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

Cases of neutropenic enterocolitis associated with Clostridium septicum infection have been reported with increasing frequency in the past decade. We report two such cases involving unusual hosts and briefly discuss possible pathogenetic mechanisms such as ischemia, mucosal damage related to chemotherapy and neutropenia, and immunosuppression. One case involved a young man with chronic Epstein-Barr infection who developed extensive gas gangrene of the right side of his trunk and thigh and who died within 12 hours of presentation to the emergency department. Diagnosis was only made at postmortem examination. The second, middle-aged patient was admitted with an acute abdomen shortly after he completed chemotherapy for pleural mesothelioma. A right hemicolectomy was performed, but the patient developed antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis and died. These cases indicate that neutropenic enterocolitis may arise in a variety of underlying conditions and that prompt diagnosis and therapy will be required to salvage more patients with this disorder.
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PMID:Neutropenic enterocolitis. Two unusual cases with review of the literature. 848 43

Peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare neoplasm with generic and non-specific symptoms. In some cases it is associated with various and particular clinical syndromes. These findings make it so insidious that the diagnosis is rarely make the preoperative course. Usually, there has been previous exposure to asbestos, during even if other causes are reported. Rarely, a peritoneal mesothelioma appears with signs and symptoms suggestive of acute abdomen, such as the present case. On admission the patient presented clinical features apparently requiring emergency surgery. In fact, at laparotomy, the tumour, arising from the mesenterium, had perforated the peritoneal cavity and communicated with the digiunal lumen, causing a septic hemoperitoneum. A radical resection was performed and the continuity of the intestinal tract was restored through an end-to-end entero-anastomosis. The patient, with a history of exposure to asbestos, was alive four years later. But over the last twelve months diffuse metastasis has occurred in the lung and liver, and there was no response to systemic chemotherapy. This case may be considered singular of the clinical syndrome, the long-term survival and the circumscribed aspect of the tumour. Through a review of the literature, the features of the present diagnostic procedure are underlined and the importance of multidisciplinary treatment as the best approach to peritoneal mesothelioma is emphasized.
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PMID:[Peritoneal mesothelioma as a rare case of acute abdomen. Review of the literature]. 852 46

Well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma (WDPM) is an uncommon mesothelial tumor that occurs in the peritoneum of women over a wide age range. Although considered a tumor of uncertain malignant potential, information about its biological behavior is still limited. In this study, we present the clinicopathologic features of 26 cases of WDPM of the female peritoneum seen in our institution over a 20-year period (1990 to 2010). Clinical information and pathology material were reviewed in all cases. Patients ranged in age from 23 to 75 years (median, 47 y; mean, 48.6 y). There was no history of asbestos exposure in any of our cases. Ten patients had undergone surgery previously, and 6 had a history of endometriosis. In 24 patients, the WDPM was an incidental finding during surgery for a benign or malignant lesion. Only 2 patients presented with symptoms: 1 with an acute abdomen and the other with chronic pelvic pain. The former had developed a small hemoperitoneum because of bleeding of 1 of the lesions of WDPM, whereas the latter had a 2-cm WDPM involving the distal fallopian tube. The lesions were single or multiple (13 cases each) and ranged in size from 0.1 cm to 2 cm. The following sites were involved: abdominal or pelvic peritoneum not otherwise specified (10 cases), omentum (7 cases), cul-de-sac (6 cases), colonic serosa (4 cases), small bowel mesentery (2 cases), uterine serosa (2 cases), stomach serosa (1 case), large bowel mesentery (1 case), fallopian tube (1 case), ovary (1 case), and inguinal hernia (1 case). In all cases the lesions were excised. Microscopically, all of our cases had the typical features described for WDPM (ie, a papillary architecture that may be accompanied by glandular/tubular patterns, nests of cells and individual cells, bland mesothelial cells, absent or rare mitotic figures). The initial diagnosis in our cases was variable, including WDPM, mesothelial hyperplasia, malignant mesothelioma, serous tumor of low malignant potential of the peritoneum, papillary endosalpingiosis, and chronic xanthogranulomatous salpingiosis. Follow-up was obtained for 25 patients, and it ranged from 4 to 192 months (mean, 47.5 mo; median, 32 mo); 22 patients are alive with no evidence of WDPM after a follow-up that ranged from 5 to 144 months. One of these patients experienced recurrence of WDPM 46.5 months after initial diagnosis. In this patient, WDPM was an incidental finding during a total abdominal hysterectomy and bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy for serous cystadenofibroma. The recurrence was also an incidental finding during a colectomy for colonic adenocarcinoma. This patient is alive with no other recurrences 73 months after initial diagnosis and 36 months after diagnosis of the recurrence. Three patients died of other causes: pancreatic cancer at 4 months and 12 months and leukemia at 192 months. Recognition of the histologic features of WDPM and proper clinical correlation allow for the correct diagnosis of this entity. If necessary, immunohistochemical studies such as calretinin and keratin 5/6 facilitate the recognition of the mesothelial nature of this neoplasm. Although no patient died of disease in this series, follow-up of patients with this diagnosis is warranted on the basis of possible recurrences or misdiagnosis of an undersampled malignant mesothelioma.
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PMID:Well-differentiated papillary mesothelioma of the female peritoneum: a clinicopathologic study of 26 cases. 2202 62

