Can acoustic radiation force impulse elastography be a substitute for liver biopsy in predicting liver fibrosis?

AIM: To evaluate the clinical feasibility and accuracy of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) elastography for the detection of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ARFI-based ultrasound elastography was performed in 69 patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) of viral aetiology and 36 healthy volunteers. Fifty-eight patients with CLD also underwent liver biopsy. RESULTS: ARFI was feasible in all 36 healthy volunteers and all 69 CLD patients, while valid measurements were obtained in 65 patients (95.6%) and all healthy volunteers. The mean shear-wave velocity (SWV) in healthy volunteers was 1.12±0.2 m/s. A gradual increase in mean SWV was noted from fibrosis of Grade F0 to F6 (Ishak's score) and a high positive correlation was found between the mean SWV on ARFI and fibrosis scores at liver biopsy (rho=0.789). The difference between the mild (F1 and F2) versus significant fibrosis (F3 and F4) was also statistically significant (p<0.001). The difference in the SWV measurements obtained from consecutive groups (i.e., F1 versus F2, F2 versus F3, and F3 versus F4) was not statistically significant. Using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), the best calculated cut-off SWVs for the presence of fibrosis (≥F1), significant fibrosis (≥F3), severe fibrosis (≥F4), and cirrhosis (F6) were found to be 1.207, 1.347, 1.513, and 1.92 m/s, respectively. ARFI values were significantly higher in cirrhotic patients than in other patients (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: ARFI elastography allows valid non-invasive evaluation of liver stiffness and may help to distinguish between no/mild fibrosis and significant fibrosis and guide management decisions.

Smear morphology of cryptococcosis presenting as a subcutaneous swelling in healthy adults: a report of three cases.

OBJECTIVE: To highlight the various morphological smear pattern in cases of subcutaneous Cryptococcus infection in healthy adults. METHOD: Cryptococcus is an opportunist fungus and primary infection is acquired through respiratory tract. Dissemination by blood stream results in systemic infection. Ten to 15% of systemic infection present as cutaneous lesions. Between December 2002 and April 2004 three healthy adults presented to us consecutively with subcutaneous swelling. RESULTS: We diagnosed these cases on FNAC as Cryptococcus. In all the three patients there was no history of local penetrating injury and any signs or symptoms of systemic disease. They were two male and one female, immuno competent and were negative for HIV 1 & 2 tested by ELISA. The sites were right abdominal flank, occipital and left anterior upper thigh. Aspirated materials were oily fibro fatty tissue and necrotic purulent materials. Cryptococcus numbers varied in all the smears so also their size and capsule thickness. Background smear morphology and tissue reaction were also different. It could be gelatinous, granulomatous, and cellulitic response or mixed responses and this can be picked up on cytological smears. Cultures were confirmatory in all the three cases. These lesions were resolved with antifungal treatment. CONCLUSION: Our brief article highlights the morphological spectrum on FNAC smears and diagnostic problems faced in these uncommon circumstances where the aspirates were purulent and the yeasts were small, few and thin walled. In the acute inflammatory smear with occasional giant cells and/or granulomas special stains like PAS or Mucicarmine are necessary to look for budding yeast of Cryptococcus with thin neck.

Histoplasmosis of the liver: a rare case.

A 39 year old male presented with history of fever and jaundice for 3 months. A liver biopsy showed numerous ovoid fungal bodies around 5 mm in size in the macrophages and Kupffer cells. A diagnosis of hepatic histoplasmosis was made which is an uncommon entity in our country.

Gastrooesophageal reflux in infants and children in north India.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of gastrooesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as suggested by the symptom profile in babies ranging in age from 1 month to 2 years. METHODS: Six hundred and two babies were recruited from the well baby clinic for hospital delivered babies and from the childrens OPD of a tertiary care hospital. Children with acute severe illness needing hospitalization were excluded from the study. The primary care taker of each baby was interviewed using a questionnaire (IGERQ) designed by Orenstein et al and the I-GERD score obtained was used to assess for likelyhood of GERD. Upper gastrointestinal (GI) endoscopy was carried out and an oesophageal biopsy was taken in clinically suspected cases of GERD (IGERD > 5). RESULTS: Sixty one (10%) of the 602 subjects had an I-GERD score of > 5 suggestive of GERD. Regurgitation was present in 56 of these 61 subjects and also in 106 of the 541 normal subjects. 112 of 205 infants aged 1-6 months had regurgitation and 25 (22.2%) of these regurgitant infants had a score suggestive of GERD. Only 30 of the 202 infants aged 6-12 months and 20 of the 195 babies aged 12-24 months had regurgitation, however 14 of the 30 (46.5%) and 17 of the 20 (85%) regurgitant babies had an I-GERD score suggestive of GERD. Upper GI endoscopy was carried out in 31 babies with a score > 5 and endoscopic oesophagitis was detected in 16 (51.6%). Oesophageal biopsies were taken in 25 of these cases and showed histological evidence of reflux oesophagitis in 23 (92%). CONCLUSION: GERD is fairly common under 2 years of age as observed by symptom evaluation using the I-GERD score. Regurgitation when present beyond 6 months of age with no other identifiable cause needs evaluation. Upper GI endoscopy and oesophageal biopsy is a useful means of demonstrating reflux oesophagitis in babies with a symptom profile suggestive of GERD.

