Season 4
Episode 9 - Games
Brief Plot Summary
Jimmy, a punk rock musician, is brought in after coughing up blood. Although he is a "druggie", House believes that he has too many symptoms of a drug addict and believes there is another underlying condition. Amber wanted a lung biopsy but her theory is wrong when they find that blood in his fingers is stagnant and clotting. Thirteen thinks it could be malaria but the blood test comes back negative. Kutner thinks it could be a chronic embolism. Taub asks to open his chest up to see if there is a vessel wrapped around the patient's trachea. Now they think it could be due to heavy metal poisoning from laced drugs. From the different ideas and the fact that the patient is around children all the time, House deduces it is the measles virus in the brain presenting with different symptoms because the drugs have compromised the patient's immune system. He induces a seizure in the patient, which grants him permission for a brain biopsy as confirmation.
Jimmy, a punk rock musician, is brought in after coughing up blood. Although he is a "druggie", House believes that he has too many symptoms of a drug addict and believes there is another underlying condition. Amber wanted a lung biopsy but her theory is wrong when they find that blood in his fingers is stagnant and clotting. Thirteen thinks it could be malaria but the blood test comes back negative. Kutner thinks it could be a chronic embolism. Taub asks to open his chest up to see if there is a vessel wrapped around the patient's trachea. Now they think it could be due to heavy metal poisoning from laced drugs. From the different ideas and the fact that the patient is around children all the time, House deduces it is the measles virus in the brain presenting with different symptoms because the drugs have compromised the patient's immune system. He induces a seizure in the patient, which grants him permission for a brain biopsy as confirmation.
Diagnosed Disease: Measles - Highly contagious disease caused by the measles virus
SymptomsFever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes make up the classic symptoms
pneumonia and encephalitis can also occur |
CausesContact with an infected individual can transmit the virus as it spread by means of the respiratory system and can be contracted as aerosol droplets from sneezing or coughing.
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TestsUsually diagnosed by symptoms but blood tests can be run to test for serum antibodies
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Treatment/CureUsually rest and time will allow a patient to recover; however, anti-virals may be administers for more complicated manifestations of the infection
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Source Links: CDC
Episode 10 - It's a Wonderful Lie
Brief Plot Summary
A 35-year old woman is admitted after having paralysis of her hands. They think it could be paraneoplastic syndrome remnant of her breast cancer, but the MRI reveals that there's no cancer. They realize that she was drugged with ecstasy and put her on hemodialysis incase they were laced. After starting the treatment, she suddenly can't see. They do an MRI to check for neurological problems and an exam to check for bleeds; neither reveal any disorders. Her lymph nodes begin swelling up, closing her airways. From what could be joint pain, House think it might be sarcoidosis. When she starts bleeding from her eyes, House wants a marrow biopsy to check for platelet counts. When they can't drill through her hip, a scan reveals she might have osteopetrosis with no cure. House then walks in asking to put the patient on risperidone, an antipsychotic that also cause breast tissue enlargement and breast milk production. He draws milk from an enlarged area behind her knee. The explanation is that during fetal development, the progenitor breast tissue was distributed to parts of the body where it didn't belong. It was a relapse of breast cancer that lead to her symptoms.
A 35-year old woman is admitted after having paralysis of her hands. They think it could be paraneoplastic syndrome remnant of her breast cancer, but the MRI reveals that there's no cancer. They realize that she was drugged with ecstasy and put her on hemodialysis incase they were laced. After starting the treatment, she suddenly can't see. They do an MRI to check for neurological problems and an exam to check for bleeds; neither reveal any disorders. Her lymph nodes begin swelling up, closing her airways. From what could be joint pain, House think it might be sarcoidosis. When she starts bleeding from her eyes, House wants a marrow biopsy to check for platelet counts. When they can't drill through her hip, a scan reveals she might have osteopetrosis with no cure. House then walks in asking to put the patient on risperidone, an antipsychotic that also cause breast tissue enlargement and breast milk production. He draws milk from an enlarged area behind her knee. The explanation is that during fetal development, the progenitor breast tissue was distributed to parts of the body where it didn't belong. It was a relapse of breast cancer that lead to her symptoms.
