Adenocarcinoma of the lung infrequently metastasizes to the gastrointestinal tract. We report a rare case of a 65-year-old male with no respiratory symptoms diagnosed with adenocarcinoma of the lung ...by histopathological examination of metastatic sites which included an ulcer in the gastric body and a mass in the rectum. Metastatic disease also involved the liver as well. Patient was treated with systemic chemotherapy but unfortunately expired five months after the diagnosis was made.
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) tube feeding has become one of the options for supplemental feeding in a selected group of patients. It is a generally safe procedure usually undertaken by a ...gastroenterologist or a surgeon in most cases but with over 200,000 tubes being placed yearly, there is bound to be complications. Some of the encountered complications include bleeding, site infection, tube migration, and inadvertent creation of fistula. We present our index patient admitted from a long-term care facility for feculent vomiting and fecal material through the PEG tube. Imaging and colonoscopy confirmed the presence of both a gastrocolic and a colocutaneous fistula, both closed endoscopically with an over-the-scope and through-the-scope clips, respectively. Feeding through a nasogastric tube was resumed after 48 hours, and by the second week of admission, the patient was discharged back to the facility after placement of a new PEG tube.
A lamellar hybrid mesostructure containing polymerizable diacetylinic groups is coassembled in the in situ synthesis of silica by acid hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) in ...the presence of 1,2‐bis(10,12‐tricosadiyonyl)‐sn‐glycero‐3‐phosphatidylcholine (DC8,9PC) lipid molecules. This mesostructure is subsequently twisted into high aspect‐ratio tubules and ribbons with helical architecture (see picture). Interactions between the silica and lipid headgroups promote diacetylenic polymerization under conditions at which the unmineralized lipid microstructures show little or no activity.
Essential thrombocytosis is associated with gastrointestinal (GI) vascular thrombosis. Sinistral portal hypertension (left-sided portal hypertension) due to splenic vein thrombosis can lead to ...isolated gastric varices and should be suspected in a patient with obscure GI bleeding with normal liver function. This case reviews the challenges presented in diagnosing isolated gastric varices due to splenic vein thrombosis through radiologic or endoscopic studies. Unrevealing radiologic or endoscopic studies does not rule out splenic vein thrombosis, which should be suspected in a patient with essential thrombocytosis and obscure GI bleeding.
Solitary juvenile polyp is a nonneoplastic condition but needs to be differentiated from a premalignant condition juvenile polyposis syndrome.
Solitary juvenile polyp is a nonneoplastic condition but ...needs to be differentiated from a premalignant condition juvenile polyposis syndrome.
Introduction. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive individuals with the CD4 count less than 200 cells/mm3 are at risk for opportunistic infections. Pneumocystis jirovecii, a fungal pathogen, ...is a common cause of opportunistic infections with predominantly pulmonary involvement. Disseminated P. jiroveciii infection presenting with hepatosplenic lesion is extremely rare. Case Summary. A 31-year-old male with HIV with and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) presented with diarrhea for 3 weeks. He had splenomegaly and inguinal lymphadenopathy on physical examination. Laboratory parameters revealed anemia and hypoalbuminemia, while stool studies for infectious etiology and fecal leucocyte were negative. Computed tomography (CT) of the chest and abdomen depicted consolidation of the lungs and a large splenic mass. He underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy with transbronchial biopsy which was consistent with P. jirovecii pneumonia. He also had a ultrasound-guided core biopsy of the splenic mass which revealed necrotizing granulomas with Pneumocystis jirovecii infection on Grocott-Gomori's methenamine silver (GMS) stain and was initiated on treatment for P. jirovecii with sulfamethoxazole with trimethoprim. Conclusion. Malignancy and atypical infection are key differentials in patients presenting with hepatosplenic lesions. HIV positive patients are at increased risk of AIDS-related lymphoma. Tissue diagnosis is often required for further evaluation. Disseminated P. jirovecii presenting with splenic mass and liver lesion is extremely rare.