Intrapericardial teratoma masquerading as pyopericardium.

A 10-year-old boy was admitted with cardiac tamponade. Initial pericardiocentasis yielded pus. A subxiphoid tube-pericardiostomy was done and thick, purulent material was drained out. Subsequently, pericardiectomy was undertaken as features of pericardial constriction persisted. At surgery, however, an intrapericardial mass was discovered. Successful excision was performed and the patient made an uneventful recovery. Histopathology of the mass revealed features of an intrapericardial teratoma. Rarity of the lesion, and a hitherto unreported mode of presentation make this case worthy of documentation.

Myoepithelioma. A case report.

A rare case of oral myoepithelioma is reported. The tumour was composed of plasmacytoid type of myoepithelial cells. These plasmacytoid cells or hyaline cells exhibited a diffuse positivity for pancytokeratin, S-100 and vimentin in their cytoplasm. Studies have to be performed in order to find out whether the myoepithelial cells M.E. of plasmacytoid type are true M.E. cells of not.

Periampullary gangliocytic paraganglioma.

A33-year-old man presented with features of obstructive jaundice. Enterohepatic retrograde cholangiopancreatography examination revealed a periampullary growth. After pancreatoduodenectomy, histologic examination of the growth revealed three elements: a spindle cell element, large ganglion cells, and smaller paraganglioma-like cells arranged in small nests and groups. A diagnosis of gangliocytic paraganglioma was given. Gangliocytic paraganglioma is a rare benign duodenal tumor, with uncertain histogenesis. It is possible to identify the three components that are essential for its diagnosis on routine hematoxylin and eosin sections without the use of immunohistochemical markers. Because this lesion may present clinically as a periampullary carcinoma, it is important to recognize and diagnose this rare, but benign, entity.

Primary biliary cirrhosis: an Indian experience.

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is believed to be rare in India. We analyzed our data pertaining to patients with PBC seen in a tertiary referral center over a 5-year period. The diagnosis of PBC was based on liver biochemistry, histology and antimitochondrial antibodies, in the absence of biliary obstruction. Five patients, all women, were diagnosed to have PBC. Pruritus, jaundice and fatigue were the most common initial symptoms. Hepatomegaly was seen in 4 of 5 patients. Associated autoimmune diseases were present in 2 patients. All patients presented with mild hyperbilirubinemia (< or = 6 mg/dL) with disproportionately raised serum alkaline phosphatase level. AMA was positive in 4 patients. Liver biopsy showed stage III-IV disease in 3 of 4 patients. The clinical presentation and course of PBC in India are similar to the experience in the West.

Benign signet ring cell change with multilayering in the gallbladder mucosa--a case report.

We describe a case of benign signet ring cell change in the gallbladder mucosa. On histopathological examination of H&E-stained sections, the gallbladder epithelium showed multilayering. The epithelial cells were large, columnar to polygonal with a small round basal or eccentric nucleus and vacuolated cytoplasm, giving them a signet ring appearance. There was no nuclear atypia, hyperchromatism or mitotic activity. The cells showed uniform positivity with mucicarmine, PAS and Alcian blue stains. The cytoplasmic vacuolations were negative for fat stains (Oil red O and Sudan IV). On immunohistochemistry, the cells showed positivity with antibodies for pancytokeratin (PCK) and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). A diagnosis of benign signet ring cell change with multilayering in the gall bladder mucosa was made. Thoroughly reviewing the literature, we found only one case of benign signet ring cell aggregates in the gallbladder mucosa documented earlier. The lesion is hereby reported because of the unique histomorphology and the diagnostic dilemma which can occur as a malignant change in situ has to be excluded.

Histological comparison of chronic hepatitis B and C in an Indian population.

Many studies have shown that steatosis, lymphoid aggregates or follicles and bile duct injury on histology are more consistently associated with chronic hepatitis C than chronic hepatitis B. We compared liver biopsies of 30 patients of chronic hepatitis B with an equal number of age matched patients with chronic hepatitis C. Steatosis, lymphoid aggregates or follicles and bile duct injury were noted in 66.6%, 36.6% and 26.6% cases respectively of chronic hepatitis B as compared to 70%, 33.3% and 30% cases respectively of chronic hepatitis C. Thus none of the features were considered distinctive of HCV infection.

Risk factors for duodenal ulcer in north India.

