Typhoid fever being a systemic infection can present in a multitude of ways, involving various systems. Here we describe a case of typhoid fever presenting with acute cerebellar ataxia and marked thrombocytopenia. This atypical presentation is not common in typhoid fever and can lead to misdiagnosis as well as a delay in the initiation of appropriate therapy. Prompt clinical improvement and the return of platelet counts to normal were noted after the patient was started on IV Ceftriaxone.
Chondrosarcomas are uncommon tumors which originates in the head and neck and accounts for approximately 10 to 15% of all cases. Most chondrosarcomas exhibit an indolent growth pattern. Nasoseptal tumors may mimic common sinonasal conditions, making early diagnosis difficult. We report a case of nasoseptal metastatic chondrosarcoma which was atypical, characterized by an aggressive growth pattern and widely disseminated.
Cystic spinal or ancient schwannoma is a rare form of intradural tumour especially in the conus medullaris region. Due to its indolent behavior and benign course, the diagnosis of schwannoma is always a challenge and the imaging findings can be misleading. Our patient presented with chronic mild sciatica pain without any other neurological symptom. MRI of the spine showed intradural tumour located at the conus medullaris region with nerves compression and was reported as ependymoma. L3-L5 laminectomy and total excision of tumour was performed without any neurological complication. We concluded that ancient schwannoma of the conus medullaris is a rare benign tumour that can present with minimal non-specific neurological symptom that lead to misdiagnosis. Radical tumour excision is safe with an excellent outcome.
Pyoderma Gangrenosum (PG) is a non-infective, necrotising neutrophilic dermatosis. Many diseases may mimic PG. It may be idiopathic or may be associated with a systemic disorder. We report a case of PG in association with ulcerative colitis.
Visceral pentastomiasis in humans is caused by the larval stages (nymphs) of the arthropod-related tongue worms Linguatula serrata, Armillifer armillatus, A. moniliformis, A. grandis, and Porocephalus crotali. The majority of cases has been reported from Africa, Malaysia, and the Middle East, where visceral pentastomiasis may be an incidental finding in autopsies, and less often from China and Latin America. In Europe and North America, the disease is only rarely encountered in immigrants and long-term travelers, and the parasitic lesions may be confused with malignancies, leading to a delay in the correct diagnosis. Since clinical symptoms are variable and serological tests are not readily available, the diagnosis often relies on histopathological examinations. This laboratory symposium focuses on the diagnosis of this unusual parasitic disease and presents its risk factors and epidemiology.
Immunohistochemistry has become part of normal routine diagnostic work in the Stomatology Unit, Institute for Medical Research, Kuala Lumpur. Of 9523 cases received from the year 2000 to 2005, 197 cases (2.1%) required immunohistochemical staining. These cases ranged from benign to malignant lesions. They include lymphomas (n=41), epithelial tumours (n=29), neural lesions (n=21), fibroblastic/myofibroblastic tumours (n=16), small round cell tumour (n=11), vascular tumours (n=4), smooth muscle tumours (n=4), myxomatous tumours (n=4) and skeletal muscle tumours (n=1). In most of the cases (69.5%), immunohistochemical staining was mandatory to reach a definite diagnosis, while 60 cases (30.5%) required immunohistochemistry in confirming the diagnosis. In 32 cases (16.2%), definitive diagnosis could not be made due to the small size of the specimens received or the results of immunohistochemistry were inconclusive. Standardization of techniques, competent medical laboratory technologists and sufficient budget allocation are important in producing a high quality immunohistochemistry service.
Breast cancer is the commonest cancer in most countries in Asia. The incidence rates remain low, although increasing at a more rapid rate than in western countries, due to changes in the lifestyle and diet. There are many differences between breast cancer in Asia compared with western countries. The mean age at onset is younger than in the west, and unlike the west, the age-specific incidence decreases after the age of 50 years. Because there is no population-based breast cancer screening program in the majority of Asian countries, the majority of patients present with advanced disease. There is a higher proportion of hormone receptor-negative patients, and some evidence that the cancers in Asia are of a higher grade. Most of the Asian countries are low- and middle-income countries, where access to effective care is limited. Because of the late detection and inadequate access to care, survival of women with breast cancer in Asia is lower than in western countries. Improving breast health in most of the Asian countries remains a challenge that may be overcome with collaboration from multiple sectors, both public and private.
