Symptomatic pericardial cysts and dilemmas in their diagnosis.

Pericardial cysts (PCs) or pleuropericardial cysts are rare congenital mediastinal lesions with an approximate incidence of one in 100 000 persons. Usually, they are asymptomatic, being incidentally discovered during a routine chest imaging examination or an autopsy exam. The study involved a retrospective evaluation of clinicopathological findings in a 6-year series of PCs, treated in the Clinic of Pulmonary Diseases, Iasi, Romania. A group of five cases of PCs, four females and one male, were evaluated. All patients displayed different symptoms, such as dyspnea, chest pain, chronic cough, fatigue, palpitation, and epigastric pain. The cystic lesions were located in the right and left cardiophrenic angle, in four cases, and in the central mediastinum in a single case. The lesions had a fluid content and a maximum diameter that ranged between 35 and 95 mm. The microscopic examination of the surgical resection tissues revealed a thin connective tissue wall without any associated smooth muscle cells. The loose connective tissue band was lined by a layer of mesothelial cells with no cellular atypia, which displayed discrete papillary projections, in one case. Although PCs are rare incidental findings, they should be considered in differential diagnoses of mediastinal cysts, especially as they are associated with non-specific symptoms. Furthermore, considering the possibility of development of severe complications, PCs should be thoroughly explored for suitable patients' management.

The clinicopathological challenges of symptomatic and incidental pulmonary hamartomas diagnosis.

Pulmonary hamartomas (PHs) are the most common benign lung tumors. Usually, they are asymptomatic and incidentally discovered during assessment for other diseases or during the autopsy exam. In this context, we have performed a retrospective analysis of surgical resections in a 5-year series of patients diagnosed with PHs in the Clinic of Pulmonary Diseases, Iasi, Romania, aiming to evaluate their clinicopathological features. A total of 27 patients with PH (40.74% males and 59.26% females) were evaluated. 33.33% of patients were asymptomatic, while the others exhibited variable symptoms, such as chronic cough, dyspnea, chest pain or weight loss. In most cases, PHs presented as solitary nodules, predominantly disposed in the right upper lobe (40.74% of cases), followed by the right lower lobe (33.34%), and left lower lobe (18.51%). The microscopic examination revealed a mixture of mature mesenchymal tissue, such as hyaline cartilage, adipose tissue, fibromyxoid tissue, and smooth muscle bundles, in variable proportions, associated with clefts of entrapped benign epithelium. A dominant adipose tissue component was observed in one case. PH was associated with a history of extrapulmonary cancer diagnosis, in one patient. Although considered benign lung tumors, PHs diagnosis and therapy may be challenging. Having in mind the possibility of recurrence or their occurrence as a part of specific syndromes, PHs should be thoroughly investigated for an appropriate patients' management. Their complex significance and the correlation with other types of lesions, including malignancies, may be further studied, by more extensive studies of surgical and necroptic cases.

[Giant diaphragmatic hemangiopericytoma. A case report]. / Hemangiopericitom diafragmatic gigant. Prezentare de caz.

A 47-year-old man presented with dyspnea and pain in the right lower thorax. The thoracic radiography and the MRI exam were suggestive for a giant tumor located in the right supradiaphragmatic region. Surgical exploration revealed a diaphragmatic pediculated tumor, hyper-vascularised, weighting 4.8 Kg and measuring about 27 / 18 cm, that was removed with difficulty due to adherences and bleeding. The histopathologic examination showed multiple capillary and arteriolar vessels, included in masses of round and fusiform cells (pericytes), having multiple nuclear abnormalities.

[Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM)--an uncommon cause of bilateral spontaneous pneumothorax]. / Limfangioleiomiomatoza cauza rara de pneumotorax spontan bilateral.

LAM, a rare lung disease typically affecting women of reproductive age, is characterized by abnormal proliferation of smooth--muscle cells and progressive loss of pulmonary function due to destruction of lung parenchyma. Two cases of bilateral successive recurrent spontaneous pneumothorax and haemoptysis are presented. Repeated conventional and video-assisted surgery was required in both cases, for drainage of the recurrent pneumothorax and resection of subpleural bulla, with good immediate postoperative evolution. Immunohistochemical studies of resected specimens revealed LAM cells in the lung parenchyma with receptors for oestrogen and progesterone. HMB45 monoclonal antibodies in the LAM cells were identified in one case. The follow-up of the patients revealed no signs of recurrence at 84 and 18 months respectively, although pulmonary transplantation should be considered in case of further deterioration of respiratory function.

Histiocytic sarcoma associated with Hodgkin's disease.

Histiocytic sarcoma is a rare malignant neoplasm. It is well-known the association of Langerhans' cell histiocytosis with Hodgkin's disease but only few cases of histiocytic sarcoma associated with Hodgkin's disease was reported. We present the case of 20-years-old female patient with Hodgkin's disease with a sternal tumor mass which was diagnosed as histiocytic sarcoma. The diagnostic was established immunohistochemically, using a large battery of antibodies (S-100, CD 68, CD 34, CD 15, CD 30, Vim, NFAP) and by electron microscopy which revealed the lack of the Birbeck granules in the malignant proliferated histiocytes.

[Clinical benefits of montelukast sodium treatment in chronic adult asthma]. / Beneficiile terapiei cu Montelukast sodic în astmul bronsic al adultului.

This paper presents the results of Montelukast sodic therapy in 16 asthmatic patients, in a prospective study. Montelukast sodic was given in severe chronic asthma treated by inhaled or systemic steroids before. Patients were followed up for three months regarding: clinical symptoms, respiratory function (FEV), blood and sputum eozinophyls. Short term therapy showed a great improvement in day and night symptoms, a reduction of sputum and blood eozinophyls and an increased FEV. Long term therapy could be protective for asthma exacerbations and will provide constant good life quality of asthmatics.