Two cases of intestinal obstruction caused by tuberculosis--the role of frozen section diagnosis.

Upper intestinal obstruction caused by tuberculosis is relatively rare, and the diagnosis is often missed. Two cases are described that were diagnosed by frozen section during laparotomy. It might be thought that endoscopy would have eliminated these difficulties, but this is not in fact the case. Many laboratory safety codes forbid the use of frozen sections on tuberculous material, but in endemic areas this restriction is not practical. Special facilities are required so that all frozen sections can be handled safely.

Renal granuloma and mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis in leprosy.

A 17-year-old, Yemeni male patient with borderline lepromatous leprosy and erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL) developed a nephritic range proteinuria. A renal biopsy revealed mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis and epithelioid granulomas in the interstitium. The presence of granular immunofluorescence for C3 and electron-dense deposits in the glomeruli indicated an immune complex glomerulonephritis. Clinical signs of ENL subsided rapidly under steroid treatment. The unusual combination of proliferative glomerulonephritis and epithelioid granulomas in leprosy is presented and discussed.

Histiocytosis X of the thyroid masquerading as thyroid carcinoma.

The case of a 28-year-old woman with histiocytosis X confined to the thyroid is described. A partial thyroidectomy specimen from this patient was at first interpreted as showing poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Subsequent investigations, including electron microscopy, revealed the true nature of the lesion. Even on retrospective examination, the two conditions can simulate each other very closely and may be easily confused.

Nasal glioma and encephalocele: two separate entities. Report of two cases.

The term "nasal glioma" is a confusing misnomer as it implies a neoplastic condition with malignant potential, which it is not. Nasal glioma is a rare development abnormality and should be differentiated from glioma, which is a malignant tumor of the brain, and from a primary encephalocele, which is herniation of the cranial contents through a bone defect in the skull, through which it retains an intact connection with the central nervous system. Two cases of nasal glioma, one with and one without intracranial connections, are described and the literature is reviewed.

Polyps and diverticula of the large intestine: a necropsy survey in Hong Kong.

The study is based on a prospective survey of 200 necropsies, to determine the prevalence of colonic polyps and diverticula in Hong Kong. Adenomatous polyps were found in 34% of men and 19% of women. The corresponding figures for hyperplastic polyps were 22% and 15%. When compared with European countries having similar rates for colorectal cancer, the polyp pattern by type, prevalence, and distribution is very similar. For diverticula the prevalence rate in this study was only 5%; most of these were situated in the caecum. This is at marked variance to the European pattern.