Biomaterial Database

[Unexpected diagnosis of thorotrast-induced cirrhosis]. 2001

M Bo, and D Grassone, and F Fabris

Sezione di Geriatria, Dipartimento di Discipline Medico-chirurgiche, Università, Torino.

It is presented the clinical case of a 73 year old man admitted to hospital with dyspnea and productive cough. Clinico-instrumental investigations demonstrated monolateral pleural effusion and ascites in a severe cirrhotic chronic liver failure. After evacuation of the pleural and peritoneal effusion, chest radiography showed the presence of a double accumulation of radiopaque material in left cervical region and in left paramediastinic site. Chest and abdominal CT scan showed a systemic accumulation of this material in liver, spleen and glands. The characteristics of the iperreflecting substance accumulated were compatible with that of Thorotrast. In the mean time, a prostate cancer with skeletal metastases was diagnosed. Despite therapy, the chronic liver failure causes a rapid deterioration of clinical conditions, with irreversible hepatic coma and death.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008103	Liver Cirrhosis	Liver disease in which the normal microcirculation, the gross vascular anatomy, and the hepatic architecture have been variably destroyed and altered with fibrous septa surrounding regenerated or regenerating parenchymal nodules.	Cirrhosis, Liver,Fibrosis, Liver,Hepatic Cirrhosis,Liver Fibrosis,Cirrhosis, Hepatic
D008297	Male		Males
D003287	Contrast Media	Substances used to allow enhanced visualization of tissues.	Radiopaque Media,Contrast Agent,Contrast Agents,Contrast Material,Contrast Materials,Radiocontrast Agent,Radiocontrast Agents,Radiocontrast Media,Agent, Contrast,Agent, Radiocontrast,Agents, Contrast,Agents, Radiocontrast,Material, Contrast,Materials, Contrast,Media, Contrast,Media, Radiocontrast,Media, Radiopaque
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000368	Aged	A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available.	Elderly
D013911	Thorium Dioxide	Thorium oxide (ThO2). A radiographic contrast agent that was used in the early 1930s through about 1954. High rates of mortality have been linked to its use and it has been shown to cause liver cancer.	Thorium Oxide,Thorotrast,Dioxide, Thorium,Oxide, Thorium
D017093	Liver Failure	Severe inability of the LIVER to perform its normal metabolic functions, as evidenced by severe JAUNDICE and abnormal serum levels of AMMONIA; BILIRUBIN; ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE; ASPARTATE AMINOTRANSFERASE; LACTATE DEHYDROGENASES; and albumin/globulin ratio. (Blakiston's Gould Medical Dictionary, 4th ed)	Hepatic Failure
D017809	Fatal Outcome	Death resulting from the presence of a disease in an individual, as shown by a single case report or a limited number of patients. This should be differentiated from DEATH, the physiological cessation of life and from MORTALITY, an epidemiological or statistical concept.	Fatal Outcomes,Outcome, Fatal,Outcomes, Fatal