Exfoliative cytology: a helpful tool for the diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the main cytological findings associated with smears collected from oral lesions of paracoccidioidomycosis and to appraise the use of cytology as a diagnostic tool for the disease. STUDY DESIGN: Cytological smears and biopsies were collected from 40 lesions with a clinical suspicion of paracoccidioidomycosis. Evaluation of the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, accuracy and the positive likeness ratio of the oral smear when compared with the histological diagnosis, was performed. The latter is considered the 'gold standard' for comparison. RESULTS: The main morphological findings were the rounded-shaped, birefringent and multiple-budded fungi, Langhans' giant cells and epithelioid cells. The following associative measures were found: sensitivity, 67.9%; specificity, 91.7%; positive predictive value, 95.0%; negative predictive value, 55.0%; accuracy, 75.0%; and positive likeness ratio, 8.14. CONCLUSION: The cytological findings of paracoccidioidomycosis are characteristic and cytology is accurate in the diagnosis of the disease. Positive patients should be treated. Negative patients should be submitted to biopsy to confirm or to dismiss the diagnosis of this mycosis.

Mucus extravasation phenomenon in newborn babies: report of two cases.

Two rare cases of congenital mucoceles in newborn babies are reported. The patients presented with nodular swellings on their lower lips at birth with no obvious local aetiology. In both cases the mucoceles interfered with normal feeding. The lesions were excised by surgical approach under general anaesthesia and histopathological examination confirmed the lesions to be extravasation-type mucoceles. The article includes a brief discussion of the epidemiology and ethiopathogeny of mucoceles.