[Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia]. / Hyperplasie angiolymphoïde avec éosinophilie.

INTRODUCTION: Angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia (HALE) is a rare, benign proliferative vascular disorder of unknown etiology which typically presents as tumor-like nodules of the skin or subcutaneous tissue. It concerns mostly young female adults. We report a case of HALE located on the ear auricle diagnosed by biopsy. The outcome was total regression. OBSERVATION: An 81-year-old male patient presented with a lesion of the whole ear auricle. A diagnosis of HALE was confirmed histologically on biopsy. The evolution was marked by spontaneous and complete regression in 2 months. There was no recurrence after 1 year of follow-up. DISCUSSION: The etiology of this disease remains hypothetical. It poses real diagnostic problems with other types of proliferation, but its main differential diagnosis is Kimura disease. Its treatment has not been codified yet. Spontaneous regression is possible and justifies following the patient from 3 to 6 months, before a possible surgery.

Percutaneous treatment of hydatid cysts (Echinococcus granulosus).

A new method called PAIR (Puncture-Aspiration of cyst contents--Injection of hypertonic saline solution--Reaspiration) was used as a percutaneous treatment of hydatid cysts. In 37 patients, 120 cysts were punctured. All patients had not been considered surgical candidates. The cysts were localized in the liver, peritoneum, spleen, kidneys, muscles, and bones. In 70% of patients, good results were obtained. Recurrence occurred in 5 of 120 cysts, all at the beginning of our experience when a low concentration of sodium chloride solution was injected. Moderate allergic reactions occurred during seven cyst aspirations. No anaphylactic shock, sudden deaths or dissemination of cyst contents were observed.

[Trial therapy of inoperable abdominal hydatid cysts by puncture]. / Essai de traitement par ponctio des kystes hydatiques abdominaux inopérables.

Hydatidosis is a major public health problem in Tunisia. The infection rate in the normal population is over a 100 times higher than in the generally accepted hyperendemicity level (1,720 in 100,000 as against 13 in 100,000!). The use of drugs of benzimidazole derivates prevents the development of scolices into hydatic cysts and allows to try a non-surgical cure by the punction of hydatid cyst of the sheep liver, i.e. aspiration of the cyst fluid and injection of hypertonic salt solution into the drug treated animal. The good results obtained in a group of 16 animals permitted us to apply this method to two patients whose conditions made surgical intervention dangerous. The results although excellent in the case of a secondary peritoneal cyst were less spectacular in the case of secondary liver cyst of whose wall showed signs of involution.