Fine needle aspiration cytology of trichofolliculoma: a case report.

The cytomorphology of skin adnexal tumours has not been described extensively in literature. We report the first case of trichofolliculoma, a hair follicle hamartoma, which was subsequently diagnosed by excision biopsy. A 19 year old woman presented with a nodule on the dorsal aspect of the finger which was clinically suspected to be a myxoid cyst. FNA showed several cohesive as well as arborising branched groups of squamous cells with evidence of keratinisation. The background had dispersed and loosely clustered sebaceous cells. The excision biopsy revealed a trichofolliculoma. Cytology is a useful tool in the diagnosis of skin adnexal tumours. The finding of cohesive, branching keratinized squamous cell clusters admixed with sebaceous cells may suggest a diagnosis of trichofolliculoma, as was seen in the present case.

Impact of vascular abnormalities in neoplastic and non-neoplastic lung disease.

BACKGROUND: Vascular abnormalities of the pulmonary circulation in the setting of destructive lung diseases caused by inflammation or neoplasia has been scantily researched. A need was felt to document the spectrum of pathological alterations in the vasculature and thus permit speculation into both their pathogenesis and possible clinical significance. METHODS: Between January 1999 and June 2001, 21 patients (male:female 3:4) who had chest disease exceeding a duration of six months and later underwent lobectomy were included in the study. The histopathological material was analysed for vascular changes such as arterial intimal fibrosis, muscularisation of intima and pericapillary fibrosis. The study included a detailed morphometric analysis. RESULTS: The lesions included 15 non-neoplastic diseases and six neoplastic diseases. The striking vasculopathic changes observed in the absence of pulmonary hypertension were pulmonary artery medial hypertropy (100%), intimal fibrosis (62%) and muscularisation of the neo-intima (3%). Pericapillary fibrosis was seen in 83% of the neoplastic lesions and 67% of the non-neoplastic lesions. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the impact of chronic lung disease on pulmonary vasculature. The role that neoplastic and non-neoplastic lung disease have to play in the evolution of the documented vascular changes have been postulated, and the need to design effective therapeutic strategies to modulate hypoxia, reverse the inflammatory process and stabilise the fibroblastic process is also highlighted.