Content about Case report

Parapharyngeal abscess is a serious medical condition that may lead to life-threatening complications. Its incidence has dramatically decreased since the advent of antibiotics. We report two cases of parapharyngeal abscesses in immunocompromised patients. We believe that early diagnosis, broad-spectrum antibiotics, surgery and pus drainage can prevent serious complications.

This is a report of a patient on multiple antipsychotic medications for the treatment of schizophrenia. Often, polypharmacy is not encouraged, however, with the advent of newer atypical antipsychotic agents, this practice may need review. This case will be used to highlight the rare instances when polypharmacy may be useful prior to the commencement of clozapine for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Posterior urethral valve (PUV) commonly presents during infancy. We report a case of a 5-year-old boy with Down syndrome who was diagnosed to have PUV in late childhood. He presented with recurrent left epididymo-orchitis, an uncommon but recognized com-plication of PUV. Our aim is to discuss this rare and delayed presentation of PUV in par-ticular amongst children with Down syndrome, method of diagnosis and complication of the disease if left untreated.

We report a case of squamous cell carcinoma of the base of the tongue in a 27 years old patient with Rothmund-Thomson syndrome (RTS). An abnormal DNA repair mechanism in some RTS patients predispose them to malignancy and influence the tolerance to radiotherapy.

Thymomas comprise about 1% of all mediastinal tumours and are rare in children. Typically, these tumours are aggressive, with a poor outcome. The current treatment of invasive thymoma is often multidisciplinary. We report a 16-year-old boy with invasive thymoma who was successfully treated with systemic chemotherapy, surgical resection and irradiation. The patient has been in continuous remission for 6 years without radiographic evidence of tumour recurrence.