Fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology as an adjunct in the diagnosis of childhood sarcoidosis.

Fine needle aspiration biopsy cytology performed in three children with sarcoidosis expedited clinical investigation and diagnosis of their disease. Each patient had a different clinical presentation; in two of them lymphoma was part of the initial differential diagnosis. Aspiration cytology in all cases revealed collections of epithelioid histiocytes, and multinucleate foreign body-type giant cells, without accompanying necrosis or acute inflammation. A diagnosis of non-caseating granulomas consistent with sarcoidosis was made in all aspirates. Special stains for identification of organisms performed on the smears of one case, and culture of aspirate material from one case were negative. Subsequent serum angiotensin converting enzyme levels in all patients were elevated. Chest x-ray films in all patients showed mediastinal and hilar lymphadenopathy. One patient had an interstitial pulmonary infiltrate. All patients responded to steroid therapy. Fine needle aspiration biopsy can be a useful diagnostic tool in the evaluation of children with suspected sarcoidosis.     

Anabolic steroid therapy as an adjunct to diet in alcoholic hepatic steatosis

Summary Nine patients with severe alcoholic fatty livers were studied to evaluate the effects of aqueous testosterone and norethandrolone on the rate of fat removal from the liver. Serial liver biopsies showed that the addition of either of these anabolic steroids to a diet high in calories and protein reversed hepatic steatosis at a rate three to five times faster than that observed with diet alone. The relationship of this therapeutic effect to their actions on serum lipoproteins is discussed, but as yet no definite conclusions can be drawn.Supported in part by Grant PHS AM5223 from the National Institutes of Health, U. S. Public Health Service.     

Cardiovascular cavities cast in silicone rubber as an adjunct to post-mortem examination of the heart

We used silicone rubber as a material for making post-mortem casts of cavities in 21 human hearts, 16 of them congenitally malformed, 13 after surgical reconstruction (Fontan and Norwood procedures) and 4 after reconstruction had been performed posts mortem for study purposes. The organs were either fresh, or had been perfusion fixed with formalin prior to casting. When suitable silicone rubber and catalyst were used, we found that casts allowed a very clear view of chamber morphology, and, where surgery had been performed, of any vascular constriction or distortion. We made casts of the aortic sinus and coronary arteries in 3 adult hearts, demonstrating the location and extent of indentation due to atheromatous deposits. The resilience and non-adhesiveness of the silicone rubber allowed casts to be extracted without recourse to corrosion. The surrounding tissues, with the exception of trapped trabeculations and valve structures, were then available for conventional pathological examination. We propose that the relatively simple technique has important applications, not practicable using earlier casting materials, for the study of cardiovascular morphology, and for post-mortem evaluation of stenosed or surgically reconstructed vessels.     

Computed tomography as an adjunct to ultrasound in the diagnosis of acute acalculous cholecystitis

The sonographic and computed tomographic (CT) findings were reviewed in 17 patients with acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) over a 6-year period from 1984 to 1989. Of the six patients in whom both ultrasound and CT were performed, CT revealed marked gallbladder (GB) wall abnormalities, including perforation, and pericholecystic fluid collections in five patients not demonstrated by sonography. Of the total group, five patients had GB wall thicknesses of less than or equal to 3 mm (normal) at pathologic examination, which demonstrated a spectrum of disease ranging from acute hemorrhagic/necrotizing, to gangrenous acalculous cholecystitis with perforation. Sonography was falsely negative or significantly underestimated the severity of AAC in seven of the 13 patients examined by sonography. CT because of its superior ability to assess pericholecystic inflammation may provide additional diagnostic information even after a thorough sonographic study in cases of AAC.     

