children.
A 24-year-old male patient with refractory Tourette syndrome was treated with deep brain stimulation (DBS) and developed subsequent bilateral subcortical haematomas. Additional blood tests revealed abnormalities of plasma factor XIIIA and tryptophan levels, which may be associated with Tourette syndrome. Neurosurgeons who perform DBS surgery on patients with Tourette syndrome must be aware of possible disastrous complications resulting from factor XIIIA disorders of blood haemostasis. Routine screening for this condition is not typically performed prior to surgery in these patients.
Bleeding into the rectus sheath is an uncommon but a well-recognised condition that mimics several other diagnoses of acute abdomen. A wide range of etiology has been proposed in association with this condition. It is often self-limiting, but can lead to unnecessary laparotomy if the diagnosis is not recognised.
We describe a patient with acute compression of the spinal cord by a spontaneous extra-dural haematoma. This rare condition is often misdiagnosed. We believe that an urgent MRI scan is indicated in patients presenting with progressive neurological deficit following spinal trauma. This allows the diagnosis of extra-dural haematoma to be made rapidly and for prompt decompression of the cord.
Melanonychia striata is characterized by a tan, brown, or black longitudinal streak within the nail plate that runs from the proximal nail fold to the distal part of the nail plate. Melanonychia striata is due to increased activity of melanocytes or melanocytic hyperplasia in the nail matrix with subsequently increased melanin deposition in the nail plate. The most common cause of melanonychia striata associated with melanocytic activation is ethnic melanonychia which occurs in dark-skinned individuals. Other causes of melanonychia striata related to melanocytic activation include pregnancy, chronic local trauma, infections, medications, dermatological disorders, endocrine disorders, alkaptonuria, hemochromatosis, porphyria, graft-vs-host disease, Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, and Laugier-Hunziker syndrome. Causes of melanonychia striata associated with melanocytic hyperplasia include nail matrix melanocytic nevus, nail lentigo, and nail apparatus/subungual in situ and invasive melanoma. In most cases, melanonychia striata is a benign condition, especially in children. Consequently, most investigators advocate a wait-and-see approach. Nail apparatus/subungual melanoma should be suspected if there is an abrupt onset after middle age, personal or family history of melanoma, rapid growth, darkening of a melanonychia band, pigment variegation, blurry lateral borders, irregular elevation of the surface, a bandwidth >3 mm, proximal widening, associated nail plate dystrophy, single rather than multiple digit involvement, and periungual spread of pigmentation onto the adjacent cuticle and/or proximal and/or lateral nail folds (Hutchinson sign). Prolonged follow-up is mandatory for early detection of possible malignant changes.
Interventricular septal hematoma following congenital cardiac surgery is an uncommon entity. Literature search reveals few cases of interventricular septal hematoma complicating pediatric cardiac surgery. We report a case of interventricular septal hematoma following patch closure of ventricular septal defect, with associated myocardial necrosis and myocardial rupture.
We describe what we believe is the first reported case of a sublingual hematoma secondary to severe hypertension. The patient, a 77-year-old woman, experienced a spontaneous hematoma of the floor of the mouth, tongue, and sublingual space that eventually caused an airway obstruction. We performed an emergency tracheostomy under local anesthesia and then evacuated the hematoma through an incision along the floor of the mouth. The patient recovered uneventfully.
Cephalhematoma is normally a self-limiting condition affecting 1%-2% of live births, especially following instrumental forceps delivery. The sub-periosteal bleed is characteristically limited by the cranial sutures. Although benign in most instances, this condition may, in a small proportion of cases, be complicated by hyperbilirubinemia or scalp infection. We describe a case of cephalhematoma in a newborn infant infected with Escherichia coli resulting in an extensive deep seated scalp abscess. The infection was also systemic causing E. coli septicemia and initial assessment assumed local extension including bone and meningeal to cause skull osteomyelitis and meningitis respectively. Further investigations and multiple-modality imaging with ultrasound, CT scan and bone scintigraphy outlined the involvement as limited to the scalp, resulting in a shorter antibiotic treatment period and earlier discharge from hospital. The infant recovered well with parenteral antibiotics, saucerization of the abscess and a later skin grafting procedure.