Value of histopathologic analysis of skin excisions by GPs.

The clinical diagnoses of skin lesions in general practice may sometimes not be very accurate. The aim of this study was to compare clinical versus final histopathological diagnosis status (benign, pre-malignant/malignant) in 4595 consecutive submissions by GPs. The final diagnosis was pre-malignant or malignant in 215 cases (4.7%). From the 4436 lesions clinically diagnosed as benign, 134 (3.0%) were pre-malignant or malignant on final histological diagnosis. From the 159 lesions clinically diagnosed as pre-malignant or malignant, 78 (49.1%) were in fact benign, and 81 (50.9%) were indeed pre-malignant or malignant on final diagnosis. The sensitivity for a malignant diagnosis was 38%, and the specificity 98%. The proportion of pre-malignancies or malignancies was 0.9% below and 9.2% above the age of 40 years. In conclusion, histopathological investigation of skin excisions by GPs yields a high percentage of unexpected pre-malignancies and malignancies. The number of misdiagnoses was age dependent, with a proportion of 1% and 9% of pre-malignancies/malignancies in patients below and above the age of 40 years, respectively. This indicates that all skin excisions by GPs must undergo routine histopathological investigation to ensure that serious malignancies are not missed.     

Impact of BMI on clinically significant unsuspected findings as determined at postmortem examination

We conducted a retrospective cohort study based on autopsy reports of 311 patients who underwent full postmortem examinations from January 1, 1999, to December 31, 2002. Clinically unsuspected diagnoses were categorized as follows: class I, major clinically unsuspected diagnoses that were responsible for death; class II, major clinically unsuspected diagnoses that were not directly responsible for death but if left undiagnosed may have resulted in patient death; and class V, no clinically unsuspected diagnoses. Two multivariate analyses were performed using 4 variables to predict class I diagnoses. Both analyses included the variables sex, race, and age; the fourth variable included umbilicus pannus size or body mass index (BMI). Only BMI (P = .006) and umbilicus pannus size (P = .037) were independent predictors of class I diagnoses. Obese patients were 1.65 times more likely (relative risk, 1.65) to have a class I diagnosis than the normal weight and underweight groups combined (confidence interval, 1.04-2.64). Patients with obese-level BMIs seem to be at increased risk for clinically significant unsuspected diagnoses compared with underweight and normal weight populations.     

Fine needle aspiration cytology of pulmonary lesions: a reliable diagnostic test

The objective of this study was to determine the accuracy of image-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis of pulmonary lesions. A retrospective study was undertaken of 286 patients with 288 lesions, who underwent a total of 302 procedures. The FNAC diagnoses were reported as malignant, suspicious, atypical, benign or non-diagnostic. Subsequently the FNAC diagnoses were correlated with either the histological or clinical diagnoses. Of the 288 lesions, 64.6% were reported on FNAC as malignant, 2.1% suspicious, 2.4% atypical, 20.8% benign and 10.1% nondiagnostic. On review of the suspicious, atypical, selected benign cases and non-diagnostic FNAC by an independent pathologist there was agreement with the original FNAC diagnosis in all cases. All of 186 malignant FNAC diagnoses were confirmed malignant either clinically or on subsequent histology. Four of the six suspicious FNAC diagnoses had a malignant outcome, one patient had organising pneumonia on excision biopsy and one was lost to follow up. Six of the seven atypical FNAC diagnoses were confirmed on histology as malignant, while one lesion resolved spontaneously. Fifty-two of 60 benign FNAC diagnoses were confirmed benign either clinically or on histology. Seven of the lesions diagnosed as benign on FNAC were proven to be malignant. One patient with a benign FNAC diagnosis was lost to follow-up. Ten of the 29 non-diagnostic FNAC group were later shown on clinical or histological follow up to be malignant. This study shows that image guided FNAC for the diagnosis of malignant pulmonary lesions has a sensitivity of at least 92% and a specificity of at least 96%. It is a reliable diagnostic test although its accuracy is limited by technical difficulties in obtaining an adequate sample.     

