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Biomedical subjects

Norman Loberant

Publications and source records attributed to Norman Loberant.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

[Morel-Lavallee syndrome after crush injury].

Closed internal degloving is a significant soft tissue injury associated with pelvic trauma in which the subcutaneous tissue is torn away from the underlying fascia, creating a cavity filled with hematoma and liquefied fat. It commonly occurs over the greater trochanter, but may also occur in the flank, buttock and lumbodorsal region, and it is known as a Morel-Lavallee lesion. The diagnosis of closed degloving injuries is based on physical and ultrasonographic examinations. The presence of a soft fluctuant area is the hallmark physical finding. Decreased cutaneous sensation is often associated with the skin over the area of degloving. Local contusion or other signs of injuries such as tire marks may also be present. In two separate cases, a 26-year-old woman and a 67-year-old man were injured in low velocity automobile accidents. During hospitalization, subcutaneous swellings were diagnosed as internal degloving injuries, and were drained several times by a plastic surgeon. A follow-up one year later revealed that the woman still suffered from swelling in the buttocks and thigh, though liposuction was successfully conducted; the man recovered completely from his injury after the conservative treatment. In most cases of degloving injuries, there is bruising of the skin or superficial hematoma, which resorbs spontaneously. However, in some cases, injury to the subcutaneous fatty tissue can result in the formation of a pseudocyst due to lymphatic extravasation. When hematoma or fluid collection does occur, puncture drainage and pressure therapy is usually considered to be sufficient treatment. Otherwise, surgical intervention must be proposed.

Accidents↗

Gray-scale and Doppler characteristics of fibrous cortical defects in a child.

We report the case of a 9.5-year-old boy who underwent sonographic and radiographic examinations because of knee pain. Two fibrous cortical defects were discovered, in his right femur and left tibia; the femoral lesion was seen more easily on sonography than on radiography. On gray-scale sonography, the lesions were characterized as a scalloped indentation of the cortical surface containing hypoechoic soft tissue. On color Doppler sonography, discrete vessels were found at the periphery and within the substance of the lesions, and on spectral Doppler analysis, low-resistance arterial flow was detected in those vessels. Follow-up examinations performed 10 and 19 months after our initial examination showed signs that the lesions were healing. The diagnosis of fibrous cortical defect was suggested by the gray-scale and Doppler sonographic characteristics and confirmed on radiography. Although radiography is required to document these lesions if found incidentally on sonography, follow-up examinations using only sonography may be feasible.

Bone Diseases↗

Super scan leading to definitive diagnosis in a patient with recurrent syncope.

A "super scan" pattern detected on bone scintigraphy usually indicates either metabolic bone disease or diffuse metastases. We report a rare case of a 45-year-old man with recurrent episodes of syncope of 10 years' duration in whom bone scintigraphy showed a super scan with an axial skeleton distribution of uptake. Bone marrow biopsy established the diagnosis of systemic mastocytosis. The few reports in the literature of super scans associated with systemic mastocytosis showed diffuse axial and appendicular increased uptake. The present case shows a super scan involving the axial skeleton, which led to the diagnosis of systemic mastocytosis.

Bone and Bones↗

Littoral cell angioma of the spleen: appearance on sonography and CT.

Littoral cell angioma (LCA) is a rare benign vascular tumor of the spleen with characteristic histomorphologic features. Only a few descriptions of the radiologic appearance of this tumor have been published, and those descriptions are variable. We report a case of LCA in a 37-year-old man with psoriasis and nonspecific symptoms of weakness, pain and fatigue, normocytic anemia, and thrombocytopenia. The results of abdominal sonography and contrast-enhanced CT correlated: the 2 modalities revealed hepatosplenomegaly and multiple round splenic lesions of similar appearance and size (on sonograms, ill-defined echogenic lesions up to 3.2 cm without acoustic enhancement; on CT scans, hypodense, nonenhancing lesions up to 3.5 cm). Because making a differential diagnosis was difficult and our presumptive diagnosis was hemangioma or lymphoma, splenectomy was performed. Postoperative pathologic examinations confirmed a final diagnosis of LCA. The patient's recovery was uneventful. LCA should be considered when making a differential diagnosis of splenic lesions, and sonography may be more helpful than CT in reaching a diagnosis of LCA.

Adult↗

Role of Doppler sonography in the diagnosis of cystic lymphangioma of the scrotum.

Cystic lymphangioma is a congenital lymphatic malformation that is a rare cause of extratesticular scrotal masses in children; it is frequently misdiagnosed preoperatively. Complete excision is curative, but recurrence may result from incomplete excision. We report a case of cystic lymphangioma of the scrotum in a 3-year-old boy, which had been previously diagnosed as a hydrocele. Gray-scale sonography showed a multicystic extratesticular lesion; color Doppler sonography further characterized the lesion by showing blood flow within the septa. CT scanning ruled out extrascrotal involvement. The cystic mass was surgically resected. The appearance of the lesion both macroscopically and microscopically was consistent with a diagnosis of cystic lymphangioma. The child recovered uneventfully and was discharged on the third day after surgery; no evidence of recurrence was found in 6 months of follow-up. In such cases of scrotal masses in children, gray-scale and color Doppler sonography, followed by CT or MRI, are useful in diagnosing cystic lymphangioma, differentiating it from other lesions, and defining its extent, thus allowing proper surgical planning.

Child, Preschool↗

Tension pyopneumothorax.

Tension pyopneumothorax is a rare complication of pneumonia and subpleural abscess eroding into the pleural space. We present a case of tension pyopneumothorax in a drug addict. Successful treatment consisted of pleural drainage and parenteral antibiotics. The presence of an air-fluid level accompanying tension pneumothorax on chest radiograph should alert the physician to the possibility of this emergency condition.

Adult↗

Obstructing gastric heterotopic pancreas: case report and literature review.

Heterotopic pancreas (HP) is generally an asymptomatic lesion and is a rare cause of gastric outlet obstruction. We report such a case in which both upper gastrointestinal series and abdominal computerized tomography (CT) demonstrated an antral mass; surgical and histological results are also reported.

Choristoma↗

A pitfall in triple contrast CT of penetrating trauma of the flank.

This brief report describes the case of a 20-year-old man who was stabbed in the left flank. He underwent triple contrast helical CT of the abdomen and pelvis that showed a hyperdense focus in the area of the stab wound. This structure was a chip fracture of pelvis, but was misinterpreted as contrast extravasation, and the patient underwent negative exploratory laparotomy.

Adult↗

Imaging of primary sternal osteomyelitis in a patient with Crohn's disease.

A 41-year-old man with known Crohn's disease presented with chest pain and fever. Plain film and CT of the chest were normal, but bone scan and gallium scans showed intense sternal uptake. Surgery revealed staphylococcal osteomyelitis of the sternum. Following appropriate antibiotic treatment, the patient's symptoms resolved and follow-up gallium scans became normal. This is the first report of the association of sternal osteomyelitis and Crohn's disease, although other sites have been described. Sternal osteomyelitis has a high morbidity and the index of suspicion for this condition must be high even in the face of initially negative imaging.

Adult↗