Despite being among the common primary intracranial tumors, intraosseous craniofacial meningioma is the least common subtype of meningioma accounting for only 1-2% of intracranial meningiomas. Interestingly, it can display clinical and radiologic features that can be confused for fibrous dysplasia. Scan imaging and biopsy are crucial for the diagnosis as well as for further proper treatment. We report a case of unilateral eye proptosis and optic neuropathy which was initially thought for fibrous dysplasia. Later the histopathology revealed meningioma grade 1. As the clinical presentations are almost undifferentiated, diagnosis and further prompt treatment are challenging.
Optic perineuritis (OPN) involvement in demyelinating disease is rarely encountered. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of bilateral OPN associated with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). We present a case of a healthy young gentleman who presented with OPN, initially presumed to have a young stroke but later diagnosed to be NMOSD. Early neuroimaging is essential to help distinguish optic neuritis (ON), and prolonged treatment of systemic immunosuppression is the mainstay of treatment.
Cancer metastasis to the thyroid gland from non-thyroid sites is a rare presentation in clinical practice. The most frequent primary cancers that metastasise to the thyroid are renal cell carcinoma, followed by colorectal, lung and breast. We report a case of a 64-year-old Malay lady who presented with anterior neck swelling 4 years after an initial diagnosis of uterine leiomyosarcoma. She had undergone a hysterectomy procedure four years ago. Fine needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid mass suggested undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma. After multi-disciplinary discussion, the patient underwent thyroidectomy and the final histopathological diagnosis was metastatic leiomyosarcoma of the thyroid. The diagnosis was aided by an immunohistochemistry panel of positive myogenic markers, negative epithelial markers as well as the previous medical history of uterine leiomyosarcoma. Metastatic leiomyosarcoma of the thyroid may mimic primary undifferentiated (anaplastic) thyroid carcinoma (UTC) with a sarcomatoid pattern, medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) with spindle cells morphology and spindle cell tumour with thymus-like differentiation (SETTLE). Hence, a multidisciplinary approach must be practised by pathologists, surgeons and radiologists to consider metastatic lesions of the thyroid gland, especially when a previous history of cancer exists or is suspected.
Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common and potentially life-threatening complication in patients with lower limb traumatic fractures. Orthopaedic patients who experience trauma in the lower limbs with prolonged immobilization may experience a hypercoagulable state, which could eventually lead to the development of VTE. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the changes in hypercoagulable markers, including haemostatic, inflammatory, and haematological biomarkers in orthopaedic trauma patients with prolonged immobilization. Materials/method This prospective cohort study was conducted at Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia from August 2020 to March 2022. Every patient with fractures in the lower limbs was screened for eligibility, and patients who required immobilization for more than five days without receiving anticoagulant prophylaxis were recruited for this study. The laboratory tests, including D-dimer, fibrinogen, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and platelet count, were serially measured on day one and day five of hospitalization. The biomarkers were analyzed using a paired t-test, with a p-value <0.05 as a significant result. Results A total of 54 patients with fractures in the lower limbs, ages ranging from 12 to 50 years old, were involved in this study. The paired t-test analysis demonstrated that several biomarkers showed a significant increase in mean difference between day one and day five of immobilization, which included fibrinogen, ESR, and platelet count. The mean differences for each biomarker with fibrinogen were 0.66 g/L (p<0.001, 95% CI of mean difference: -1.04, -0.27), ESR increased by 17.98mm/hr (p<0.001, 95% CI of mean difference: -24.69, -11.27), and platelet count increased by 128.59×109/L (p<0.001, 95% CI of mean difference: -166.55, -90.64) on day five of immobilization. D-dimer was elevated in all patients on both post-trauma days; however, no significant difference was observed in this biomarker between day one and day five of immobilization. Conclusion In conclusion, our study found that fibrinogen, ESR, and platelet count levels were significantly increased in orthopaedic trauma patients with prolonged immobilization. The increase in these biomarkers indicates the body's reaction to tissue injury after trauma, which may contribute to the hypercoagulable states. Further research with a larger sample size is warranted to assess the viability of these biomarkers as potential diagnostic indicators for the development of VTE related to hypercoagulability.