Utility of fine-needle aspiration in the diagnosis of granulomatous lesions of the breast.

Fourteen cases of granulomatous mastitis (GM) studied by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) are reviewed and nine cytologic features (necrosis, neutrophil granulocytes, foamy cells, plasma cells, granulomas, epitheloid cells, multinucleated giant cells of foreign body type and Langhans' type, duct cells, and the presence of acid-fast bacilli) are reappraised in a semiquantitative manner. The main objective of this study was to find out if one or more of these features would permit the various granulomatous entities identified in surgical pathology to be separated cytologically. The results suggest that FNA does not permit the various granulomatous lesions identified in surgical pathology to be differentiated, since in this series different entities share a common cytologic pattern. Only the presence of acid fast bacilli in smears would enable a tuberculous etiology to be diagnosed. The opinion is put forward that the term GM should be avoided in the cytologic report and substituted by the noncommitted term "granulomatous lesion of the breast.

Follicular variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid: to what extent is fine-needle aspiration reliable?

We have reappraised the fine-needle aspirates (FNAs) of 5 cases of the follicular variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid (FVPCT). Three of these had been performed on cold thyroid nodules and had been diagnosed as follicular proliferations. The remaining 2 had been performed on cervical lymphadenopathies and had been diagnosed as metastatic papillary carcinoma, probably of thyroid origin. Careful reassessment of the slides did not allow any change of the original diagnoses. We found two constant cytologic features present in all cases studied: syncytial clusters without acinar formation, and monolayered sheets. Nonconstant findings included: follicular pattern, ropy colloid, multinucleated giant cells (MGCs), and nucleoli in FNAs performed on thyroid nodules, and papillae, pseudonuclear inclusions, nuclear grooves, MGCs, and nucleoli in FNAs performed on cervical lymphadenopathies. Our findings suggest that the cytologic diagnosis of FVPCT is very difficult if based solely on the cytologic features seen in FNAs, and that it is necessary to resort to the study of surgical specimens if a definitive diagnosis is to be achieved. We are also of the opinion that more weight should be given to the aforementioned nonconstant findings when faced by a thyroid aspirate with cell richness, syncytial clusters without acinar formation, and monolayered sheets.

[Eosinophilic cystitis. Study of the clinical course in 6 new cases and review of the recent literature]. / Cistitis eosinofílica. Estudio clínico-evolutivo de 6 nuevos casos y revisión de la literatura reciente.

Presentation of a series of 6 cases of eosinophilic cystitis diagnosed in our hospital and recorded in 1988-1993, with an average follow-up of 2 years from time of diagnosis. The actual trend with regard to this particular form of chronic cystitis is to abandon the idea of considering it a "benign" disease, basically due to its increasingly less uncommon association to bladder and/or prostate tumoral pathology (in the recent literature and most particular in the present series). Also, a relative increase in the frequency of occurrence of this disease is noted, because of chemoprophylaxis of surface bladder tumour with Mitomycin-C, an association which is increasingly frequent. Based on these 6 cases, a review of the most recent literature on this topic is made.