[Cholesterol crystal embolism]. / Les embolies de cristaux de cholestérol.

Cholesterol crystal emboli are a serious complication of atheroma. The incidence of this syndrome appears to be much more common in patients in their sixties with severe atheromatous disease of the aorta (20 to 30% vs less than 5%). 80% of crystal embolism result from medical interventions (aortic or cardiac surgery, arterial invasive procedure of aorta, thrombolytic therapy). Embolisation of cholesterol crystals can give rise to a confusing clinical pictures, depending of the site (organ) of the embolisation. It also can simulate a systemic disease. The diagnosis must be discuss in all atheromatous patients. The prognosis is poor because of the patient's clinical context and because there is no specific treatment. The best treatment is prevention by improving the recognition of the high risk patients and avoiding in those cases the predisposing factors.

[Behçet disease. 162 cases]. / La maladie de Behçet. 162 observations.

We report 162 cases of Behçet's disease, seen at the Internal Medicine Unit of Ibn Sina Hospital at Rabat, between January 1983 and June 1996. This series concerned 124 men et 38 women, Moroccans, whose mean age at first hospitalization was 32 years, and mean age at disease onset was 26 years. Diagnosis of Behçet's disease was established on Mason and Barnes and/or International Study Group for Behçet's Disease criteria. There was a muco-cutaneous involvement in 100%, eye involvement in 50%, joint involvement in 45%, neurological symptoms in 43.2%, vascular involvement in 62.34%, thoracic involvement symptoms in 13%, digestive involvement in 8 cases, cardiac involvement in 5 patients, long term fever in 5 patients, and one case of amyloidosis. We compared our results to the literature and we noticed that our series had an elevated frequency of neurological involvement, mostly benign intra-cranial hypertension and deep vein thrombosis. We also found that gut involvement was particularly low.

[Association of pulmonary artery aneurysm, right heart thromboses and antiphospholipid antibodies in Behcet's disease]. / Association anévrysme de l'artère pulmonaire, thromboses intracardiaques et anticorps antiphospholipides au cours de la maladie de Behçet. A propos d'un cas.

INTRODUCTION: Cardiac thromboses are unusual in the course of Behçet's disease and are frequently associated with endomyocardial fibrosis of the right heart. Vascular pulmonary involvement with either pulmonary aneurysm or parenchyma alterations is also often observed. However, pathogenesis of thromboses occurring in the course of Behçet's disease is still unclear. CASE REPORT: The authors report the case of a 28-year-old man who presented with Behçet's disease accompanied by pulmonary aneurysm, multiple thrombi of the right heart and antiphospholipid antibodies. CONCLUSION: The choice of therapeutical strategies for curative treatment of this association as well as the interpretation of the role of antiphospholipid antibodies in this polyvascular disease raises questions.

[New biological factors of thromboses]. / Les nouveaux facteurs biologiques des thromboses.

Hypercoagulability states are caused by a disturbance of blood rheology due to the presence or pathological absence of a clotting factor. These abnormalities of haemostasis are essentially studied in the context of venous thrombosis. Over the years, in parallel with the progress in therapeutics, new laboratory abnormalities have been discovered and other, previously described, factors have been recently correlated with thrombotic phenomena. Based on a review of the literature, the authors describe the pathogenic role and the place of these various laboratory abnormalities in thromboembolic disease.

[Articular manifestations of Behçet's disease. Apropos of 65 cases]. / Manifestations articulaires de la maladie de Behçet. A propos de 65 observations.

The authors, in a series of 65 cases of Behçet's disease, notice 53% of rheumatological manifestations which are third in line after aphthosis and ocular disease. In order of decreasing frequency, it concerns arthritis (mono, oligo or poly-arthritis), arthralgias with an almost identical frequency, sacroiliitis, extraarticular involvement. These rheumatological manifestations are readily associated with necrotic pseudo-folliculitis and cutaneous aphthosis.

[Marrow involvement in malignant histiocytosis. Apropos of the first 2 Moroccan cases]. / Atteinte médullaire au cours de l'histiocytose maligne. A propos des 2 premières observations marocaines.

The clinical records and bone marrow cytology from two cases of malignant histiocytosis (MH) have been reviewed. Bone marrow films provide the diagnosis in the two patients. The infiltration of the marrow by neoplastic cell could only be identified in 50% of cases reported in the literature.

[Ankylosing spondylitis and amyloidosis. Apropos of 2 cases]. / Spondylarthrite ankylosante et amylose. A propos de deux observations.

The authors report 2 cases of ankylosing spondylitis complicated by amyloidosis. In the first case, the development of a nephrotic syndrome in a long-standing case of spondylitis (16 years) led to discovery of the amyloid. In the second case, a nephrotic syndrome appeared in a 38 year old man with a three year history of ankylosing spondylitis. In both cases, the amyloidosis was confirmed on histological examination.

[Prevention of inter-human rabies transmission after corneal graft]. / Prévention de la transmission inter-humaine de la rage après greffe de cornée.

Transplantation, to a normal recipient, of a cornea taken from a donor who died of rabies encephalitis constitutes an extremely serious exposure. Four cases, up to now are known of human to human transmission of rabies virus. In these four cases, the diagnosis of rabies in the donor has been made afterwards when to the recipient developed fatal rabies. We report here the first case of this type of exposure where the diagnosis of rabies in the donor could be made on the day following the transplantation thus allowing application, without delay, the recipient of a prophylactic therapy for inactivated rabies vaccine administered. No signs or symptoms of rabies appeared and, more than three months after the transplantation, the recipient is well and alive.