Hepatic epithelioid hemangioendothelioma

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare, malignant neoplasm of vascular origin arising in soft tissues, lung, and liver. Four cases of hepatic EHE are reported, and 49 previously reported cases are reviewed. The tumor occurs in adults of all ages; 66% of patients are women. The prognosis is variable. Computed tomographic findings suggest the tumor begins as multiple hepatic nodules that grow and coalesce, forming large confluent masses preferentially involving the liver periphery. Extensive hepatic involvement is associated with enlargement of uninvolved portions of the liver and splenomegaly. Awareness of the radiologic features is helpful because clinical findings are nonspecific, and biopsy specimens may be misinterpreted as carcinoma or venoocclusive disease.     

Manual vacuum aspiration: a safe alternative for the surgical management of early pregnancy loss

Manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) is an alternative to the standard surgical curettage, performed under local anaesthetic in the setting of a treatment room. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of MVA in the management of first trimester early fetal demise and first- and mid-trimester incomplete miscarriage. This was a retrospective study of 246 patients who were scheduled to undergo MVA for first trimester early fetal demise and first- and mid-trimester incomplete miscarriage. One woman was excluded in the analysis because of the procedure being abandoned prior to MVA. Efficacy of the procedure was 94.7% (232/245). Incomplete uterine evacuation was seen in 5.3% (13/245) patients. Although not widely used in the UK, MVA could be considered routinely, thus avoiding general anaesthesia and the need for access to theatre.     

Detection of soluble intermediates of the fibrinogen-fibrin conversion using erythrocytes coated with fibrin monomers

The presence of minimal amounts of fibrinogen-fibrin intermediates in human plasma was visualized by an agglutination reaction of glutaraldehyde-treated human erythrocytes coated with purified fibrin monomers. A degree of monomer coating was established which produced erythrocytes not agglutinated by normal plasma but by plasma containing minimal amounts of soluble complexes of fibrinogen with fibrin monomers. Under standardized conditions of coating, erythrocyte concentration, temperature, pH, and incubation time, the agglutination time varied with the ratio of soluble fibrin to fibrinogen in plasma. The test was sensitive down to a soluble fibrin concentration of 0.675% of the plasma fibrinogen concentration. Early fibrinogen and fibrin degradation products (FDP) in the plasma led to a prolongation of the agglutination time at a concentration of more than 16 mg/100 ml. Late FDP in a concentration of 100 mg/100 ml did not convert a positive test to negative. The test was not affected by heparin and protamine at concentrations of up to 12.5 and 50 NIH units/ml, respectively.