Diagnosed Disease: Breast Cancer - More common for of cancer affecting the breast tissue, almost always in women
Episode 11 - Frozen
Brief Plot Summary
Two workers in antarctica are in trouble. Cate has fixed Sean's femoral artery rupture but she collapses herself and begins vomiting. They begin to Skype with them and instruct them to start antibiotics for a kidney to prevent infection. When her right lung collapses, House thinks it could be cancer, but after she biopsy's her lymph node, there appears to be no cancer. She then has a sharp pain in the left kidney as well, meaning both her kidneys are not functioning properly. House believes it's autoimmune and advises her to take prednisone but she refuses until he can prove it's autoimmune. When she collapses and falls into a coma, they have Sean taste her urine and find out it's watery meaning that it's excess intracranial pressure or a problem with the hypothalamus. After drilling a hole in her skull, she wakes up from the coma, meaning it was excess pressure. Kutner suggests a fat embolism from an unfixed bone break, which they find in her toe, that was numbed front he cold.
Two workers in antarctica are in trouble. Cate has fixed Sean's femoral artery rupture but she collapses herself and begins vomiting. They begin to Skype with them and instruct them to start antibiotics for a kidney to prevent infection. When her right lung collapses, House thinks it could be cancer, but after she biopsy's her lymph node, there appears to be no cancer. She then has a sharp pain in the left kidney as well, meaning both her kidneys are not functioning properly. House believes it's autoimmune and advises her to take prednisone but she refuses until he can prove it's autoimmune. When she collapses and falls into a coma, they have Sean taste her urine and find out it's watery meaning that it's excess intracranial pressure or a problem with the hypothalamus. After drilling a hole in her skull, she wakes up from the coma, meaning it was excess pressure. Kutner suggests a fat embolism from an unfixed bone break, which they find in her toe, that was numbed front he cold.
Diagnosed Disease: Fat Embolism - Piece of fat tissue that leaks into the circulatory system causing a clot
SymptomsUnlike a thrombus, fat embolisms are numerous when they occur and lead to a more systemic nature of problems. Where the clot occurs determines the symptoms. However, it usually presents with respiratory, neurological and hematological symptoms.
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CausesPhysical trauma such as fractures, broken bones, burns, or soft tissue damage.
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TestsUsually unhealed physical tissue damage can be a strong indicator. No clear blood test to arrive at a diagnosis. MRIs and CAT scans can be informative.
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Treatment/CureFixing the physical trauma will alleviate the problem by removing the source of the emboli.
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Source Links: Wiki
Episode 12 - Don't Ever Change
Brief Plot Summary
A woman becomes unconscious at her Jewish wedding and falls off her chair; she has blood in her urine. House believes she was trying to commit suicide but the team believes its endometriosis. She used to be a heroin user but she says she quit. They do a hair sample to check for toxins. A stress test is done to look for heart issues that might point to Lupus. An MRI reveals no clots, but when the patient stands, she begins to crash and stabilizes after being sat in a wheelchair. They do an electrical study of the heart. After being put in a hot room, her body temperature falls drastically and the hypothermia leads to a seizure. Addison's seems to fit so they administer cortisol. She begins to bleed into her abdomen. House has an epiphany and finds that it's nephrotosis.
A woman becomes unconscious at her Jewish wedding and falls off her chair; she has blood in her urine. House believes she was trying to commit suicide but the team believes its endometriosis. She used to be a heroin user but she says she quit. They do a hair sample to check for toxins. A stress test is done to look for heart issues that might point to Lupus. An MRI reveals no clots, but when the patient stands, she begins to crash and stabilizes after being sat in a wheelchair. They do an electrical study of the heart. After being put in a hot room, her body temperature falls drastically and the hypothermia leads to a seizure. Addison's seems to fit so they administer cortisol. She begins to bleed into her abdomen. House has an epiphany and finds that it's nephrotosis.
Diagnosed Disease: Nephrotosis - This condition is also known as a floating kidney and occurs when the kidney is loosely fixed in the abdomen which causes it to fall into the pelvis when a patient stands up.
SymptomsUsually asymptomatic, but can cause: bloody urine, chills, nausea, pain, hypertension, etc.
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CausesCaused by deficiency or wearing/weakening of the supporting perirenal fasciae.
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TestsSince the kidney is in position while sitting of lying down, most scans don't reveal this condition. Thus diagnosis is based mostly from the symptoms and response to treatment.
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Treatment/CureSurgery is required to reattach the kidney in proper position.
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Source Links: Wiki
