FNAC diagnosis of tuberculosis--an eight years study at Mangalore

1. FNAC is a very useful adjunct in the diagnosis of tuberculosis: 2. Diagnosis of tuberculosis can be made by the demonstration of epithelioid granulomas with or without caseation even in the absence of AFB. 3. Necrotic features whether acellular or accompanied by neutrophilic infiltrate are usually misdiagnosed as suppurative abscesses. Such smears however show high AFB positivity and thus the diagnosis of tuberculosis is still possible even in the absence of epithelioid granulomas. 4. Therefore all smears obtained by FNAC of suspected tuberculous lesions should be subjected to ZN staining for AFB.     

Leukoerythrophagocytosis by sinus histiocytes: case report

Leukoerythrophagocytosis by sinus histiocytes in the lymph nodes is a rare cytological observation. Though often seen in lymph nodes draining malignancies, one may occasionally encounter them in vascular lesions. We report a case of leukoerythrophagocytosis by sinus histiocytes of the right supraclavicular lymph nodes in a 35-yr-old male. He presented with a painful soft tissue mass in the right anterior region of the chest wall extending into the axilla of 6 mo duration. Bilateral radial pulsations were absent. The patient had received treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis 1 yr ago. FNAC of the soft tissue mass revealed only blood. Radiological evaluation revealed a vascular lesion, with smooth borders, extending into the upper zone of right lung and displacing the second rib inferiorly. Doppler evaluation confirmed it to be a right subclavian aneurysm with arteritis.     

Neovascularization of nucleus pulposus. A diagnostic feature of intervertebral disc prolapse

STUDY DESIGN: Seventy-five surgically excised prolapsed intervertebral discs were histopathologically evaluated. Fifteen prospective normal cadaveric discs were used as control specimens. OBJECTIVE: To compare the morphologic features between the prolapsed and normal discs. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The histologic criteria were edge neovascularization of the fibrocartilage, chondrocyte cloning, fibrillation with fraying, and granular change. METHODS: Sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin, Van Gieson's, and toluidine blue were studied. The presence or absence of edge neovascularization was noted. The other criteria were graded based on a semiquantitative scoring system. RESULTS: Edge neovascularization was observed in 56% of the discs in the test group and in none of the control specimens. Fibrillation with fraying was the most significant finding in the test group (P < 0.001). Although the mean grades were higher in the test group, they did not predict the presence of edge neovascularization. CONCLUSIONS: Edge neovascularization was the most significant finding to confirm disc prolapse. Fibrillation with fraying, was observed more frequently in prolapsed intervertebral discs and the grades of fibrillation with fraying, chondrocyte cloning, and granular change were significantly higher in the test group. Pathologists can usually agree on the presence or absence of a particular histologic characteristic but are rarely consistent when they estimate the degree. Simple, reproducible agreed-on criteria are needed before semiquantitative evaluations become reliable.     

Trochleoplasty and medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction for recurrent patellar dislocation

We report a case of recurrent patellar dislocation with high-grade trochlear dysplasia which persisted despite two previous operations. We did a Dejour''s sulcus deepening trochleoplasty, medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction, and lateral retinacular release. Trochleoplasty and medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction is required in patients with high grade trochlear dysplasia.     

Sympathoadrenal imbalance before neurocardiogenic syncope

Neurocardiogenic syncope is the most common cause of acute loss of consciousness in adults. The present study attempted to identify neuroendocrine and hemodynamic changes before syncope that could therefore play a pathophysiologic role. Twenty-five patients referred for chronic orthostatic intolerance had plasma catecholamines measured serially; 21 patients during tilt-table testing (evoking syncope in 13) and 4 others with spontaneous syncope while supine. Forearm blood flow was measured by impedance plethysmography. All 12 patients with blood sampled before tilt-induced syncope had progressive, marked increases in plasma epinephrine levels (mean 11 times baseline, p <0.0001) before syncope. Simultaneously obtained norepinephrine levels increased to a much smaller extent than did epinephrine levels ("sympathoadrenal imbalance"). In the same patients, forearm vascular resistance decreased by 21% before syncope. Proportionate changes in forearm vascular resistance before syncope correlated negatively with those in the epinephrine:norepinephrine ratio (r = -0.75, p = 0.005). Patients without syncope had forearm vasoconstriction and no sympathoadrenal imbalance during tilt. Patients with syncope while supine also had sympathoadrenal imbalance before loss of consciousness. Sympathoadrenal imbalance precedes tilt-evoked and spontaneous neurocardiogenic syncope and correlates with concurrent skeletal muscle vasodilation. Sympathoadrenal imbalance may contribute to hemodynamic derangements precipitating neurocardiogenic syncope.     

Baroreflex failure as a late sequela of neck irradiation

Combined chemotherapy and radiotherapy increase long-term survival in patients with head and neck tumors. Late complications of treatment, however, are being recognized increasingly. Surgery or radiotherapy of the carotid sinuses or brain stem can evoke labile hypertension and orthostatic intolerance from acute or subacute baroreflex failure. Here we report cases in which chronic baroreflex failure appeared to develop as a late sequela of neck irradiation. Three patients referred for autonomic nervous system function testing had labile blood pressure and chronic orthostatic intolerance that developed years after neck irradiation for cancer. In each patient, heart rate remained constant during performance of the Valsalva maneuver, suggesting baroreflex-cardiovagal failure. All 3 patients had virtually zero baroreflex-cardiovagal gain, quantified by interbeat interval-systolic blood pressure relationships after intravenous phenylephrine or nitroglycerine. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring revealed highly variable blood pressure, with sudden pressor and depressor episodes, a characteristic feature of baroreflex failure. Cardiovagal efferent function, assessed by power spectral analysis of heart rate variability during slow, deep respiration, was normal. Sympathetic noradrenergic efferent function, assessed by cold pressor testing and plasma catecholamine levels during supine rest and orthostasis, was also normal or increased. These findings indicated a primarily afferent lesion. Carotid ultrasonography revealed intimal thickening and atheromatous plaques in all 3 patients. We propose that labile hypertension and orthostatic intolerance can develop as a late sequela of neck irradiation, due to chronic carotid baroreflex failure, which in turn is due to radiation-induced accelerated development of carotid arteriosclerosis. Splinting of carotid sinus mechanoreceptors in rigidified arterial walls would impede detection of alterations in blood pressure and thereby disrupt baroreflex regulation of cardiovagal and sympathetic outflows.