“This account of drug dependency and smuggling in UK prisons is a reminder of an important clinical lesson that the most vulnerable in our society may get the poorest quality of care. The authors highlight how prison inmates smuggle and abuse drugs and call for more to be done at a treatment policy level to […]
Category: Editors choice
Comments from Dr Dean Jenkins on the Editor’s choice case report of the week.
Progressive respiratory distress due to neck mass
“This well documented case of a life threatening respiratory obstruction from a neck mass is an important reminder of how to approach such emergencies. The authors describe a case of a thyroid mass and its subsequent management.” Progressive respiratory distress due to neck mass […]
Not every cough in bronchiolitis season is bronchiolitis
This case is a useful reminder that all coughs during the peak season for bronchiolitis are not necessarily bronchiolitis. Although rare, the cause in this young patient, reminds us that when the unexpected happens the first thing that should be questioned is the original diagnosis.” Not every cough in bronchiolitis season is bronchiolitis […]
Pulmonary oedema and hyponatraemia after an ironman triathlon
Excessive water drinking during sporting events is sometimes encouraged openly by colleagues and tacitly by the drinks industry. This case highlights the risk of drinking more fluid than you actually need. A reviewer commented “The article makes some excellent points and is very well written. It is an important contribution in the continuing fight to […]
Plant sterol enriched margarines increase cardiovascular risk?
Maybe the assumption that natural substances can do no harm has again been shown to be wrong. Are these margarines good or bad for you? A case published in BMJ Case Reports this week raises an interesting question about plant sterol-enriched margarines and cardiovascular risk. They reduce LDL cholesterol but do not seem to reduce […]
An unusual neurological presentation after exposure to snails.
http://casereports.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/2009/aug03_1/bcr1020081075?q=w_casereports The reviewer (Dr Marion Woods, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, Australia) commented: “The case of Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection with the clinical manifestations of eosinophilic meningo-encephalitis and myeloradiculitis that caused lower limb weakness and bladder dysfunction described in this issue of the journal is the likely consequence of ingestion of a very high worm burden […]
The co-existence of CHARGE and myelodysplastic syndrome in a child
The authors of this case report highlight the unusual association of CHARGE and MDS in a child. It is a well written short report that may be an early indication of an association and interesting pathological link. However, as the authors point out, the association in this particular patient may simply be coincidence. The co-existence […]
Gastric outlet obstruction from a caecal volvulus, herniated through epiploic foramen: a case report
This is an unusual, and we think first reported, case of gastric outlet obstruction due to herniation of the caecum and ileum through the epiploic foramen. It demonstrates the usefulness of contrast CT in the pre-operative evaluation of such patients presenting with acute abdomen. What I particularly like is the hand drawn operative findings by […]
Wii knee revisited: meniscal injury from 10-pin bowling
New sports bring new injuries but this case report describes trauma from what initially appears to be a child’s indoor computer game. Wii knee revisited: meniscal injury from 10-pin bowling […]
Acute abdomen and hypothyroidism
This is an unusual case presentation that has been well documented by the authors. We all learn in medical school that hypothyroidism is one of those conditions that can present in many varied ways. In today’s guidelines-based world this case is a useful a reminder of an important clinical lesson; check the serum TSH in […]