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is extremely rare, and its prognosis is poor. The median survival period is said to be approximately one year after diagnosis. We report a case of recurrent malignant peritoneal mesothelioma treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT). The patient has been alive for six years without recurrence. This report seems to be the first that indicates CCRT to be useful for peritoneal mesothelioma. The patient was a 21-year-old woman who underwent emergency surgery of the in acute abdomen at another hospital. The resected tumor was 18 cm in size and pathological examination revealed that it was a malignant mesothelioma of the epithelioid type. CAP therapy (cyclophosphamide+adriamycine+cisplatin)+CPT-11 administration was given only one course, and the patient was then transferred to our hospital. She underwent resection of the residual disease and six courses of TC therapy (paclitaxel+carboplatin) as adjuvant chemotherapy. Twelve months after chemotherapy, pelvic recurrence occurred. We attempted surgery but only biopsy could be performed because of a pelvic wall invasion. The patient underwent CCRT with weekly cisplatin. The tumor was reduced by irradiation of 50. 4 Gy and disappeared after 6 months. No recurrence has been found six years since the last treatment. CCRT might be effective against malignant peritoneal mesothelioma of the epithelioid type.
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PMID:[A case of malignant peritoneal mesothelioma successfully treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy]. 2218 33

We report the case of an African American male with no significant past medical history presenting with recurrent, rapidly relapsing episodes of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) despite aggressive treatment with several lines of treatment. Incidentally, these episodes were associated with severe abdominal pain which eventually developed into acute abdomen and prompted exploratory laparotomy, revealing diffuse carcinomatosis with a tumor located on the left pelvis that was encasing the distal sigmoid colon. Pathology made a final diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma. TTP-like syndrome (TTP-LS) has been described as a paraneoplastic phenomenon in several malignancies but never before in the setting of malignant mesothelioma. Paraneoplastic TTP-like syndrome has historically been associated with a dismal prognosis and particular clinical and laboratory abnormalities described in this paper. It is of utmost importance to make a prompt determination whether TTP is idiopathic or secondary to an underlying condition because of significant differences in their prognosis, treatment, and response. This paper also reviews the current literature regarding this challenging condition.
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PMID:Recurrent thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura-like syndrome as a paraneoplastic phenomenon in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma: a case report and review of the literature. 2308 61

Diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive tumor that originates from the surface of the pleura. Approximately 70% of cases are associated with chronic asbestos exposure. MPM is regarded as an incurable disease, with a median survival of ~2 years following intensive multimodality treatment. Pancreatic cancer is a malignancy also associated with a poor prognosis, with only 2% of patients surviving for 5 years. The majority of patients with pancreatic cancer are diagnosed with an advanced stage of disease and experience a poor response to therapy. The development of synchronous MPM and other types of cancer is rare. The present study describes a patient with synchronous, biphasic MPM and pancreatic adenocarcinoma, who was treated with a multimodal therapeutic approach with stereotactic body radiation therapy. Due to a suspected diagnosis of 'acute abdomen', an emergency small intestine resection was performed and a subsequent diagnosis of moderately-differentiated adenocarcinoma was confirmed. During a further immunohistochemical examination, pathologists determined that the small bowel metastasis descended from pancreatic cancer. The onset of bowel metastasis is an event rarely associated with MPM, and has not been previously described in the literature for cases of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, to the best of our knowledge, the present study describes the first case of intestinal metastasis from pancreatic cancer in a long-term survival patient with biphasic MPM.
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PMID:Small bowel metastasis from pancreatic cancer in a long-term survival patient with synchronous advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma: A case report and literature review. 2810 59