Gallbladder duplication: evaluation, treatment, and classification.

Duplicate gallbladder is a rare congenital anomaly resulting from abnormalities in embryogenesis during the fifth and sixth weeks of gestation. Approximately 210 cases have been described. Variations include duplicate, triplicate, and septated gallbladder. We encountered a 15-year-old girl with both a duplicated gallbladder and a duplicated cystic duct who underwent successful laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This combination is extremely unusual, and based upon our findings in this case and a review of the literature, we propose the Unified Classification of Multiple Gallbladders.

Fetiform teratoma (homunculus).

Fetiform teratoma (homunculus) is a term that has been given to a rare form of ovarian teratoma that resembles a malformed fetus. There are very few reported cases of this entity in the English language literature. In this report, we document a case of fetiform teratoma in a 23-year-old woman, gravida 0, who initially presented with a chief complaint of dyspareunia. The clinical and pathologic aspects of this rare entity are presented here, with a review of the English literature. Differentiating fetiform teratoma from the more highly developed fetus-in-fetu and ectopic pregnancy is also discussed.

Use of robotic telepathology for frozen-section diagnosis: a retrospective trial of a telepathology system for intraoperative consultation.

Telepathology is the practice of digitizing histological or macroscopic images for transmission along telecommunication pathways for diagnosis, consultation, or continuing medical education. Previous studies have addressed static versus dynamic imaging in several specimen types with a wide variety of systems and communication pathways. The goal of this paper was to assess the validity of a Web-based telepathology system for frozen section consultation within the Army Medical Department. The system provides real-time, dynamic remote control of a robotic microscope over standard Internet connections. Oftentimes, a solo pathologist is called on to provide diagnostic services without the support of immediate second or expert consultation during an intraoperative consultation. The use of telepathology is attractive because it provides an opportunity for pathologists to obtain immediate consultation. For purposes of the study, 120 consecutive frozen section cases were diagnosed at a distance using the system. Intraobserver agreement between the telepathology diagnosis and glass slide diagnosis was observed. Diagnostic agreement was 100% for a wide variety of specimens. This study suggests that such a system will help support pathologists located at distant sites.