OBJECTIVES: The present study was designed to evalutate the association of various risk factors such as smoking, alcohol, NSAIDs, inadequate dietary intake of fibres and consumption of spicy foods with chronic duodenal ulcer using a case-control design and to establish the association of Helicobacter pylori and duodenal ulcer using different diagnostic techniques in Indian subjects. MATERIALS: A total of 16 consecutive patients with endoscopically proven duodenal ulcer (DU) constituted the test group while 160 subjects with non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) were recruited as controls. METHODS: All subjects were interviewed based on a standard questionnaire and underwent an upper gastrointestinal endsocopy wherein multiple biopsies were taken for rapid urease test (RUT), histology and culture for detection of H. pylori. The serum samples of all the subjects were tested for the presence of antibodies against H. pylori using ELISA. RESULTS: There were significantly greater number of smokers (80%) and alcoholics (58%) in the male population of DU group as compared to the controls (49% smokers & 15% alcoholics). Similar trend was seen in relation to history of chronic exposure to NSAIDs (29% in DU & 11% in NUD) and inadequate intake of fibre in diet (66% and 39% respectively). The overall prevalence of H. pylori was 82.5% in DU and 50.6% in NUD [p < 0.001]. CONCLUSIONS: In North Indian subjects, alcohol consumption, smoking, inadequate intake of fibre in diet and use of NSAIDs are the risk factors associated with doudenal ulcer disease. Further, infection with H. pylori is strongly associated with DU in the North Indian population.

Fine needle aspiration cytologic appearance of inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver. A case report.

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory pseudotumor (IPT) is a rare space-occupying lesion of the liver that can be clinically confused with a malignant process. CASE REPORT: A 28-year-old male presented with fever and a palpable, firm liver. Ultrasonography and computed tomography revealed a mass in the right lobe of the liver. Fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) under ultrasonographic guidance showed inflammatory cells, fibroblasts and a few hepatocytes. A diagnosis of inflammatory pseudotumour was suggested and confirmed on a true-cut biopsy. CONCLUSION: The cytologic appearance of IPT is characteristic. FNAB under ultrasonographic is a quick and easy technique for its diagnosis and differentiation from malignant space-occupying lesions.

Nucleolar organiser regions in different colonic epithelia.

The argyrophilic technique (AgNOR) was applied to paraffin sections of 10 acute self-limited colitis, 15 ulcerative colitis (UC), 5 ulcerative colitis with indefinite dysplastic change, 10 adenomatous polyps, 20 colorectal adenocarcinomas and 10 normal colorectal mucosa. The mean number of nucleolar organiser regions (NORs) per nucleus ranged between 1.62-2.00 (95% CI 1.77-1.93) for normal colon, 2.47-3.80 (95% CI 2.71-3.21) for acute colitis, 1.66-2.75 (95% CI 2.13-2.44) for UC, 3.60-4.00 (95% CI 3.67-3.94) for UC with indefinite dysplasia, 3.00-4.04 (95% CI 3.41-3.81) for adenomatous polyps and 3.59-6.70 (95% CI 4.04-4.72) for colorectal adenocarcinoma. The differences observed were statistically significant. There was a significant difference of AgNOR counts between adenomatous polyp and UC with indefinite dysplasia in comparison to those observed in regenerative epithelium of acute colitis and UC without dysplasia. Hence the technique may be used as an adjunct to routine histology for delineating dysplastic changes in colonic epithelium.

Intestinal metaplasia--its association with gastric cancer.

Endoscopic gastric biopsies from 230 patients and post gastrectomy specimens of 18 patients were evaluated for the presence of intestinal metaplasia (IM) and its association with the gastric lesions. There were a total of 78 malignant and 170 benign lesions. IM was present in 53% of patients with gastric carcinoma (GC) and in 10.6% with benign lesions of the stomach. The IM in association with GC was of type 1 (Small Intestinal) in 58.8%; type II (mixed gastric and small intestinal) in 11.8% and type III (Colonic) in 29.4%. In patients with benign lesions the IM was predominantly of type I (94.5%) except in 1 patient who had type III metaplasia. Our findings indicate that type III IM was significantly more frequent in patient with GC than with benign lesions (29.4% Vs 5.5%; p < .005). Therefore we conclude that patients with type III IM should be kept on surveillance for GC.

Clinical, angiographic and histopathological predictors of restenosis after directional coronary atherectomy.

Out of 127 directional coronary atherectomy (DCA) procedures done in our laboratory, there were 81 patients who had completed a minimum of six months of follow-up. To study the factors predisposing restenosis after successful DCA, we analysed the clinical and angiographic profile of the patients and the histopathological findings of the excised tissue in 44 patients whose complete follow-up data was available with us. The indication of DCA was an extremely eccentric significant stenosis located in the proximal or midsegment of a large vessel (> or = 3 mm size) in 97 percent of the cases. Angiographic restenosis, defined as more than 50 percent luminal diameter stenosis was absent in 24 (54.5%, Group A) and present in 20 (45.5%, Group B) patients. On univariate analysis, the factors which predisposed to restenosis were: (i) left anterior descending location, (ii) longer lesion length (9.6 +/- 3.1 mm vs 5.2 +/- 1.6, p < 0.01) and (iii) greater post-procedure residual luminal diameter stenosis (13.1 +/- 10.8% vs 4.3 +/- 6%, p < 0.01). No significant difference was found between the two groups for other variables like unstable angina, the location and the morphological characteristics of the lesion and the ratio of the vessel diameter to the size of the Atherocath. Histopathological examination of the retrieved tissue revealed the presence of media with or without external elastic lamina in 8 (33%) patients in Group A--without restenosis compared to only 1 (5%) patients in Group B--with restenosis (p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)