Retrorectal herniation of the sigmoid colon: report of a case

A rare retrorectal hernia of the sigmoid colon associated with diverticulitis and a presacral abscess is reported. The anatomy of the retrorectal space is reviewed. The value of routine lateral fluoroscopy and overhead films is emphasized.     

Primary linitis plastica carcinoma of the colon: a case report

Primary linitis plastica carcinoma of the colon is rare. Most lesions are located on the left side of the colon and these tumors often involve the lymph nodes, peritoneum, and ovaries. We report a case of primary linitis plastica of the sigmoid colon in a 32-year-old Chinese woman who presented with a 7-month history of constipation and associated abdominal pain and tenesmus. Colonoscopy and barium-enema studies showed a stricture at the sigmoid colon. The patient underwent radical surgical resection and received adjuvant radiation therapy and chemotherapy. She died 12 months after the initial diagnosis. The poor prognosis seen with this tumor is due largely to a delay in diagnosis. With increasing familiarity with this tumor, it is hoped that earlier diagnosis and curative surgery will be possible, leading to improvement in survival.     

Adenocarcinoma of colon 19 years after ureterosigmoidostomy: a case report

A patient with chronic idiopathic mediastinal fibrosis (MF) without concomitant retroperitoneal fibrosis is reported. He presented with pleuritis, malaise and pain and stiffness in the thoracic spine. During the 3.5 years of observation no clinical signs of obstruction of adjacent visceral structures in the chest cavity have developed. The diagnosis was made by CT, X-rays of the chest remained normal throughout the observation period, except for thickening of the involved pleura. The administration of high doses of oral corticosteroids did not appear to influence either clinical symptoms or the manifestations of MF as seen by CT.     

Volvulus of the transverse colon, a long-term complication of hemicolectomy: report of a case

A redundant limb of ileum left after a hemicolectomy is postulated to be the causative factor in a case of volvulus of the transverse colon and distal ileum after hemicolectomy 20 years before. A case is presented and the etiology of volvulus briefly discussed.     

The solitary benign ulcer of the colon: a report of a case located in the cecum

The authors report a case of benign solitary cecal ulcer, occurred recently to their observation and diagnosed during operation. The patient was undergo an operation of right hemicolectomy. The preoperative diagnosis of lesion kind and its localization is difficult because it's a rare disease as well as literature reports; in fact the benign solitary colon ulcer can be differentiated with difficult from a perforated appendicitis, an inflammatory disease and a colon carcinoma. The authors discuss about probable etiologic factors, clinical features and surgical treatment.     

Well differentiated "lipoma-like" liposarcoma of the sigmoid mesocolon and multiple lipomatosis of the rectosigmoid colon. Report of a case

Liposarcoma is the second most common soft tissue sarcoma in adults. These neoplasms take their origin from primitive mesenchymal cells and are rarely encountered in fat rich areas, such as subcutaneous tissue and/or the subserosa of the intestinal tract which, on the contrary, are the two most common sites of lipomas. The two major locations of liposarcomas are the extremities and the retroperitoneum followed with much less frequency by the inguinal region. Other sites are uncommon, particularly the mesentery (9 cases to date in the literature) and, even more so, the mesocolon (only 3 cases of primary sarcoma of the mesocolon reported to date). This paper reports on the case of a well differentiated "lipoma-like" liposarcoma of the sigmoid mesocolon, associated with multiple lipomatosis of the recto-sigmoid colon in a 75 year-old female patient. Surgical treatment consisted of a trans-anal extra-peritoneal anterior resection by CEEA 28 stapler under endoscopic vision. The patient has been followed up for the last 2 years and is still disease-free and well. The peculiarity of the case consists in the contemporaneous presence in close contiguity of two different rare neoplasms whose association is not yet known.     

Stercoral perforation of the colon: case report and review of the literature

Stercoral perforation of the colon is a rarely reported illness, with 67 cases reported in the literature (1). A literature review revealed no case reports in the Emergency Medicine literature. A case report of a 47-year-old female with a history of chronic constipation and sudden onset of severe abdominal pain with physical signs of peritonitis is presented. Initial hematologic and radiologic investigations were normal. After 12 h of hospitalization, a fever developed, and the signs of peritonitis continued, but her abdominal X-ray studies and white blood count remained normal. Because of her persistent abdominal findings, laparotomy was carried out, at which time a stercoral perforation of the rectum was found. A colostomy was performed. This condition is notoriously covert, but if undetected may be life-threatening. A review of the literature will highlight suspected etiologies, diagnostic tests of choice, and a preferred treatment plan.     

