Faculty Bibliography

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common conditions requiring emergency surgery. However, acute appendicitis presenting with left lower quadrant abdominal pain is extremely rare. Imaging, particularly CT , plays an important role in establishing an accurate and prompt diagnosis, as delay in diagnosis may occur due to lack of uniformity in the clinical signs and symptoms. We report a rare case of a 10-year-old boy who presented with persistent left lower quadrant pain of several days duration, in which the CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis was essential in establishing the correct diagnosis. The malpositioned inflamed appendix was clearly identified in the left side of the abdomen, with the characteristic CT findings of uncomplicated intestinal malrotation. Left-sided acute appendicitis should be considered in the differential diagnosis of young patients presenting with left lower quadrant pain, in order to avoid delay in diagnosis and guide the surgical intervention.

Osteosarcoma is the most common primary non-haemopoietic malignant bone tumour in children and adolescents. However, it rarely occurs in the calcaneus with only a few case reports in the literature. We report a case of a 14-year-old boy with calcaneal osteosarcoma, who presented with heel pain followed by swelling. The pain was initially thought to be related to a benign process and treated with analgesics, delaying the diagnosis. We discuss the clinical presentation, the differential diagnosis, multi-imaging and pathological findings of a calcaneal osteosarcoma, its clinical outcome and the importance of early diagnosis to improve outcome.

Traumatic eye injuries are associated with significant visual impairment and are a major cause of monocular blindness. Rapid assessment and examination following trauma to the eye is crucial. A thorough knowledge of potential injuries is imperative to ensure rapid diagnosis, to prevent further damage to the eye, and to preserve visual capacity. One consequence of ocular trauma is cataract formation. We report a case and image of a 5-year-old boy who presented after sustaining a blunt head trauma. CT scan of the head revealed a markedly hypodense left eye lens.

Pancreatitis is a known cause of pseudoaneurysms of the peripancreatic arteries, which can rarely rupture into various adjacent structures and become a source of life-threatening bleeding. The management is challenging and requires an individualised approach and multidisciplinary care. Herein, we present the case of a 24-year-old man in whom a splenic pseudoaneurysm ruptured into the adjacent infected pseudocyst, communicating with the colon by a fistulous tract, causing massive lower gastrointestinal bleeding. This was successfully managed by transcatheter arterial embolisation (TAE).

Liver injury in blunt abdominal trauma is common. However, not often does blunt trauma cause injury to the anatomical structures of the porta hepatis. Isolated injury of the hepatic artery has been rarely reported in the literature. Such injury may be lethal and requires immediate diagnosis and management. This report describes an unusual case of blunt abdominal trauma resulting in hepatic and gastroduodenal artery dissection, with pseudoaneurysm formation complicated by active upper gastrointestinal bleeding. The injury was managed by transcatheter embolisation. Awareness of this diagnosis should facilitate management of similar trauma cases.

Popliteal artery entrapment syndrome (PAES) is a relatively rare condition, which occurs predominantly in active young adults who lack atherogenic risk factors. It has been rarely reported in patients under the age of 18 years. The most common presentation in the early stages is intermittent claudication; however, in the later stages of undiagnosed PAES, acute ischemia can occur as a result of complete arterial occlusion or embolism. We present a 14-year-old boy, who presented with acute limb ischemia which was managed with a multidisciplinary approach.