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Biomedical subjects

E Lamoureux

Publications and source records attributed to E Lamoureux.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Diffuse hepatic intravascular carcinomatous embolization resulting in fatal liver failure: a clinicopathologic study of 4 cases.

The authors report four cases in which patients died of acute or fulminant hepatic failure resulting from massive intravascular metastatic carcinomatous embolization, a rarely reported manifestation of metastatic disease. Neoplasms were high grade carcinomas. Tumor emboli were present within portal branches ranging 0.12-2.9 mm in diameter and were free floating or attached to the vascular wall, with or without varying degrees of superimposed organization. In one case, intravascular tumor necrosis was prominent and appeared as granular casts with superimposed dystrophic calcification and/or entrapped foamy histiocytes. There were associated geographical areas of parenchymal (4 cases) and tumor (1 case) ischemic necrosis with a multifocal and regional topographic distribution. An associated predominant pattern of intrasinusoidal tumor infiltration (with or without fibrosis) was present in 3 cases, whereas the fourth case had underlying micronodular cirrhosis, providing ancillary evidence for preexisting altered intrahepatic microcirculation. The literature on fatal hepatic failure resulting from neoplasia is reviewed with a reassessment of its pathobiological significance.

Acute Disease↗

Glutaraldehyde-induced colitis.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the etiology and clinical course of acute colitis occurring after flexible endoscopy. DESIGN: Chart review. SETTING: A university teaching hospital. PATIENTS: Eight patients who sought assessment of potential colonic disease. INTERVENTION: Colonoscopy in 5 patients and flexible sigmoidoscopy in 3 patients. The indication for endoscopy was screening in 5 patients, cancer surveillance in 2 patients and preoperative evaluation of colon carcinoma in 1 patient. OUTCOME MEASURES: The relation of presenting symptoms to glutaraldehyde exposure, the response to therapy and the need for further therapy. RESULTS: All patients had abdominal pain, mucus diarrhea and rectal bleeding within 48 hours after endoscopy. Most patients reported that the symptoms started within 12 hours of the procedure. All patients were confirmed by sigmoidoscopy to have colitis within 72 hours of the first endoscopic procedure. One patient required hospitalization. In the first 7 patients several stool cultures were negative for Clostridium difficile using the cytotoxin assay by the cell culture method. Four patients had negative cultures for Yersinia, Salmonella and Shigella spp. Three patients were treated with metronidazole initially. Two patients underwent endoscopic biopsy and examination of the biopsy specimen showed fibrinoleukocytic exudate and ischemic type injury. One patient underwent the scheduled sigmoid resection within 48 hours of endoscopy for a Dukes' stage B adenocarcinoma. Concomitant acute ischemic colitis limited to the mucosa and submucosa was noted in the resected specimen. Symptoms resolved in all patients and follow-up endoscopy revealed normal mucosa. CONCLUSION: The entity of glutaraldehyde-induced colitis should be recognized and special attention should be given during instrument cleansing to minimize the risk of its development.

Acute Disease↗

Fatal fulminant hepatic failure due to cyproterone acetate.

Cyproterone acetate is a normally well-tolerated drug that is used widely for the treatment of prostatic carcinoma. Liver toxicity due to its use is not well known. We describe two cases of fatal fulminant hepatitis related to the use of cyproterone acetate.

Aged↗

Gastric toxoplasmosis in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome: antemortem diagnosis with histopathologic characterization.

Gastrointestinal symptoms attributable to Toxoplasma gondii infection are distinctly unusual, and antemortem diagnosis of gastrointestinal involvement is rarely documented, particularly in the absence of cerebral manifestations or disseminated disease. This case report describes a rare example of T. gondii infection of the stomach diagnosed antemortem in a 22-year-old Haitian woman with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) who presented with fever and abdominal pain. An abdominal computerized tomographic scan showed thickened gastric walls. Endoscopy showed diffusely thickened gastric folds and a fundic ulcer along the greater curvature. Light and electron-microscopic examination of gastric mucosal biopsy specimens showed active Toxoplasma infection with necrosis and intracellular trophozoites within the gastric epithelium, smooth muscle cells, macrophages, and endothelial cells. Both true cysts and pseudocysts were seen. Disseminated disease was documented by the growth of T. gondii in a tissue culture from a venous blood sample. It is concluded that some patients with AIDS, particularly those from areas endemic for Toxoplasma infection, can manifest disseminated disease in unusual locations such as the gastrointestinal tract. Documentation of active T. gondii infection based on tissue cultures of venous blood or on biopsy specimens of symptomatic extracerebral sites can lead to a rapid diagnosis of toxoplasmosis, a treatable disease.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Metastatic carcinoma resulting in hepar lobatum.

