Hemangiomas of the small intestine are rare and very difficult to diagnose preoperatively. Clinical presentations may include occult or massive gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, obstruction, intussusception, and perforation. We report a 66-year-old Caucasian male patient with severe anemia secondary to occult GI bleeding from a cavernous hemangioma in the jejunum. A double balloon enteroscopy following capsule endoscopy was performed to obtain biopsy samples, which established the final diagnosis.
Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare non-infectious skin disease of undetermined origin. It is characterized by a single or multiple painful, necrotic ulcers. Formerly, PG was assumed to be infectious, but eventually, it was established to be an inflammatory disorder that is commonly associated with autoimmune and neoplastic diseases. We report a case of PG in a 70-year-old female who presented on the pretibial area as a single non-healing ulcer. It started as a small induration that worsened over the course of two weeks despite being on antibiotics. We started the patient on corticosteroids and high potency topical steroids that resulted in healing of the ulcer. PG can prove to be a diagnostic dilemma and can be inappropriately treated with antibiotics or even something radical like an amputation if misdiagnosed. Hence, physicians need to think of this entity even in the absence of any predisposing conditions.
A giant coronary artery aneurysm (CAA) associated with a coronary cameral fistula is an extremely rare finding. Most cases of CAAs are asymptomatic. The incidence of CAA varies between 0.3% to 5.3%. Due to advancements in diagnostic technologies, the incidence of CAA is on the rise. Even in the modern days of medical science, the clinical course of CAA is still unpredictable and the suitable timing for the treatment of CAA is still open to debate. We reported a case of a giant coronary artery aneurysm in a 38-year-old female, which was 9.4 x 9.7 x 9.2cm in size, arising from the left coronary artery, extending into the proximal circumflex, and draining into the right atrium, forming a fistula tract. The patient was diagnosed with the help of coronary computed tomography (CT) and cardiac catheterization after which surgery was performed to repair the aneurysm and fistula. Postoperatively, the patient recovered without any complication.
Breast cancer is the most common malignancy affecting women and has a high mortality rate. It commonly metastasizes to the skeletal and pulmonary systems. Rare reports have described breast cancer spreading to the gastrointestinal tract. We present a female patient diagnosed with and treated for primary lobular-type breast cancer, who developed recurrent bowel obstruction due to metastasis.
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