Renal ultrasound can be important in determining diagnosis, management, and next steps in the evaluation of a patient with flank or abdominal pain, hematuria, concern for stone and more.
Read MoreA 20-year-old female presents to the emergency department (ED) with a chief complaint of a headache. Her headache started 8 days ago and is described as bifrontal. It is positional and gets worse when she bends forward but improves when she is sitting or standing. She had presented to 3 other EDs prior to this visit for her symptoms, and each time she was discharged with an intractable headache after receiving a migraine cocktail to no effect…
Read More…3 days of floaters and “lightning bolt” white flashes in the temporal field of her right eye in the absence of eye trauma. She also reported right periorbital pain. She did not have blurry vision, diplopia, loss of vision, scalp tenderness, jaw claudication, fevers, chills, or weight loss. She denied photophobia despite wearing sunglasses in the Emergency Department. Her mother had died from choroidal melanoma, but the patient had not seen an ophthalmologist in 15 years.
Her uncorrected visual acuities were 20/60 OD and 20/40 OS. Intraocular pressure, pupillary reaction, and extraocular movements were normal. Point of care ultrasound (POCUS) revealed three hyperechoic, solid lesions with posterior acoustic shadowing in her right eye….
Read More…complained of significant superior lateral knee pain and swelling, as well as difficulty moving his leg due to pain. On exam, he had notable swelling and tenderness of the left knee, particularly along the superior aspect of the patella. After controlling his pain with intravenous medications, he was able to flex at the hip but was unable to extend his lower leg at the knee or to perform a straight leg raise….
Read More…The differential diagnosis included acute coronary syndrome, CHF exacerbation, pneumonia, and cardiac amyloidosis.
EKG showed sinus tachycardia with low voltage. Laboratory evaluation was unremarkable, with a negative troponin and high normal BNP. Chest radiograph showed bilateral infiltrates concerning for mild pulmonary congestion.
POCUS was obtained….
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