Hepar lobatum is an acquired liver deformity mostly known as the end-stage of tertiary syphilis. The authors report two cases of hepar lobatum resulting from metastatic mammary ductal carcinoma in the liver and reassess the clinicopathologic features of seven previously reported cases (two in the German language). A liver of near-normal weight with an irregularly lobulated contour, capsular indentations/crevices from which intersecting (carcinoma-bearing) fibrous septa extended deep into the parenchyma, a predominant centrifugal distribution of lesional areas, and many septa abutting on the degenerated center of tumor nodules were the salient gross features. No significant tumor/fibrous occlusion of intrahepatic branches of portal or hepatic veins, nor cirrhotic type nodular hepatocellular regeneration was observed. Both of these patients experienced a drastic decrease in CEA serum levels during multiagent palliative chemotherapy. In one patient, abundant macrophages in conjunction with minimal residual tumor were present within intrahepatic septa. The pathogenesis of this condition appears largely related to an active phase of chemo-induced tumor regression with subsequent tissue collapse, followed by an organizing phase of healing and scar contraction.

Adult↗

Colonic obstruction secondary to sarcoidosis: nonsurgical diagnosis and management.

A 57-year-old black man presented with a 2-week history of abdominal pain, weight loss, anorexia, and constipation. His history was significant for remote Hodgkin's disease and systemic sarcoidosis. Physical examination showed abdominal distention and hyperactive bowel sounds, periorbital swelling, and mandibular lymphadenopathy. A barium enema examination showed two high-grade obstructive lesions in the rectum and splenic flexure. Colonoscopy confirmed the presence of the two areas of colonic obstruction. The mucosa showed diffuse fine ulcerations in the areas of obstruction as well as in the intervening region. Endoscopic biopsy specimens showed numerous mucosal noncaseating granulomas but no acid-fast bacilli or foreign bodies. The patient was treated with oral prednisone and improved symptomatically within 3 days. The ocular lesions and lymphadenopathy also responded promptly. Findings of follow-up barium enema and colonoscopy performed after 1 month of steroid treatment were essentially normal. Mucosal biopsy specimens showed only mild nonspecific chronic inflammation of the lamina propria and no granulomas. Colonic involvement is rarely reported with systemic sarcoidosis. We believe that this is the first report of colonic obstruction due to sarcoid diagnosed endoscopically and managed nonsurgically.

Biopsy↗

Helicobacter heilmannii-like spiral bacteria in gastric mucosal biopsies. Prevalence and clinical significance.

BACKGROUND: Gastric Helicobacter pylori (Hp) is highly associated with histological gastritis and peptic ulcer disease, yet Helicobacter heilmannii (Hh, also known as Gastrospirillum hominis) may be a less frequent gastric pathogen about which less is known. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We evaluated 1223 gastric biopsies from 1042 upper endoscopies with biopsies performed over 1 year. Spiral bacteria were specifically sought in biopsies from 912 endoscopies. Clinical and pathologic data from patients with unusual spiral bacteria were tabulated and sera were evaluated for anti-Hp antibodies. RESULTS: The histologic prevalences of Hp and Hh-like bacteria were 59% and 0.5%, respectively, in 912 endoscopies. All four patients with Hh-like spiral bacteria had gastrointestinal symptoms and histologic gastritis. Two had immigrated from the Philippines and one from Belgium. Endoscopic findings and clinical course varied. One improved spontaneously; one improved following antibiotic therapy. One patient's symptoms and bacteria persisted without therapy. One patient coinfected with Hp was treated with apparent clearance of Hh but persistence of Hp. CONCLUSIONS: Helicobacter heilmannii-like bacteria can be distinguished from Hp with routine histologic stains; both bacteria are irregularly distributed. Helicobacter heilmannii appears to be a significant though uncommon cause of gastric inflammation. Some patients with Hh-like bacteria may benefit from anti-Hp therapy.

