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Biomedical subjects

David M Sherer

Publications and source records attributed to David M Sherer.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2005

Peripartum disseminated extrapulmonary tuberculosis simulating ovarian carcinoma.

Disseminated extrapulmonary tuberculosis is an uncommon complication of pregnancy. We present a 26-year-old multiparous immigrant from Haiti who was admitted following an extramural preterm delivery. Marked ascites was confirmed by computerized tomography, which also revealed a thickened greater omentum. These findings were considered suggestive of advanced ovarian carcinoma, although extrapulmonary tuberculosis was also considered despite negative tuberculin skin test screening. Image-guided omental biopsy demonstrated caseating granulomas substantiating the diagnosis of abdominal tuberculosis, which was later confirmed by cultures. The patient responded well to antituberculosis medications. This case describes the unusual peripartum presentation of abdominal tuberculosis simulating advanced ovarian carcinoma, and demonstrates the importance of considering extrapulmonary tuberculosis when encountering ascites and omental thickening during pregnancy despite negative tuberculin skin test screening.

Diagnosis, Differential↗
PubMed2005

Recurrent antepartum compression of a single artery double nuchal cord necessitating emergency cesarean delivery.

Fetuses with a single umbilical artery are considered at increased risk for chromosomal and structural abnormalities, and increased adverse perinatal outcome. A young nulliparous patient was followed with weekly nonstress testing due to well-controlled gestational diabetes, a single umbilical artery, and a double nuchal cord. At 31 weeks gestation, following the occurrence of a severe prolonged variable deceleration of the fetal heart rate the patient was hospitalized for close fetal surveillance with consideration that the deceleration may represent recurring intermittent compression of the single umbilical artery. Continuous fetal monitoring depicted recurrent severe variable decelerations of the fetal heart rate. Thirty-six hours after admission, prolonged fetal bradycardia to 60 bpm necessitated emergency cesarean delivery of a nonhypoxic nonacidotic fetus, which subsequently did well. This case suggests that fetuses with a single umbilical artery nuchal cord(s) may be at increased risk of significant umbilical cord compression.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Micturition syncope during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Micturition syncope is a relatively uncommon cause of sudden and temporary loss of consciousness. Most prevalent in older males, this condition is extremely rare in women. CASES: Two pregnant women presented with recurrent syncope. The syncopal events were more common in the early morning and were precipitated by the presence of a distended bladder, urinary urgency, assuming a standing position after either being supine or sitting, or associated with travel motion. Extensive neurology and cardiology evaluations were negative, and the events were considered consistent with micturition syncope. Both patients responded favorably to conservative voiding behavior modification measures throughout the remainder of pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Micturition syncope during pregnancy may not be a rare occurrence. This potentially dangerous condition is amenable to voiding behavior modification measures.

Female↗
PubMed2004

Complete abortion of a nonviable cervical pregnancy following methotrexate treatment.

Cervical pregnancy is an uncommon ectopic pregnancy that accounts for approximately <1% of extrauterine gestations. This condition is associated with an extremely high risk of massive hemorrhage and previously often required hysterectomy. Current early ultrasonographic diagnosis and medical management in conjunction with other conservative measures, which include uterine artery embolization and intracervical balloon tamponade, have enabled conservation of the uterus. A young nulliparous patient ultrasonographically diagnosed with a cervical pregnancy and early fetal demise at 11 and 4/7 weeks gestation was managed with high-dose methotrexate and folinic acid rescue treatment. On the second day after treatment was initiated she spontaneously passed an intact gestational sac accompanied by minimal hemorrhage. Treatment was continued, with decreasing serum beta subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin levels and subsiding hemorrhage. Subsequent surgical measures were not required. This case suggests that complete abortion of a cervical pregnancy not necessitating surgical measures can occur.

Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal↗
PubMed2004

Prenatal diagnosis of dilated cavum septum pellucidum et vergae.

