Case Studies >

Emergency Medicine

A close up photo of a womans eye yellowed by jaundice.

Jaundice, Malaise in Woman With Heroin Habit, Inactive Hepatitis B

HDV diagnosis portends imminent cirrhosis despite initial resolution of symptoms

A photo of a mature male physician checking the pupils of his young male patient.

Unexplained Syncope in Young Man With Inherited Arrhythmia Disorder

Diagnosis of Brugada syndrome should be followed by genetic testing, authors urge

A photo of a frightened looking woman holding her ear and jaw

Recurrent Facial Swelling, Itching in a Young Woman

One year after symptom onset, a salivary gland excision identifies the cause

A photo of a senior man laying down with leads attached to his chest for an electrocardiogram.

Misdiagnosis in Patient With Dizziness, Leg Weakness

Typical parkinsonian tremor can simulate atrial flutter or ventricular tachycardia on ECG

A photo of a man grabbing his hand which is highlighted in red.

Acute Extremity Pain in Patient With Cogan's Syndrome Signals Vascular Ischemia

Timely imaging, anticoagulation, and specialist consultations prevented loss of life or limb

A photo of a prescription medication bottle lying on its side with white pills spilling out and one crushed, next to a spoon

Amputation After Intra-Arterial Injection of Crushed Morphine Tablets

Infrared thermography aided in care decisions for acute ischemia

A portrait of a young brown-skinned woman, hand on head, experiencing a headache.

Young Woman Lost for Words Months After Stillbirth

Coexisting headache, blurred vision and nausea offer diagnostic clues

A computer rendering of a covid virus inside a colon affected by ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative Colitis With an Unexpected Cause

Can the immune response to COVID-19 trigger inflammatory bowel disease?

A senior man lies in a hospital bed in a busy emergency room.

Elderly Man Presents With Bradycardia and Chronic Kidney Dysfunction

Consider BRASH syndrome

A computer rendering of the interior structure of the penis

Penile Necrosis After Injecting Cocaine Into Dorsal Vein

Beware of risks for chronic IV drug users injecting into atypical and dangerous sites

A photo of a woman clutching her chest

STEMI-Related Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection in a Young Woman

Initial thrombolysis implicated in patient's sudden cardiac arrest, managed with emergency PCI

A close up of an Asian woman receiving a neck ultrasound.

What's the Cause of Neck Swelling, Fever in Young Woman?

Diagnosis of this rare disease is often a challenge

A photo of a spilled jar of gummy bears.

What Caused Acute Encephalopathy in This Young Child?

Clinicians found 2-year-old girl barely responsive to stimuli

Photo of an athlete resting and refreshing with cold water.

Triathlete Seeks Help After Repeated Spells of Heart Palpitations

Sports career/training can trigger Afib

A close up of a young woman smoking marijuana.

What's Causing the Severe Stomach Pain and Vomiting in Teen Pot Smoker?

She is found to have COVID-19, but another serious problem is almost missed

A close up of a deer tick on a person's skin

Single Tick Bite Packs Triple Punch

Patient presents with Lyme disease plus anaplasmosis and babesiosis co-infections

The Van Gogh painting The Raising of Lazarus

The Lazarus Syndrome in Extremis?

A bizarre case of autoresuscitation during donor organ procurement

An MRI image of sclerosing mesenteritis

Diabetic Man With Sclerosing Mesenteritis Experiences Glycemic Control With Steroids

Case authors report an unexpected paradoxical effect

A close up of a female doctor performing an ultrasound on her patients arm.

Teen Develops Persistent, Spreading Arm Swelling After a Fall

Is it "just" a hematoma or something more sinister?

A blister pack of Clozapine tablets over a computer rendering of the human heart

Avoiding Clozapine-Related Risks in Refractory Schizophrenia

Key is to recognize and safely diagnose one possible deadly complication

A mature woman with her hands on her chest experiencing pain

What's Behind the Mysterious Chest Pain in Bladder Cancer Patient?

Cardiomyopathy risks interrupting cancer treatment, worsening prognosis

A teen female is nearly obscured by the enormous vape cloud she exhaled

Did Vaping THC 'Wax' for 5 Days Cause This Teen Girl's Seizure?

Evidence for the effect of THC on seizure threshold is conflicting, clinicians say

A man with his hand to his ear struggles to hear

What's Behind This Sudden Hearing Loss in Both Ears?

Key to recovery was immediate work-up for one specific condition

A computer rendering of the Varicella-zoster virus

Why the Sudden Onset of Severe Abdominal Pain, Then a Rash?

Watch out for atypical presentations, clinicians warn

A mature man holds his painful right buttock

Where Did This Very Painful Gluteal Mass Come From?

High clinical suspicion, low threshold for biopsy key to diagnosis

A computer rendering of a liver with cirrhosis

How Does Underlying Cirrhosis Affect COVID-19?

Beware of secondary bacterial infections, case report suggests

A computer rendering of a transparent body with a liver with cirrhosis highlighted

Word of Caution on Angiogenesis Inhibitor for Liver Cancer

Case report highlights risk of serious adverse effects

A photo composite of a womans hand with her third finger tip severed

The Case of the Lost Fingertip

Was conservative management the right choice?

A computer rendering of a man with his brain visible and glowing red in a transparent skull.

What Caused Stroke in Patient Already 'Recovered' From COVID-19?

Case raises questions of when to start anticoagulation therapy

A close up of a mans hand on a refrigerator door trying to open it but a chain and lock are preventing him.

This Man's Increased Psychiatric Issues Masked an Undiagnosed Disease

The long delay to diagnosis and treatment caused frightening symptoms

A CT scan of bladder cancer

What Caused This Young Man's Bladder Cancer

Occupational exposure, family history make tempting hypotheses

An x-ray image of the bladder and Ureterocele

What Is the Cause of This Solid White Lesion in a Ureterocele?

Patient in Brazil, a nonsmoker, had 3-month history of hematuria

A male physician about to perform an ultrasound on a young male patient

Here's Why Hematuria in a Young Patient Should Always Be Investigated

Terminology also makes a difference

A young Black woman lies on an examination table while a doctor palpates her stomach.

Liver Failure or Liver Mets?

Diagnosis complicated by absence of radiologic evidence of hepatic lesions

A photo of a shingles rash on a man’s back

Shingles Recurrence or Something Worse?

Bedside skin punch biopsy proved crucial

A troubled looking man with his hand on his ear

Connection Between Sudden Hearing Loss and COVID-19?

Case serves as warning about missing the "treatment window"

A frightened looking young man pulls his shirt up to cover half of his face

Rare and Possibly Life-Threatening Sensitivity to Key Schizophrenia Tx

Clinicians devised successful rechallenge in a patient with intractable psychosis

A computer rendering of a pustular rash

Beware of Rashes in COVID-19 Patients

A clue to the diagnosis in this patient, who did not receive hydroxychloroquine, came from his urinary tract infection

A young woman with vision problems holds her glasses up in front of her face

Yet Another Manifestation of COVID-19

The case of a young previously healthy woman in Morocco

A close up of gas controls on anesthesia machine in operating room in hospital.

What ECT Booster Helped This Catatonic Patient?

May have benefits in broader populations, case authors say

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