The Enigma of Retroperitoneal Fibrosis: Clinical Implications and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenges.

Retroperitoneal fibrosis (RPF) is a rare disease with a nonspecific presentation. RPF can be classified into Idiopathic, the most common, or secondary due to malignancy and various medications resulting in chronic inflammation and fibrosis in the retroperitoneum. The complications arise due to the compression of structures in the retroperitoneum.

Bilateral pneumatoceles resulting in spontaneous bilateral pneumothoraces and secondary infection in a previously healthy man with COVID-19.

An acute COVID-19 infection can result in cystic lung changes that have a unique presentation and are inherently difficult to manage with or without preexisting conditions. Even though reportedly very few COVID-19 patients develop secondary bacterial infections due to unclear mechanisms, a postviral sequela with typical and atypical organisms can prolong the course of lung damage. The long-term effects of COVID-19 lung damage are still unclear, as the morbidity of the disease process is yet to be fully understood.

Atypical painless vision loss in a patient with granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

Vasculitis is a common cause of vision loss, and typically painful. In giant cell arteritis, the most common primary vasculitis in adults, we see elevated inflammatory markers, granulomatous inflammation, and associated headache or scalp tenderness. Vision loss caused by granulomatous with polyangiitis (GPA) is rare and typically associated with pain and orbital findings.

Incomplete Cord Syndromes: Clinical and Imaging Review.

The ability to localize the three spinal tracts (corticospinal tract, spinothalamic tract, and dorsal [posterior] columns) involved in incomplete spinal cord syndromes at cross-sectional imaging and knowledge of the classic clinical manifestations of the various syndromes enable optimized imaging evaluation and provide clinicians with information that aids in diagnosis and treatment. The requisite knowledge for localizing these tracts is outlined. The authors review the spinal cord anatomy, blood supply, and course of these tracts and describe the various associated syndromes: specifically, dorsal cord, ventral cord, central cord, Brown-Séquard, conus medullaris, and cauda equina syndromes.

Administered activity and outcomes of glass versus resin (90)Y microsphere radioembolization in patients with colorectal liver metastases.

Background: Given the differences in size, specific activity, and dosing methods for glass yttrium-90 microspheres ((90)Y-glass) and resin (90)Y microspheres ((90)Y-resin), these therapies may expose the liver to different amounts of radiation, thereby affecting their efficacy and tolerability. We aimed to compare the prescribed activity of (90)Y-glass and (90)Y-resin for real-world patients undergoing selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) for liver-dominant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and to assess efficacy and safety outcomes in these patients.

Methods: We examined the records of 28 consecutive patients with unresectable colorectal liver metastases treated with SIRT between June 2008 and May 2011 at our institution.

Ectopic pituitary adenoma associated with an empty sella presenting with hearing loss: case report with literature review.

Ectopic pituitary adenomas are uncommon entities that may pose substantial diagnostic challenges. In the majority of these cases, patients present with endocrine and/or nasal obstruction symptoms. We report the case of an ectopic pituitary adenoma in a 76-year-old man with an empty sella who initially presented with right-sided hearing loss progressing to bilateral hearing loss over the next 4 years.

A review of the clinical diagnosis and therapy of cholangiocarcinoma.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is the second most common primary hepatic malignancy worldwide. The incidence of intrahepatic CCA is increasing, whereas that of extrahepatic CCA is decreasing. This review looks at the new advances that have been made in the management of CCA, based on a PubMed and Science Citation Index search of results from randomized controlled trials, reviews, and cohort, prospective and retrospective studies.