Extrusion of a screw into the gastrointestinal tract after anterior cervical spine plating.

In this case report of a screw extrusion into the gastrointestinal tract of a patient 16 months after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), the authors describe a rare but potentially lethal complication and review the literature on this topic. A 70-year-old white man with a surgical history of ACDF at C3-4 underwent an ACDF at C5-6 with autologous bone graft and a dynamic plate using locking, expanding screws. Sixteen months after the operation the patient presented with severe dysphagia.

Fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation for benign anastomotic stricture after Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy: experience in 62 patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and clinical effectiveness of fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation in 62 patients with benign anastomotic stricture after Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy.

Materials And Methods: Between January 1996 and June 2004, fluoroscopically guided balloon dilation was undertaken in 62 patients with benign anastomotic stricture after Ivor-Lewis esophagectomy. Radiologic images and medical records including complications were retrospectively reviewed.

Spontaneous perforation in the ringed esophagus.

A 54-year-old man presented to the ER with chest pain. He underwent an upper endoscopy revealing a large linear esophageal tear and a CT chest showed free air in the mediastinum. He was managed conservatively and was discharged 2 days later.

Cusp tear in bicuspid aortic valve possibly caused by phentermine.

A 28 year old woman underwent echocardiography following an incidental finding of a diastolic murmur. She has been taking phentermine for weight reduction for 8 months. Trans-esophageal echocardiography revealed a tear of the posterior cusp of the aortic valve causing severe regurgitation.

Stacked proximal aortic cuffs: an "off-the-shelf" solution for treating focal thoracic aortic pathology.

Purpose: To report our early experience with the endovascular placement of stacked Zenith main body extensions (cuffs) in the treatment of focal thoracic aortic pathology in high-risk patients.

Methods: Between January 2003 and May 2004, 6 patients (3 men; mean age 59 years, range 37-82) with focal aortic pathology underwent endovascular repair using stacked 30 and 32-mm-diameter Zenith main body extensions. The setting was a university tertiary referral center for vascular disease.

Tension pneumomediastinum after severe vomiting in a 21-year-old female.

A 21-year-old female with chronic membranoproliferative nephritis was admitted for suspected esophageal disruption and asthma after severe, prolonged vomiting. At the time of admission she presented with dyspnea, tachypnea, arterial hypotension and tachycardia. Physical examination showed discrete signs of ectopic air at the neck and distended cervical veins.

Esophageal rupture secondary to blunt trauma in a child.

Oesophageal perforation is the most life threatening of all digestive perforations. External blunt trauma is a rare cause of oesophageal perforation. An 8-years old boy sustained blunt trauma to the chest and abdomen, which led to splenic tear and oesophageal rupture.

[A case of spontaneous rupture of the esophagus: the characteristic CT findings].

A 75-year-old man was seen in the Emergency Room of our hospital because of chest pain after drinking beer and vomiting. Chest radiography showed pleural effusion in the left pleural space. The drained effusion contained digested food.

Esophageal perforation after fracture of the cervical spine: case report and review of the literature.

We present a posttraumatic esophageal tear that occurred in a 55-year old patient after a truck accident. He sustained a two-level injury with a type II odontoid fracture and a unilateral fracture of the left superior articular process of C6 with an incomplete quadriplegia at C5. Both lesions were treated nonoperatively.

Surgical management of esophageal perforation: role of esophageal conservation in delayed perforation.

Definitive repair of esophageal perforation is considered the preferred treatment for patients presenting early (<24 hours). However, the optimal management of delayed presentation (>24 hours) has not been well defined. This study examined the management of esophageal perforation and compared the outcomes of early versus delayed presentation.

Two cases of submucosal haematoma of the oesophagus and Mallory-Weiss tear.

Submucosal haematoma of the oesophagus is an uncommon condition which may be under-recognised. Presentation may be with chest pain, dysphagia or haematemesis. Endoscopy, CT scan, barium meal or a combination of these modalities makes the diagnosis.

[Severe mediastinal emphysema after temporal gunshot with a gas revolver].

Injuries after a close contact gunshot with clear or tear gas cartridges can lead to severe and life threatening complications. The high pressure of the gas may damage soft tissue, bones and organs. This mechanism is able to cause mediastinal emphysema, rupture of upper and lower pharyngeal, esophageal and tracheal structures far away from the initial trauma with diagnostic findings which are may be difficult to interpret.

Perioperative management of a patient presenting with a spontaneously ruptured esophagus.

Purpose: To report a case of spontaneous rupture of the esophagus and its anesthetic management.

Clinical Features: A 52-yr-old male presented with a seven day history of chest pain, respiratory distress, and swelling in the neck following forceful vomiting. Examination revealed hypotension, decreased air entry in the right lower lung field with crepitations, epigastric tenderness with abdominal distension and guarding of both right and left hypochondria.

Pericardial flap aortopexy: an easy and safe technique in the treatment of tracheomalacia.