During normal sleep the tone of the pharyngeal airway dilator muscles is decreased resulting in upper airway narrowing and increased resistance to airflow. Nasal obstruction may result from a variety of anatomical abnormalities such as septal deviation, nasal polyps, adenoid hypertrophy and rhinitis such as allergic rhinitis, acute viral rhinitis, vasomotor rhinitis and non-allergic rhinitis with nasal eosinophilia syndrome. Disordered breathing during sleep can both result from and be worsened by nasal obstruction. In children, nasal obstruction due to enlarged tonsils and adenoids results in a switch to oral breathing which may lead to the adenoid faces because of changes in the craniofacial structures during growth that predispose to disordered breathing during sleep.
In Malaysia, transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA) is a relatively new procedure performed only in a handful of respiratory centres. We reviewed TBNA of mediastinal lymph node performed in Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA) to determine the yield and its complications. Data was retrieved from endoscopy databases and patients' records, CT thorax images and all cytological and histological slides were reviewed. Twenty-five patients had TBNA performed. TBNA was positive in 15 patients (60%). Overall, 80% had confirmed malignancy after bronchoscopy. Only four patients had documented bleeding after TBNA and in two of them, bleeding stopped spontaneously and another two patients required diluted adrenaline to stop the bleed. No mortality was reported from this procedure. Hence, TBNA is a safe procedure.
Tako Tsubo cardiomyopathy is rare, stress related and indistinguishable from acute myocardial infarction clinically. Proper diagnosis is essential to avoid unnecessary thrombolysis and life long management of coronary artery disease.
Fibrous dysplasia is a benign disease characterized by a progressive replacement of normal bone elements with fibrous tissue and the temporal bone involvement is uncommon. It has a male:female ratio of 2:1 and is seen more commonly in the first two decades of life. Diagnosis is made based on radiological findings and the modality of treatment is mainly conservative. However, surgery is reserved for preserving function and preventing complications. Fibrous dysplasia in the region of craniofacial bones is of particular interest to the otolaryngologist as it causes deformity and dysfunction that can be debilitating. We present a 49 year old Chinese gentleman with complaints of chronic dizziness over the last one year and had no obvious hearing impairment. Computed tomography of the mastoid revealed fibrous dysplasia of the right temporal bone. This case is of particular interest due to the late presentation as it is more commonly seen in the first two decades of life.
Matched MeSH terms: Fibrous Dysplasia of Bone/diagnosis*
Pneumocephalus (Intracranial aerocele), defined as intracranial air, is an uncommon complication in head injury patients. It can present immediately following head trauma or be delayed for many days before clinical symptoms occur. We present two cases of extensive pneumocephalus after trauma. The diagnosis was made by computed tomography (CT). When pneumocephalus is suspected, CT can play a vital role in determining the precise location of the gas collection, its relationship to the basal skull fracture site or air sinuses and the amount of mass effect on the brain.
We report a newborn baby girl with acute dengue due to vertical transmission. A 31 year old factory worker of 38+ week gestation, gravida 5 para 3+1, developed acute dengue fever two days prior to delivery. She delivered a normal term baby girl by spontaneous vaginal delivery and recovered uneventfully without peripartum haemorrhage despite the presence of thrombocytopenia. The baby girl developed low grade fever on day four of post-natal life and except for the transient thrombocytopenia, also recovered uneventfully following three days of mild illness. The clinical diagnosis of acute dengue virus infection was confirmed by laboratory tests.
A 12-year-old boy with moderate to severe bilateral mixed hearing loss was planned for hearing aid placement. During the process of making ear mould impression, the impression material accidentally entered the right middle ear. Removal of the ear mould impression was possible permeatally under general anaesthesia.