Introduction. Sarcoidosis is a common multisystem chronic inflammatory disease of an unidentified inciting etiology. The most common initial manifestations of this disease involve the pulmonary ...system, and involvement of the gastrointestinal tract is rare. Sarcoidosis of the gastrointestinal tract occurs in an oral-anal gradient, with the esophagus and stomach being the most commonly involved sites, while colonic involvement remains extremely rare. Case Presentation. We present a case of a 24-year-old African American man who was evaluated for persistent abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, and weight loss. Workup for infectious etiologies and celiac disease was unrevealing. An inflammatory mass in the hepatic flexure was found during colonoscopy, and a computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen was significant for circumferential thickening of the cecum and ascending colon, along with nodular thickening of the peritoneum without enhancement. Malignancy and inflammatory bowel disease were the initial differentials. A peritoneal biopsy was also performed. Pathology of the colon and peritoneal biopsy was significant for the presence of noncaseating granulomas and confluent granulomatous inflammation. The patient was diagnosed with colonic sarcoidosis, and treatment with corticosteroids was initiated. Symptoms resolved with treatment, and a follow-up colonoscopy five months later showed interval healing. Conclusion. Although rare, colonic sarcoidosis should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses when evaluating a patient with chronic diarrhea and a mass on colonoscopy. Histopathology is the key to diagnosis as it distinguishes malignancy from sarcoidosis. Corticosteroids remain as an option for treating colonic sarcoidosis.
Bacterial endocarditis is commonly encountered in clinical practice. Many bacterial species have been implicated; however, Streptococcus gallolyticus species (formerly “bovis”) has driven attention ...given a historical association with colon cancer. Colonoscopy is recommended in an individual with S. gallolyticus endocarditis or bacteremia to evaluate the possibility of high-grade adenoma or colon cancer. There has been no firm recommendation for prophylactic antibiotics to prevent bacterial endocarditis for patients undergoing endoscopic procedures and postcolonoscopy bacteremia in an individual with an endoscopic procedure indicated for S. gallolyticus bacteremia has not been reported. Studies have been aimed at understanding the association between colon cancer and this bacterial pathogen. There are suggestions that the systemic manifestation of S. gallolyticus, a commensal in the colon premalignant cells, may be further predisposed by patient’s immunocompromised status. We present a case of the 72-year-old man with the newly diagnosed multiple myeloma presented with aortic valve endocarditis and S. gallolyticus bacteremia. Colonoscopy revealed colon cancer and high-grade adenoma; few hours after procedure, he presented with Streptococcus mitis bacteremia. In conclusion, our case realigns association of S. gallolyticus to colon cancer, especially in an individual with altered immunity, and is novel to demonstrate the rare association of two distinct bacteria of Streptococcus species associated with cancer. Preendoscopic antibiotics use, though not standard of care, can be considered in the high-risk individual. Altered immunity can be considered the “missing link” inciting bacteremia in individuals with S. gallolyticus-associated colon cancer.
Dysphagia is an expressive symptom, described by an individual as “difficulty in swallowing.” Dysphagia due to esophageal compression from an aberrant right subclavian artery is rare, and it is ...termed as “dysphagia lusoria.” We present a rare case of co-occurrence of dysphagia lusoria with esophageal eosinophilia in a patient with cognitive disability which portends a case with diagnostic challenge and treatment dilemma. A 31-year-old man with intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, previous history of feeding difficulty, and esophageal food impaction presented with esophageal foreign body impaction. He has no known history of atopy and food allergies. There was no laboratory evidence of peripheral eosinophilia. The IgE-mediated allergic test was unremarkable. His prior presentation revealed a diagnosis of eosinophilic esophagitis. The imaging studies showed proximal esophageal dilatation with extrinsic compression at the level of the upper esophagus. The foreign bodies were removed successfully through the help of upper endoscopy. Subsequent evaluation revealed a rare type of dysphagia lusoria (type N-1) due to an aberrant left subclavian artery arising from the right-sided aortic arch. The patient’s family refused further management of artery lusoria. Prolonged stasis of secretions and food in the esophagus can also lead to increased esophageal eosinophils. In our case, it remains undetermined whether increased number of esophageal eosinophils resulted from primary eosinophilic esophagitis or due to prolonged food stasis from esophageal compression caused by an aberrant subclavian artery. However, food impaction right above the compression site makes dysphagia lusoria the likely etiology.
Thalidomide is often used for the management of refractory gastrointestinal angiodysplasia (GIAD). The tolerance, toxic profile, and compliance of thalidomide are dose‐dependent. The low‐dose ...thalidomide (50 mg) is safe and a viable option for bleeding related to GIAD.
Thalidomide is often used for the management of refractory gastrointestinal angiodysplasia (GIAD) bleeding. The tolerance, toxic profile, and compliance of thalidomide are dose‐dependent. The low‐dose thalidomide (50 mg) is safe and a viable option for bleeding related to GIAD.
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