The cavum septum pellucidum is a fluid-filled cavity located between the membranes of the septi pellucidi, which should always be visualized sonographically in normal fetuses between 18 and 37 weeks gestation and in approximately 50% of term infants. The cavum vergae, a cavity within the septum pellucidum, is located posterior to an arbitrary vertical plane formed by the columns of the fornix. We present a case in which markedly dilated cavum septum pellucidum et vergae noted at 29 weeks gestation was associated with midgut malrotation and volvulus, and review the literature pertaining to this unusual prenatal ultrasonographic diagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Stage IV large B cell lymphoma presenting as gigantomastia and pulmonary hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Gigantomastia is a rare complication of pregnancy usually associated with benign conditions, including end-organ hypersensitivity to normal hormone levels, penicillamine therapy, mirror syndrome, and benign or glandular fibroadenomas. CASE: A young woman presented at 30 weeks of gestation with chest pain and gigantomastia. Echocardiography performed because of the patient's tachypnea and tachycardia disclosed pulmonary hypertension. After spontaneous delivery, core needle breast and axillary lymph node biopsies and computerized tomography imaging were performed, and stage IV diffuse large B cell lymphoma with infiltration of the breasts was confirmed. The patient responded to systemic chemotherapy with resolution of the gigantomastia and pulmonary artery hypertension. CONCLUSION: This case demonstrates that systemic malignancies such as diffuse large B cell lymphoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of gigantomastia during pregnancy. In addition, malignancy-related pulmonary hypertension during pregnancy may be reversible after chemotherapy, as reported in nonpregnant patients.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Severe hypernatremia after cesarean delivery secondary to transient diabetes insipidus of pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Transient diabetes insipidus is an uncommon complication of pregnancy, usually manifesting with polydipsia and polyuria. This condition is considered to result from excess placental vasopressinase activity and is managed with deamino D arginine vasopressin. CASE: While on restricted oral intake after cesarean delivery, the patient gradually became disoriented and agitated in conjunction with markedly increased urine output disproportional to her intravenous crystalloid fluid intake. Marked hypernatremia of 178 mEq/dL was noted. Urine osmolality was low at 248 mOsm/L. The clinical presentation and electrolyte abnormalities were considered consistent with transient diabetes insipidus of pregnancy. The patient responded well to nasal-spray-administered deamino D arginine vasopressin and increased intravenous fluid intake, with resolution of symptoms and gradual normalization of serum sodium levels. CONCLUSION: Transient diabetes insipidus of pregnancy should be considered in the differential diagnosis of severe hypernatremia in obstetric patients with restricted oral intake after operative delivery.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Performance of ThinPrep liquid-based cervical cytology in comparison with conventionally prepared Papanicolaou smears: a quantitative survey.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to evaluate the performance of ThinPrep, a liquid-based cytology preparation technique, in comparison with conventionally prepared Papanicolaou smears in detecting cervical pathology. METHODS: Forty-seven English-language articles published between January 1990 and September 2002 were identified through Medline and manual searches. After elimination of 5 nonprimary articles, 10 unpaired studies, 5 descriptive articles with insufficient or no data, and 3 articles with data that could not be recast into a consistent format, there remained 24 usable articles. Seventeen articles contained data comparing ThinPrep with conventional cytology for 35172 patients; and 10 articles compared cytology with histology or other gold standard diagnoses for 21752 patients. Three of these articles contained both types of comparisons. The standard cytology classification into negative, atypical, low-grade (LGSIL) and high-grade (HGSIL) squamous intraepithelial lesions, and carcinoma was applied; other categorization schemes were recoded as necessary. Concordance estimates, based on five-way and dichotomous (normal/abnormal) classifications, were obtained from the 17 studies containing paired cytology data. Sensitivity and specificity rates were obtained from the 10 studies with paired cytology and histology data. RESULTS: The two methods tend to agree in 89 and 92% of cases based on the five-level and dichotomous classifications, respectively. ThinPrep was reported as normal in 93.5% of cases of normal conventional smears. The remaining 6.5% of ThinPrep slides were classified as follows: atypical, 4.55%; LGSIL, 1.56%; HGSIL, 0.36%; invasive cancer, 0.007%. Sensitivity rates, relative to histology, were 68% (conventional) and 76% (ThinPrep), and specificity rates were 79% (conventional) and 86% (ThinPrep). CONCLUSION: ThinPrep tends to be more sensitive and specific than conventional smears in detecting cervical dysplasia. The increased sensitivity of ThinPrep results in increased cytologic diagnosis of cervical atypia, LGSIL, HGSIL, and invasive cervical carcinoma.

Female↗
PubMed2003

Viable cervical pregnancy managed with systemic Methotrexate, uterine artery embolization, and local tamponade with inflated Foley catheter balloon.

We present an unusual case of a primigravida with a viable cervical pregnancy diagnosed by transvaginal ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging. Staggered conservative therapeutic measures included systemic high-dose Methotrexate with Folinic acid rescue followed by bilateral embolization of the uterine arteries in response to active cervical bleeding despite declining serum beta-human chorionic gonadotropin levels. Continued active cervical bleeding responded to local tamponade with an inflated Foley catheter balloon positioned within the cervical canal. Conservative treatment was successful, with complete resolution of the cervical pregnancy, resumption of normal menstrual cycles, and a normal transvaginal ultrasonographic appearance of the cervical canal, documented 8 weeks after the initial diagnosis. This case and review of the literature support that various staggered conservative hemostatic measures may be used at various points in which bleeding may occur in the conservative management algorithm of cervical pregnancy.

