Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) ranges from asymptomatic to often fatal, incidentally discovered emboli to massive embolism causing immediate death. Acute PE may occur rapidly and unpredictably and may be difficult to diagnose. Mortality and complications can be reduced by prompt diagnosis and therapy. Untreated PE is associated with a mortality rate of approximately 30 percents. Most patients with PE have endogenous fibrinolysis, although it is not effective enough to prevent PE. A case of spontaneous remission of untreated acute PE has not previously been reported. Here we present a case of spontaneously resolved acute PE without any treatment.
Embolism ; Fibrinolysis ; Humans ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Remission, Spontaneous

Fusobacteria are anaerobic gram-negative, non-spore forming bacilli found in normal flora of the oral cavity, urogenital tract, and gastrointestinal tract. Fusobacterium nucleatum has been seldom reported as a cause of liver abscess, particularly in immunocompetent hosts. A 55-year-old man with frequent periodontal disease visited our hospital with intermittent fever and headache for 2 months. Abdominal CT scan revealed an 8.2x6 cm mass in the right hepatic lobe with central low density. Abscess culture revealed F. nucleatum as the causative organism. Percutaneous abscess drainage and intravenous administration of antibiotics for 4 weeks improved symptoms and decreased the abscess size. We report a rare case of liver abscess due to F. nucleatum in an immunocompetent man with periodontal disease.
Ampicillin/therapeutic use ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use ; Fusobacterium Infections/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Fusobacterium nucleatum/*isolation & purification ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous ; Liver Abscess/*diagnosis/etiology/microbiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Periodontal Diseases/*diagnosis ; Sulbactam/therapeutic use

Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) is currently the standard treatment for cervical disc disease. Some patients wish to be treated with a less invasive method, because of their social/physical situations. Here we present one method of treatments for socially/physically active patients. Three patients had triceps weakness and mild posterior neck pain. The offending lesions were at the C6-7 level. All were middle-aged soldiers with families. If conventional ACDF were performed, they would have to retire from the military according to the regulation. They had to be able to perform military drills after the treatment if they were going to be able to keep their jobs. Because of their social/physical situations, all wanted to choose method with that they could treat the disease and keep their jobs. For these reasons, the posterior cervical endoscopic discectomies were performed. Ruptured fragments were successfully removed in all. The arm pain improved by more than 90% in two patients by 7 days and in the other patient by 2 months, respectively (excellent outcome by Macnab's criteria). None of the operations caused instability. All of the patients are currently able to successfully perform their military drills without difficulty. The posterior cervical endoscopic discectomy may be a promising alternative for the physically/socially active patients.
Adult ; Cervical Vertebrae/radiography/*surgery ; *Diskectomy ; Endoscopy ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disk/radiography/surgery ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Severity of Illness Index ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

Intracranial dermoid cysts are rare benign lesions and account for approximately 0.3% of all brain tumors. Rupture of a dermoid cyst with spillage of its contents into a subarachnoid space or ventricles is a potentially serious complication that can lead to meningitis, seizures, cerebral vasospasm and hydrocephalus. Here, we present a case of intracranial dermoid cyst rupture with cerebral infarction in the right midbrain and thalamus.
Brain Neoplasms ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Dermoid Cyst* ; Hydrocephalus ; Meningitis ; Mesencephalon ; Rupture* ; Seizures ; Subarachnoid Space ; Thalamus ; Vasospasm, Intracranial

No abstract available.
Tuberculosis, Miliary*

No abstract available.
Clarithromycin ; Doxycycline ; Scrub Typhus*

No abstract available.
Acinetobacter baumannii* ; Acinetobacter* ; Pneumonia*

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is valuable for the diagnosis of malignancies. However, PET/CT is unable to discriminate exactly between inflammation and a neoplasm. We report a case of a 50-year-old man with pulmonary paragonimiasis that was suspicious for lung cancer, as detected by PET/CT. The use of PET/CT revealed multilobulated consolidation on the right lung and patchy consolidation on the left lung, with increased fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake. In addition, the left paraaortic lymph node (LN) and peripancreatic LN showed enlargement with increased FDG uptake. Lung cancer with multiple lymph node metastases was suspected from the increased standardized uptake values (SUV >4.5) determined by PET/CT. We performed wedge resection via video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and found Paragonimus westermani eggs in the involved tissues.
Diagnosis ; Eggs ; Electrons ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Lymph Nodes ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovum ; Paragonimiasis* ; Paragonimus westermani ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography* ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is valuable for the diagnosis of malignancies. However, PET/CT is unable to discriminate exactly between inflammation and a neoplasm. We report a case of a 50-year-old man with pulmonary paragonimiasis that was suspicious for lung cancer, as detected by PET/CT. The use of PET/CT revealed multilobulated consolidation on the right lung and patchy consolidation on the left lung, with increased fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake. In addition, the left paraaortic lymph node (LN) and peripancreatic LN showed enlargement with increased FDG uptake. Lung cancer with multiple lymph node metastases was suspected from the increased standardized uptake values (SUV >4.5) determined by PET/CT. We performed wedge resection via video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) and found Paragonimus westermani eggs in the involved tissues.
Diagnosis ; Eggs ; Electrons ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Lymph Nodes ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovum ; Paragonimiasis* ; Paragonimus westermani ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography* ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted

Central pontine myelinolysis (CPM) and extrapontine myelinolysis (EPM) are well recognized syndromes related to the rapid correction of hyponatremia. Cognitive dysfunction and neuropsychological findings, however, have seldom been reported. We present a case of EPM without CPM and report the neuropsychological findings. Neuropsychological testing showed severe impairment of attention, verbal and visual memory, visuospatial functioning, and frontal/executive functioning. Language and language-related functions were normal except for naming. Follow-up neuropsychological testing at 4 months later showed slightly less impairment than the first assessment.
Follow-Up Studies* ; Hyponatremia ; Memory ; Myelinolysis, Central Pontine* ; Neuropsychological Tests