Background: Blunt injury of the spleen is common and with the shift towards nonoperative management in haemodynamically stable patients, the delayed development of splenic artery pseudoaneurysms are of great concern. Management traditionally involves angioembolisation with the intent to preserve splenic function; however recent studies suggest that this is not without complication.

Case presentation: We present a rare case of delayed splenic pseudoaneurysm arising 6 days post motorbike accident, with initial computerised tomography showing no evidence of splenic injury. The patient was successfully embolised and progressed well without complication. No clear cause was found for his development of splenic injury.

Conclusions: Splenic artery pseudoaneurysms are not uncommon and necessitate follow-up imaging after nonoperative management of blunt splenic trauma. Once diagnosed, embolisation versus conservative management can be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Pneumatosis intestinalis can be identified radiographically incidentally in an asymptomatic patient, or it may be present in its fulminant form with peritonitis. Although multiple mechanisms have been postulated, most believe it arises from mechanical or infectious factors. Respiratory factors have also been described as possible causes for this condition. Clinically, it is important to differentiate among patients whom require surgical intervention from those who would benefit from conservative management, such as hyperbaric oxygen, changes in diet, and/or antibiotic administration. Although supplemental oxygen has become the standard of care for the treatment of benign pneumatosis intestinalis, we question whether all patients require oxygen therapy as a treatment. Although oxygen may be beneficial, the literature suggests there may be detrimental effects from oxygen toxicity and the free radicals formed during hyper-oxygenation. Furthermore, given the rising epidemic of antibiotic resistance and the various toxicities associated with usage of antibiotics, do all patients really require antibiotics? We present a case of a patient with complaints of hematuria, but no other gross abdominal complaints and was incidentally found to have pneumatosis intestinalis and pneumoperitoneum without any evidence of vascular compromise or ischemia. This patient was managed successfully with conservative treatment without oxygen therapy or antibiotics.

Peroneal nerve entrapment is the most common entrapment found in the lower limb, even though nerve palsy caused by a synovial cyst of the proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) is a very rare condition. We report the case of a 54-year-old man who developed sudden onset of an incomplete foot droop and therefore presented himself to the emergency room. Further examination showed a compression of the peroneal nerve provoked by a synovial cyst of the PTFJ. Treatment involved puncture of the cyst. The patient showed a complete and fast recovery. We discuss our case with regards to the recent literatures.

In some cases of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, corrective surgery can improve pulmonary function. However, the effectiveness of corrective surgery in improving pulmonary function in adult spinal deformity (ASD) has not been reported. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to investigate the recovery of pulmonary function after corrective fusion surgery in 4 patients with severe ASD and associated pulmonary dysfunction. The first patient was a 42-year-old woman with spondylo-epiphyseal dysplasia, whose main presenting complaint was dyspnea. As a result of her respiratory dysfunction, associated with her severe spinal deformity, she required Home Oxygen Therapy (HOT). Prior to surgery, her %vital capacity (VC) was 25%, with a kyphosis angle of 170°. The second patient was a 55-year-old woman with a history of acromegaly, who presented with low back pain. Prior to surgery, she had a %VC of 48% and a Cobb angle of 85°. The third patient was a 59-year-old woman with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis, which had been previously treated, and who was now experiencing increasing low back pain. Prior to surgery, she had a %VC of 58% and a Cobb angle of 87°. The fourth patient was a 60-year-old man, with a history of tuberculous spine, who presented with low back pain. Prior to surgery, his %VC of 75% and Cobb angle of 100°. Pulmonary function improved after corrective fusion surgery in all cases. Halo traction with respiratory rehabilitation should be recommended before corrective spinal fusion surgery for patients with severe ASD and pulmonary dysfunction.

Introduction: Cholesteatoma and cholesterol granuloma can both occur in the temporal bone. Their distinct magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signals are generally used to help differentiate one from the other to plan appropriate treatment, which differs based on the pathology.

Case presentation: We present a patient with recent-onset facial paralysis whose mastoid cavity was filled with tissue radiologically resembling cholesterol granuloma but that turned out to be cholesteatoma upon surgical exploration. Complete disease extirpation was thus completed rather than simple marsupialization, the latter of which would have been sufficient in the case of cholesterol granuloma.

Discussion: Cholesteatoma, although usually hypointense on T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) MRI, hyperintense on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) MRI and showing diffusion restriction on diffusion-weighted imaging can occasionally present with an atypical MRI signal, for example, one suggestive of cholesterol granuloma.Conclusions:The clinician should keep in mind the possible diagnosis of cholesteatoma despite an atypical MRI signal in the temporal bone.

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) is an extremely rare cutaneous neoplasm of the dermal layer of the skin and is histologically classified as a sarcoma. DFSP itself has an incidence of 0.8 cases per million annually. It accounts for 1% of all soft tissue sarcomas and less than 0.1% of all malignancies. DFSP has a high rate of local recurrence especially if there are positive margins on excision, but only up to 4% develop metastasis. Most reported cases are located in the trunk, extremities and head especially scalp. However, DFSP of the breast is very rare with very few reported in the literature. We report a case of a 33-year-old woman who presented with a histological diagnosis of DFSP of the breast, based on incisional biopsy. We report this case which highlights the important aspects in evaluating DFSP in the breast as well as its treatment.