Clinical

A case of “broken-heart” syndrome

Figure 1 Quiz of the Week A 67-year-old woman presents to the emergency room with acute chest pain and dyspnea after the death of her husband. She is hypotensive, tachycardic, and diaphoretic. A diagnosis of takotsubo cardiomyopathy is suspected.   Image credit: @bioplasmik.   Answer: Normal coronary arteries The diagnosis of takotsubo, or stress-induced cardiomyopathy,...

Which infection preceded this cutaneous eruption?

Figure 1 Quiz of the Week An 8-year-old boy is brought to the pediatrician by his mother over concerns of a new-onset rash. He is otherwise healthy, though his mother mentions that he was unwell two weeks prior to the rash appearing. On examination, numerous small salmon-pink scaly papules are seen on his trunk and...

What’s causing this patient’s diminished femoral pulses?

Figure 1 Quiz of the Week A 56-year-old man presents with a three-month history of erectile dysfunction and bilateral buttock pain on exertion, but not at rest. His past medical history is significant for type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Examination reveals bilaterally diminished femoral pulses.   Image credit: @surgeon2015.   Answer: Leriche syndrome (aortoiliac occlusive...

A creeping eruption

Figure 1 Quiz of the Week A 40-year-old male presents to his family physician with a pruritic, erythematous lesion on his foot after returning from vacation in coastal Brazil a week earlier. He adds that the lesion has migrated since he first noticed it. On examination, a serpiginous, slightly elevated tunnel can be seen on...