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A Protocol for Safe Lithiation Reactions Using Organolithium Reagents
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Published on: November 12, 2016

[Lithokelyphopedion].

Carla Gonçalves1, Ana Pimentel, Sara Leitão

  • 1Serviço de Medicina Interna, Hospitais da Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal.

Acta Medica Portuguesa
|April 24, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This case report details an extremely rare lithokelyphopedion, a calcified fetus, discovered in a 77-year-old woman. The lithopedion, resulting from a full-term pregnancy over 50 years prior, was incidentally found during examination for other medical conditions.

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Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Surgical Pathology
  • Radiology

Background:

  • Lithopedions, or stone fetuses, are exceptionally rare occurrences, with fewer than 300 cases documented globally.
  • This condition arises when a full-term pregnancy undergoes fetal death and subsequent calcification within the abdominal cavity.

Observation:

  • A 77-year-old female patient presented with dehydration, urinary tract infection, and infected pressure ulcers.
  • During examination for an incarcerated umbilical hernia, a palpable abdominal mass, approximately 10 cm with a stony consistency, was noted.
  • Initial imaging suggested a renal tumor, but further investigation revealed a calcified mass.

Findings:

  • Abdominal X-ray confirmed a large calcified mass.
  • Computed Tomography (CT) scan definitively diagnosed a lithokelyphopedion, indicating a calcified fetus from a pregnancy estimated to be over 50 years old.
  • The lithopedion was associated with a full-term pregnancy.

Implications:

  • This case highlights the importance of considering rare diagnoses in elderly patients with abdominal masses.
  • The incidental finding of a long-standing lithopedion underscores the potential for asymptomatic, long-term intra-abdominal pathologies.
  • Such cases contribute valuable data to the limited understanding of lithopedion formation and long-term sequelae.