Biomedical subjects

E Balthazar

Publications and source records attributed to E Balthazar.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Cytomegalovirus gastritis: protean radiologic features.

Infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a major feature of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Gastrointestinal involvement is being seen more frequently. Our collective experience involves nine patients with stomach involvement. Seven patients were intravenous drug abusers or homosexuals with AIDS. One developed CMV gastritis as a complication of leukemia and one patient was a West African with lymphoma and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. All our patients had biopsy-proven CMV inclusion bodies. The radiographic appearances varied widely. The findings included markedly thickened edematous folds, erosive gastritis with aphthous ulceration, and superficial and deep ulceration. One patient had deep ulceration with fistula formation. Computed tomographic (CT) scans confirmed the greatly thickened gastric wall and coarsened folds in two patients. Associated gastrointestinal infections included candida and herpes, and, in addition, pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) was present in two patients. CMV gastritis may mimic several other conditions including erosive gastritis, peptic ulceration, lymphoma, and carcinoma. It should be strongly considered in immunosuppressed patients.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

PubMed1985

A role for radiotherapy in the treatment of solid and papillary neoplasms of the pancreas.

Solid and papillary neoplasms of the pancreas are rare tumors that usually occur in young women as enlarging abdominal masses. These lesions almost never metastasize but may be locally destructive. Although the usual treatment is surgery, the authors herein report a case that was treated solely by radiotherapy. They conclude that solid and papillary neoplasms of the pancreas are radiosensitive and can be successfully treated by radiation therapy.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1985

Computed tomography and the prediction of pancreatic abscess in acute pancreatitis.

Pancreatic abscess has become the most common cause of death from acute pancreatitis. Since computed tomography (CT) permits noninvasive imaging of the peripancreatic anatomy, the relationship of early CT findings to late pancreatic sepsis has been evaluated in 83 patients with acute pancreatitis. Pancreatic abscesses developed in 18 patients and were responsible for five of the six deaths in this study. Initial CT findings were graded: A = normal, in 12 patients; B = pancreatic enlargement alone, in 19; C = inflammation confined to pancreas and peripancreatic fat, in 17; D = one peripancreatic fluid collection, in 12; and E = two or more fluid collections, in 23. The incidence of pancreatic abscess in grades A and B was 0%; in grade C, 11.8%; in grade D, 16.7; and in grade E, 60.9%. The severity of pancreatitis was also graded by previously reported prognostic signs as "mild" (0-2 signs) in 56 patients, "moderate" (3-5 signs) in 22, and "severe" (greater than or equal to 6 signs) in five patients. The incidence of abscesses in mild disease was 12.5%; in moderate, 31.8%; and in severe, 80%. Fluid collections on CT resolved spontaneously in 19 of 35 (54.3%) patients. Abscess developed in two patients with no fluid collections on initial CT study. No abscess occurred in 31 patients with CT grades A or B, and in one of 22 patients (4.5%) with CT grade C or D and less than three positive prognostic signs. Among 30 patients with CT grade E or CT grade C or D and three or more positive prognostic signs, 17 (56.7%) developed abscesses. All deaths were in patients with five or more positive prognostic signs. Early imaging of the pancreas by CT identifies a group of patients with increased risk of pancreatic abscess. Identification of this group is improved further by use of early objective prognostic signs.

Abscess↗

PubMed1983

Pathologic fracture in systemic mastocytosis. Radiographic spectrum and review of the literature.

Systemic mastocytosis is a multiorgan disease that most commonly affects the skin and skeletal system. Radiographically, the skeletal changes in the majority of patients consist of either a wide-spread mixture of bone lysis and osteosclerosis or generalized osteoporosis. The osteoporotic form is less well known but may lead to severe generalized demineralization and pathologic fractures. Mast cells secrete a number of substances, two of which (heparin and prostaglandins) are believed to have a role in the induction of osteoporosis. Sclerotic lesions are induced by another mast cell by-product, histamine. One hundred seventy-eight cases of bony mastocytosis have been reported in the literature, including the four patients in the present report. Special staining procedures are necessary for identification of mast cells. Diagnosis may be delayed in patients who do not have the skin lesions (urticaria pigmentosa) and in the osteoporotic form of the disease.

Adult↗

PubMed1980

Intra-abdominal sepsis.

Initially, intra-abdominal contamination with endogenous bacteria produces peritonitis and septicemia. If the infection is localized and the patient survives, the late phase is usually abscess formation. Treatment consists of prompt, thorough surgical drainage, with repair of the diseased or traumatized viscera, as well as the use of preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative antibiotics aimed at both aerobic and anaerobic infecting microflora.

Abscess↗

PubMed1977

Chronic calcific pancreatitis in association with celiac disease.

Painless pancreatitis with extensive calcification and villous atrophy of the small intestine was observed in a nonalcoholic female patient. The etiology of villous atrophy could not be established. The pathophysiological significance of this association is discussed.

Atrophy↗

PubMed1977

[Carcinoid syndrome: chronic florid skin manifestations].

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Endocrine System Diseases↗

PubMed1975

Incidence of ischaemic heart disease in two cohorts of Belgian clerks.

A study during a five-year period has been conducted on the incidence of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) among two cohorts of Belgian employees who were free of IHD at entry. As regards the final outcome these incidences differ significantly. The chief difference between the two cohorts is their systolic blood pressure. These pressure differences may be attributed to differences in the level of work pressure. The increased work pressure in Cohort I might account, through stress, for the greater incidence of sudden death or myocardial infarction.

Adult↗

PubMed1975