Villous adenoma of the colon with severe fluid and electrolyte depletion: report of a case

A case of severe fluid and electrolyte depletion resulting from a massive villous adenoma of the rectosigmoid colon is presented. The syndrome is discussed, and the often insidious presentation and life-threatening aspects are emphasized.     

Stenosis of the esophagus in cicatricial pemphigoid resolved by colon interposition: report of a case

OBJECTIVE: To examine the extent of sun exposure, sun protection and experience of sunburn among young New Zealand children on summer weekends. METHODS: In a telephone survey of 1243 respondents, those with children in the household were asked about sun exposure and protection for the youngest child in the family. Information was obtained for 285 children aged from infancy to 10 years. RESULTS: Over 90% of the children were reported to be outside on the preceding Saturday and/or Sunday; 7% of those outside experienced some degree of sunburn. The worst burning was on the face, head, neck or ears. On either day about half the children were wearing sunscreen and 60% were wearing a hat. Parental use of sun protection was the strongest predictor of sun protection among the children. CONCLUSIONS: While reports of sun protection among young children were encouraging, many children in the community are still at high risk of sunburn. Efforts to promote sun protection as a family responsibility may reduce the experience of burning among the young.     

Colonic obstruction induced by plasma cell granuloma of the transverse colon: report of a case

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of 3-hour infusional paclitaxel for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer with measurable metastatic diseases. Eligibility criteria included no more than one regimen of prior chemotherapy. Paclitaxel was administered as an intravenous infusion over 3 hours at a dose of 210 mg/m2 every 3 weeks. Premedication of dexamethazone, ranitidine, and diphenhydramine were given to all patients. Sixteen patients were registered in the study. One patient did not receive paclitaxel because of gastrointestinal bleeding before the initiation of drug's administration. Thirteen of the 15 patients had a prior history of chemotherapy. Although 10 patients (67%) developed grade 4 neutropenia, no serious infections occurred during the study. Nonhematologic toxicities were generally mild. Three (20%) patients who showed evidences of resistance to the previous intensive regimen achieved a partial response. In conclusion, a 3-hour infusion of paclitaxel is a safe and promising treatment for advanced gastric cancer. Paclitaxel appears to be non-cross resistant to other agents that are commonly used for gastric cancer. A large-scale phase II study is now underway.     

Hereditary colon cancers can be tiny: a cautionary case report of the results of colonoscopic surveillance

This case report describes a 45-yr-old woman with a strong family history of colorectal cancer who was found to have a 4-mm poorly differentiated cancer in her transverse colon on surveillance colonoscopy. The case is reported to advise practitioners of the need for meticulous colonoscopy in such patients.     

Pseudopneumoperitoneum: a case report

A case of post-traumatic pseudocyst of the pancreas is presented. The elevated and compressed stomach showed an appearance on X-ray film which might be interpreted as free peritoneal air. The term pseudopneumoperitoneum is defined and other causes of this condition are mentioned.     

Determination of the tonus of the rectosigmoid flexure with a new design of rectosigmoid tonometer

An apparatus is constructed for the determination of the rectosigmoid transition tonus-rectosigmoid tonometer. There pressure will be read in Torr. The investigation of the rectosigmoid tonus of 75 healthy subjects established that it ranges between 15-30 Torr. Pathologically changed RST was established in 37-elevated in 12 patients and reduced in 21 and zero in 4-during the tonus determination of 100 patients with different forms of chronic colitis. The results from the rectosigmoid tonometry must be interpreted together with the rest of the indices (AT, size of rectal folds, etc).     

Hemangiopericytoma: a case report

We describe one case of hemangiopericytoma touching a 44-year-old man. It is a rare vascular tumor originating from pericytes surrounding capillaries. The main typical features of it are the difficulty in doing an histologic diagnosis and the impossibility to make out a reliable prognosis. The therapy of choice is a surgical procedure sometimes in combination with radio- and/or chemotherapy.     

Blastomycosis of the tongue: a case report

A clinically malignant tongue ulcer in a 63-year-old White man was proved by histological examination and culture to be due to Blastomyces dermatitidis. In addition, pulmonary lesions caused by B. dermatitidis were found at autopsy.