Touch preparations in the rapid intraoperative diagnosis of central nervous system lesions. A comparison with frozen sections and paraffin-embedded sections

Cytologic preparations provide a rapid, simple method for intraoperative diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) lesions. Details of cellular morphology are defined sharply, avoiding artifacts often introduced by the frozen section technique. In 100 neurosurgical biopsies performed between 1984 and 1986, touch preparations and cryostat (frozen) sections were made at the time of surgery for preliminary intraoperative diagnosis. To assess the accuracy of each of the diagnostic methods used independently, slides obtained with each of the two techniques were later reviewed retrospectively with appropriate clinical and radiological data, but without knowledge of the final neuropathological diagnoses. When compared with the final diagnoses, intraoperative diagnoses were confirmed in 95 cases. The diagnoses based on cytologic and frozen section techniques were compared with the final diagnoses based on paraffin sections. Touch preparation diagnosis was confirmed by paraffin sections in 76 cases; in 18 additional cases a clinically useful, but nonspecific diagnosis (benign versus malignant, glial versus nonglial) was established by touch preparation. In five cases with firm or rubbery tumors, insufficient cells were imprinted for reliable evaluation, and no definitive diagnoses could be made. Specific cryostat diagnoses were confirmed by paraffin sections in 88 cases; nonspecific diagnoses were made in 11 cases. A single incorrect diagnosis was obtained with each technique. When the two techniques were used together, a specific and accurate diagnosis was achieved in 95 cases. Touch preparations were superior to frozen sections for evaluating soft or highly cellular tumors and for preliminary diagnosis from a minute surgical specimen (i.e., stereotactic biopsy).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

A prospective study of 1152 hospital autopsies: I. Inaccuracies in death certification

Comparison of certified clinical diagnoses with autopsy findings showed that, while the major cause of death was confirmed in 61 per cent. of cases, many diagnoses—both major and contributory—were wrong; many clinical diagnoses were either disproved or relegated to a less important role, and many autopsy findings had not apparently been anticipated. Accuracy was particularly poor in some clinical categories: notably cerebro-vascular disease and infections. In these, the diagnosis was more often wrong than right. Thus, death certificates are unreliable as a source of diagnostic data. The clinician's confidence in his major diagnosis bore a fairly close relationship to the frequency of its confirmation. Nevertheless, even when certified as “fairly certain”, the major diagnosis was wrong in about one-quarter of these cases. An attempt was made to assess the significance of incorrect diagnoses; one half of these might be clinically significant. Diagnostic accuracy did not improve with the time spent in hospital, and it bore an inverse relationship to the patient's age.     

Diagnosis of endogenous depression. Comparison of clinical, research and neuroendocrine criteria

Eighty-nine depressed outpatients were studied by clinical criteria, Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC), and the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) of neuroendocrine regulation. A simple outpatient version of the DST, requiring only one blood sample, correctly identified 40% of patients diagnosed clinically as endogenous depression (ED), with a specificity of 98% and a diagnostic confidence of 95%. Differences in age, sex, or severity of symptoms between endogenous and non-endogenous depressives did not account for these results. By comparison, the diagnostic performance of the DST was weaker for the RDC categories Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and primary MDD. These were less selective and more heterogeneous than the clinical category ED. The clinical diagnoses of ED were supported in 98% of cases by the RDC, but 22% of RDC endogenous MDD diagnoses were not supported by the clinical diagnoses. Abnormal DST results were found only in patients with both the clinical diagnosis of ED and the RDC diagnosis of endogenous MDD. Patients with definite endogenous MDD had a significantly higher frequency of abnormal DST results (42%) than those with probable endogenous MDD (14%), or those with other RDC diagnoses (3%). A significant association was found between positive DST results and a positive family history of depression. These results support other evidence for use of a positive DST result as an external validating criterion for ED. The category MDD contained all cases diagnosed clinically as ED, but was diluted by cases diagnosed clinically as non-endogenous depression who had no neuroendocrine disturbance. The results also confirmed that the endogenous/non-endogenous and primary/secondary classifications of depression are not identical. We conclude: (1) that the DST can be used in the differential diagnosis of depressed outpatients as well as inpatients; (2) that the RDC category primary MDD and the Washington University category primary depression are more heterogeneous and probably less valid than the clinical category ED; (3) that the RDC for endogenous MDD have only moderate validity; (4) that RDC diagnoses cannot substitute for careful clinical diagnoses in research studies; (5) that the best use of the RDC is to support clinical diagnoses, but not to generate diagnoses independently as a free-standing system; (6) that the concept of endogenous or endogenomorphic depression has validity and should be retained in research studies of depression.     

