Chronic calculus cholecystitis: Is histopathology essential post-cholecystectomy?

BACKGROUND: Carcinoma of the gall bladder (GB) is the most common malignancy of the gastrointestinal tract. One percent of cholecystectomy specimens show incidental gall bladder cancers (GBCs). AIM: Our aim of the study to was evaluate the utility of routine histopathology of cholecystectomy specimens removed with a diagnosis of gall bladder diseases (GBD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was done reviewing the histopathological records of 906 patients who underwent cholecystectomy. Demographic details, gross findings, and microscopic findings noted. All the cases were categorized into two groups, A and B. Group A included the cases with any gross abnormality including wall thickness ≥4 mm and group B included rest of the cases. RESULTS: Majority of the patients were in the age group of 31-40 years of age. Out of 906 patients studied, majority of them were females with F:M ratio of 6.14:1. Of the 47 cases which were included in group A (with macroscopic abnormality), six cases had gall bladder carcinoma on microscopy. One case from group B with macroscopically normal-appearing GB had invasive carcinoma on microscopy. In our study, we found a sensitivity of 85.71% and specificity of 95.44%, while positive predictive value (PPV) was 91.11% and negative predictive value (NPV) was 99.65% of macroscopic abnormality in the diagnosis of invasive carcinoma. CONCLUSION: All cholecystectomy specimens must be examined by histopathologists who must decide whether processing for microscopy is needed. Microscopic examination may be reserved for the specimen with a macroscopic lesion. This will result in a reduction of costs and pathology workload without compromising patient management.

Primary Splenic Pregnancy- A Rare but Imperative Cause of Hemoperitoneum - Case Report and Review of Literature.

Primary splenic pregnancy is an extremely rare form of extratubal ectopic pregnancy. These cases often cause splenic rupture in very early course of their gestation thereby presenting with hemoperitoneum in emergencies. Owing to the higher risk of exsanguination and death caused by hemoperitoneum, it is essential to diagnose these cases for proper management and better prognosis of the patients. We present the case of a 23-year-old female, gravida 2, para 1, live issue 1 presenting to the emergency outpatient department with acute abdomen and hemoperitoneum. There was no history of trauma. The patient had a positive urine pregnancy test and raised beta HCG levels. Emergency laparotomy revealed an otherwise unremarkable fallopian tube and ovary with a hemoperitoneum of 2.5 liters. A tiny splenic laceration was considered to be the source of bleeding and splenectomy was performed. Microscopy was suggestive of a primary ectopic pregnancy, spleen. Since hemoperitoneum in pregnancy is a rare but potentially fatal condition with a high risk of mortality, an accurate preoperative diagnosis is crucial in the management of such patients. The possibility of a ruptured extratubal ectopic pregnancy must be considered as one of the differential diagnoses of acute abdomen with hemoperitoneum in women of childbearing age.

Malignant Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Tumor (PEComa) of the Adrenal Gland: Report of a Rare Case Posing Diagnostic Challenge with the Role of Immunohistochemistry in the Diagnosis.

Histological diagnosis of adrenal tumors is often challenging as diverse groups of tumors, both primaries and metastatic, may be seen in the adrenal gland with overlapping morphological features. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) plays the most important role in their diagnosis. Perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa), a rarely reported tumor in the adrenal gland, shares many features with another rare tumor sarcomatoid adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC). Extensive immunohistochemical study is required to distinguish this tumor from adrenocortical carcinoma and from other morphologically similar tumors. The unique combination of immunoreactivity for melanocytic markers, such as HMB-45 and Melan A, and myogenic markers, such as smooth muscle actin, is the hallmark of PEComas biological behavior, and prognosis of malignant PEComas is yet to be fully understood. Few cases of malignant PEComa have been reported in the adrenal gland. We report a case of malignant PEComa of the adrenal gland posing diagnostic challenge and compare its morphological and immunohistochemical features with those of sarcomatoid ACC.