Sclerosing Pneumocytoma: A Ten-Year Experience at a Western Balkan University Hospital.

Background and objective: Sclerosing pneumocytoma is a rare, benign tumor of the lung that represents a diagnostic challenge due to the diversity of pathohistological findings. The aim of this study was to present a 10-year experience with sclerosing pneumocytoma of a large center for the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary diseases, and to emphasize differential diagnostic dilemmas as a potential source of errors. Material and Methods: This represents a retrospective study of six patients diagnosed and treated with sclerosing pneumocytoma in the 10-year period. The study analyzed various parameters, which are: Sex, age, symptoms, size and localization of the tumor, and its gross and histological features. Results: Sclerosing pneumocytoma was more frequently diagnosed in females (83.34%). The patients ranged in age from 38 to 61. Most of the patients (66.66%) were asymptomatic. Two patients underwent a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, two patients had a video-assisted minithoracotomy, and two patients underwent a thoracotomy in order to remove the tumor. The tumor was localized in the left lower lobe, in the right upper lobe, and in the right lower lobe in 50%, 33.34%, and 16.66% of patients, respectively. The tumor size ranged from 1 to 2.5 cm. A pathohistological examination of all six cases reported that all four major histological patterns were found in tissue sections: solid, papillary, sclerosing, and hemorrhagic. In all six cases, an immunohistochemical analysis showed positive expression of TTF-1 and panCK in surface epithelial cells, and TTF-1 positivity and panCK negativity in round stromal cells. Conclusions: Sclerosing pneumocytoma is a strictly histological diagnosis supported by clinical and radiological findings and corresponding immunohistochemical methods. Lung pathologists should always keep this tumor in mind, since its spectrum of differential diagnosis is wide, and therefore it can be an important diagnostic pitfall.

Alveolar Adenoma: A 20-Year Experience at a Western Balkan University Hospital and a Literature Review.

Alveolar adenoma is a rare benign lung tumor. We report 5 patients within a 20-year period diagnosed with this rare tumor and its clinical and histopathological features, in order to emphasize its significance in differential diagnosis of other lung tumors. Alveolar adenoma was more frequently diagnosed in female patients (80%). The patients ranged in age from 52 to 68. Eighty percent of the patients had symptoms like dyspnea, and shoulder or back pain. Three patients underwent a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, while 2 patients underwent a thoracotomy in order to remove the tumor. The tumor was localized within the right upper lobe, right lower lobe, and left lower lobe in 40%, 40%, and 20% of patients, respectively. The tumor size ranged from 14 to 30 mm. A frozen section finding of all 5 tumors reported that the lesion was benign. In all analyzed tumors, immunohistochemical analysis showed positive expression of TTF-1 and pankeratin in surface epithelial cells, and Vimentin positivity and TTF-1 and pankeratin negativity in round stromal cells. Alveolar adenoma should be carefully considered in the differential diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodules. Complete surgical removal of the lesion is widely used in its primary management.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Presenting With Pulmonary Hyalinizing Granuloma: A Rare Clinical Entity.

Pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma (PHG) is an unusual benign pulmonary disease with nonspecific symptoms and slow progression, characterized by solitary or multiple fibrosing nodules. A definitive diagnosis of PHG usually requires a wide excisional biopsy. Associations of PHG with lymphoproliferative disorders, such as Castleman's disease and lymphoma, have been described. PHG is considered a paraneoplastic manifestation of those diseases. Treatment in most cases comprises therapy of the underlying condition with or without the use of empirical corticosteroid therapy. We report a case of a 57-year-old Caucasian female, who presented initially with dyspnea, fatigue, dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, night sweats, weight loss, and recurrent sinusitis. A physical examination revealed hepatosplenomegaly with generalized lymphadenomegaly. Chest computed tomography showed bilateral diffuse nodular changes about 10 mm in diameter in the lung parenchyma. A needle biopsy of a lymph node confirmed the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and chemotherapy was started. Since the parenchymal lung lesions progressed and no definite diagnosis could be made on the basis of transbronchial biopsy, a right-sided video-assisted thoracoscopy with atypical resection of the abnormalities was performed. The findings were consistent with a diagnosis of pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma. Due to preserved pulmonary function, there was no indication for starting corticosteroid therapy. The purpose of this case report is to draw attention to the possibility of pulmonary hyalinizing granuloma as a differential diagnosis when multiple nodular lesions are observed in the lungs. Although PHG is a rare entity, due to its frequent association with underlying diseases and nonspecific presentation, a careful investigation should be performed. For a definite diagnosis, a surgical biopsy is required.

Intrauterine fetal death due to cardiac rhabdomyomas.

