Cranial nerve palsy: an unusual presentation of a fulminant fungal disease.

Mucormycosis is a rare and dramatic fungal disease with a high mortality rate. We report a case of rhino- orbital mucormycosis, which commenced as cranial nerve palsy, in a woman with ignored diabetes mellitus. Mucormycosis should therefore be taken into consideration during the differential diagnosis of cranial nerve palsy, especially in diabetic or immunocompromised patients.

Sorafenib, risk of bleeding and spontaneous rupture of hepatocellular carcinoma. A clinical case.

Spontaneous rupture is a rare and dramatic complication ofhepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), burdened by a high mortality. Here we describe a case of a 73-year-old man, who arrived at the ER because of syncope, and acute epigastric and right upper quadrant abdominal pain. He had a history of hepatitis C-related liver cirrhosis and HCC in treatment with sorafenib.

Mediterranean spotted fever presenting as an acute pancreatitis.

Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is an infectious disease, caused by Rickettsia conorii. It can have a serious course, even deadly, with many types of complications. Described is a case of a 70-year-old man, hospitalized for fever, abdominal pain, amylase and lipase elevation, and ultrasound hypoechoic pancreas.

Monoclonal gammopathy after visceral leishmaniasis: just a coincidence?

The authors describe a case of monoclonal gammopathy occurring about six months after a visceral leishmaniasis. A literature survey suggests that strong antigenic stimulation caused by visceral leishmaniasis can induce monoclonal gammopathy in a predisposed subject.

[Typhoid fever and acute pancreatitis: two cases].

Acute pancreatitis is a pancreatic inflammation that recognises Salmonella typhi among its aetiological agents. In this article the authors describe two cases of acute pancreatitis secondary to typhoid fever, evolving towards complete recovery. These two cases, besides confirming that Salmonella typhi can be responsible for acute pancreatitis, remind us that during typhoid fever, amylase enzyme test should be always assessed.

[Cardiac manifestations during viral acute hepatitis].

The authors describe a retrospective study conducted on 46 patients with acute viral hepatitis, searching for cardiac disorders. These disorders appeared in about 43% of cases, only with benign evolution. The most frequent alterations are electrocardiographic disorders, followed by conduction blocks, axis deviations and arrhythmias.

[Hydrothorax in absence of ascites: an unusual complication of hepatic cirrhosis with portal hypertension].

Aim: Authors, describing a clinical case of hepatic hydrothorax in absence of ascites, analyse the disease physiopathology and their therapeutic options.

Patients And Methods: Case report of a mixed aethiology (HCV and alcohol) hepatic cirrhosis, with pleural effusion, without ascites.

Conclusions: Hepatic hydrothorax without ascites is an uncommon complication of cirrhosis with portal hypertension.

HCV infection and pericarditis: an extrahepatic manifestation?

The authors describe a clinical case in which they found the unusual combination of acute hepatitis caused by HCV and pericarditis in a young person, resulting in complete recovery from the pericarditis but in a deterioration of the chronic HCV. A close examination of the literature on this subject revealed that, although no similar case was recorded, an aetiological relationship between the hepatitis C virus and pericarditis cannot be excluded since an HCV infection often gives rise to extra-hepatic cardiac problems.

[Substernal goiter: a diagnostic and therapeutic problem. (Report of 39 surgically treated cases)].

Substernal goiter is a rare pathology and its definition varied from author to author. We considered substernal the goiter that has the larger diameter below the thoracic inlet, in accord to definition of Valdoni (1957). The authors examined retrospectively 40 cases of endothoracic goiter, that represent 6.

[Case of cleft palate].

The present paper briefly outlines the pathogenesis of cleft palate and proposes a classification system for cleft palate since both are considered essential for the understanding and assessment of its sequelae. The Authors describe one case of cleft palate. Cleft palate patients present functional and aesthetic alterations in the maxillomandibular area that often require prosthetic correction.

[Choledochal cysts. Clinico-radiological considerations and surgical technical notes].

A successfully operated case of neonatal common bile duct cyst is described. Cystoduodenostomy was employed. Whether or not this condition is attributable to obstruction dysembryogenesis or aganglia is discussed.