Stercoral Perforation of the Colon

A stercoral perforation of the colon is a very rare condition, which results from stercoral ulcers due to severe, prolonged constipation, and has a very high mortality rate. Herein is presented four cases of stercoral perforation of the sigmoid colon. All the patients were female. They had long standing and severe constipation, with peritonitis, prior to admission. Plain chest or abdominal X-rays revealed the presence of abdominal free air in all cases, and so emergent operations were undertaken. Fecalomas were found in the colon or abdominal cavity, with round and spherical shaped perforated sites. Microscopically, the edges of the ulcers were compressed with the accumulation of lymphocytes. A resection of the perforated colon with a proximal colostomy was performed in one case, a primary closure of the perforated colon and a proximal colostomy in another and a Hartmann's colostomy in the remaining two cases.

Tumor Angiogenesis Correlates with Prognosis in Patients with Stage 3 Gastric Cancer / 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: Several studies suggest that tumor angiogenesis is a significant prognostic factor in carcinoma of the breast, lung, prostate, oral cavity, and colon. We assessed whether intensity of tumor angiogenesis, as measured by microvessel counts in histologic sections, correlates with prognosis in patients with stage III gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Paraffin-embedded sections from 49 patients (23 stage IIla, 26 stage IIIb) with primary gastric cancer that had been completely removed were analyzed for angiogenesis. Vessels were stained with anti-factor VIII polyclonal antibody, and areas with the most discrete microvessels were counted in a 200X field. RESULTS: Patients with stage IIIa gastric cancer had fewer microvessels than those with stage IIIb gastric cancer (32.8+-14.5 vs. 40.3+-16.1, P=0.106). The mean microvessel count from patients who were alive were significantly lower than that from patients who had died at the time of follow-up (24.8+-10.0 vs. 42.9+- 14.5, P=O.OOO). The 5-year survival rate of patients with count less than 33 microvessels was higher than that of patients with count more than 33 microvessels (59.9% vs. 11.6%, P= 0.000). On multivariate analysis by Cox proportional hazards model, the microvessel count was a significant prognostic factor of stage III gastric cancer. CONCLUSION: Tumor angiogenesis assessed by microvessel count may be a significant prognostic factor of stage III gastric cancer and may prove valuable in selecting patients with stage III gastric cancer for aggressive adjuvant therapy and closer postoperative follow-up.

Herpes Simplex Esophagitis: A report of two cases

Herpes simplex esophagitis has been recognized with increased frequency as an opportunistic infection in immunosuppressed or debilitated patients. However, it is also documented as self-limited esophagitis in apparently healthy patients. We report two cases of herpetic esophagitis diagnosed by biopsies. One case was noted in an immunocompetent patient having gastric peptic ulcer who had clinical improvement with symptomatic treatment. And the other was noted in an immunosuppressed patient having chemotherapy for gastric carcinoma who had resolution of symptoms with acyclovir therapy. Histologically, esophageal mucosa exhibited erosion and inflammatory cellular exudate with intranuclear eosinophilic inclusions in the epithelial cells. These were confirmed by the PCR and immunohistochemical stain for herpes simplex virus using a biopsy material.

Sclerosing lymphangitis of the penis: a case report

Sclerosing lymphangitis of the penis occurs as a skin-colored or dusty red, cord-like thickening of tissue at the corona or within the coronal sulcus. The thickened, elongated lesion is firm and relatively nontender. The cause is unknown: because it occurs primarily in those who are sexually very active, however, it is likely that chronic trauma plays an important etiologic role. We experienced a case of pathologically proven sclerosing lymphangitis in a 31 year-old man. Ultrasonographic finding showed circumferential cord like hypoechoic band with irregular, but well demarcated margin.

Pulmonary Lymphangioleiomyomatosis: A case report

Lymphangioleiomyomatosis(LAM) is a rare disease of women of child-bearing age in which there is progressive hyperplasia of atypical smooth mucle along lymphatics in the lung, and/or axial lymphatics in the thorax and abdomen, resulting in honeycombing of lung. Interestingly there has been a speculation that it represents a forme furste or incomplete expression of tuberous sclerosis complex. This is based on the observation that patients with tuberous sclerosis can manifest pulmonary lesions indistinguishable from LAM. We report a case of LAM occuring in a 39-year-old female, who complained of recurrent pneumothorax, chest pain and shortness of breath. Three years ago, the patient had right nephrectomy under the diagnosis of ruptured angiomyolipoma. A X-ray film of the chest showed honeycombing with a diffusely reticulonodular pattern and cyst-like spaces. She had a characteristic facial appearance of adenoma sebaceum, which her father and uncle had. Microscopically, the lung showed a marked smooth muscle proliferation around the slit-like lymphatic spaces and also some respiratory bronchioles.

Nonfunctioning paraganglioma arising from the organ of Zuckerkandl

No abstract available.

Metastatic Embryonal Carcinoma of Testis: Aspiration Cytology of Cervical Lymph Node

Embryonal carcinoma of testis may be composed of primitive cells with epithelial appearance showing prominent variation in size and shape, clear cytoplasm, overlapping nuclei. and many mitoses. Multiple lymph node enlargement was noticed in a 45-year-old man with known huge testicular tumor, 20 x 15 cm, and clinically malignant lymphoma was suspected. Microscopic and cytologic finding of both biopsy and needle aspiration from neck lymph node disclosed highly undifferentiated large cells, mostly in solid sheets and often forming glandular spaces. Massive necrosis was observed. Cytologic diagnosis of embryonal carcinoma was made possible, relied on the result of immunohistochemistry that revealed negative LCA, and positive cytokeratin and CEA as well as the cytologic features. Serum levels of HCG and AFP of the patient, in addition, were markedly elevated.

Extraskeletal Ewing's Sarcoma

A case of extrastkeletal Ewing's sarcoma on lower extremity in a 60-year-old male is reported. Extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma is a rare malignant neoplasm that shows similar histologic and ultrastructural features to Ewing's sarcoma of bone. Histologically, the neoplasm was composed of small, round to oval cells with scant cytoplasm that were arranged in sheets with large area of necrosis. Electron microscopy of the neoplastic cells revaled scant cytopasm containing glycogen rosettes and a paucity of organelles. There is no ultrastructural evidence to indicate the origin of the cells.