Bone Lipogranuloma Mimicking Metastatic Disease on 18F-FDG PET/CT.

ABSTRACT: Primary bone lipogranuloma is an extremely rare disease associated with reactive inflammatory granulomatous reaction associated with exogenous or endogenous lipids. Herein, we report a case of bone lipogranuloma with intense 18F-FDG uptake, which mimics metastatic disease on 18F-FDG PET/CT in a patient with breast cancer.

A pilot study of micro-CT-based whole tissue imaging (WTI) on endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) specimens.

Endoscopic submucosal dissection can remove large superficial gastrointestinal lesions in en bloc. A detailed pathological evaluation of the resected specimen is required to assess the risk of recurrence after treatment. However, the current method of sectioning specimens to a thickness of a few millimeters does not provide information between the sections that are lost during the preparation. In this study, we have produced three-dimensional images of the entire dissected lesion for nine samples by using micro-CT imaging system. Although it was difficult to diagnose histological type on micro-CT images, it successfully evaluates the extent of the lesion and its surgical margins. Micro-CT images can depict sites that cannot be observed by the conventional pathological diagnostic process, suggesting that it may be useful to use in a complementary manner.

Pathological Evaluation of Rectal Cancer Specimens Using Micro-Computed Tomography.

Whole-block imaging (WBI) using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) allows the nondestructive reconstruction of a three-dimensional view of tissues, implying that WBI may be used for accurate pathological evaluation of patients with rectal cancer. HOWEVER, the clinical impact of this approach is unclear. We aimed to clarify the efficacy of WBI in the whole-mount specimens of locally advanced rectal cancer. A total of 237 whole-mount formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks from 13 patients with rectal cancer who underwent surgical treatment were enrolled and scanned with micro-CT to generate three-dimensional images. WBI was evaluated following the conventional pathological review of the corresponding whole-slide imaging (WSI). WBI identified all tumor sites detected using WSI. Furthermore, WBI revealed one additional tumor site, which was not detected using WSI. Tumor resection margin was significantly closer to the soft-tissue edge when measured using WBI (7.7 mm vs. 6.6 mm, p < 0.01). Seventy-six percent of tumor deposits on WSI were changed according to the evidence of tumor interaction with the surrounding tissues confirmed using WBI. Furthermore, WBI revealed 25 additional lymph nodes, six of which were metastatic. The combination of conventional hematoxylin and eosin-stained imaging and WBI may contribute to an accurate pathological assessment.

Fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis after methotrexate and prednisone therapy for rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis is an aggressive and usually fatal form of viral hepatitis in immunosuppressed patients. We assessed the hepatotoxicity of methotrexate and prednisolone combination therapy in the background of hepatitis B virus infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We report the clinical course of a 55-year-old woman who underwent a deceased-donor liver transplant for fulminant liver failure. RESULTS: The patient's medical history was significant for hepatitis B virus infection and rheumatoid arthritis. Methotrexate and prednisolone combination therapy were started 5 months earlier. The patient was hospitalized because of an elevation in her liver enzymes and total bilirubin. Deterioration of liver functions and encephalopathy were developed 5 weeks after hospital admission. A deceased-donor liver transplant was performed, and pathological examination of recipient liver revealed fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis. The patient was reoperated on for bile leak and discharged 40 days after the deceased-donor liver transplant. CONCLUSIONS: The natural course of the current case was similar to previously reported cases with fibrosing cholestatic hepatitis. Clinicians should consider the potential hepatotoxicity of methotrexate and steroid therapy in hepatitis B virus infected patients.