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Query: UMLS:C0000727 (acute abdomen)
 3,084 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Adult polycystic liver disease is characterized by multiple diffuse cystic lesions of the liver, usually in association with polycystic kidney disease. Rarely, significant liver disease will produce enough symptoms to call for surgical attention. Symptoms range from simple compression to fatal liver failure. Treatment of seven patients (six women) with symptomatic polycystic liver disease over 18 months is reported. Rapidly progressing liver failure and sepsis from infected ascites following puncture developed in one patient and precluded surgery. Another presented with an acute abdomen and anaemia from liver cyst bleeding and was treated conservatively. Five patients with massive hepatomegaly and compression symptoms underwent fenestration and resection to debulk the cystic liver mass. No intra-abdominal drains were used after operation and there were no hospital deaths. One patient developed a bile leak which was managed by percutaneous drainage. Clinical approach, complications and treatment options in adult polycystic liver disease are reviewed.
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PMID:Clinical experience with adult polycystic liver disease. 161 53

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is defined as infection of preexisting ascites without evidence for any intraabdominal source for secondary infection. SBP is now recognized with rising frequency and has mainly been reported in patients with alcohol-induced cirrhosis of the liver. We report SBP in a female dialysis patient whose ascites was not due to liver disease, but was possibly due to lupus erythematosus or represented 'nephrogenic ascites'. The patient had severe abdominal pain and a positive rebound phenomenon, fever and an elevated peripheral white cell count of 21,000 cells/microliters. Ascitic fluid analysis revealed an exudate with a protein concentration of 5.2 g/dl, 13,000 white cells/microliters with 94% neutrophils and positive cultures for Streptococcus morbillorum. Because of the dramatic clinical features the patient underwent laparotomy which did not reveal a source for secondary infection and in retrospect was unnecessary. The patient responded well to antibiotic therapy. This case report draws attention to SBP as a cause of acute abdomen in patients on chronic hemodialysis.
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PMID:Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in a hemodialysis patient with systemic lupus erythematosus. 779 66

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) may arise in ectopic livers, which are autonomous islands of normal liver parenchyma located in the abdomen or thorax. The majority of HCCs in ectopic livers are reported in oriental patients. We describe here three new cases of HCC in Caucasian patients. The clinical presentation varied from dull epigastric pain in one patient, to abrupt onset with signs and symptoms of acute abdomen caused by intra-abdominal bleeding in another patient, to an unexplained progressive increase of alpha-fetoprotein serum levels in a third patient. None had risk factors for HCC or liver disease. One of the patients developed HCC at age 34 years; she is the youngest patient ever described to develop HCC in ectopic liver. Our data further strengthen the hypothesis that ectopic livers are particularly predisposed to developing HCC. The patients were followed up for 4 years after surgery: two remain free of disease, suggesting that the unique localisation and growth pattern may render these tumours particularly susceptible to curative resection.
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PMID:Ectopic liver and hepatocarcinogenesis: report of three cases with four years' follow-up. 1525 72

Three patients with hepatic cirrhosis and ascites, a 65-year-old man, a 17-year-old woman and a 49-year-old man, were admitted to hospital for progressive drowsiness, increased ascites, and melaena, respectively. An elevated number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes was found in the ascites. The three patients became more and more seriously ill. On the basis of the laboratory findings, a diagnosis of 'spontaneous bacterial peritonitis' was made. The patients recovered after administration of antibiotics. The signs and symptoms of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis can range from subtle, renal dysfunction or an altered mental state to the signs ofan acute abdomen. The common signs of infection such as fever and an elevated leukocyte count are present in only 50% of the patients. Gram-negative bacteria are most frequently isolated from cultures of the ascites fluid. The 1-year mortality is still 50-70% and is partly a result of the underlying liver disease. Prophylactic oral administration of a quinolone decreases the risk of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients with gastrointestinal haemorrhage and in patients with a prior episode of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. Long-term prophylaxis has been associated with the development of infections with quinolone-resistant microorganisms.
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PMID:[Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, a severe complication in patients with liver cirrhosis]. 1758 97

