Publications by authors named "Fidel Rampersad"

Initially, the Hartmann's procedure was done to reduce mortality in surgery cases of malignant rectal lesions, and not benign disease. However, the procedure was popularized in the management of perforated diverticular disease (PDD) in the 1970s. Herein, we present a case of a patient who had laparotomy and colostomy for PDD.

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Article Synopsis
  • A ureterocele is a congenital defect where the lower part of the ureter becomes abnormally enlarged as it enters the bladder.
  • Patients commonly experience issues like frequent urinary tract infections, urinary retention, abdominal pains, trouble gaining weight, and blood in urine.
  • The case discusses a 51-year-old woman with recurrent UTIs who was diagnosed with bilateral ureteroceles through various imaging techniques.
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Objectives: This article seeks to determine the prevalence of a complete circle of Willis (CoW) and its common morphological variations in a south Trinidad population, while also investigating the influence of gender, age, and ethnicity on CoW morphology.

Methods: A prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study was done on the magnetic resonance images for consecutive patients who had a brain MRI/magnetic resonance angiography at a tertiary health institution in south Trinidad between October 2019 and September 2020. Patients with significant cerebrovascular disease and/or a history of prior neurosurgical intervention were excluded.

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An ectopic pituitary adenoma (EPA) is an uncommon type of pituitary adenoma, accounting for only 2% of all pituitary adenomas. EPAs are benign tumors that can occur anywhere along the migratory embryonic path of the pituitary gland and have no relationship to intrasellar elements. They are usually hormonally active and have a minor female predominance.

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Cervical radiculopathy secondary to spondylosis is common in the elderly. Systematic reviews suggest that no single treatment modality represents the standard of care. A no-cost, bedside, self-traction intervention can be a useful adjunct to current options.

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Intraoral foreign bodies (IOFBs) can be seen incidentally on computed tomography (CT) imaging and may mimic pathology. It is therefore important to identify the imaging features of a comestible intraoral foreign body and differentiate them from true pathology to avoid unwarranted patient distress and further imaging or procedures that are unnecessary and costly. This case describes a 31-year-old male who presented to the emergency room following a fall from an eight-foot height, with loss of consciousness for five minutes and right periorbital edema.

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Median arcuate ligament syndrome (MALS) is a rare and controversial vascular compression syndrome. In this condition, the median arcuate ligament compresses the celiac artery, resulting in symptoms such as postprandial abdominal pain, vomiting, and weight loss. Its diagnosis is based on clinical findings in conjunction with supporting radiological features such as elevated flow velocities on Doppler ultrasound and focal indentation of the proximal celiac artery with the typical 'hooked' or 'J'-shaped appearance on conventional angiography or computed tomography angiography (CTA).

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Paclitaxel-induced pneumonitis (PIP) is an immune-mediated disease resulting from a delayed hypersensitivity reaction (type IV) to paclitaxel, an anti-microtubule chemotherapeutic drug commonly used to treat breast cancer in both neoadjuvant and adjuvant settings. PIP is diagnosed by exclusion utilizing laboratory work-up, imaging, biopsy studies, and results of antibiotic therapy because there is no single diagnostic test. Ground-glass opacifications on CT, coupled with minimal restrictive disturbance with decreased diffusion on pulmonary function tests (PFTs), negative bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL), and bronchoscopy cultures, may assist physicians in diagnosing paclitaxel-induced pneumonitis.

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Cholelithiasis during pregnancy and the postpartum period has an incidence of 12%, with pregnancy being an important risk factor for gallstones. Patients with choledocholithiasis can experience complications, such as obstructive jaundice, cholangitis, and pancreatitis, which may be detrimental to both mother and fetus. A case of cholelithiasis in a second-trimester pregnancy was complicated by choledocholithiasis and obstructive jaundice.

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An advanced abdominal pregnancy is defined as an extrauterine pregnancy over twenty weeks gestation with a fetus living, or showing evidence of having once lived, in the mother's abdominopelvic cavity. Our case is a 35-year-old patient with a 23-week extrauterine pregnancy, with a congenital head defect (scaphocephaly and hydrocephalus), located in the left side of the maternal abdomen with a period of gestation of 23 weeks, who underwent preoperative imaging with contrast-enhanced multidetector computed tomography (CE-MDCT). CT imaging provided significant information on the placenta and its arterial supply/venous drainage and confirmed the presence of an arteriovenous malformation of the right uterine artery.

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Background: This study aimed to determine if there were any significant differences in coronary artery (CA) dimensions at prespecified segments during cardiac CT angiography (CCTA) compared with ethnicity at an academic tertiary medical centre in Trinidad and Tobago.