A 21-year-old patient, in her first and regularly controlled uneventful pregnancy, was admitted to hospital due to lower leg edema, hypertension, proteinuria, and weight gain. Fetal death occurred the next day and a female nonhydropic fetus, 40 cm CH, 1460 grams, at 29-week gestation was delivered. An autopsy showed no visible gross abnormalities except in the heart. The heart was enlarged, with five intramural and subendocardial nodules, 0.3 to 1 cm in size, three in the left ventricular free wall, and one in the right ventricle and right atrium, sharply demarcated, reddish-gray, moderately firm, with the typical appearance of rhabdomyoma.

Time to Post-Anesthesia Neurological Evaluation and Hemodynamic Stability in Carotid Endarterectomy Comparing Three General Anesthetic Techniques Targeted to a Preset Bispectral Index Value: A Pilot Study.

Carotid endarterectomy (CEA) has a 1-5% risk of periprocedural stroke. The ability to emerge patients from anesthesia quickly to detect neurological abnormalities immediately after surgery is vital in this patient population. The objective of this pilot study was to assess if any of three general anesthetic techniques for CEA are associated with a shorter time to a reliable postoperative neurological exam. Secondary objectives were to assess postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD), postoperative delirium (POD), and hemodynamic stability. Twenty-one patients undergoing CEA were enrolled and randomized to different combinations of inhalational and intravenous anesthesia: Group A: propofol, remifentanil, and desflurane; Group B: dexmedetomidine, remifentanil, and desflurane; Group C: remifentanil and desflurane. Anesthetic depth was titrated using a bispectral index (BIS) monitor to a goal of 50-60. Time was recorded from surgery end to first meaningful neurological exam. Neurocognitive testing was completed preoperatively and up to 1 week postoperatively to assess POD (3D-CAM) and POCD (Short Blessed Test). Time to first reliable neurological exam was 2 minutes longer in group A (9 min ± 4 min) compared to group B and group C (7 min ± 3 min; 7 min ± 4 min), although this was not statistically significant. In addition, extubation time was significantly longer in group A (11 min) compared to group B and group C (5 min; 6 min) (P = 0.03). 3D -CAM and Short Blessed Test data along with hemodynamics did not differ significantly between the groups. Time to first useful neurologic exam and hemodynamics did not differ between the groups. However, extubation time was significantly prolonged in patients who received propofol, but not dexmedetomidine, as part of their anesthetic for CEA. These findings are best verified in an adequately powered prospective randomized study.

Mediastinal Cartilaginous Hamartoma.

Pulmonary hamartomas are usually solitary, nodular benign lesions in the parenchyma of the lung. They are rarely situated in endobronchial areas, and very few cases are reported with the mediastinum.  A 56-year-old female patient got a CT-scan conducted due to coughing and breathlessness and was diagnosed with a nodular lesion in the medial mediastinum. The lesion was operated: it measured up to 4 cm in the largest diameter, had a smooth surface, was of rather soft but elastic consistency, and was extirpated. At pathology, on cut section, it was yellowish and lobular, and with a mixture of cartilaginous, fibrous and adipose tissues with some smooth muscle cell fibers and myxoid areas. The diagnosis of pulmonary hamartoma was made with atypical medial mediastinal localization. This rare presentation could pose some differential diagnostic problems in the clinical diagnosis of more frequent primary and metastatic malignant diseases.

Solitary Fibrous Tumor of the Dorsal Tongue Area.

Solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) is a rare tumor occurring in pleura or extrapleural areas. The tongue is infrequently affected, in less than 25 published cases. A female patient, 35 years of age, noticed an oval mass in the posterior dorsal part of the tongue. The operated mass was nodule, 10 mm in size, sharply circumscribed, rather firm. The histology shows uniform CD34 positive spindle tumor cells. The diagnosis of benign SFT of the tongue was made.

Pneumonia: Features registered in autopsy material.

BACKGROUND: Despite improvements in clinical practice, pneumonia remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Pathologic findings from autopsy reports could provide more precise and valid data on characteristics of pneumonia patients. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed autopsy reports of deceased patients admitted to the Institute for Pulmonary Diseases of Vojvodina in Sremska Kamenica, Serbia, between 1994 and 2003. The patients were classified into two groups: group 1 (n = 161) comprised patients in whom pneumonia was the main cause of death, while group 2 (n = 165) consisted of patients in whom pneumonia was confirmed at autopsy but had various different causes of death. RESULTS: From 1776 patients who underwent autopsy 326 (18.3%) were diagnosed with pneumonia. The most common underlying diseases were atherosclerosis (29.4%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (26.7%), and malignancies (20.2%). Pneumonia was the main cause of death in 161 cases (group 1) while in group 2 major causes of death were heart failure (HF) (26.7%), acute myocardial infarction (AMI) (16.4%), and pulmonary embolism (PE) (10.9%). Multilobar involvement (91% vs.27%), pulmonary effusion (29% vs.14%), and lung abscess (23.6% vs.8.5%) were more frequently found in group 1, compared to group 2. CONCLUSION: In patients with pneumonia who underwent autopsy most common underlying diseases were atherosclerosis, COPD, and malignancies, while major causes of death were: progression of pneumonia, HF, AMI, and PE.