A 5-month-old boy who had been operated for esophageal atresia and tracheoesophageal fistula was presented with recurrent life-threatening apneic spells, expiratory stridor and difficulty in feeding. Diagnosis of tracheomalacia was confirmed by bronchoscopy and pericardial flap aortopexy was performed. Pericardial flap aortopexy is a relatively simple procedure with minimal risk to the aorta.

Traumatic tear of aorta, trachea, and esophagus in a 7-year-old survivor.

In August 1996, a 7-year-old boy was crushed from behind into the steering wheel of a go-cart, suffering a tear of his right innominate artery into the aortic arch, a 2-inch tear of the posterior trachea into left main bronchus, and 2 4-inch tears in the esophagus. These were all repaired on cardiopulmonary bypass through a sternotomy; a Gor-tex (W. L.

The effects of laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding on the proximal pouch and the esophagus.

Background: Pouch development is a potentially serious problem following gastric banding, and reoperation is often demanded to maintain long-term function of the lap band. Laparoscopic gastric banding was performed with two different calibrations of the pouch. Within a period of 12 months, postoperative pouch behavior with regard to volume and shape was evaluated retrospectively, as were changes in the distal esophagus.

Endoscopic and radiological features of intramural esophageal dissection.

A 41-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital complaining of chest pain, dysphagia, and odynophagia after an upper respiratory tract infection and nasogastric tube insertion. An upper endoscopy showed a large submucosal bulge along the posterior wall from the upper esophagus with mucosal tears and bridge formation, extending down to the lower esophagus. A barium esophagogram revealed a "double-barreled" esophagus, and chest computed tomography (CT) scan showed eccentric thickening of the esophageal wall.

Oral presentation of an oesophageal mucosal tear.

Tears of the oesophageal wall following sudden forceful vomiting are well documented in literature. In Boerhaave's syndrome there is transmural rupture associated with complications including pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, surgical emphysema and shock. In Mallory-Weiss syndrome mucosal tears are associated with haematemesis and shock.

Spontaneous rupture of the common carotid artery presenting as a widened mediastinum.

Spontaneous rupture of the common carotid artery is an extremely rare disorder. Presentation in an elderly gentleman as a widened mediastinum with cardiac compromise has not been previously reported. Emergency surgical exploration to decompress the airway revealed a 5-mm tear just proximal to the left common carotid artery bifurcation and a large para-oesophageal haematoma.

[Perforation of the esophagus during pneumatic dilatation in achalasia].

Esophageal perforation is a serious complication of pneumatic dilatation. We studied the cases of 4 patients (2 men and 2 women, mean age 58 years, range 56-62) who had surgical treatment for achalasia, two of which had had previous dilatation. The main symptoms were pain and dyspnea.

Periventricular brain heterotopias in a child with adrenocortical insufficiency, achalasia, alacrima, and neurologic abnormalities (Allgrove syndrome).

We describe a previously unreported finding of periventricular heterotopias in a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study, in a girl with adrenocortical insufficiency, alacrima, achalasia, and neurologic deterioration (Allgrove syndrome). This finding could indicate that the underlying mechanism in this syndrome can be traced to the first half of fetal life and also might cause abnormal neuronal migration. This disorder recently has been linked to chromosome 12q13.

Massive gastrointestinal hemorrhage after transoesophageal echocardiography probe insertion.

Purpose: To describe a case of a massive gastric bleeding following emergency coronary artery bypass surgery associated with transoesophageal echocardiographic (TEE) examination.

Clinical Features: A 50-yr-old man was referred for an acute myocardial infarction and pulmonary edema (Killip class 3). Twelve hours after his myocardial infarction, he was still having chest pain despite an i.

Radiographic and CT findings of blunt chest trauma: aortic injuries and looking beyond them.

Increasingly, helical CT is being used to screen trauma patients for aortic injury. Most aortic injuries visible at CT occur at or near the level of the ligamentum arteriosus; these injuries manifest as mediastinal hematoma, aortic contour deformity, intimal flaps, intraluminal debris, pseudoaneurysm, and pseudocoarctation. In the process of searching for aortic injury, however, the radiologist should not overlook other serious and more common thoracic injuries.

[An operative case of spontaneous rupture of the esophagus 10 days after the onset].

This paper presents a rare case of spontaneous rupture of the esophagus operated on 10 days subsequent to its onset. A 69-year-old male, who was diagnosed as acute pancreatitis, came to this department after 10 days of conservative therapy. Emergency examination including computed tomography, esophagoscopy and esophagography indicated spontaneous rupture of the esophagus.

Keratoconjunctivitis sicca associated with achalasia of the cardia, adrenocortical insufficiency, and lacrimal gland degeneration: Keratoconjunctivitis sicca secondary to lacrimal gland degeneration may parallel degenerative changes in esophageal and adrenocortical function.

Objective/design: This study aimed to examine and describe three siblings with alacrima, the eldest of whom had associated achalasia and adrenocortical insufficiency.

Participants: Three affected siblings and four age-matched control subjects participated. INTERVENTION/MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The three children underwent complete ophthalmologic examinations; computed tomographic scanning of brain, orbit, chest, and abdomen; and measurement of serum cortisol.