The clinical impact of increased sensitivity PT and APTT coagulation assays.

To determine how more-sensitive prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) reagents affected the number and distribution of abnormal test results and whether the increased sensitivity for deficiencies resulted in improved diagnosis of clinically significant coagulopathies, we retrospectively compared preoperative coagulation screening data for 140 children undergoing open heart surgery after the reagent change with a similar group of 135 before the change. The more sensitive reagents resulted in a higher rate of abnormal values, but no increase in the identification of clinically significant hemostatic abnormalities. Of 67 patients with abnormal aPTTs in the group screened with more sensitive reagents, 63 had no further workup. No patients in either group were diagnosed subsequently with a coagulopathy because of unexpected bleeding. An abnormal test result did not predict the need for perioperative blood products. We hypothesize that the high frequency of abnormal aPTTs led to physician "desensitization" about the merit of coagulation screening. Therefore, we question the usefulness of preoperative coagulation screening of the pediatric cardiac surgery patient, particularly since lasting changes in physician perception regarding the clinical significance of abnormal values may lead to missed diagnoses in other settings.     

Utility of Autopsy among Pediatric Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients: One Last Chance to Learn?

Autopsy may confirm clinical diagnoses or identify conditions that were not suspected prior to a patient's death. Previous studies evaluating the utility of autopsy in hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients yielded conflicting results.We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children (<18 years of age) undergoing allogeneic HSCT at Duke University who died of any cause between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2016. We evaluated associations between patient characteristics and autopsy performance using chi-square or Fisher exact tests. We reviewed autopsy reports to determine the concordance between preautopsy causes of death and pathological diagnoses identified on autopsy. We classified unexpected diagnoses on autopsy using criteria developed by Goldman et al. We evaluated for temporal changes in the autopsy consent rate and the frequency of unexpected diagnoses on autopsy using Cochran-Armitage tests.During the 22-year study period, 475 patients died and had data available on autopsy performance, and 130 (27%) of these patients underwent autopsy. The autopsy consent rate declined over time (P < .0001), with autopsies being performed for 40% of deaths in 1995 to 1999 and 17% of deaths in 2009 to 2016. White patients were more likely to undergo autopsy than nonwhite patients (P?=?.03). There were no associations between autopsy performance and patient age, sex, HSCT indication, or HSCT donor. Unexpected diagnoses were identified in 31 (24%) autopsies. The proportion of autopsies with an unexpected diagnosis did not change during the study period (P?=?.45). However, infectious diagnoses that would have led to a change in management were more frequently identified on autopsies in 1995 to 2003 than in 2004 to 2016 (20% versus 0%; P?=?.001).The autopsy consent rate for pediatric HSCT recipients at our institution has declined substantially over the past several decades. The utility of autopsy in this patient population remains high despite a reduction in the identification of unexpected infections.     

