[Tuberous sclerosis: case report with histopathological and ultrastructural study]. / Eclerose tuberosa. Relato de caso com estudo histopatológico e ultraestrutural.

Tuberous sclerosis complex is a group of autosomal disorders characterized by hamartomas and benign neoplastic lesions that invariably affect the central nervous system. We report a case of tuberous sclerosis that is the first presenting ultrastructural findings of this phacomatosis in the Latin American literature. The patient was a 2 year old girl presenting West syndrome non responsive to the clinical treatment with vigabatrin, trileptal and clonazepan, and undergoing left frontal lobectomy. The histopathological and ultrastructural findings were compatible with tuberous sclerosis. These results may help to further understand this controversial phacomatosis, warning to the clinical presentation as West syndrome.

[Necroscopic findings in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome]. / Achados necroscópicos em pacientes com síndrome da imunodeficiência adquirida.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The summaries of clinical data and the autopsy materials of 58 patients who died of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome were reviewed to study the spectrum of the pathologic features of this disease in a general hospital. Histologic sections of all organs were routinely obtained. RESULTS: The most affected organs were the lungs and encephalo, those responsible for the immediate cause of death. There were 11 types of microorganisms and 3 types of tumors. Among the microorganisms, the most frequent was the cytomegalovirus and, among tumors, Kaposi's sarcoma. The microorganisms were frequently associated, mainly in the central nervous system. There was also an association of microorganisms with tumors. Many patients presented with suppurative inflammation. Besides these lesions, a lymphocytic depletion of lymphoid organs was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The spectrum of pathologic changes in AIDS is vast, and pathologists should be aware of this fact to accurately diagnose the lesions they find. The morphologic lesions are neither unique nor specific for this syndrome, but in this clinical and immunologic setting they are characteristic. It became clear that several microorganisms and tumors sometimes can only be discovered by autopsy, which is an irrefutable proof that despite the modern technology, autopsy is unavoidable for the knowledge of the pathogeny of a disease.