Giant epidermal cyst of the tarsal plate.

A 35-year-old male patient presented with a right upper eyelid mass with mechanical ptosis. The patient gave no history of trauma or surgery. On examination, there was a huge cystic mass fixed to the tarsal plate. Excisional biopsy with tarsectomy was done. Histopathology sections demonstrated a keratin-filled cyst arising from the tarsus. A thorough Pubmed search did not reveal an epidermal cyst of the tarsal plate of this size which was successfully managed. The incision was made in such a way that postoperative ptosis would be avoided. Excess skin was removed during the surgery.

Feasible choices in diagnostic methods of malaria .

Background & objectives: The present study was undertaken to find out a new easy method in the diagnosis of malaria by centrifuged buffy coat smear, which was found to be a feasible and reasonable procedure. Methods: Blood samples collected from 120 patients suspected of malaria were subjected to all three diagnostic modalities—peripheral blood smear (PS), centrifuged buffy coat smear (CBCS) and antigen detection test using pLDH and aldolase (AG). Results: The results of various methods were compared. It was seen that addition of centrifugation (i.e. CBCS) to conventional method of PS (i.e. thick and thin smears) improved its sensitivity from 85 to 93.3%. Antigen detection and CBCS were found superior to PS in sensitivity. CBCS gives combined sensitivity and specificity of both antigen and PS. Conclusion: CBCS is as sensitive as antigen test and as specific as PS in species identification. It is a reasonable and feasible procedure too.

Metaplastic carcinoma of the breast (carcinosarcoma variant): a case report.

A case of a female patient aged 60 yrs, with metaplastic carcinoma of the breast which is a rare neoplasm is presented. Although it is a tumor of the ductal type, the predominant component of the neoplasm has an appearance other than glandular pattern and more in keeping with other cell types. Metaplastic carcinoma runs a very aggressive course and bears an unfavourable prognosis.

Unilateral retinal dysplasia--a case report.

Retinal dysplasia is an uncommon condition and may be either unilateral or bilateral. It represents disturbed differentiation of neural ectoderm. It can be sporadic or may be associated with genetic defects. A case of unilateral retinal dysplasia in a 2 year old male child is reported.

Cotyledonoid leiomyoma of the uterus.

In the growing knowledge of rare interesting tumors, the cotyledonoid leiomyoma is a tumor with an alarming appearance, of benign nature, but dealt with undue severity. We report a case of cotyledonoid leiomyoma in a 40 yr old female who presented with urinary retention and in whom a clinical diagnosis of uterine fibroid was made. On laparotomy, friable nodules were seen in the lower part of the uterus. Hence the diagnosis of sarcoma was considered and total abdominal hysterectomy with unilateral salpingo-oopherectomy was done. The friable nodules were removed piecemeal. Microscopic examination revealed nodules of bland looking smooth muscle cells arranged in-interlacing fascicles with perinodular hydropic degeneration. Necrosis or nuclear atypia was not seen. Increased awareness of this grossly alarming variant of benign leiomyoma can help avoid over treatment.

Nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis--a case report.

We report a case of nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis, an uncommon hamartomatous disorder.