gms | German Medical Science

81. Jahresversammlung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie e. V.

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hals-Nasen-Ohren-Heilkunde, Kopf- und Hals-Chirurgie e. V.

12.05. - 16.05.2010, Wiesbaden

Singultus: an uncommon genesis

Meeting Abstract

Suche in Medline nach

  • corresponding author presenting/speaker Chia-Jung Wang - Universitätsklinikum Hamburg Eppendorf, HNO-Klinik, Hamburg, Germany
  • author Andreas Marx - Universitätsklinikum Hamburg Eppendorf, Pathologisches Institut, Hamburg, Germany
  • author Hannes Kutta - Universitätsklinikum Hamburg Eppendorf, HNO-Klinik, Hamburg, Germany
  • author Rainald Knecht - Universitätsklinikum Hamburg Eppendorf, HNO-Klinik, Hamburg, Germany

German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. 81st Annual Meeting of the German Society of Oto-Rhino-Laryngology, Head and Neck Surgery. Wiesbaden, 12.-16.05.2010. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2010. Doc10hno017

doi: 10.3205/10hno017, urn:nbn:de:0183-10hno0177

Veröffentlicht: 6. Juli 2010

© 2010 Wang et al.
Dieser Artikel ist ein Open Access-Artikel und steht unter den Creative Commons Lizenzbedingungen (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.de). Er darf vervielfältigt, verbreitet und öffentlich zugänglich gemacht werden, vorausgesetzt dass Autor und Quelle genannt werden.


Gliederung

Text

Introduction: Singultus can be caused by many reasons. A temporary singultus is often without any pathological significance. Singultus because of a malignant origin is very unusual.

Methods: Case history and comparison with updated literature.

Case history: A 60 year old male patient introduced himself in our clinic with permanent persisting and excruciating singultus. No dysphagia was present while a lost weight about 5 kg was recognized during the last week. A following panendoscopy showed a high-grade suspicion of a malignant process in the middle part of the oesophagus. The taken biopsy showed an invasive, moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma of the oesophagus. The following staging resulted in an already metastatic stage. The patient died of multi-organ failure before the therapy started.

Conclusion: In literature only few cases are known where oesophagus or gastric cancer shows a persistent singultus as a symptom. Central and peripheral nervous system disorders as well as toxic or metabolic disorders should always be taken into consideration in cases where singultus is resistance to therapy. Uncommonly, as in our case, tumours of the oesophagus causes an irritation of the phrenic nerve. A quick diagnostic is enormously important in these cases to avoid such fulminant progresses.


References

1.
Khorakiwala T, Arain R, Mulsow J, Walsh TN. Hiccups: an unrecognized symptom of esophageal cancer? Am J Gastroenterol. 2008 Mar;103(3):801.
2.
Martínez Rey C, Villamil Cajoto I. Hiccup: review of 24 cases. Rev Med Chil. 2007 Sep;135(9):1132-8. Epub 2007 Nov 15.
3.
Federspil PA, Zenk J. Hiccup. HNO. 1999 Oct;47(10):867-75.