Intraoperative and surgical specimen (ex vivo) ultrasound in the assessment of margins at partial nephrectomy.

PURPOSE: To correlate the accuracy of intraoperative and surgical specimen (ex vivo) ultrasound (US) with pathological margin status at partial nephrectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients undergoing partial nephrectomy for T1 renal tumours in the period May 2010-January 2014 at a single institution who had intraoperative specimen US were included. PN was performed by standardised technique with intraoperative tumour localisation. Following excision, surgical specimen (ex vivo) US was performed and the margin status was compared to the final histopathological analysis. The specificity of US to identify margin status was calculated as was the correlation between the ultrasonographic and final pathological margin. RESULTS: Forty-five patients were included (median age 61 years). Mean tumour size was 28.1 ± 10 mm, and 89 % were renal cell carcinomas with the remainder being oncocytomas. Forty-four cases had negative surgical margins on pathological analysis, and US had a specificity of 100 %. There was a strong correlation between the margin as measured on US and final analysis (Pearson's r = 0.86, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Results show that intraoperative, surgical specimen (ex vivo) US control of resection margins in patients undergoing PN is feasible and efficient. It represents a promising tool to ensure margin negativity during PN.

Follicular hyperplasia -- a rare differential to metastatic malignant melanoma.

The assumption in a patient with a history of melanoma is that any subsequent lymphadenopathy is metastatic disease. We present a case where a seemingly obvious case of metastatic malignant melanoma proved to be Reactive Follicular Hyperplasia, illustrating it is important to be aware of all differential diagnoses, even when a cause appears obvious.

Diagnosis and interpretation of steatosis and steatohepatitis.

Steatosis--accumulation of triacylglycerol in hepatocytes--is a common finding in liver biopsy specimens. The commonest form is macrovesicular change, which occurs in response to a wide range of insults. In the absence of other features, the pathologist cannot ascertain the likely cause on morphological features alone but can give an indication of the severity of steatosis. Close clinicopathological correlation is required to establish the cause. In most instances, macrovesicular steatosis is at least potentially reversible. Although it may be thought of as a benign condition, it may be associated with the development of necroinflammation and fibrosis--so-called steatohepatitis. The classic example of this is alcoholic hepatitis, but there is increasing awareness of steatohepatitis occurring in nonalcoholics: NASH. Distinction between alcoholic hepatitis and NASH on purely histological grounds may be impossible; careful clinicopathological discussion is mandatory. Microvesicular steatosis is generally a more severe disease than the macrovesicular form and is seen in a variety of conditions in which there is either an inherited or an acquired defect in beta-oxidation of fatty acids; the former includes mitochondrial cytopathies and disorders of ureagenesis, and the latter includes acute fatty liver of pregnancy and Reye's syndrome. This review describes the morphological features of steatosis and steatohepatitis, considers their pathogenesis, and outlines the clinical significance of the different patterns of injury.

Differentiation of desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP) from pulmonary adenocarcinoma by immunocytochemistry.

AIM: After a misdiagnosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma as desquamative interstitial pneumonia (DIP), we investigated whether immunohistochemical markers could differentiate these conditions. METHODS AND RESULTS: Three cases of DIP and one pulmonary adenocarcinoma masquerading as DIP were studied by light and electron microscopy. All cases were mucin-negative. The cases of DIP were CD68 positive but cytokeratin-negative. The adenocarcinoma was cytokeratin-positive (AE1/3 and CAM5.2), as well as showing some CD68-positive cells. Markers for carcinoma (CEA, Ber-EP4, and Leu M1) were negative in all cases. Ultrastructurally the adenocarcinoma appeared to be derived from Type II pneumocytes. CONCLUSION: Before a diagnosis of DIP is made, cytokeratin markers should be used.

Neuroendocrine differentiation in cervical carcinoma.

AIMS: To examine neuroendocrine differentiation, as shown by chromogranin A (CGA) expression, in cervical carcinomas. METHODS: Sixty seven cervical carcinomas were studied and were classified as adenocarcinomas, adenosquamous carcinomas or squamous cell carcinomas based on the assessment of haematoxylin and eosin staining and stains for mucin. Where features of glandular differentiation were identified, sections were also stained for evidence of intestinal type mucin. CGA immunostaining was done and the results were graded on a three point scale: 0, + (1-5% of cells positive) and ++ (> 5% of cells positive). These findings were then analysed with respect to lymph node status, tumour differentiation and clinical outcome. RESULTS: There were 32 adenocarcinomas, 18 adenosquamous carcinomas and 17 squamous cell carcinomas. Positive staining was seen in 14 (20.9%) cases, of which four were strongly positive. All but one case were either adenocarcinomas or adenosquamous carcinomas. There was a trend for CGA positivity to be related to intestinal differentiation but this failed to reach statistical significance. No correlation could be demonstrated between CGA staining and lymph node status, tumour differentiation and clinical outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Neuroendocrine differentiation is common in cervical carcinomas where there is evidence of glandular differentiation. Whilst the numbers in this study are relatively small, the presence of neuroendocrine cells in otherwise typical carcinomas does not seem to have any association with clinical behaviour.