ABSTRACT
The accidental finding of a pseudotumoral para-aortic mass in a 60-year-old woman led to the performance of a fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy under ultrasonographic guidance. The milky aspirate was centrifuged and processed as a cell block. The examination of sections confirmed the lymphatic origin of the sample, but also revealed some unexpected parasitic structures. While a complete identification could not be made on a few sections, the morphologic and epidemiologic evidence suggested Dirofilaria repens. The mass was surgically removed and identified as an adenolymphocele, which appears to be a new localization of dirofilariasis in humans. This case emphasizes the utility of FNA in diagnosing such unexpected findings without the use for exploratory surgery.
Subject(s)
Dirofilariasis/pathology , Animals , Biopsy, Needle/methods , Diagnosis, Differential , Dirofilaria/isolation & purification , Dirofilariasis/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Retroperitoneal Space , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
In this study we have been able to pull out 23 case histories of husbands of sterile wives out of a total of 839 patients who consulted us for diminished fertility. These 23 have the characteristics of "normal" male male population and serve as a reference group to estimate normal values of different parameters. The steps taken in this way give figures that are very little different from those obtained by other methods but once a still larger group have been analysed it would be possible by this method to work out the incidence of the different pathological states that can be found in the general population. An analysis of the differences found in our groups shows that the most significant parameter is the percentage of spermatozoa that are moving in straight lines. This means that future efforts should be directed to this parameter when automation or standardization is considered. There are normally random fluctuations in the parameters of healthy subjects but pathological pressures in subjects with lowered fertility mean that some of them vary in parallel coordinated directions. Because of this, seven different profiles can be worked out for different syndromes: Where the head alone is affected: macrocephalic spermatozoa, broken spermatozoa. Where the intermediate portion alone is damaged: a very thin intermediate portion. Where the tail alone is affected: spermatozoa with a short or absent tail. Where several parts of the sperm are affected: hook-shaped spermatozoa, double-headed spermatozoa, and rolled-up spermatozoa.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