Superior mesenteric vein thrombosis (SMVT) is a rare yet frequently fatal cause of intestinal ischemia. Despite its severe consequences, SMVT often presents with nonspecific symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. It can occur with or without gastrointestinal bleeding, and symptoms may be present for hours to weeks. Physical exam can vary from a benign to an acute abdomen. The are no specific diagnostic laboratory studies for the presence of MVT, and it can be an incidental finding of computed tomography or ultrasound. Patients at risk for MVT include those with a history of a hypercoagulable state or secondary cases such as sepsis, gastrointestinal malignancy, liver disease, pancreatic pathology, abdominal surgery and medications. The authors present a case of a patient presenting with acute abdominal pain and ultimately a SMVT secondary to oral contraceptives by exclusion.
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PMID:Superior mesenteric vein thrombosis secondary to oral contraceptive use. 2305 89

We describe a patient with sudden onset of abdominal pain and ascites, leading to the diagnosis of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Her presentation was consistent with acute liver cyst rupture as the cause of her acute illness. A review of literature on polycystic liver disease in patients with ADPKD and current management strategies are presented. This case alerts physicians that ADPKD could occasionally present as an acute abdomen; cyst rupture related to ADPKD may be considered in the differential diagnoses of acute abdomen.
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PMID:Acute abdomen and ascites as presenting features of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease. 2335 18

Polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is one of the systemic vasculitis that affects the media wall of arteries of small and medium diameter. Diagnosis proves difficult due to the unspecific symptoms that dominate the clinical profile. Liver involvement is very diverse, ranging from the development of cirrhotic liver disease to acute abdomen presentation that requires surgery because of liver rupture. The management of these patients requires an expert multidisciplinary team. There are several cases in the literature that describe a sudden liver rupture as the first manifestation of a PAN. In this paper we present the case of a 75 years old patient without any previous disease, who is subjected to major hepatic resection for spontaneous liver rupture.
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PMID:Spontaneous liver rupture as first sign of polyarteritis nodosa. 2791 67

Less is known about gastrointestinal (GI) involvement of primary skin diseases due to the difference in embryology, histology, microbiology and physiology between integument and alimentary tract. Oesophagus, following the oropharyngeal mucosa, is the most common GI segment affected by primary skin diseases, especially by eosinophilic oesophagitis, lichen planus and autoimmune bullous dermatoses like pemphigus vulgaris, mucosal membrane pemphigoid and epidermolysis bullosa acquisita. Eosinophilic oesophagitis is an emerging chronic atopic disease with oesophageal dysfunction as the typical presentation, and oesophageal narrowing, rings and stricture as late complications. Oesophageal lichen planus mainly involves the proximal to mid-oesophagus in elderly aged women with long-term oral mucosal lesions. In acute attack of pemphigus vulgaris, oesophageal involvement is not uncommon but often neglected and may cause sloughing oesophagitis (oesophagitis dissecans superficialis) with acute GI bleeding in rare cases. GI manifestation of hereditary bradykininergic angio-oedema with colicky acute abdomen mostly affects small intestine, usually in the absence of pruritus or urticaria, and is more severe and long-lasting than the acquired histaminergic form. Strong evidence supports association between inflammatory bowel disease, especially Crohn disease, and hidradenitis suppurativa/acne inversa. Patients with vitiligo need surveillance of autoimmune liver disease, autoimmune atrophic gastritis or coeliac disease when corresponding symptoms become suspect. Melanoma is the most common primary tumour metastatic to the GI tract, with small intestine predominantly targeted. Gastrointestinal involvement is not uncommon in disseminated mycosis fungoides. Extramammary Paget's disease is an intraepidermal adenocarcinoma of controversial origin, and a high association between the anogenital occurrence and colorectal adenocarcinoma has been reported. As GI tract is the largest organ system with multidimensional functions, dermatologists in daily practice should be aware of the gastrointestinal morbidities related to primary skin diseases for an early diagnosis and treatment.
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PMID:Gastrointestinal involvement of primary skin diseases. 3245 73