Correction to: Abstracts : 31st European Congress of Pathology.

In E-Poster Sessions of the published abstract, the authors' affiliations as well as the abstract text were incorrectly presented. The correct abstract and the author's affiliations are shown in full in this article.

Organic compounds in water extracts of coal: links to Balkan endemic nephropathy.

The Pliocene lignite hypothesis is an environmental hypothesis that has been proposed to explain the etiology of Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN). Aqueous leaching experiments were conducted on a variety of coal samples in order to simulate groundwater leaching of organic compounds, and to further test the role of the Pliocene lignite hypothesis in the etiology of BEN. Experiments were performed on lignite coal samples from endemic BEN areas in Romania and Serbia, and lignite and bituminous coals from nonendemic regions in Romania and the USA. Room temperature, hot water bath, and Soxhlet aqueous extraction experiments were conducted between 25 and 80 °C, and from 5 to 128 days in duration. A greater number of organic compounds and in higher concentrations were present in all three types of leaching experiments involving endemic area Pliocene lignite samples compared to all other coals examined. A BEN causing molecule or molecules may be among phenols, PAHs, benzenes, and/or lignin degradation compounds. The proposed transport pathway of the Pliocene lignite hypothesis for organic compound exposure from endemic area Pliocene lignite coals to well and spring drinking water, is likely. Aromatic compounds leached by groundwater from Pliocene lignite deposits in the vicinity of endemic BEN areas may play a role in the etiology of the disease. A better understanding of organic compounds leached by groundwater from Pliocene lignite deposits may potentially lead to the identification and implementation of effective strategies for the prevention of exposure to the causative agent(s) for BEN, and in turn, prevention of the disease.

Recurrent femoral anastomotic aneurysms. A 30-year experience.

Of the 1771 patients who underwent aortofemoral bypass grafting (AFB) during the 30-year period of 1957-1986, 43 noninfected recurrent femoral anastomotic aneurysms (RFAA) developed in 28 patients. Thirty-six RFAAs were treated surgically, with one death and no amputations occurring. Seven small RFAAs (less than 2.0 cm) were treated expectantly without complications. Using univariate and multivariate analyses, clinical characteristics and other factors influencing results in patients with RFAAs were compared to two control groups: patients who had undergone AFB without the development of femoral anastomotic aneurysms (FAAs) and patients who had undergone FAA repairs but without recurrence of FAA. Comparative analyses suggested: 1) local wound complications after initial AFB or FAA repair increased risk of a RFAA (p less than 0.03); 2) development of an FAA within 4.5 years after AFB increased risk of a RFAA (p less than 0.0002); 3) following an FAA repair, risk of a RFAA was almost three times greater for women than for men (p less than 0.05); and 4) patients with arteriosclerotic heart disease (ASHD) were less likely to develop RFAA than those without ASHD (p less than 0.05). Among the 20 additional variables analyzed--including hypertension, smoking, diabetes mellitus, and etiology of primary vascular disease--no statistically significant influence on the development of RFAAs could be detected.

A thirty-year survey of the reconstructive surgical treatment of aortoiliac occlusive disease.

With the view of assessing functional durability and the factors that influence or determine it, we reviewed the clinical course of 1748 reconstructive operations performed between Jan. 1, 1954, and Dec. 31, 1983 in the treatment of 1647 patients with aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD). Disabling intermittent claudication (in 65.6%), ischemic rest pain and/ or pregangrene (in 20.7%), and ischemic gangrene (in 13.7%) were the operative indications. Patency proven by angiography was the criterion of success. Follow-up was continuous and endless and 94% successful over a period of 30 years. Twenty-five percent of the patients were followed up for 11 to 30 years. The incidence of severe degree of occlusive involvement increased significantly from the first (9.3%) to the third (17.1%) decade of observation, whereas the perioperative mortality rate improved markedly from the first (7.4%) to the third (2.5%) decade. The aortobifemoral bypass (AF2B) procedure remained the most popular type of repair (with a perioperative patency rate of 91.4%) throughout, but both it and unilateral reconstructions lost some ground to remote (extra-anatomic) bypasses in the third decade. Atherosclerotic heart disease remained the most common cause of perioperative (50%) and late (60.2%) death. Among the early postoperative local complications graft thrombosis improved markedly from the first (8.3%) to the third (3.2%) decade. Graft infection remained rare (1.6% to 0.8%). The incidence of the most common late wound complication, anastomotic aneurysm at the common femoral level, remained relatively constant (5.7% per anastomosis), but it responded very well to surgical correction. The partial or complete secondary repair of all late complications (26.0%) improved the cumulative late patency rate in the AF2B procedures by 2% to 12% during 20 years of observation. The perioperative (97.3%), 5-year (76.6%), 10-year (76.6%), 15-year (72.5%), and 20-year (67.5%) cumulative patency rates of AF2B operations were highly satisfactory. The postoperative late survival rate of patients with AIOD declined rapidly (59% at 5, 33% at 10, 14% at 15 years). The cause of late death in 60.2% of the cases was atherosclerotic heart disease.

Popliteal arterial aneurysms. Their natural history and management.

Eighty-seven popliteal aneurysms in 62 patients, of which 50 were treated surgically, were reviewed and their clinical characteristics summarized. The need for alertness in the clinical detection of these lesions was stressed. Because complications, namely thrombosis and embolization, were frequent (23% in the total group, 36% in the surgical group), we recommend surgical treatment not only in all symptomatic but also in asymptomatic aneurysms larger than 2 cm in diameter; nonsurgically treated cases must be followed up carefully. With this aggressive approach, no lives and only two limbs were lost (one in a case of irreversible gangrene of the foot). Of the two surgical techniques described, the bypass procedure with autogenous vein graft is, because of its simplicity, given preference over resection with graft.