Rare complication of adenomyosis: acute purulent peritonitis and septicaemia in a young nulligravida

Adenomyosis is a benign gynaecological condition in multiparous women during their middle age commonly presenting as pelvic pain and menorrhagia. We report a case of a 27-year-old nulligravida of Asian origin from the Indian subcontinent who presented with a huge adenomyotic uterus with mild splenomegaly, and portal cavernoma having gross ascites that developed life-threatening peritonitis and septicaemia. Endometrial aspiration done showed no atypia or malignancy and upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy done showed no dilated varices. With increasing abdominal distension, she developed tachycardia, tachypnoea, septicaemia and oliguria. Exploratory laparotomy done revealed purulent loculi, omentum and bowel adhesion around the uterus. Adnexa was not distinctly identifiable. Hysterectomy with left salpingo-oopherectomy was performed. She required ventilatory support and intensive unit care postoperatively. Histopathology examination showed adenomyosis with suppuration, right ovary endometriotic cyst and left ovary non-specific inflammation. The patient was discharged in stable condition on day 21. Adenomyosis may rarely occur in young nulligravida women as life-threatening manifestations with purulent peritonitis and septicaemia. Early exploration is crucial for diagnosis and recovery.

Elastography ultrasound for screening and early detection of esophageal varices

Despite that esophageal varices can be effectively detected by using upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy, the procedure is invasive and requires the integration of adequate experience and training, and it is not suitable for many patients. Accordingly, ultrasound elastography has been developed and validated by many studies in the recent literature as effective and non-invasive modalities for the early observation and diagnosis of esophageal varices and the relevant hepatic diseases. In this study, we aim to conduct a literature review to furtherly elaborate on the role and validity of elastography ultrasound to screen and early detect esophageal varices. We have discussed the diagnostic efficacy of three different types of ultrasound elastography including two-dimensional shear wave elastography, point shear wave elastography, and transient elastography in detecting and early diagnosis of esophageal varies. Transient elastography (TE) has been reported to be efficacious and the simplest technique. However, it was reported with some limitations. These limitations could be compensated by the two-dimensional shear wave elastography and the point shear wave, Nevertheless, these two modalities need high levels of experience and are not widely available. Besides, there are a few investigations that have validated the efficacy of the latter in detecting esophageal varices. Accordingly, we encourage further investigation for a future relevance.

Dysphagia Associated with Neurological Disorders

Neurogenic dysphagia is characterized by problems with neural control of swallowing caused by various neurological diseases: vascular diseases, traumatic diseases, neoplasms, infections, neuromuscular diseases, and others. In patients of intensive care units after long-term intubation and extubation may evolve “postextubation dysphagia”, characterized by the “learned non-use” phenomenon. Neurogenic dysphagia is a component of bulbar or pseudobulbar palsy, depending on the level of the neurological lesion. Diagnoses of neurogenic dysphagia include clinical examination (water swallow test), videofluoroscopy, upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy and manometry, fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing, a grade of Penetration-Aspiration Scale, and Fiberoptic Endoscopic Dysphagia Severity Scale. Dysphagia complications (malnutrition, dehydration, weight loss, aspiration, and respiratory tract obstruction) associated with bad functional recovery and life prognosis, so neurogenic dysphagia need a complex treatment: correct feeding pattern of caloric value and consistency, methods of oral cavity mucosa sensitivity stimulation, swallowing process stimulation, physiotherapeutic treatment methods (electrical stimulation of the larynx and tongue root), logopedic exercises therapy, surgical correction, lifestyle correction, and others. Sometimes it is a need for replacement therapy method by nasogastric tube and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, parenteral feeding in several cases. Neurogenic dysphagia patient rehabilitation includes the “swallowing enhancement” method with optimal food consistency and training method after correct preparation of the oral cavity for swallowing. Neurogenic dysphagia patient oral feeding requires correct technique and contact with the patient for safety and efficient recovery.

Histopathological spectrum of upper gastrointestinal endoscopic biopsies

Background: Upper gastrointestinal tract disorders are one of the most commonly encountered problems in the clinical practice. A variety of disorders can affect the upper gastrointestinal tract. Endoscopy, in combination with biopsy, plays an important role in the exact diagnosis for further management.Objectives: To determine the spectrum of histopathological lesions of upper gastrointestinal tract.Methods: A prospective study was conducted in the Department of Pathology, Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital, Nepal from January 2015 to December 2016 (2 years).Results: A total 243 endoscopic biopsies were evaluated. Out of which, 219 cases were from gastric, 15 were from esophagus and 9 were from duodenum. Among the gastric biopsies, 77 cases (35.16%) were chronic active gastritis and 27 cases (12.33%) were malignant. The most common malignancy was adenocarcinoma. Among the 15 oesophageal biopsies, 12 cases (80%) were of non-neoplastic and 3 cases (20%) were of neoplastic nature. The most common malignancy was squamous cell carcinoma. Among 9 cases of duodenum biopsies, all were non-neoplastic, of which chronic non-specific duodenitis (66.66%) was the commonest.Conclusion: Endoscopy is incomplete without histopathological examination of biopsy and so, the combinations of methods play an important role in diagnosis and management of upper gastrointestinal tract disorders.Journal of BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Vol. 1, No. 1, 2018, Page: 67-74

Removal of Nasogastric Tube Accidentally Stitched to Roux-en-Y Oesophagojejunostomy Following a Radical Gastrectomy for Stomach Cancer: Case report and review of the literature

Nasogastric tubes (NGTs) are important for feeding, stenting and decompression after gastrointestinal surgeries, particularly in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Resistance in the removal of a NGT is a rare surgical complication and may be due to a knot in the tube or a stitch anchoring the tube to an anastomosis. We report a 41-year-old male patient who was admitted to the King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2015 with stomach cancer. He underwent a radical total gastrectomy with a Roux-en-Y oesophagojejunostomy. One week after the surgery, removal of the NGT was attempted; however, this was very difficult and the proximal end of the tube was cut off as a temporary measure. Six weeks later, an upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy revealed that the distal end of the NGT had been accidentally stitched to the Roux-en-Y oesophagojejunostomy. The stitch was removed and the rest of the NGT was successfully extracted using a snare.