[Presence of intra- and peri-lymph node color Doppler signals in a case of suppurative granulomatous axillary adenitis]. / Présence de signaux doppler couleur intra- et périganglionnaires dans un cas d'adénite axillaire granulomateuse suppurative.

Recent reports have emphasized that colour Doppler signals in axillary lymph nodes denote their metastatic nature. We report a case of axillary adenitis due to cat scratch disease in which there were both intra and peri-lymph node signals. Doppler colour signals can thus distinguish other pathologies of the axillary lymph nodes since metastatic nodes do not produce perifocal signals.

Phyllode tumor of the breast: mammographic experience in 99 cases.

The clinically variable course of phyllode tumor with its complex histological picture--ranging from benign to malignant--poses problems for the preoperative diagnosis and, in particular, the therapeutic approach. Mammograms of 99 patients with this disease, observed and treated from 1975 to 1989, were reviewed to determine mammographic/histologic correlations useful for early diagnosis. Opacity, size, shape, margin characteristics, the presence of calcifications and radiolucent halo were determined from the mammograms. The most useful characteristics were opacity and the character of the tumor's margins. However, mammographic features alone could not distinguish phyllode tumor from fibroadenoma.

Preoperative localization and surgical approach in 344 cases of non-palpable breast lesions.

From June 1985 to August 1989, 344 cases of mammographic non-palpable breast lesions were operated on at the National Cancer Institute in Milan. The mammographic findings consisted of clusters of microcalcifications in 162 cases (42.1%), suspicious opacities with irregular borders in 116 cases (37.7%) and opacities containing microcalcifications in 66 cases (19.2%). The mean age of the patients was 51 years (range 31-77 years). In all patients localization was performed 1 day before the operation, introducing a self-retaining anchor wire into the mammary parenchyma. The histological findings showed benign breast disease in 184 cases (53.4%); proliferative dysplasia without atypia in 150 cases (81.5%); proliferative dysplasia with atypia in 22 cases (12%); fibroadenoma in nine and papilloma in three cases. Of 160 patients with carcinoma, 37 had non-infiltrating carcinoma: 28 of these cases (17.5%) had non-infiltrating ductal carcinoma and nine cases (5.6%) had lobular carcinoma in situ. In the 123 cases with infiltrating breast cancer the histological types were ductal infiltrating carcinoma (32.5%), lobular infiltrating carcinoma (9.8%), and 34.1% of the cases an associated or prevalent intraductal carcinoma was found. In 138 cases (85.6%) a conservative surgical procedure (quadrantectomy or more limited excision) was done, and in 22 (14.4%) cases a total mastectomy was necessary because of the extent of the disease. Axillary dissection was performed in 116 of the 123 patients with histological invasive carcinoma. Nodal metastases were found in 24 cases (20.7%), and only one node was involved in nine of the cases (37.5%), two to three nodes in nine cases (37.5%) and four to ten nodes in six cases (25%).

Lack of efficacy of xeroradiography to preoperatively detect axillary lymph node metastases in breast cancer.

Xeroradiography of the axilla was performed in 132 patients with operable breast cancer to investigate the status of the axillary lymph nodes. Pathologic findings were correlated with the results of clinical examination and xeroradiographic findings. Xeroradiography does not appear to have improved our ability to identify axillary lymph node metastases in patients with breast cancer.

[Xeroradiographic diagnosis of lipomas]. / La diagnosi xeroradiografica dei lipomi.

The use of xeroradiography for the study of lipomas (limbs, thoracic wall, pelvic and shoulder girdles) was evaluated on 36 consecutive patients; in 16 cases (44%), histological diagnosis on the surgical specimen was also available. Xeroradiography was more effective than standard x-ray films in 13 cases of 14 submitted to both examination (93%). It allowed to evaluate in detail the size, site and relationships of lipomas as well as to establish their nature. The advantages and drawbacks of xeroradiography in each situation and for the different histological groups of lipomas are discussed. This technique is proposed as a simple and quick procedure for the preoperative diagnosis of lipomas.