Primary intraosseous (central) salivary gland neoplasms in jaw bones: report of a mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the mandible diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration cytology.

A case of intraosseous (central) mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the mandible diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology, with the diagnosis confirmed by surgical resection of the tumor is presented. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is the most common histotype of malignant and benign salivary gland tumors, which occasionally arise within the facial bones of mandible and maxilla, besides their ordinary derivation from the major and minor salivary glands of the head and neck regions. This case is unusual in that although tumors of the jaws abound, only rare reports of intraosseous salivary gland-type lesions sampled by FNA exist. The current concepts exploring the intraosseous derivation of salivary gland tumors are presented and certain points on FNA technic for adequate sampling of such lesions are related.

Nevus-cell aggregates in lymph nodes: fine-needle aspiration cytologic findings and resulting diagnostic difficulties.

We report a case of nodal nevus present in enlarged lymph nodes with changes of dermatopathic lymphadenopathy sampled by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology prior to clinical evaluation of the patient. This lymph node pathology was established later by lymph node excisional biopsy, by which along with a skin biopsy the dermatopathic lymphadenopathy was tentatively attributed to early mycosis fungoides. The FNA revealed fairly atypical melanotic tissue from the dermatopathic lymphadenopathy along with nodules of uniform melanocytic nevoid cells, the presence of which in combination with the dermatopathic atypical tissue provided a tentative diagnosis of metastatic melanoma of unknown primary, with the diagnosis of nodal nevus presented as a less likely possibility. This is to our knowledge the first cytologic report on FNA of nodal nevus, which besides presenting cytologic findings of this entity highlights some of the problems related to providing an accurate diagnosis, if this exceptionally unusual pathologic entity is encountered in lymph nodes sampled for enlargement from pathologies unrelated to this entity. The subject of nevus changes in lymph nodes is briefly discussed.

Viral cytopathic changes in urine cytology of ileal conduit attributed to adenovirus: report of a case.

Urine cytology from ureteral diversions utilizing intestinal segment as reservoir or conduit, constructed during cystectomy performed usually for advanced bladder neoplasia, differs from bladder urine cytology in that the presence of abundant intestinal mucosal cells with degenerative and inflammatory changes interferes with the recognition of other important cellular changes, particularly of recurrent neoplasia in the upper urinary tract, not to mention other less frequent yet note worthy pathologic changes, such as viral type indigenous to the urinary tract. When confronted with diseases involving the intestinal segment, such as viral enteritides, the diagnostic problem becomes more complex and special effort is needed to recognize and characterize them correctly, differentiating them from other pathologies or artifacts seen in such specimens. We report one such case in which viral changes affecting columnar intestinal epithelium were identified and by immunocytochemistry characterized as adenoviral involving primarily cells of the intestinal conduit. We discuss the significance of such infection in comparison to other viral changes indigenous to the urinary tract, which could also occur in such specimens.

Primary pulmonary adenoid cystic carcinoma: report of a case diagnosed by fine-needle aspiration cytology.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lower respiratory tract is an uncommon tumor that can arise in the mainstem bronchus and often presents as an endobronchial mass lesion causing bronchial obstruction with post obstructive atelectasis and pneumonia. Exfoliative cytology is seldom useful in the diagnosis of primary bronchial adenoid cystic carcinoma, because these neoplasms usually have a submucosal location with often intact mucosa. Since most endobronchial adenoid cystic carcinomas are endoscopically visible, bronchoscope-guided fine-needle aspiration constitutes an excellent approach to establish a pathologic diagnosis. The fine-needle aspiration cytology of primary pulmonary adenoid cystic carcinoma has been rarely described. We report a case of primary adenoid cystic carcinoma of the lung having characteristic cytologic features and correlate with computed tomography, bronchoscopic, and histological findings. Bronchoscope-guided aspiration cytology provided a conclusive diagnosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma, which was further corroborated by histology in the pneumonectomy specimen. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2004;30:51-56.

Fine-needle aspiration cytology in lesions related to ornamental body procedures (skin tattooing, intraoral piercing) and recreational use of drugs (intranasal route).

Body adornment through tattooing and body piercing and the use of recreational drugs are on the increase, producing a variety of secondary lesions, the etiology of which often remains undetected, as the medical community is not yet aware of the extent of the morbidity of such procedures and practices. Three cases are presented, which underscore the problem and also the role that fine-needle aspiration (FNA) can play in clarifying the etiology of such lesions. Two of these cases were lymphadenopathies, one secondary to tattooing and the other to tongue piercing, while the third was a deep intranasal lesion, which in all probability had resulted from intranasal use of recreational drugs. Although the clinical diagnosis of these lesions was problematic, the FNA performed by a pathologist, by associating the cytologic findings with the corresponding clinical setting, was quite indicative of their relation to the aforementioned procedures or practices.

Vitreous cytology in asteroid hyalosis and observations on interpretation of cytologic findings in specimens of the posterior (vitreous) compartment of the eye.

Cytologic methods have been used in the pathologic investigation of the posterior (vitreous) compartment of the eye in specimens obtained by fine-needle aspiration, as well as by surgical procedures. The vitreous body, which is in a semiliquid gel state, lends itself to pathologic investigation by cytologic methods. We report on a case of reparative eye surgery for complications of previous cataract extraction; vitrectomy was performed for vitreous opacities, which, by cytologic examination, were diagnostic of asteroid hyalosis, a relatively uncommon condition affecting the elderly. The cytologic findings diagnostic of this disease are described. Observations are made on the cytologic findings commonly encountered in specimens obtained from the posterior (vitreous) compartment of the eye.

Cytologic manifestations of cystitis follicularis in urine specimens.

Four cases of cystitis follicularis diagnosed by urine cytology are presented, and are the first reported in the cytologic literature. Cystitis follicularis (follicular cystitis) is characterized by formation of lymphoid follicles in the lamina propria of the trigonal region of the bladder, and is considered to be the result of repeated bouts of urinary tract infection, usually bacterial, with other pathologic processes contributing to the development and prolongation of the infection. Cytologically it differs from chronic cystitis with prominent lymphocytosis by the presence of cellular elements from the germinal centers of lymphoid follicles, reminiscent of the cytologic findings in follicular cervicitis, with possible additional epithelial cytologic atypias from the overlying urothelium, which frequently undergoes reactive changes (hyperplastic, metaplastic, and ulcerative). The practical aspect of recognition of this entity in cytologic specimens is avoiding diagnostic errors of possible malignancy (lymphoid or other), and also of other forms of inflammatory disease, such as granulomatous type, with a different clinical significance.