Season 6
Episode 17 - Lockdown
Brief Plot Summary
Cuddy initiates a hospital lockdown until they can find a missing baby. The entire episode goes through some of the character's pschyes. Chase and Cameron are stuck in a room and talk about their marriage and their issues showing why their marriage would never work. Taub and Foreman are checking their own files going through past mishaps while high on vicodin. Thirteen and Wilson play truth or dare. House talks with a dying patient and reveals his feelings about his isolation from the world. Cuddy continues the search for the baby.
Cuddy initiates a hospital lockdown until they can find a missing baby. The entire episode goes through some of the character's pschyes. Chase and Cameron are stuck in a room and talk about their marriage and their issues showing why their marriage would never work. Taub and Foreman are checking their own files going through past mishaps while high on vicodin. Thirteen and Wilson play truth or dare. House talks with a dying patient and reveals his feelings about his isolation from the world. Cuddy continues the search for the baby.
Episode 18 - Knight Fall
Brief Plot Summary
At a medieval reenactment community fair, William collapses seizing with bloodshot eyes. They believe it could be a hematoma or an allergic reaction. MRI is clean but he vomited in the machine. They find that William was throwing up before the fight and find a cow eye. He begins to have tachycardia, irregular rhythm, and blisters on his chest. His chest pain starts getting worse and spreads to his back. The test for MRSA is negative. House believes it could be aerosolized poison ivy from the bonfires they have. He then has onset of bradycardia followed by rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure. His muscle biopsy is negative for trichinosis. Foreman and Taub find legions on his liver that aren't cancer and don't have lead as House suggested. House and Thirteen find that he ate hemlock but with the treatment not helping, it means the hemlock isn't what's killing him. House realizes that the liver legions are peliosis hepatis which indicate a heart infection as a result of anabolic steroid abuse. The hemlock merely accelerated the steroid's toxicity.
At a medieval reenactment community fair, William collapses seizing with bloodshot eyes. They believe it could be a hematoma or an allergic reaction. MRI is clean but he vomited in the machine. They find that William was throwing up before the fight and find a cow eye. He begins to have tachycardia, irregular rhythm, and blisters on his chest. His chest pain starts getting worse and spreads to his back. The test for MRSA is negative. House believes it could be aerosolized poison ivy from the bonfires they have. He then has onset of bradycardia followed by rhabdomyolysis and kidney failure. His muscle biopsy is negative for trichinosis. Foreman and Taub find legions on his liver that aren't cancer and don't have lead as House suggested. House and Thirteen find that he ate hemlock but with the treatment not helping, it means the hemlock isn't what's killing him. House realizes that the liver legions are peliosis hepatis which indicate a heart infection as a result of anabolic steroid abuse. The hemlock merely accelerated the steroid's toxicity.
Diagnosed Disease: Anabolic Steroid Abuse - Supplemental use of anabolic steroids (synthetic version of testosterone)
SymptomsAcne, tendinitis, liver tumors or abnormalities, hypertension, cardiovascular problems, heart valve infection
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CausesHigh doses of non-prescribed anabolic steroids.
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TestsBlood tests reveal the drug in a patient's system.
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Treatment/CureDiscontinuation of drug abuse and treatments for the various side-effects that may manifest.
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Source Links: Mayo Clinic
Episode 19 - Open and Shut
Brief Plot Summary
Julia is admitted after having an onset of fever and severe abdominal pain. She has arrhythmia and tachycardia and needs to be shocked back into rhythm. Paralysis sets in her legs and they do an MRI to look for an adrenal gland tumor but instead see a clot in her lungs. They start her on heparin to prevent further clotting. She has severe abdominal pain again, but the ultrasounds is clean. They do surgery to fix the intestinal interception (the intestine folds back on itself) which cut off blood flow and indicates cancer. While continuing to test, her kidneys continue to decline. House then realizes she has Heoch-Schönlein purpura.
Julia is admitted after having an onset of fever and severe abdominal pain. She has arrhythmia and tachycardia and needs to be shocked back into rhythm. Paralysis sets in her legs and they do an MRI to look for an adrenal gland tumor but instead see a clot in her lungs. They start her on heparin to prevent further clotting. She has severe abdominal pain again, but the ultrasounds is clean. They do surgery to fix the intestinal interception (the intestine folds back on itself) which cut off blood flow and indicates cancer. While continuing to test, her kidneys continue to decline. House then realizes she has Heoch-Schönlein purpura.
Diagnosed Disease: Henoch-Schloein Purpura - Systemic small-vessel vasculitis caused by immunoglobulin A and C3 buildups on vessel walls leading to inflammation.
SymptomsArthritis, purpura, purple rash, and severe abdominal pain are the main symptoms. GI tract problems (folding, twisting, and intussusception) and kidney failure may also occur.
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CausesDeposits of immunoglobulin A and C3 (a complement cascade protein) buildup in the small vessels of the body, causing an immune response and inflammation. The reason this happens is genetic and environmental as the illness can sometimes be set off by an infection or toxin that enters the body. Usually occurs in children from 2-6.
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TestsNo specific test, but the set of symptoms is unique and very few other illnesses can cause the same set of symptoms.
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Treatment/CurePatients usually recover spontaneously and treatment is focused only on treating the symptoms as the inflammatory response eventually subsides. Pain killers are usually necessary for the joint and abdominal pain.
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Source Links: Wiki, Mayo Clinic
Episode 20 - The Choice
Brief Plot Summary
Ted faints at his wedding and has aphasia. When House stabs him with a needle, he can speak again and they discharge him. However, he has a pleural effusion and is readmitted. They find he used to have a boyfriend suggesting he was or is gay. Questioning him further reveals he had therapy to change his orientation towards heterosexuality. His EEG appears normal but he suddenly has a heart attack. When he consistently faints in the upright position, they realize that POTS is a new symptom (his BP falls when upright causing him to faint and returns to normal while lying down). After waking up, he has a severe headache suggesting an infection and they notice his face twist a weird way indicating he doesn't have POTS. House realizes that he has Arnold-Chiari malformation.
Ted faints at his wedding and has aphasia. When House stabs him with a needle, he can speak again and they discharge him. However, he has a pleural effusion and is readmitted. They find he used to have a boyfriend suggesting he was or is gay. Questioning him further reveals he had therapy to change his orientation towards heterosexuality. His EEG appears normal but he suddenly has a heart attack. When he consistently faints in the upright position, they realize that POTS is a new symptom (his BP falls when upright causing him to faint and returns to normal while lying down). After waking up, he has a severe headache suggesting an infection and they notice his face twist a weird way indicating he doesn't have POTS. House realizes that he has Arnold-Chiari malformation.
Diagnosed Disease: Arnold-Chiari Malformation - Brain malformation causing the displacement of cerebellar tonsils through the foramen magnum at the base of the skull.
SymptomsHeadaches, ringing in ears, vertigo, nausea, pupillary dilation, tachycardia, syncope (fainting)
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CausesChronic and progressive disease characterized by a fluid-filled cyst in the spinal cord. This can cause blockage of CNS fluid, leading to a pressure build-up in the brain that causes the patient's symptoms.
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TestsDiagnosis is made through a combination of MRI, symptoms and history.
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Treatment/CureSurgery might be needed to help absolve the symptoms and relieve pressure.
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Source Links: Wiki