Methods: Patients (n=170) who underwent CCTA from July 2016 to June 2021 at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex were selected based on predefined selection criteria. The size of the left main and proximal, mid and distal diameters of the left anterior descending, left circumflex and right coronary artery (RCA) were measured using quantitative coronary angiography, syngo.

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Appendicoliths are calcified deposits located within the appendiceal lumen, usually measuring less than 1 cm in diameter. Appendicoliths greater than 2 cm in the largest diameter are uncommon and referred to as giant appendicoliths. Generally, patients with giant appendicoliths are asymptomatic, with these being detected incidentally on X-ray or computed tomography (CT).

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Radiology education and training is of paramount clinical importance given the prominence of medical imaging utilization in effective clinical practice. The incorporation of basic radiology in the medical curriculum has continued to evolve, focusing on teaching image interpretation skills, the appropriate ordering of radiological investigations, judicious use of ionizing radiation, and providing exposure to interventional radiology. Advancements in radiology have been driven by the digital revolution, which has, in turn, had a positive impact on radiology education and training.

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Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is an immunologically mediated disease resulting from a hypersensitivity reaction to . ABPA is identified by bronchial asthma, peripheral eosinophilia, high levels of serum immunoglobulin E, pulmonary infiltration, mucoid impaction, and central bronchiectasis. Diagnosing ABPA is important to consider since there are treatment options that are readily available and response to therapy yields positive results.

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Purpose: There are many known variations in the arterial supply to the liver. We sought to document the incidence and details of anomalies of the extrahepatic arteries in an unselected population in the West Indies.

Methods: This study spanned 24 months.

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Uterine leiomyomas (fibroids) are the most common tumor of the reproductive system in women between menarche and menopause. Uterine lipoleiomyomas are a rare variant of leiomyoma, consisting of smooth muscle cells admixed with adipocytes. Herein is the case of a 70-year-old female who presented with acute pelvic pain and a palpable pelvic mass.

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This case represents an even rarer presentation of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO), that of a spontaneous life-threatening hemorrhage into the renal pelvis of a patient with previously unknown UPJO. Unique to this patient was the emergent nature of the presentation, requiring life-saving surgery. A review of the literature follows a discussion of the case.

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Intussusception in adults is rare. Even more unusual is jejunal intussusception secondary to a heterotopic pancreas. The presence of pancreatic tissue in an ectopic location and lacking contiguity with the main pancreatic gland is defined as pancreatic heterotopia.

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Retroperitoneal liposarcomas are rare mesenchymal tumors which carry a poor prognosis because of their late presentation. When symptoms do occur, they are usually nonspecific and related to mass effect or invasion of local structures. Rarely, retroperitoneal liposarcomas can clinically and biochemically mimic phaeochromocytomas.

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Background: Aluminium encephalopathy results from exposure to aluminium from occupational, recreational, and environmental sources. Movement disorders, cerebellar ataxia, pyramidal tract signs, dementia, microcytic anemia and bone disease are typical manifestations.

Case Report: A 55-year-old woman had clinical manifestations, persistent hyperaluminemia without magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan changes of toxic encephalopathy following a prolonged exposure to marine grade paints containing 30% aluminium.

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A previously well 50-year-old male presented with a six-year history of worsening right-sided upper abdominal pain, postprandial nausea, and early satiety. His blood tests, including full blood count, liver biochemistry, and serum amylase, were normal. CT of the abdomen with intravenous contrast demonstrated concentric segmental mural thickening of the body and fundus of the gallbladder, with intramural cystic foci (rosary sign).

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Uterine arteriovenous malformations are uncommon but pose the risk of potentially life-threatening hemorrhage. A 29-year-old pregnant female presented with vaginal spotting, after which ultrasound diagnosis of missed miscarriage was made and medical management undertaken. Vaginal spotting continued post-treatment which led to repeat pelvic ultrasound and subsequent magnetic resonance imaging which confirmed a uterine arteriovenous malformation masquerading as retained products of conception.

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In isolated partial anomalous pulmonary venous connections (PAPVCs), an abnormal vein connects venous blood from the pulmonary circulation to the systemic circulation, resulting in an extracardiac shunt. A single aberrant pulmonary vein (PV) is usually hemodynamically insignificant, and affected patients are generally asymptomatic. We describe a young Caribbean-Black woman with an isolated, singular PAPVC from the left inferior PV to the left innominate (brachiocephalic) vein that was hemodynamically significant, obfuscated by recurrent pleural effusions from catamenial pleural endometriosis.

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The quadricuspid aortic valve is an exceedingly rare congenital valvular anomaly, characterized by a tetrad of leaflets that typically presents with aortic regurgitation. Almost one third of cases are associated with coexisting cardiac defects with one fifth warranting surgical intervention. In this article, we describe the first documented-in-Caribbean case and present a brief clinical review of its pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management.

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