重视肝活组织病理检查在临床肝病诊疗中的应用

目的探讨超声引导下经皮肝穿刺活组织病理检查在临床肝病诊疗中的意义。方法回顾性分析了吉林大学第一医院157例超声引导下经皮肝穿刺活组织病理检查病例,所有病例均为肝损害经常规检查方法未能明确诊断或临床诊断分期不明确。所有患者经临床生化学检查及影像学检查均未提示肝硬化。分为I组(HBV感染组)和II组(非HBV感染组)。结果 157例病例中,I组81例,其中IA组(ALT<2×ULN)43例,IB组(ALT≥2×ULN)38例。II组76例,其中自身免疫性肝病30例,药物性肝损害21例,脂肪性变11例,罕见病例8例,隐源性肝炎6例。结论超声引导下经皮肝穿刺活组织检查安全性较高,肝活组织病理检查在不明原因的肝损害或临床诊断分期不明确的肝损害诊断中有非常重要的价值,可减少临床漏诊及误诊,有利于明确肝损害的病因及程度。     

Tumor implantation from needle biopsy of hepatic metastases

Two patients with resectable secondaries in the liver developed needle track recurrence following intraoperative "Trucut"-needle biopsy and percutaneous thin needle aspiration cytology, respectively. In both cases the nature of the hepatic lesion was already clear before biopsy, from characteristic ultrasound, CT-scan, and a progressive rise in CEA levels. Although the overall risk is presumably low, biopsy must not become a diagnostic imperative. It may compromise definitive surgery in individual patients, and should therefore be restricted to situations in which results have a therapeutic or scientific impact.     

Thrombolysis as an adjunct to angioplasty

Acute coronary occlusion following angtoplasty is a significant cause of in-hospital morbidity and mortality. Following acute closure, several strategies can be used to reopen the artery, including redilation, adjunctive thrombolysis, or other interventional techniques. Definite indications for thrombolysis as an adjunct to angioplasty include (1) recently occluded saphenous vein grafts, patent native vessels, or saphenous grafts with abundant intracoronary thrombus; and (2) acute closure during angloplasty, which is presumably secondary to thrombus formation and resistant to redilation alone.     

MRI诊断肝转移瘤的价值探讨

目的探讨脂肪抑制序列在肝脏转移瘤诊断中的价值。方法回顾分析37例有明确原发肿瘤伴有肝脏转移瘤的MRI资料。结果 37例患者T2WI序列发现转移灶201个,脂肪抑制序列发现转移灶236个,不需要增强扫描,仅补充脂肪抑制序列平扫就能发现其他序列未发现的35个病灶。结论在肝脏转移瘤的MRI检查方面,脂肪抑制序列优于T2WI序列。     

Cytological examination of the whole endobronchial brush in bronchoscopic diagnosis of lung cancer

The combination of cytological and histological techniques has significantly increased the accuracy of fibreoptic bronchoscopy (FOB) in the diagnosis of lung cancer. We tested the hypothesis that cytological examination of material obtained from the whole endobronchial brush might increase the diagnostic yield in patients where conventional brush specimens were negative. Fifty patients who had undergone FOB for suspected lung cancer were studied prospectively. Bronchial lavage, bronchial biopsy and conventional brushing were performed. The whole endobronchial brush was then cut off the end of its wire and transported in a universal pot containing Shandon cytospin collection fluid. The material was dislodged from the whole brush using a vortex and the remaining fluid was centrifuged at 2,000 r.p.m. The fluid concentrate was used to maketwo cytopsin preparations. Papanicolaou stain was used. Fifty patients were studied, of which thirty-nine (78%) had endoscopicaly visible tumour. Of those, bronchial biopsy conventional brushing lavage and whole brush were positive for malignant cells in 31 (79.4%), 29 (74.3%), 21 (53.8%), and 16 (41%) of cases, respectively. A diagnosis of lung cancer was confirmed in 35 (89.7%) cases of endoscopicaly visible tumour. Conventional brushing was positive in two out of 11 (18.2%) cases with no visible tumour. Whole brush analysis was not positive in any of the cases with negative conventional brushings and was the least sensitive test in detecting malignancy Whole endobronchial brush analysis has no advantage in bronchoscopic diagnosis of patients with suspected lung cancer.