Карточка-задание по английскому языку на тему «MEDICAL WRITING: CASE ABSTRACT_39»

КАРТОЧКА-ЗАДАНИЕ НА ТЕМУ

«MEDICAL WRITING: CASE ABSTRACT_39»

Warm-up

·         What is a medical case report?

·         What parts does it include?

·         What is an abstract?

Read the abstract of the medical case report:

A case of limbic encephalitis presenting as a paraneoplastic manifestation of limited stage small cell lung cancer: a case report

Abstract

Introduction

The differential diagnosis of altered mental status and behavioral change is very extensive. Paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis is a rare cause of cognitive impairment, which should be considered in the differential diagnosis.

Case presentation

A 64-year-old British Caucasian woman presented to our hospital with a 12-week history of confusion and short-term memory loss. She was hyponatremic with a serum sodium level of 128mmol/L. Moreover, there was evidence of left hilar prominence on the chest radiograph. A thoracic computed tomography scan showed left hilar opacity with confluent lymphadenopathy. A percutaneous biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of small cell lung cancer. There was no radiological evidence of brain metastasis on the computed tomography scan. In view of continued cognitive impairment, which was felt to be disproportionate to hyponatremia, a magnetic resonance imaging scan of the brain was undertaken. It showed hyperintense signals from both hippocampi, highly suggestive of limbic encephalitis presenting as a paraneoplastic manifestation of small cell lung cancer. She had a significant radiological and clinical response following chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Conclusion

This case highlights the importance of considering paraneoplastic syndromes in patients with neurological symptoms in the context of lung malignancy. If initial investigations fail to reveal the cause of cognitive impairment in a patient with malignancy, magnetic resonance imaging may be invaluable in the diagnosis of limbic encephalitis. The clinical presentation, diagnostic techniques and management of paraneoplastic limbic encephalitis are discussed in this case report.

Find in the abstract:

·         Background

·         Why is it important

·         Needs to be reported

Answer the questions:

1.       Is this the first report of this kind in the literature?

2.       What are brief details of what the patient(s) presented with?

3.       What the reader should learn from the case report?

4.       What the clinical impact will be?

5.       Is it an original case report of interest to a particular clinical specialty of medicine?

6.       Will it have a broader clinical impact across medicine?

7.       Are any teaching points identified?

Follow-up

·         Why abstract is the most important part for case published in electronic databases?

·         What are basics of abstract writing?