Neonatal multiple blood cysts of heart valves.

The female neonate, 27 days, 53 cm, 3450 g, was found dead in early morning hours. Baby was healthy, well nourished, and not neglected, up to the day before when she started to cough and scheduled for next-day regular pediatrician visit. Due to unexpected death, the autopsy was performed. Multiple oval, blood cysts, up to 0.5 cm, were found on the free valvular margins of the mitral valve, tricuspid valve, and aortic valve. The blood cysts were unilocular, filled with blood, and lined with flattened endothelial cells. The surrounding stroma was slightly edematous but without myxoid changes.

Double primary tumors-renal cell carcinoma and duodenal mucinous adenocarcinoma.

A 59-year old patient was admited to the Gastroenterology Clinic with the signs of gastrointestinal bleeding. Computerized tomography (CT) and a barium-meal radiography revealed a circumferential nodular wall narrowing and incomplete stricture at the D2 part of the duodenum. CT also showed a poorly demarcated mass in the upper and lower poles of the left kidney. During the operation, the whole kidney together with the tumor was removed and also a part of the duodenum. Morphological features of both tumors were typical and distinctive enough to set the diagnosis of two independent primary tumors. The possibility of one being the metastasis of the other was excluded. The diagnosis of double primary malignant neoplasms - renal cell carcinoma and duodenal mucinous adenocarcinoma was made.

The sarcoid granuloma: 'epithelioid' or 'lymphocytic-epithelioid' granuloma?

BACKGROUND: This study aims to analyze the structure and quantities of cellular elements in sarcoid granulomas. METHODS: We investigated 34 transbronchial lung biopsy samples obtained from 34 sarcoid patients. The quantity and composition of the cellular elements inside a granuloma were determined by the quantitative stereometry method, employing the numerical density as a stereological method. RESULTS: A total of 102 sarcoid granulomas were analyzed. The central part of all granulomas was occupied by epithelioid cells. Besides these, giant cells, lymphocytes, macrophages and plasma cells were also seen. The mean numerical density of all the cells in the central part of a sarcoid granuloma was 111,751 mm-3. Lymphocytes prevailed in number, exceeding the total count of all other cells. With a mean numerical density of 74,321 mm-3, lymphocytes were twice as numerous as both epithelioid cells and macrophages with a mean numerical density of 37,193 mm-3. CONCLUSIONS: Lymphocytes are the predominant cell type in the central part of a sarcoid granuloma, significantly exceeding both epithelioid cells and macrophages in number, raising the question if the term "epithelioid granuloma", routinely used to designate sarcoid granulomas, is correct, or if it would be more logical to call them "lymphocytic-epithelioid granulomas" instead. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was supported by the Serbian Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection Grant Number 175006/2011.

MR and MRS characteristics of intraventricular meningioma.

Meningiomas are frequent intracranial, non-glial tumors of adults. We present the unusual left lateral ventricular localization of meningioma in a 51-year-old man. The magnetic resonance (MR) images showed well demarcated, large mass of the atrium of the left lateral ventricle with transependymal extension into the left temporal lobe. MR spectroscopy revealed the presence of "choline only" spectrum, typical for extra axial neoplasms. The mass was completely resected. The diagnosis of transitional type intraventricular meningioma, with psammoma bodies, histologic grade I was made. Progesterone and estrogen receptors were negative.

[Histological characteristics of oral leukoplakia]. / Histoloske karakteristike oralne leukoplakije.

INTRODUCTION: Leukoplakia (LKP) is defined as a white patch or plaque on the mucosa of oral cavity, vulva, vagina etc., which cannot be removed and cannot be clinically or microscopically explained by presence of a disease. LKP is included in the group of lesions with malignant potential. MICROSCOPIC CHARACTERISTICS: Basic microscopic characteristics of oral LKP include hyperkeratosis of ortho- or parakeratotic type and acanthosis of the epithelium, with various degrees of chronic inflammatory infiltrates in lamina propria. Also, various degrees of epithelial dysplasia may occur. Some of the most important microscopic characteristics of dysplasia are: loss of polarity of basal cells, increased nuclear cytoplasmic ratio, irregular epithelial stratification, increased number of abnormal mitotic figures and their presence in the superficial epithelium, cellular and nuclear pleomorphism, keratinization of single cell groups. MALIGNANT POTENTIAL: LKP is the most common oral mucosal lesion (evident in 3% of adults). At the same time, up to 85% of all precancerous lesions are manifested as LKP. Overall malignant potential of LKP does not exceed 4%, but some authors found that even 16% LKP with some degree of dysplasia, have a potential to transform to carcinoma. MICROSCOPIC DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS: The most important differential diagnostic criteria are listed for lesions with similar microscopic appearance. CONCLUSION: Nowdays LKP is diagnosed more frequently than before, probable due to a better patients' education and dentists' caution, but not due to real increase in incidence.