We report a case of a middle-aged woman who presented to our emergency department with increasing headache in a nontraumatic setting. The presence of intracranial air was an unexpected finding on nonenhanced computed tomography (CT). CT and magnetic resonance imaging could not identify the origin of the bone defect responsible for pneumocephalus. CT cisternography was able to demonstrate the presence of a cerebrospinal fluid fistula resulting in pneumocephalus. This case highlights the role of CT cisternography to identify and localize small osseous defects and cerebrospinal fluid fistulas when CT and magnetic resonance imaging findings are normal.
Neurological manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) often have tragic repercussions. Although many reports of neurological complications of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection exist, none of them are of patients on hemodialysis, who have a fivefold greater risk of stroke than the general population. In this report, we emphasize the importance of being vigilant for mild stroke in high risk populations-such as patients on hemodialysis-with COVID-19, since these conditions have overlapping symptoms.
Background
Peritoneal dialysis (PD) depends upon a functioning and durable access to the peritoneal cavity. Many techniques exist to insert a peritoneal catheter, showing similar outcomes and benefits. Blind percutaneous insertion represents a bedside intervention predominantly performed by nephrologists requiring only local anesthesia, sedation and minimal transcutaneous access. Although current guidelines recommend insertion techniques allowing visualization of the peritoneal cavity, the blind percutaneous approach is still widely used and has been proven safe and effective to bring durable peritoneal dialysis access. Herein, we described a rare case of jejunal perforation secondary to blind PD catheter placement, and conduct a review of the current medical literature describing early bowel perforations secondary to PD catheter placement, gathering descriptions of symptomatology and outcomes and their relations to the insertion technique.
Clinical presentation
We herein describe the case of a 48 year-old patient with a history of appendectomy who suffered from triple jejunal perforation after blind percutaneous insertion and subsequent embedment of his peritoneal catheter. Accurate diagnosis was made 1 month after insertion due to atypical clinical presentation and because physicians had no access to the peritoneal cavity after catheter embedment. After surgical repair and broad-spectrum antibiotics, the patient was switched to HD.
Conclusion
Early catheter-related visceral injury is a rare, yet threatening condition that is almost always causing a switch to hemodialysis or death. Our review highlights that laparoscopic catheter placement might bring better outcomes if perforation occurs, as it allows immediate diagnosis and treatment. On the contrary, catheter embedment may delay clinical diagnosis and therefore bring worse outcomes.
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