Open AccessA young leukemic patient with unusual catastrophic intestinal complication
Author(s) -
Kim Vaiphei,
Amita Trehan,
Man Updesh Singh Sachdeva,
Pankaj Malhotra
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
indian journal of pathology and microbiology/indian journal of pathology and microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 0974-5130
pISSN - 0377-4929
DOI - 10.4103/0377-4929.151187
Subject(s) - medicine , pancytopenia , disseminated intravascular coagulation , autopsy , bone marrow , pathology , complication , pseudomembranous colitis , spleen , gastroenterology , clostridium difficile , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , antibiotics
A 14-year-old child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who had completed induction chemotherapy presented with fever and diffuse musculoskeletal pains which was thought to be a constellation of myositis, arthralgias and arthritis. Investigations revealed initially showed normal peripheral blood counts but had pancytopenia and pre-terminally blasts were seen in the peripheral blood smear. He had bone marrow necrosis. Disseminated intravascular coagulation was suspected with a positive fungal serology. At autopsy, he had evidence of disease relapsed in lymph nodes, liver, spleen, testes and kidneys. There was extensive pseudomembranous colitis and appendicitis with changes of toxic megacolon.