Urethral caruncle: clinicopathologic features of 41 cases

Urethral caruncle is a benign polypoid mass of the urethral meatus in primarily postmenopausal women. Although a conclusive association with malignancy, urologic disorder, or systemic disease has not been established, often the lesion carries a challenging clinical differential diagnosis that includes malignancy. Conversely, unexpected malignancy is identified in some cases resembling caruncle clinically. We examined clinical and histopathologic characteristics in 41 patients. Medical records were assessed for presentation, clinical diagnosis, associated urothelial carcinoma, radiation treatment, tobacco use, immunologic/urologic disorder, and treatment strategy/outcome. Average patient age was 68 years (range, 28-87 years). Presenting symptoms were pain (37%), hematuria (27%), and dysuria (20%), in contrast to asymptomatic (32%). Clinical diagnosis favored malignancy in 10% of cases. Concurrent or subsequent urothelial carcinoma was present for 5 patients (12%), although none developed urethral carcinoma. Histologic features included mixed hyperplastic urothelial and squamous lining, overlying a variably fibrotic, edematous, inflamed, and vascular stroma. Invaginations of urothelium extending into the stroma were common (68%), showing rounded nests with cystic or glandular luminal spaces, similar to urethritis cystica/glandularis, without intestinal metaplasia. Two lesions included an organizing thrombus, 1 with intravascular papillary endothelial hyperplasia. Twenty patients were treated with topical medications without resolution. Three lesions recurred (7%) after excision. A subset of patients had history of smoking or previous pelvic irradiation. Urethral caruncle is an uncommon lesion that may clinically mimic benign and malignant conditions. Awareness of the spectrum of clinical and histologic differential diagnoses is important in dealing with this unusual disease.     

Contribution of fine needle aspiration cytology to diagnosis and management of thyroid disease.

AIMS: To determine the role of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis and management of thyroid disease. METHODS: Clinical histories of 144 patients who had undergone FNAC of the thyroid were analysed. Clinical presentation, non-invasive investigations including hormone assays, ultrasound, and isotope scan procedures were compared with FNAC diagnoses in all cases and with histological diagnosis in the 28 cases (19%) that had undergone surgery. Clinical management was decided upon combining all of the above investigations. The relative contribution of the FNAC was divided into: essential, additional and non-contributory, misleading. RESULTS: FNAC diagnoses included: 29 (16%) benign colloid goitre, 56 (39%) benign cystic goitre, 24 (17%) thyroiditis, and 22 (15%) neoplasms. Nineteen (13%) of the specimens were unsatisfactory. When compared with clinical diagnoses based on non-invasive diagnostic investigations FNAC represented no improvement on the diagnosis of benign colloid/cystic goitre (55% v 54% respectively). It represented an improvement on the diagnosis of thyroiditis (9% v 17% respectively). FNAC decreased clinically suspicious lesions in which 22 neoplasms were diagnosed from 37% to 15%. Eleven patients with neoplasms underwent surgery and neoplasms were confirmed histologically. Others including lymphoma, metastatic carcinoma, and analplastic carcinoma were managed conservatively. There were four false negative FNAC diagnoses (3%) in clinically suspicious lesions, found on histology to be benign follicular adenomas. CONCLUSIONS: FNAC had an essential role in the diagnosis and management of 23% of our patients, a confirmatory role in 61% of patients, a non-contributory role in 13% when specimens were inadequate, and was misleading in 3% where results were false negative. The positive identification of thyroiditis and neoplasia stands on its own as a justification for FNAC.     

Correlation of clinical diagnoses with autopsy findings: A retrospective study of 2,145 consecutive autopsies

The protocols of 2,145 autopsies were retrospectively reviewed and the findings compared with the clinical diagnoses. A sudden decline in the autopsy rate that occurred during the period studied was followed by a highly statistically significant difference in clinical accuracy (P less than 0.01), in favor of the predecline period. The overall rate of major discrepancies was 29 per cent. The most frequently missed diagnoses were infections, which were found in 26 per cent of all autopsies and had not been diagnosed clinically in 63 per cent of these cases. Malignancies occupied second place among overlooked diagnoses in the selected disease categories; in 99 per cent of the cases the malignancy was the principal diagnosis, and it had been misdiagnosed clinically in 42 per cent of these cases. Cerebrovascular disorders were correctly diagnosed in most cases (87 per cent of the patients in this group). Among autopsy diagnoses labeled as the immediate causes of death, the most frequently overlooked were pulmonary embolism and gastrointestinal hemorrhage, which were not recognized in 84 and 78 per cent, respectively. In cases in which clinicians were not entirely confident in their impressions, their diagnoses were usually confirmed at autopsy. In these cases 15 per cent of the patients died soon after admission to the hospital, with accurate diagnoses in 71 per cent. The discrepancies disclosed should be regarded as sufficiently large to mandate continued emphasis on autopsy evaluation as the basis for the control of the quality of patient care.     