Abortifacient Agents, Nonsteroidal↗
PubMed2003

Prenatal sonographic findings of congenital duplication of the cecum.

BACKGROUND: Alimentary tract duplications are rare congenital lesions that may arise at any location throughout the gastrointestinal tract. The most common site of enteric duplications is the ileum, with only 13% of cases occurring in the colon. CASE: Prenatal sonography at 39 weeks' gestation showed a cystic structure with thick walls exhibiting clear peristaltic movements in the right lower fetal abdomen. Inner walls of the cystic structure had small folds suggestive of colonic haustra. The sonographic findings and location of the finding were consistent with duplication of the colon and, possibly, the cecum. Congenital duplication of the cecum was proven at neonatal laparotomy. Ileocecal resection with ileocolonic anatomosis was performed and congenital duplication of the cecum confirmed by pathology examination of the resected specimen. CONCLUSION: Unusual sites of alimentary tract duplications detected by prenatal ultrasound include the cecum.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Coarctation of the descending thoracic aorta diagnosed during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Coarctation of the aorta is an uncommon condition complicating pregnancy. It is often associated with hypertension and usually involves the aortic isthmus. CASE: Coarctation of the descending thoracic aorta was found at 21 weeks' gestation after physical findings of hypertension, a holosystolic murmur over the entire left hemithorax, and diminished lower extremity pulses. The diagnosis led to thoracotomy and placement of a graft bypass after an otherwise uneventful pregnancy. CONCLUSION: Unusual sites of coarctation of the aorta complicating pregnancy include the descending thoracic aorta.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

A review of amniotic fluid dynamics and the enigma of isolated oligohydramnios.

Traditionally, oligohydramnios has been implemented as a sign of potential fetal compromise and associated with an increased incidence of adverse perinatal morbidity and mortality. Decreased amniotic fluid volume is especially of concern when it occurs in conjunction with structural fetal anomalies, fetal growth restriction, postdates pregnancies, and maternal disease. Consequently, following ultrasonographic diagnosis of oligohydramnios at term, delivery is routinely advocated even in otherwise uncomplicated pregnancies with an appropriate-for-gestational-age fetus, irrespective of the presence of reassuring fetal evaluation and the absence of maternal disease. Numerous factors complicate the ultrasonographic diagnosis of oligohydramnios. These include a lack of complete detailed understanding of the physiology of the dynamics of oligohydramnios, the transient condition at times of decreased amniotic fluid volume, generally poor performance of ultrasonography in detecting oligohydramnios, an array of different ultrasound diagnostic criteria, and varying ultrasonographic thresholds. In light of the latter and the lack of prospective randomized data, is unclear that the practice of effecting delivery for isolated oligohydramnios at term is justified. This article presents physiologic dynamics of amniotic fluid, factors that may affect amniotic fluid volume, possible pitfalls in the ultrasonographic assessment of amniotic fluid volume, and the clinical significance of oligohydramnios. In addition, the literature regarding perinatal outcome associated with oligohydramnios and current available data supporting expectant noninterventional management of cases complicated by isolated oligohydramnios at term are discussed.

Amniotic Fluid↗
PubMed2002

Doppler flow velocimetry assisted diagnosis of an intrauterine synechia during pregnancy.

The differential diagnosis of reflective intrauterine membranes during pregnancy includes amniotic bands of fetal origin or membranes of combined maternal-fetal origin. While the former have been associated with fetal transverse reduction defects or the lethal amniotic band syndrome, the latter are usually benign and consist of a preexisting uterine septation or synechia around which the fetal membranes fold or become enveloped. We present an unusual case in which a patient was noted at 19 weeks' gestation to have an intrauterine membrane of undetermined origin, appearing to contain a pulsating vessel. Color Doppler imaging and Doppler flow velocimetry clearly depicted a pulse synchronous with the maternal heart rate, defining the membrane as amniotic membranes surrounding a preexisting uterine synechia and not a true amniotic band. The pregnancy was otherwise uneventful and the patient delivered a healthy neonate at elective repeat cesarean at which time the presence of the uterine synechia was confirmed.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Diagnosis of umbilical cord entanglement of monoamniotic twins by first-trimester color Doppler imaging.

Monoamniotic twins occur in approximately 5% of monochorionic twin gestations as a result of splitting of the inner cell mass at 8 or more days after fertilization, and they are associated with high perinatal mortality rates, ranging between 28% and 47%. These gestations have unique pathologic conditions, including conjoined twins, a high prevalence of discordancy for fetal structural anomalies (the former and possibly also the latter resulting from consequences of the twinning process), and cord entanglement. We present a case in which monoamniotic twins at first-trimester transvaginal sonography were confirmed by color Doppler imaging as having entangled umbilical cords.

Adult↗