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Background: The effects of early integration of point-of-care ultrasound (PoCUS) into patient care are uncertain. This study aims to investigate the effects of early PoCUS on patients with acute flank pain., Methods: Adult non-traumatic patients with acute flank pain receiving PoCUS were enrolled. Expert physicians reviewed the medical records and made the "final diagnosis" for the cause of acute flank pain. The primary outcome was the relationship between the door to ultrasound (US) time and length of stay (LOS). The secondary outcomes included the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the sonographic diagnosis, compared with the final diagnosis., Results: Eight hundred and eighty-eight patients were included in the analysis. Patients receiving early PoCUS (≤120 min) had a shorter LOS (128 vs. 217 min, p < 0.0001). Patients in the late POCUS group (> 120 min) had a trend to receive more CT scans. The disease distribution, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV were similar in patients receiving early or late PoCUS for target diagnoses. After adjusting for the confounders, early PoCUS (OR, 2.77, 95% CIs, 1.93-3.98) had a positive impact on shorter LOS. In addition, the effect of early PoCUS became more prominent (OR, 4.91, 95% CIs, 3.39-7.13) on LOS in less than 3 h., Conclusions: Early integration of PoCUS is significantly related to shorter LOS in patients with acute flank pain without increasing morbidity and mortality. Our results suggested "PoCUS early" in these patients to possibly alleviate emergency department crowding. Trial registration NCT04149041 at the ClinicalTrial.gov., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Gastric hematoma is a rare disorder. Here we report a case of a large gastric intramural hematoma mimicking an impending rupture of a visceral artery aneurysm., Case Presentation: A 60-year-old Japanese woman complained of left flank pain. Computed tomography with intravenously administered contrast agent showed a solid mass of 5 × 5 × 8 centimeter in the left middle abdominal quadrant. On completion of computed tomography, the working diagnosis was an impending rupture of an aneurysm located in a branch of the superior mesenteric artery. Transcatheter arterial embolization was performed, but angiography of the superior mesenteric artery and the inferior mesenteric artery did not indicate extravasation of the contrast agent and we did not observe any aneurysmal structure. We decided to perform surgery. The operational findings revealed that the mass was a gastric intramural hematoma., Conclusion: On encountering an intra-abdominal mass found to be attached to a gastric wall, a gastric intramural hematoma should be considered.

Background: Early diagnosis of pheochromocytoma and its proper management can lessen its mortality and morbidity. This case report describes a 24-year-old pregnant woman with an unusual presentation of pheochromocytoma., Case Presentation: An Iranian 24-year-old primigravid woman from Kordistan province was referred to our center with left flank pain at 37 weeks of gestation. She had a history of gestational diabetes mellitus since the 12th week of gestation which was managed by insulin administration. She also had a history of pulsatile bi-temporal headache for 2 years prior to her referral to us. She underwent complete abdominal and pelvic ultrasound imaging for her flank pain. This examination revealed a heterogeneous mass of 119 × 87 × 79 mm above her left kidney, highly suspicious of being an adrenal-originating tumor. Subsequently, we consulted an endocrinologist. She underwent abdominopelvic magnetic resonance imaging and her 24-hour urine metanephrine, normetanephrine, and vanillylmandelic acid were assessed. Finally, the diagnosis of pheochromocytoma was confirmed. She underwent a cesarean section and adrenal mass excision at the 40th week of gestation. This timely diagnosis resulted in her proper management and good maternal and neonatal treatment outcomes., Conclusions: Our patient had pheochromocytoma during pregnancy. She had no complaints about hypertension before or during pregnancy until giving birth to her child; her only symptoms were a vague left flank pain, gestational diabetes, and headaches for the past 2 years. The unusual symptom of flank pain led to timely diagnosis and a good treatment outcome.

Background: Primary obstructive megaureter is relatively uncommon in adults. This condition usually regresses spontaneously or is treated during infancy. It can remain asymptomatic for decades until adulthood when symptoms may manifest in the event of complications or during a routine radiologic imaging. Primary obstructive megaureter has been reported to favor stone formation in the upper urinary tract., Case Presentation: We present the case of a 35-year-old Moroccan man who had a 10-year history of intermittent left flank pain and hematuria. A computed tomography urogram revealed a left megaureter with giant ureteral and renal calculi., Conclusions: Primary obstructive megaureter should be a differential diagnosis in an adult with hydroureteronephrosis associated with urolithiasis especially when there is kidney impairment. Through this case report we will discuss the diagnosis and management of primary obstructive megaureter associated with urolithiasis in adults.

Background: A pseudohernia is an abdominal wall bulge that may be mistaken for a hernia but that lacks the disruption of the abdominal wall that characterizes a hernia. Thus, the natural history and treatment of this condition differ from those of a hernia. This is the first report of a pseudohernia due to cough-associated rib fracture., Case Presentation: A case of pseudohernia due to fractures of the 10 th and 11 th ribs in a 68-year-old white woman is presented. The patient suffered from a major coughing episode 1 year prior to her presentation, after which she noted a progressively enlarging bulge in her left flank. Computed tomography demonstrated a bulge in the abdominal wall containing bowel and spleen but with all muscle and fascial layers intact; in addition, lateral 10 th rib and posterior 11 th rib fractures were noted., Conclusions: As there was no defect in muscle or fascia, we diagnosed a pseudohernia, likely due to a denervation injury from the fractured ribs. Symptomatic treatment was recommended, including wearing a corset and referral to a pain management clinic. Symptomatic treatment is thought to be the mainstay of therapy for pseudohernias, as surgical intervention is unlikely to be of benefit.

Introduction: Physiological hypercoagulability is a known condition in pregnancy designed to limit the risk of bleeding; it may exceptionally be complicated by thrombosis of the renal vein. To the best of our knowledge, this is the third case of renal venous infarction reported in the literature., Case Presentation: We report the case of a 43-year-old Caucasian woman, a mother of three sons who presented with left flank pain and hematuria. The clinical investigations did not find any other cause for her thrombophilia., Conclusions: Clinical onset is not specific, so it is important to evoke the diagnosis in the context of pregnancy; computed tomography angiography is the investigation of choice to set the diagnosis. It is important to know that anticoagulation therapy must be initiated as soon as possible.