Glandular cells derived from direct sampling of the lower uterine segment in patients status post-cervical cone biopsy. A diagnostic dilemma.

Direct sampling of the lower uterine segment endometrium (LUS) may mimic atypical glandular lesions or resemble the cells of high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion. This study was done to further characterize the cytologic features of LUS and to determine the incidence of these cells in patients who have previously undergone cone biopsies. Cervical smears from 64 patients who had had a previous cervical cone biopsy were reviewed and compared to pre-cone cervical smears and any post-cone cervical biopsies or endocervical curettage specimens. Twelve smears from 63 patients (19%) were found to have fragments of LUS. Cytologic features of LUS included large groups with gland openings, branched glands, and nuclear palisading within the fragments. The fragments often were accompanied by endometrial stroma. Smaller fragments were frequently encountered. These were densely cellular but contained nuclear palisading.

Cytologic diagnosis of cholesterol granuloma. A case report.

Cholesterol granuloma is a rare lesion of the orbit occurring in adults and must be distinguished from epidermoid cholesteatoma and other mass lesions of the orbit. We report the case of a 31-year-old man who presented to our institution with right eye proptosis secondary to a soft tissue mass. At surgery, cyst fluid from the lesion was sent for cytologic evaluation. The fluid was remarkable for numerous inflammatory cells, blood breakdown products, multinucleate giant cells and cholesterol crystals. The absence of squamous- or respiratory-type epithelium led to a diagnosis of cholesterol granuloma. This was confirmed by histologic examination of the tissue submitted. The differential diagnosis and cytologic features of orbital lesions are discussed.

Whole-body pathologic analysis of a patient with Thorotrast-induced myelodysplasia.

An autopsy was performed on a 72-y-old Caucasian female who had received a carotid artery injection of thorium dioxide in 1953. The body was dissected in such a manner as to provide for radiobiological evaluation as well as to determine histologically the distribution of Thorotrast in the tissues and its complications. Thorotrast was identified within the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, bone marrow, and surrounding the right carotid artery (the injection site). The cause of death was gastric hemorrhage complicating pancytopenia secondary to refractory anemia with excess of blasts (myelodysplastic syndrome).

Distant metastasis from a carcinoid tumor of the appendix less than one centimeter in size.

The presentation and management of a patient with liver metastasis from a 0.6 cm carcinoid tumor of the appendix is presented. This is the first documented case of distant metastasis from a carcinoid of the appendix less than 1 cm in size. Histopathologic, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic studies support the appendiceal carcinoid as being the primary neoplasm. Invasion of the mesoappendix was the only finding to suggest potentially aggressive behavior. We reviewed the literature and found 414 previously reported cases that provided complete information regarding tumor size, mesoappendiceal invasion, and presence of metastasis. For the entire group the frequency of metastasis was related to tumor size greater than 2 cm (p less than 0.0001) and invasion of the mesoappendix (p less than 0.0001). After dividing the group based on size, mesoappendiceal invasion was related to metastasis in those tumors less than 2 cm in size (p less than 0.0001) but not in tumors larger than 2 cm (p = 0.1538).

Coagulopathy and warfarin-associated breast necrosis in a patient with a primary brain tumor.

Although the association of coagulopathy and neoplastic disease is well documented, there have been few reports of patients with primary central nervous system tumors who exhibited hypercoagulable states. We report the case of a 58-year-old woman with a recurrent falcine meningioma and repeated episodes of venous thrombosis who developed warfarin-associated breast necrosis on the fifth day of coumadin therapy. Laboratory evaluation at that time demonstrated an elevated prothrombin time and normal activated partial thromboplastin time. Of the 24 cases of warfarin-associated massive necrosis of the breast described in the literature, only one other case was associated with a neoplasm, a resected craniopharyngioma.

Cytomegalovirus-infected cells express Leu-M1 antigen. A potential source of diagnostic error.

The authors examined cytomegalovirus (CMV)-infected tissues and Hodgkin's Disease (HD) cases with immunohistochemical assays for Leu-M1 and CMV. The cytologic characteristics were correlated with immunostaining patterns. Cytomegalovirus-infected cells in lymph node, lung, and esophagus sections showed Cowdry type A inclusions, and many had granular cytoplasmic inclusions. All infected cells showed nuclear staining with an anti-CMV antibody. Leu-M1 reacted with CMV-infected cells in cytoplasmic areas, particularly near the nucleus simulating the characteristic staining pattern of Reed-Sternberg (R-S) cells. Cytoplasmic staining intensified as the intranuclear inclusions increased in size. Reed-Sternberg cells showed characteristic Leu-M1 positivity along the cell membrane and golgi zone. At times, Leu-M1 staining of CMV-infected cells was indistinguishable from that of R-S cells. None of the R-S cells reacted with the antibody to CMV. Recognition of the reactivity of Leu-M1 with CMV-infected cells is important in avoiding misdiagnosis of CMV lymphadenitis as HD.