We report the case of a 22-year old male, a self-confessed recreational drug user who developed cardiogenic shock because of severe destruction of the aortic valve by rapidly progressive aortic valve endocarditis. The disease progression was acute; in a matter of days, the clinical manifestations were life-threatening necessitating urgent aortic valve replacement surgery. Cultivation revealed Streptococcus viridans as the microbial agent. Subsequent recovery with antibiotic treatment was without complication. This case report shows that immediately performed transoesophageal echocardiography and early consultation with a cardiac surgeon has fundamental importance in diagnosis and management of acute infective endocarditis in haemodynamically instable patients., Malkia S. Swedi, Pudil Radek, Jiří Manďák, and Literatura 17
We present a 73 year old female with intractable pruritus and nonspecific cutaneous rash for a period of 9 months. She had recieved symptomatic therapy with no improvement. A complete examination revealed axillary and abdominal lymphadenopathy. A biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of Hodgkins lymphoma with Langerhans cell histiocytosis. She received 5 cycles of chemotherapy with resolution of pruritus and reduction in axillary and abdominal lymphadenopathy. The patient presented 6 months later with relapse and succumbed to the illness. Simultaneous occurrence of Langerhans cell histiocytosis and Hodgkins lymphoma may lead to misdiagnosis. The awareness of such an association is important to make an accurate diagnosis and guide appropriate therapy., Afsha A. Topal, Ram H. Malkani, Ganapathi Bhat, Reshma T. Vishnani, and Literatura 17