Items tagged “emergency medicine”
153 results found
Article
Rectal foreign bodies
Rectal foreign bodies are not uncommon in emergency departments around the world and potentially cause management difficulties.
Epidemiology
The incidence varies according to the region, said to be uncommon in Asia and most common in Eastern Europe 1. Typically patients are male with a wide ra...
Article
Colonic pseudo-obstruction
Colonic pseudo-obstruction, also known as Ogilvie syndrome, is a potentially fatal condition leading to an acute colonic distention without an underlying mechanical obstruction. It is defined as an acute pseudo-obstruction and dilatation of the colon in the absence of any mechanical obstruction....
Article
Diffuse gallbladder wall thickening (differential)
Diffuse thickening of the gallbladder wall can occur in a number of situations:
cholecystitis
acute cholecystitis
chronic cholecystitis
gallbladder empyema 7
xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis 11
acalculous cholecystitis 11
postprandial physiological state (pseudothickening)
gallbladder o...
Article
Acute pyelonephritis
Acute pyelonephritis (plural: acute pyelonephritides) is a bacterial infection of the renal pelvis and parenchyma most commonly seen in young women. It remains common and continues to have significant morbidity in certain groups of patients.
Epidemiology
The incidence of acute pyelonephritis p...
Article
Striated nephrogram
Striated nephrogram is a descriptive term indicating the appearance of alternating linear bands of high and low attenuation in a radial pattern extending through the corticomedullary layers of the kidney on iodine-based intravenous contrast-enhanced imaging.
It is important to know that a simil...
Article
Pneumorrhachis
Pneumorrhachis refers to the presence of gas within the spinal canal (either intra- or extradural). It is rare.
Clinical presentation
Patients can often be asymptomatic 3.
Pathology
Aetiology
Pneumorrhachis can result from a number of causes:
trauma (traumatic pneumorrhachis): can occur in...
Article
Testicular torsion
Testicular torsion occurs when a testis torts on the spermatic cord resulting in the cutting off of blood supply. The most common symptom is acute testicular pain and the most common underlying cause, a bell-clapper deformity. The diagnosis is often made clinically but if it is in doubt, an ultr...
Case
Splenic trauma
Published
20 Oct 2010
71% complete
CT
Article
Acute cholecystitis
Acute cholecystitis refers to the acute inflammation of the gallbladder. It is the primary complication of cholelithiasis and the most common cause of acute pain in the right upper quadrant (RUQ).
Epidemiology
Acute cholecystitis is a common cause of hospital admission and is responsible for a...
Article
Diaphragmatic rupture
Diaphragmatic rupture often results from blunt abdominal trauma. The mechanism of injury is typically a motor-vehicle collision.
Epidemiology
Given that the most common mechanism is motor vehicle collisions, it is perhaps unsurprising that young men are most frequently affected. The estimated ...
Article
Pneumopericardium
Pneumopericardium represents gas (usually air) within the pericardium, thus surrounding the heart.
Pathology
Aetiology
Underlying causes include:
positive pressure ventilation
thoracic surgery/pericardial fluid drainage
penetrating trauma
blunt trauma (rare)
infectious pe...
Article
Internal hernia
Internal hernias (alternative plural: herniae) are protrusions of the viscera through the peritoneum or mesentery but remaining within the abdominal cavity.
Epidemiology
Internal hernias have a low incidence of <1% and represent a relatively small proportion, up to 5.8%, of presentations with ...
Case
Perforated appendicitis with appendicolith
Published
15 Jan 2011
54% complete
X-ray
Ultrasound
Case
Vertical fracture of patella
Published
31 May 2011
75% complete
X-ray
Case
Perforated appendix
Published
23 Jun 2011
74% complete
CT
Case
Right-sided pneumothorax due to rib fracture
Published
28 Aug 2011
85% complete
X-ray
Case
Cervical trauma with burst fracture
Published
26 Sep 2011
76% complete
CT
Article
Pulmonary oedema
Pulmonary oedema is a broad descriptive term and is usually defined as an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the extravascular compartments of the lung 1.
Clinical presentation
The clinical presentation of pulmonary oedema includes:
acute breathlessness
orthopnoea
paroxysmal nocturnal...
Case
Perforated appendix
Published
13 Jan 2012
72% complete
Ultrasound
Article
Gallbladder perforation
Gallbladder perforations are a serious complication of acute cholecystitis and represent an advanced stage of the disease. They tend to occur in an elderly and/or comorbid demographic and carry higher rates of morbidity and mortality.
Clinical presentation
Symptoms and clinical signs are varia...