Pulmonary vascular calcification in a nocturnal hemodialysis patient.

Although vascular calcification in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is common, metastatic pulmonary calcification (MPC) is an under-recognized complication of ESRD with the majority of individuals being asymptomatic. Similar to calcification in other arterial vascular beds, elevated serum calcium and phosphate appear to be potent risk factors although the exact pathogenesis of MPC remains largely unclear. Nocturnal hemodialysis (NHD) is a form of renal replacement therapy that offers superior control of serum phosphate and uremia compared to conventional (3 times weekly) intermittent hemodialysis and shows promise in delaying the progression of vascular calcification. Here, we report the first case of MPC involving the pulmonary vasculature in a patient treated with nocturnal hemodialysis and discuss the epidemiology, pathogenesis, histology and natural history of MPC.

Paradoxical inflammatory reaction to Seprafilm: case report and review of the literature.

This report describes a paradoxical inflammatory reaction to Seprafilm caused by extensive adhesion formation early in the postoperative period. A female patient had development of small bowel obstruction immediately after an uneventful low anterior resection for rectal carcinoma with placement of Seprafilm. The obstruction did not improve with nonoperative therapy. At laparotomy, extensive adhesions necessitating bowel resection and ileostomy were noted. Pathology results showed a giant cell foreign body reaction to Seprafilm. A literature search yielded only two other instances of adverse reactions to Seprafilm. The information provided by this and other atypical reports suggests that further studies aimed at identifying the incidence and pathophysiological mechanisms for such paradoxical reactions are needed.

An indolent case of T-prolymphocytic leukemia with t(3;22)(q21;q11.2) and elevated serum beta2-microglobulin.

We report a novel case of T-prolymphocytic leukemia, small cell variant, associated with complex cytogenetic findings including t(3;22)(q21;11.2) and elevated serum beta2-microglobulin. The diagnosis is based on morphologic, immunophenotypic, cytogenetic, and molecular analysis of peripheral blood and bone marrow. In contrast to most reported cases of T-prolymphocytic leukemia, this patient did not present with lymphadenopathy or organomegaly. Moreover, only a moderate leukocytosis (25.3 x 10(3)/microL) was evident at presentation. In the absence of any specific treatment, the patient is doing well, with a stable white blood cell count 12 months following presentation. Further investigation may be warranted to determine whether the unusual cytogenetic findings and elevated serum beta2-microglobulin are associated with the indolent clinical course in this patient.

Comparison of relative value of bone marrow aspirates and bone marrow trephine biopsies in the diagnosis of solid tumor metastasis and Hodgkin lymphoma: institutional experience and literature review.

CONTEXT: Bone marrow aspirates as well as bone marrow trephine biopsies are frequently performed to assess whether there is marrow involvement by a malignancy. Numerous reports differ in the relative value of these 2 procedures and fail to provide concise guidelines that can help choose the appropriate technique in this clinical situation. OBJECTIVE: To compare the relative value of aspirates and trephine biopsies in the diagnosis of solid tumor metastasis and Hodgkin lymphoma. In addition, we correlate our findings with those of the literature to provide a concise practice guideline. DESIGN: Sixty-six cases showing bone marrow involvement by solid tumor and Hodgkin lymphoma in bone marrow aspirates, bone marrow trephine biopsies, or both were included in the study. The diagnosis and findings made on aspirates were compared with those made on trephine biopsies in each case. RESULTS: In those cases where both aspirate and trephine biopsy were available for evaluation, there was a 22% positive correlation in the findings on aspirates and trephine biopsies. The correlation between aspirates and trephine biopsies was highest in cases of small cell carcinoma of the lung (3/11, or 36.3%) followed by breast carcinoma (7/20, or 35%), prostate carcinoma (1/9, or 11.1%), and Hodgkin lymphoma (1/20, or 5%). Two of 5 cases from the miscellaneous category demonstrated simultaneous involvement of aspirate and trephine biopsy by a gastric carcinoma as well as an adrenal gland carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: Bone marrow aspirate and bone marrow trephine biopsy should both be performed in patients with proven or suspected malignancies where staging may affect management. However, bone marrow aspirate has only a minimal role, if any, in detecting bone marrow involvement by Hodgkin lymphoma. In cases of breast carcinoma, small cell carcinoma of lung, and prostate carcinoma, aspirate evaluation may confirm trephine biopsy results or, more rarely, provide the sole confirmation of the malignancy.

Granulosa cell tumor and mucinous cystadenoma arising in a mature cystic teratoma of the ovary: A unique case report and review of literature.

Mature cystic teratoma of the ovary, though it contains derivatives of all three embryonic germ cell layers, rarely presents together with ovarian epithelial or sex cord-stromal tumors. Only a few cases of ovarian cystic teratoma in association with granulosa cell tumor have been reported in the literature, and simultaneous occurrence of mucinous cystadenoma and granulosa cell tumor is even rarer. To our knowledge, there has never been a report of mature cystic teratoma of ovary coexisting with granulosa cell tumor and mucinous cystadenoma. We report a case of mature cystic teratoma, mucinous cystadenoma, and granulosa cell tumor in the ovary of a 40-year-old woman. The involved ovary, massively enlarged by a multiloculated cyst, showed a hair-sprouting mass with a yellow-tan nodule embedded in the cyst wall. Microscopically, three tumor types were revealed: mature cystic teratoma, mucinous cystadenoma, and granulosa cell tumor.