66例儿童可疑头痛性癫癎随访分析

目的:探讨头痛性癫的诊断及与偏头痛的鉴别诊断。方法:分析由基层医院诊断为头痛性癫的66例患儿的临床资料,经详细询问病史,进行仔细的体格检查,复查脑电图(EEG)1~3次后,重新确定诊断,实施治疗并进行临床随访。结果:在此66例患儿中,28例纠正诊断为偏头痛,32例纠正诊断为神经性头痛。复查EEG结果显示大部分在正常范围,部分异常EEG中以弥漫性慢波增多为主,仅有6例EEG显示有散在样波,结合临床表现符合头痛性癫的诊断。结论:头痛性癫临床少见,单纯以头痛表现诊断为癫是不可靠的,必须依靠临床表现、EEG检查结果综合判断,并和偏头痛进行鉴别。以头痛为主诉的儿童不应轻易诊断为癫。     

The utility of the MCMI as a DSM-III Axis I diagnostic tool

The present study examined the utility of the MCMI as a provider of DSM-III Axis I diagnostic hypotheses with a heterogeneous psychiatric inpatient population. Participants represented 31 consecutive referrals made to the psychology department for a clinical and/or diagnostic assessment from a psychiatric rehabilitation unit. Three independent diagnoses derived from the MCMI, a structured interview (DIS), and an unstructured psychiatric interview were obtained for each participant. The percentage agreement between the two criterion diagnoses was 54.8%. Agreement between the MCMI and criterion diagnoses was, at best, 15% for those cases that had an Axis I diagnosis. These findings are in keeping with past research and support the contention that the MCMI is not a useful tool in generating clinically correct or meaningful DSM-III Axis I diagnostic hypotheses.     

Fine-needle aspiration cytology and the diagnosis of neoplasms in the pediatric age group

Sixty-six aspirates obtained from 63 pediatric patients clinically suspected of having small cell malignancies were studied by a variety of techniques to determine the accuracy and utility of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) in the diagnosis of small round-cell neoplasms (SRCN) of childhood. FNA correctly identified all 47 SRCNs as malignant and gave a correct specific diagnosis in 81% of the cases. No false-positive diagnoses of malignancy occurred in this series. Electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and cell culture performed on FNA material were found to be useful aids in the differential diagnosis of these tumors. The cytologic appearances and differential diagnoses of these neoplasms are discussed.     

The validity of the diagnosis of mild dementia.

Five operational methods for clinical diagnosis of mild dementia were compared to find out their diagnostic concordance when applied to a single group of seventy-five subjects. The clinical validity of the diagnoses was assessed in terms of their capacity to predict continued cognitive deterioration over three years after diagnosis and their capacity to reject the diagnostic influence of 'non-dementia' factors (that is, the cognitive consequences of depression, poor intellect, limited education and non-neurological physical illness). By all criteria of clinical validity the diagnostic methods for mild dementia performed poorly. Kappas measuring agreement between methods averaged only 0.15 and up to 57% of diagnostic deviance was explained by 'non-dementia' factors. Prediction of continued deterioration was poor, with a false positive rate which was too high for the diagnoses to be clinically usable. By no criterion of validity did the diagnostic methods exceed the performance of a clinician's judgement of the presence of pathological cognitive impairment or diagnosis by a cutpoint on the Mini-Mental State Examination.     

