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You are seeing a 12-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with the sudden onset of severe abdominal pain. Imaging that was obtained to rule out appendicitis revealed a mass adjacent to the bladder. The mass was surgically resected, and pathology demonstrated a paraganglioma. Which of the studies below would be most useful to determine disease stage for this patient?
- A. Bone Scan
- B. Lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid cytology
- C. Bone marrow aspirate and biopsy
- D. Ga 68-DOTATATE PET/CT
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The correct answer is D: Ga 68-DOTATATE PET/CT. Paragangliomas are neuroendocrine tumors that can secrete catecholamines and have a high expression of somatostatin receptors. Ga 68-DOTATATE PET/CT is the most appropriate imaging study to determine disease stage in patients with paragangliomas because it can detect the somatostatin receptor expression in these tumors, aiding in localization, staging, and treatment planning.
A: Bone scan is not the most useful study for determining disease stage in paraganglioma.
B: Lumbar puncture for cerebrospinal fluid cytology is not relevant for staging paraganglioma.
C: Bone marrow aspirate and biopsy are not the most appropriate studies for staging paraganglioma.
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A 16-year-old female presents to the emergency room with a new complaint of chest pain. When performing a review of systems and physical examination, which of the following would substantially decrease your suspicion for a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism?
- A. Cough
- B. Fever
- C. Rib tenderness
- D. Shortness of breath
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C: Rib tenderness. Rib tenderness would decrease suspicion for pulmonary embolism because it suggests a musculoskeletal origin of chest pain rather than a vascular one. Pulmonary embolism typically presents with symptoms such as shortness of breath, pleuritic chest pain, and sometimes cough, but rib tenderness is not a common finding in this condition. Fever is non-specific and can be present in various conditions, including pulmonary embolism. Shortness of breath is a key symptom of pulmonary embolism and would increase suspicion for this diagnosis.
Henoch Schonlein purpura is not associated with:
- A. thrombocytopenia
- B. palpable purpura
- C. intussusception
- D. acute diffuse glomerulonephritis
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Henoch Schonlein purpura is characterized by palpable purpura, abdominal pain, arthritis, and acute diffuse glomerulonephritis. Thrombocytopenia is not typically associated with Henoch Schonlein purpura, making choice A correct. Thrombocytopenia is more commonly seen in conditions like immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Choices B, C, and D are incorrect as palpable purpura, intussusception, and acute diffuse glomerulonephritis are commonly associated with Henoch Schonlein purpura.
Plat. Transfusion is not indicated in:
- A. aplastic an.
- B. uraemia with bleeding
- C. DIC
- D. immunogenic thrombocytopenia
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: The correct answer is D: immunogenic thrombocytopenia. Platelet transfusion is not indicated in immunogenic thrombocytopenia because it involves antibodies attacking platelets, which would render transfused platelets ineffective. Platelet transfusion is indicated in aplastic anemia (A) to increase platelet count, in uremia with bleeding (B) to replace dysfunctional platelets, and in DIC (C) to help manage severe bleeding. In summary, platelet transfusion is contraindicated in immunogenic thrombocytopenia due to ineffective platelet response.
The health care provider tells the nurse that a client is to be started on a platelet inhibitor. About what drug does the nurse plan to teach the client?
- A. Clopidogrel (Plavix)
- B. Enoxaparin (Lovenox)
- C. Reteplase (Retavase)
- D. Warfarin (Coumadin)
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A: Clopidogrel (Plavix). Platelet inhibitors like Clopidogrel work by preventing blood clots by inhibiting platelet aggregation. Clopidogrel is commonly used to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Enoxaparin (Lovenox) is a low molecular weight heparin used to prevent blood clots. Reteplase (Retavase) is a thrombolytic agent used to dissolve blood clots. Warfarin (Coumadin) is an anticoagulant that works by inhibiting clotting factors in the liver, but it does not directly target platelets like Clopidogrel.
A 2-month-old girl is found to have a small, hard mass on her scalp. The mass increases in size over the next 4 weeks. A biopsy is performed that confirms a diagnosis of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. You initiate chemotherapy with vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide. The child presents to clinic for day 1 of cycle 3 of chemotherapy, and the mass on her scalp is smaller. She is afebrile, absolute neutrophil count is 1,405 cells/mcL, platelet count is 154,000/mcL, and total bilirubin is 0.8 mg/dL. Her mother reports she looks very tired because her eyelids have been 'very droopy,' and she thinks she has a sore throat because her cry is hoarse. Her last bowel movement was 2 days ago. What is the most appropriate chemotherapy plan?
- A. Continue vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide at full dosage.
- B. Do not administer any chemotherapy; rhabdomyosarcoma is progressing and she needs different therapy.
- C. Administer dactinomycin and cyclophosphamide but hold the vincristine and reevaluate weekly. If the ptosis and hoarse cry resolve, vincristine can be resumed with a dose reduction and, if tolerated, re-escalated to the full dose in the future.
- D. Administer dactinomycin and cyclophosphamide but discontinue vincristine permanently.
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The correct answer is C: Administer dactinomycin and cyclophosphamide but hold the vincristine and reevaluate weekly. If the ptosis and hoarse cry resolve, vincristine can be resumed with a dose reduction and, if tolerated, re-escalated to the full dose in the future.
Rationale:
1. Ptosis and hoarse cry are symptoms of vincristine-induced neurotoxicity.
2. Holding vincristine allows for resolution of these side effects.
3. Reevaluating weekly ensures close monitoring of symptoms.
4. If symptoms resolve, vincristine can be cautiously reintroduced with a dose reduction to prevent further neurotoxicity.
Summary:
A: Continuing all chemotherapy may worsen neurotoxicity.
B: Withholding all chemotherapy is not appropriate if two agents are effective.
D: Discontinuing vincristine permanently may limit treatment options.