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is stenosis or occlusion of peripheral arterial vessels by atherosclerotic plaque. It may present as intermittent claudication, rest pain and impotence. PAD of the lower limbs is the third most important site of atherosclerotic disease after coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease. Increasing age, family history, smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia and more decisively diabetes are significant risk factors. PAD is a clinical condition that has often been neglected, underdiagnosed, undertreated and has a serious outcome. It may lead to nonhealing wounds, gangrene and amputation of the lower limbs. Hence, early identification of patients at risk of PAD and timely referral to the vascular surgeon in severe cases is crucial.
Universally, mothers often use touching to detect fever in their children. We perform a systematic review of published diagnostic studies evaluating the ability of mothers to detect fever in their children by touching. We found 10 studies satisfying our inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis revealed a summary sensitivity of 89.2% and summary specificity of 50%-maternal touch is perhaps more useful to exclude fever rather than to 'rule in' fever. However, due to significant heterogeneity in the included studies, interpretation of the summary data is difficult.
A descriptive study was conducted on premarital HIV screening programme in Johor over a three year period. HIV screenings were done at government clinics and confirmed by accredited laboratories. As a result, 123 new HIV cases were detected (0.17%) from 74,210 respondents. In 2004, 24 cases (64.9%) advanced to marriage (n = 37) after they underwent counselling and six of them married among themselves. Positivity rate from this programme (0.17%) is higher than antenatal screening (0.05%). Despite the implementation of the premarital HIV screening programme, marriage application in Johor rose 2.8% in 2004 compared with 2002. This programme had partly contributed to public awareness against HIV and provides another option in early detection of the disease.
In 1985, when HIV testing first became available, the main goal of such testing was to ensure blood safety. Hemophiliacs and other patients who were transfusion-dependent were the initial patients that needed to be protected as they were exposed to iatrogenic risk. It dawned very quickly to health authorities even then that alternative testing sites had to be quickly established to deter persons from using blood bank facilities for HIV testing purposes. At that time, professional opinion was divided regarding the value of HIV testing and whether HIV testing should be encouraged because no consensus existed regarding whether a positive test predicted transmission to sex partners or from mother to infant. No effective treatment existed then and stigma and discrimination faced by those who were found positive was rampant in many parts of the world. Counseling was designed, in part, to ensure that persons tested were aware of the implications of a positive result and in part, to address the person’s risk behavior to reduce transmission to others.
A 25 year old college student with a past history of congenital heart disease presented with high grade fever and palpitations. He complained of painful red nodules on his finger pulp and his toes.
An outbreak of rubella occurred amongst 303 newly recruited residential Form IV students in a military vocational training school in Malaysia. Of the 303 Form IV students, 77 gave a history of acute illness. Rubella specific IgM was detected in the sera of 46.5% (141/303) whereas rubella specific IgG was detected in 100% of all Form IV students. Sixty five students with no clinical history of acute illness during the outbreak period had detectable rubella IgM in their sera and rubella specific IgM was detected in the sera of all symptomatic students except one. Maculopapular rash was the commonest presenting clinical feature among students with acute rubella infection in this outbreak (97.4%) followed by fever (88.2%). The duration of rash ranged from one to nine days with a mean of 4.6 days. Of the 65 students that had both fever and rash, 56 (85.2%) students had maculopapular skin eruption on the same day as the date of onset of fever, six (9.2%) developed the rash a day after the onset of fever and three (4.6%) had the rash after two days of fever. The duration of fever ranged from one to eight days with a mean of 3.5 days. The duration of conjunctivitis ranged from one to four days with a mean of 2.3 days, and all those who developed conjunctivitis had mild eye-discharge without photophobia. The duration of arthralgia ranged from one to three days with a mean of 2.1 days. The commonest type of joints affected was knee joints (66.7%, 12/18), followed by elbow and shoulder joints (27.8%, 5/18) and wrist joints (5.6%, 1/18). A good clinical history of the temporal relationship between the occurrence of rash and fever during the outbreak could easily differentiate rubella illness from that of measles.