Retroviruses. Problems in electron microscopic diagnosis

A department of electron microscopy with specialisation in virus diagnosis evaluates the results concerning retrovirus findings. In the course of research work already classified retroviruses were observed, numerous unexpected retrovirus diagnoses being of special interest. This concerned exclusively to ultra-thin sections of permanent and immune cells. Expounded in this paper are principles by which examiners should abide in any case. Reference is also made to the importance of individual findings.     

Accuracy of fine-needle aspiration of thyroid

CONTEXT: Fine-needle aspiration has become an accepted and cost-effective procedure for rapid diagnosis of thyroid lesions. The routine use of fine-needle aspiration has reduced the rate of unnecessary surgery for thyroid nodules. OBJECTIVES: To determine the accuracy of fine-needle aspiration biopsy diagnosis and to discuss the possible pitfalls. Design, Setting, and Participants.-Reports of 6226 fine-needle aspiration biopsies of the thyroid performed during a period of 16 years (1982-1998) were reviewed. Computerized reports of the fine-needle aspiration biopsies were sent to the physicians who performed the procedures, and clinical follow-up information regarding the patients was requested. Twenty-four clinicians participated in the study. Histologic diagnoses were available for 354 cases. The cytopathologic diagnoses were correlated with the histologic findings or clinical outcomes. RESULTS: The cytologic diagnoses were as follows: 210 (3.4%) malignant, 450 (7.2%) suspicious, 3731 (60%) benign, and 1845 (29.5%) unsatisfactory. Most of the cases with negative or unsatisfactory aspirates were followed clinically or by repeat fine-needle aspiration. We identified 11 false-negative and 7 false-positive diagnoses. For aspirates considered sufficient for diagnosis, the sensitivity and specificity levels were 93% and 96%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Fine-needle aspiration of the thyroid gland is highly accurate and has a low rate of false-negative and false-positive diagnoses. The major diagnostic problems are caused by diagnosis using a marginally adequate specimen, diagnosis of malignancy based on just 1 or 2 atypical cytologic features, or overlapping cytologic features of follicular neoplasm with those of follicular variant of papillary carcinoma.     

Comparison of clinical and postmortem diagnosis of pulmonary embolism.

The incidence of pulmonary embolism and the number of clinically missed diagnoses of it in necropsies carried out between 1960 and 1984 at this department were investigated. Pulmonary embolism primarily affects elderly people with serious underlying disease; in this study it was found more often in women. The incidence of pulmonary embolism (9% of all necropsies) was unchanged during the period studied. In contrast, pulmonary embolism as the "sole" cause of death increased (p less than 0.0005). Although most pulmonary emboli were the immediate cause of death, the clinical diagnosis was often missed (in 84% of all cases). Furthermore, such clinically missed diagnoses increased over the years (p less than 0.005), especially in patients with heart disease and cancer. Without necropsy there will be considerable underdiagnosis of pulmonary embolism, therefore providing a misleading figure in the death statistics for this often fatal disease.     

Pericardial synovial sarcoma, a potential for misdiagnosis: clinicopathologic and molecular cytogenetic analysis of three cases with literature review

Synovial sarcomas arising in unexpected locations may lead to diagnostic challenges. In this report, we describe 3 cases of synovial sarcoma that manifested clinically as primary pericardial lesions. All 3 cases occurred in men in their fourth decade. Fever, cough, chest pain, and chest distress were the most common symptoms. Histologically, 2 of the tumors were spindle cell monophasic, and 1 tumor was biphasic. By immunohistochemical studies, the tumor cells were positive for cytokeratins and epithelial membrane antigen. In addition, the tumor cells displayed focal immunoreactivity for calretinin, cytokeratin 5/6, and HBME-1, resulting in the initial interpretations of malignant mesotheliomas. None of the 3 cases were diagnosed correctly until subsequent molecular cytogenetic assays demonstrated the presence of SYT gene rearrangements. As there are overlapping morphologic features between pericardial synovial sarcoma and mesothelioma, molecular analysis is essential for differential diagnoses.