Adult↗

Alveolar soft-part sarcoma of the uterine corpus: histological, immunocytochemical and ultrastructural study of a case.

A case of alveolar soft-part sarcoma located in the uterine corpus is reported. It was an incidental finding in the hysterectomy specimen of a 40-year-old woman. Light and electron microscopic examination revealed periodic-acid-Schiff-positive, diastase-resistant, membrane-bound cytoplasmic granules and crystalloids. Tumour cells expressed immunoreactivity with vimentin, desmin, cytokeratins, NK1/C3 and HMB-45 antibodies. Four years postoperatively, the patient is still alive without evidence of disease. Differential diagnoses, immunocytochemistry and clinical management of uterine alveolar soft-part sarcoma are discussed and the literature reviewed.

Adult↗

Lung scintigraphy in pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis. A rare disorder causing primary pulmonary hypertension.

The authors report the results of lung scintigraphy in two patients with primary pulmonary hypertension caused by pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis, a rare disorder resulting from the proliferation of histologically normal capillaries in the lung. Perfusion studies revealed a nonhomogeneous pattern with some focal defects, similar to that seen with some other histologic types of primary pulmonary hypertension. The mechanisms underlying this perfusion pattern are unknown.

Adult↗

Hepatocellular carcinoma: comparison of clinical features among ethnic groups in an area of low prevalence.

We retrospectively surveyed the clinical features of 73 cases of hepatocellular carcinoma at two hospitals over a 12-yr period. The population was heterogeneous, with 39% representing immigrants from regions of high hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma prevalence. The yearly incidence of cases was constant over the 12 yr. Patient data were analyzed by grouping into three broad categories based on origin from known high, medium, or low prevalence hepatocellular carcinoma zones. In this fashion, differences in clinical presentation were observed. Asians (N = 12) were younger, invariably presented with pain; 82% had markers of hepatitis B and did not have features of chronic liver disease. In contrast, Westerners (N = 45) were older by more than a decade. One-quarter were HBV positive and almost two-thirds were alcoholic. The clinical presentation of this group was more varied, over one-third presenting with features of decompensated liver disease or variceal bleeds. Mediterranean patients (N = 16) had features intermediary between the two other groups. A logistic regression model clinically separated patients with hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma from those with alcohol-related hepatocellular carcinoma, suggesting different ongoing pathogenetic influences.

Adult↗

Parathyroid cyst: diagnosis and treatment of an unusual surgical problem.

A case of parathyroid cyst is reported in which the diagnosis was suggested when watery, clear fluid was aspirated from a mass found in the anterior region of the neck of a 34-year-old woman on routine medical examination. The diagnosis was confirmed by measurement of the parathormone content in the cyst fluid and by histologic examination of the cyst wall. Although rare, parathyroid cyst should be considered in the differential diagnosis of cysts in the anterior compartment of the neck. Surgery has been the usual treatment of such cysts, but several reports have been published in which repeated aspiration resulted in the disappearance of the cyst. If conservative treatment of a parathyroid cyst is unsuccessful, the cyst should be removed surgically.

Adult↗

Solitary breast metastasis: first manifestation of an occult carcinoid of the ileum.

A metastasis to the breast was the first manifestation of a clinically occult ileal carcinoid in a 53 year old woman. Modified radical mastectomy was perfomed after the breast neoplasm had been interpreted clinically and pathologically as a primary carcinoma. Permanent sections demonstrated the tumor to be composed of sheets of small uniform cells subdivided into lobules by delicate vascular septa. Silver impregnation revealed the presence of argentaffin cytoplasmic granules. This feature, with the added ultrastructural findings which showed pleomorphic neurosecretory-type granules within the cytoplasm of the tumor cells strongly suggested a metastasis to the breast from a midgut carcinoid. The subsequently performed barium study of the small bowel showed an infiltrating neoplastic lesion in the terminal ileum, which after surgical excision and histologic examination proved to be two typical argentaffin carcinoids with pleomorphic cytoplasmic granules. This report thus clearly demonstrates the importance of a combined light microscopic, histochemical and ultrastructural analysis of this breast neoplasm in order to establish its metastatic origin and to separate it from a primary carcinoma or a primary carcinoid of the breast.

Breast Neoplasms↗