Eponyms in cardiothoracic radiology: Part I. Neoplasms.

Eponyms serve the purpose of honoring individuals who have made important observations and discoveries. As with other fields of medicine, eponyms are frequently encountered in radiology, particularly in chest radiology. However, inappropriate use of an eponym may lead to potentially dangerous miscommunication. Moreover, an eponym may honor the incorrect person or a person who falls into disrepute. Despite their limitations, eponyms are still widespread in medical literature. Furthermore, in some circumstances, more than one individual may have contributed to the description or discovery of a particular anatomical structure or disease, whereas in others, an eponym may have been incorrectly applied initially and propagated for years in medical literature. Nevertheless, radiologic eponyms are a means of honoring those who have made lasting contributions to the field of radiology, and familiarity with these eponyms is critical for proper reporting and accurate communication. In addition, the acquisition of some historical knowledge about those whose names are associated with various structures or pathologic conditions conveys a sense of humanity in the field of medicine. In this article, the first of a multipart series, the authors discuss a number of chest radiology eponyms as they relate to neoplasms, including relevant clinical and imaging features, as well biographic information of the respective eponym׳s namesake.

Castleman disease: an update on classification and the spectrum of associated lesions.

Since its initial description, researchers have expanded the spectrum of Castleman disease to include not only the classic and well-recognized hyaline-vascular type, but also the plasma cell type and multicentric types of broader histologic range, including human herpes virus-8-associated Castleman disease. These less common subtypes of Castleman disease are less familiar, and may be under-recognized. Also of practical importance, current authors are restructuring the classification of multicentric Castleman disease to accommodate the emerging pathogenic role of human herpes virus-8 and its association with the recently described plasmablastic variant. In addition to an increased risk of lymphoma, patients with Castleman disease also are at increased risk for other related neoplasms, including Kaposi sarcoma and follicular dendritic cell tumors, which are of prognostic and therapeutic relevance. This review focuses on the histologic diagnosis of Castleman disease, current and emerging concepts in its pathogenesis and classification, and associated histopathologic entities.