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Barreto I, Oliveira FG, Barreira SC, Inácio JR. Epipericardial fat necrosis in chest CT and MRI: a case report of an unusual cause of chest pain associated with the initial diagnosis of undifferentiated connective tissue disease. BMC Cardiovasc Disord 2023; 23:314. [PMID: 37349709 PMCID: PMC10286368 DOI: 10.1186/s12872-023-03349-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epipericardial fat necrosis (EFN) is a benign and self-limited condition of unknown cause with a good prognosis, usually affecting otherwise healthy patients. Clinically, it presents with severe acute left pleuritic chest pain, often leading the patient to the Emergency Room (ER). CASE PRESENTATION A 23-year-old male, smoker (5 pack-years), was evaluated in the ER due to left pleuritic chest pain, worsening with deep breathing and Valsalva maneuver. It was not associated with trauma and did not present other symptoms. The physical examination was unremarkable. The arterial blood gases while breathing room air and the laboratory tests, including D-dimers and high-sensitivity cardiac Troponin T, were normal. The chest radiograph, electrocardiogram, and transthoracic echocardiogram showed no abnormalities. A computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiogram showed no signs of pulmonary embolism but depicted at the left cardiophrenic angle a focal 3 cm ovoid-shaped fat lesion with stranding and thin soft tissue margins, consistent with necrosis of the epicardial fat, which was confirmed by magnetic resonance (MRI) of the chest. The patient was medicated with ibuprofen and pantoprazole, with clinical improvement in four weeks. At a two-month follow-up, he was asymptomatic and presented radiologic resolution of the inflammatory changes of the epicardial fat of the left cardiophrenic angle on chest CT. Laboratory tests revealed positive antinuclear antibodies, positive anti-RNP antibody, and positive lupus anticoagulant. The patient complained of biphasic Raynaud's phenomenon initiated five years ago, and a diagnosis of undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) was made. CONCLUSIONS This case report highlights the diagnosis of EFN as a rare and frequently unknown clinical condition, which should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute chest pain. It can mimic emergent conditions such as pulmonary embolism, acute coronary syndrome, or acute pericarditis. The diagnosis is confirmed by CT of the thorax or MRI. The treatment is supportive and usually includes non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The association of EFN with UCTD has not been previously described in the medical literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inês Barreto
- Pulmonology Department, North Lisbon University Hospital Centre (CHULN), Lisbon Medical Academic Centre (CAML), Avenida Professor Egas Moniz 1649-035, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | - Francisca Godinho Oliveira
- Pulmonology Department, North Lisbon University Hospital Centre (CHULN), Lisbon Medical Academic Centre (CAML), Avenida Professor Egas Moniz 1649-035, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sofia Carvalho Barreira
- Rheumatology Department, North Lisbon University Hospital Centre (CHULN), Lisbon Medical Academic Centre (CAML), Lisbon, Portugal
- Rheumatology Research Unit, Institute of Molecular Medicine (IMM), Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon Medical Academic Centre (CAML), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - João Rodrigues Inácio
- Radiology Department, North Lisbon University Hospital Centre (CHUNL), Lisbon Medical Academic Centre (CAML), Lisbon, Portugal
- Radiology Clinic, Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon Medical Academic Centre (CAML), Lisbon, Portugal
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Bandeira M, Dourado E, Melo AT, Martins P, Fraga V, Ferraro JL, Saraiva A, Sousa M, Parente H, Soares C, Correia AM, Almeida DE, Dinis SP, Pinto AS, Oliveira Pinheiro F, Rato MS, Beirão T, Samões B, Santos B, Mazeda C, Chícharo AT, Faria M, Neto A, Lourenço MH, Brites L, Rodrigues M, Silva-Dinis J, Dias JM, Araújo FC, Martins N, Couto M, Valido A, Santos MJ, Barreira SC, Fonseca JE, Campanilho-Marques R. Predictors of cardiac involvement in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1146817. [PMID: 36969246 PMCID: PMC10030705 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1146817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
ObjectivesIdiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a group of rare disorders that can affect the heart. This work aimed to find predictors of cardiac involvement in IIM.MethodsMulticenter, open cohort study, including patients registered in the IIM module of the Rheumatic Diseases Portuguese Register (Reuma.pt/Myositis) until January 2022. Patients without cardiac involvement information were excluded. Myo(peri)carditis, dilated cardiomyopathy, conduction abnormalities, and/or premature coronary artery disease were considered.Results230 patients were included, 163 (70.9%) of whom were females. Thirteen patients (5.7%) had cardiac involvement. Compared with IIM patients without cardiac involvement, these patients had a lower bilateral manual muscle testing score (MMT) at the peak of muscle weakness [108.0 ± 55.0 vs 147.5 ± 22.0, p=0.008] and more frequently had oesophageal [6/12 (50.0%) vs 33/207 (15.9%), p=0.009] and lung [10/13 (76.9%) vs 68/216 (31.5%), p=0.001] involvements. Anti-SRP antibodies were more commonly identified in patients with cardiac involvement [3/11 (27.3%) vs 9/174 (5.2%), p=0.026]. In the multivariate analysis, positivity for anti-SRP antibodies (OR 104.3, 95% CI: 2.5-4277.8, p=0.014) was a predictor of cardiac involvement, regardless of sex, ethnicity, age at diagnosis, and lung involvement. Sensitivity analysis confirmed these results.ConclusionAnti-SRP antibodies were predictors of cardiac involvement in our cohort of IIM patients, irrespective of demographical characteristics and lung involvement. We suggest considering frequent screening for heart involvement in anti-SRP-positive IIM patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matilde Bandeira
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa (CAML), Lisboa, Portugal
- Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, CAML, Lisboa, Portugal
- *Correspondence: Matilde Bandeira,
| | - Eduardo Dourado
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa (CAML), Lisboa, Portugal
- Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, CAML, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana Teresa Melo
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa (CAML), Lisboa, Portugal
- Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, CAML, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Patrícia Martins
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa (CAML), Lisboa, Portugal
- Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, CAML, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Vanessa Fraga
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, Portugal
| | | | - André Saraiva
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Marlene Sousa
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Hugo Parente
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Unidade Local de Saúde do Alto Minho, Ponte de Lima, Portugal
| | - Catarina Soares
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Unidade Local de Saúde do Alto Minho, Ponte de Lima, Portugal
| | | | | | - Sara Paiva Dinis
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Unidade Local de Saúde da Guarda, Guarda, Portugal
| | - Ana Sofia Pinto
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Unidade Local de Saúde da Guarda, Guarda, Portugal
| | | | - Maria Seabra Rato
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de São João, Porto, Portugal
| | - Tiago Beirão
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
| | - Beatriz Samões
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar de Vila Nova de Gaia/Espinho, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
| | - Bernardo Santos
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar do Baixo Vouga, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Carolina Mazeda
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar do Baixo Vouga, Aveiro, Portugal
| | | | - Margarida Faria
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Hospital Nélio Mendonça, Serviços de Saúde da Região Autónoma da Madeira, Funchal, Portugal
| | - Agna Neto
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Hospital Nélio Mendonça, Serviços de Saúde da Região Autónoma da Madeira, Funchal, Portugal
| | | | - Luísa Brites
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar de Leiria, Leiria, Portugal
| | - Marília Rodrigues
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar de Leiria, Leiria, Portugal
| | - Joana Silva-Dinis
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Central, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - João Madruga Dias
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar de Médio Tejo, Tomar, Portugal
| | - Filipe C. Araújo
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Hospital CUF Cascais, Cascais, Portugal
| | - Nádia Martins
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Tondela-Viseu, Viseu, Portugal
| | - Maura Couto
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Tondela-Viseu, Viseu, Portugal
| | - Ana Valido
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Unidade Local de Saúde do Litoral Alentejano, Santiago do Cacém, Portugal
| | - Maria José Santos
- Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, CAML, Lisboa, Portugal
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Hospital Garcia de Orta, Almada, Portugal
| | - Sofia Carvalho Barreira
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa (CAML), Lisboa, Portugal
- Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, CAML, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - João Eurico Fonseca
