Immature Platelet Fraction: Its Clinical Utility in Thrombocytopenia Patients.

Objectives Etiology of thrombocytopenia is multifactorial and its pathogenesis should be distinguished for appropriate management. Newly formed immature platelets are called reticulated platelets (RPs) and can be estimated in peripheral blood using automated hematology analyzers, which express them as immature platelet fraction (IPF). In the present study we intend to assess and establish the clinical utility of IPF in differentiating the two major causes of thrombocytopenia-decreased production and increased destruction of platelets-along with determining its significance in monitoring patients with thrombocytopenia. Materials and Methods Sixty-one cases of thrombocytopenia and 101 healthy controls with normal platelet count were included in the study. IPF and all the other usual blood cell parameters were measured using a fully automated hematology analyzer. Based on the pathogenesis of thrombocytopenia, the cases were divided into groups and the difference in IPF value between the groups was evaluated. Results The reference range of IPF among healthy controls was estimated to be 0.7 to 5.7%. The mean IPF was significantly higher in patients with increased peripheral destruction of platelets (13.4%) as compared to patients with decreased production of platelets (4.6%). The optimal cutoff value of IPF for differentiating patients with increased peripheral destruction of platelets from patients with decreased production of platelets was 5.95% with a sensitivity of 88% and specificity of 75.9%. Conclusion Measurement of IPF is useful for detecting evidence of increased platelet production and helps in the initial evaluation of thrombocytopenia patients. It is a novel diagnostic method which can be used to differentiate patients with thrombocytopenia due to increased destruction of platelets from patients with thrombocytopenia due to bone marrow failure/suppression.

Cartilaginous choristoma of tongue: A rare case report.

Choristomas are proliferation of normal cells or tissue in an abnormal location. Choristomas of oral soft tissue are rare lesions. Different tissues can occur in the oral cavity as choristomas. It can be cartilage, bone, salivary gland, glial and thyroid tissue. Choristomas with the proliferation of chondroid tissue are termed as cartilaginous choristomas. In oral cavity, they are most frequently seen in tongue followed by buccal mucosa and soft palate. We report a case of 40-year-old female presenting with hard lobulated swelling on the left lateral border of the tongue. Fine-needle aspiration cytology was performed which showed only myxoid stroma. Histopathological examination of excised specimen of the same showed lobules of mature hyaline cartilage. Thus, a diagnosis of cartilaginous choristoma was made.

Clinico-Histological Correlation in Hansen's Disease: Three-year Experience at a Newly Established Tertiary Care Center in Central India.

BACKGROUND: Hansen's disease is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. It is characterized by a wide range of clinical and histological manifestations. Ridley-Jopling criteria are widely used for classifying leprosy. The demonstration of acid-fast bacilli on slit-skin smear examination and in skin biopsy aids in its diagnosis. AIM: The aim of the present study was to perform clinico-histological correlation of skin lesions in all patients with a clinical suspicion of Hansen's disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included skin biopsies of all suspected cases of Hansen's disease received over a period of 3 years. Hematoxylin and eosin and Fite-Faraco stained sections of all cases were examined. Corresponding slit-skin smears, if available, were also reviewed. RESULTS: During the study, a total of 116 cases were clinically diagnosed as Hansen's disease. Clinico-histological correlation was obtained in 62.9% of the cases (73/116). The most common histological subtype of Hansen's disease was borderline tuberculoid (TT) (40/116). Seven cases were diagnosed as lepromatous leprosy, five as TT, four as histoid, one as indeterminate, and three cases diagnosed as erythema nodosum leprosum. Fite-Faraco stain was positive in 33/73 cases. Out of 116 cases, slit-skin smears were available for 43 cases and were positive in 23 cases. CONCLUSION: Correlation between clinical, bacteriological, and morphological features is required for accurate classification of Hansen's disease. Clinical detection and morphological diagnosis of early lesions remain challenging, and the histological findings should always be interpreted in correlation with clinical findings.

Cytological Diagnosis of Erythema Nodosum Leprosum in Clinically Unsuspected Cases: A Report of Two Cases.

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. The manifestations of this disease varies across the spectrum of tuberculoid (TT) to lepromatous (LL) leprosy. The course of this indolent disease is interrupted by acute exacerbations in the form of leprare actions. Erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL), a type 2 lepra reaction, occurs in lepromatous or borderline lepromatous cases, usually in response to multidrug therapy. Early detection and timely management of these patients is important to reduce the associated morbidity. We report two clinically unusual cases of ENL on fine-needle aspiration cytology. In one case, antileprosy treatment was completed 10 years back, whereas in the other case, ENL was the presenting feature of the disease. Cytological examination of swelling in both the cases showed neutrophils, lymphoid cells, clusters of foamy macrophages, histiocytes, and giant cells. Fite stain was positive, which confirmed the cytological diagnosis of ENL.

Validation and Modification of the Masood Scoring Index for the Diagnosis of Atypical Breast Lesions.

INTRODUCTION: Cytological diagnosis of borderline breast lesions remains challenging, and interobserver variability exists in their interpretation. The Masood scoring index (MSI) has been proposed to help in the subgrouping of breast lesions using objective criteria. AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess the interobserver variability in the scoring of breast lesions according to MSI and to see the utility of a modified scheme for discriminating benign and atypical lesions. STUDY DESIGN: Papanicolaou-stained smears (100 cases) that underwent fine needle aspiration for a palpable breast lump were independently evaluated by 2 observers, and the cases were categorized as per MSI. Percent agreement beyond chance score between both observers was calculated. Sensitivity analysis was performed by comparing the scores using models containing different parameters of MSI. RESULTS: The agreement amongst the 2 observers for scores was found to be 0.88 and it was 69% for category-wise diagnosis. Sensitivity analysis showed that the model with only 3 cytological parameters (cell arrangement, pleomorphism, and nucleoli) had similar discrimination ability in the classification of breast disease as benign or atypical as the standard MSI model. CONCLUSION: Further simplified models of MSI should be tested for improved diagnostic accuracy and wider acceptability.