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa (CAML), Lisboa, Portugal
- Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, CAML, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Raquel Campanilho-Marques
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa (CAML), Lisboa, Portugal
- Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, CAML, Lisboa, Portugal
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Barreira SC, Melo AT, Ponte C, Khmelinskii N. Macaroni sign and carotid occlusion in Takayasu's arteritis. Rheumatology (Oxford) 2021; 60:2029-2030. [PMID: 33140087 DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keaa520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Carvalho Barreira
- Serviço de Reumatologia e Doenças Ósseas Metabólicas, Hospital de Santa Maria, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Norte, Lisboa, Portugal.,Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana Teresa Melo
- Serviço de Reumatologia e Doenças Ósseas Metabólicas, Hospital de Santa Maria, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Norte, Lisboa, Portugal.,Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Cristina Ponte
- Serviço de Reumatologia e Doenças Ósseas Metabólicas, Hospital de Santa Maria, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Norte, Lisboa, Portugal.,Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Nikita Khmelinskii
- Serviço de Reumatologia e Doenças Ósseas Metabólicas, Hospital de Santa Maria, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Norte, Lisboa, Portugal.,Unidade de Investigação em Reumatologia, Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
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Macieira C, Barreira SC, Cunha-Miranda L, Nero P, Laires PA, Bogas M, Farinha S, Freitas I, Lucas P, Sousa J, Narciso L, Mateus E, Canas da Silva J, Fonseca JE, Study Group RS. Rheuma SPACE - Standard Practice Aiming Clinical Excellence: the first Portuguese Rheumatology Department evaluation. Acta Reumatol Port 2021; 46:140-155. [PMID: 34243183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The Portuguese Rheumatology Society (SPR) embraced quality as a major goal and launched, in early 2015, a program to aim for excellence in global clinical care: Rheuma SPACE - Standard Practice Aiming Clinical Excellence. Evaluating daily reality is the first step in a quality development timeline, ultimately contributing for health gains. Herein we describe the results of the evaluation of the quality indicators defined for this project and the improvement strategies identified. The Rheuma SPACE project included three phases: 1) establishing a set of quality indicators and an excellence quality model; 2) assessment of the current care at Rheumatology departments concerning the defined quality indicators in the scope of the excellence model; and 3) elaboration of global and customized reports for each participating Rheumatology department, resulting in the identification of improvement opportunities. Ten Rheumatology departments, countrywide, including larger and smaller institutions, were asked to participate in Rheuma SPACE. This resulted in an individual report for each department along with global benchmarking practices analysis. Furthermore, a list of improvement initiatives was developed. We concluded that departments lack physicians and need exclusively dedicated nurses. Time dedicated to research and audit activities should be specifically allocated. Internal contracting is well established, and professionals are committed to targets. Processes are still suboptimal, needing standardization of triage criteria, more frequent follow-up, as well as better medical records and multidisciplinary coverage. Regarding outcomes, patients are satisfied with the provided care and professionals with the working environment. However, department facilities for the former, and career related aspects, for the latter should improve. With this innovative study conducted in Portugal we expect to have enlightened tailored opportunities for improvement, ensure patient-focused practices and be able to define the indispensable quality requirements for excellence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Macieira
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Norte, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa
| | - Sofia Carvalho Barreira
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Norte; Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa
| | | | | | - Pedro A Laires
- Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Lurdes Narciso
- Associação Portuguesa de Profissionais de Saúde em Reumatologia
| | - Elsa Mateus
- Liga Portuguesa Contra as Doenças Reumáticas
| | | | - João Eurico Fonseca
- Serviço de Reumatologia, Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Norte; Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Centro Académico de Medicina de Lisboa
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