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The diagnostic pitfalls of subarachnoid hemorrhage from intracranial aneurysms.

The subtle manner in which subarachnoid hemorrhage frequently presents may delay appropriate treatment. The patient may deteriorate and die from aneurysmal rebleeding or from cerebral ischemia associated with vasospasm before the true nature of the disease is recognized. Five patients are described in whom subarachnoid hemorrhage was initially not recognized. Pitfalls in diagnosis are discussed, and an outline is presented for the evaluation of patients suspected of harboring ruptured intracranial aneurysms.

Adult↗

[Gastric epithelioid angiosarcoma, a biopsy diagnostic pitfall].

We report the case of a 70-year-old man who presented a bulky gastric mass. The diagnosis of poorly differenciated adenocarcinoma was made on the biopsy. On surgical specimen, the final diagnosis of gastric angiosarcoma with secondary intestinal involvement was established. The patient did not respond to chemotherapy and died 8 months later. The diagnosis was difficult because of epithelioid areas which expressed both cytokeratin and vascular antigens. Human herpesvirus 8 previously detected in some soft tissue angiosarcoma was not found by polymerase chain reaction.

Aged↗

[Diagnostic pitfalls in stereotactic biopsy].

Between October 1998-August 2000, 65 patients were diagnosed, and underwent stereotactic biopsy of brain lesions. Procedures were performed with the Riechert-Mundinger stereotactic device. The diagnosis was made intra-operatively, by examination of cytological smears. The initial diagnosis was confirmed after H&E, and selective stains, as well as immunohistochemical examinations of paraffin specimens. The method applied makes possible to obtain a reliable, and precise morphological diagnosis in the majority of cases, so that a proper treatment method could be introduced.

Adolescent↗

Diagnostic pitfall: atypical cerebral venous drainage via the vertebral venous system.

We report a case of atypical cerebral venous drainage in a 38-year-old woman with symptoms of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo. Thrombosis of the left internal jugular vein and sigmoid sinus was suspected on the basis of spin-echo and time-of-flight MR findings, but multisection CT angiograms showed a patent sigmoid sinus and predominant drainage via the emissary veins toward the vertebral plexus, with only a minor contribution of the jugular veins. This case illustrates the variability of the venous anatomy in the craniocervical region.

Adult↗

Dysplasia arising in barrett's esophagus: diagnostic pitfalls and natural history.

Barrett's esophagus is a complication of chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease and is defined as a change in the esophageal epithelium of any length that can be recognized at endoscopy and is confirmed to have intestinal metaplasia by biopsy. Esophageal ulcerations and stricture are rarely seen, and the major complications of this disease are epithelial dysplasia and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Dysplasia is felt to represent the best currently available marker of increased cancer risk in these patients. However, there are many pitfalls in the histologic recognition of dysplasia, a particularly difficult problem in the face of active inflammation in patients with ongoing reflux disease. The recognition and grading of dysplasia is subject to significant interobserver variability, particularly at the lower end of the histologic spectrum (negative v indefinite for dysplasia v low-grade dysplasia). High-grade dysplasia and to a lesser degree low-grade dysplasia are markers of increased cancer risk, although their natural history are difficult to determine. Up to 40% of patients with a preoperative diagnosis of high-grade dysplasia have an adenocarcinoma in their esophagectomy specimen. Despite this observation, there is still debate as to whether esophagectomy or close endoscopic surveillance with biopsy is the most appropriate and cost-effective way to manage these patients. The search for more objective surrogate biomarkers that recognize patients who are truly at risk of progressing along the dysplasia-carcinoma sequence is underway. However, no biomarker has yet proven to be superior to the histologic recognition of dysplasia in identifying these high-risk patients.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Traumatic "pseudoprolapse" of orbital tissues into the maxillary antrum: a diagnostic pitfall.

Orbital trauma may result in what we term "pseudoprolapse" of orbital tissues: a subperiosteal, submucosal, or intramucosal hemorrhage which creates a balloon-like elevation of periosteum or maxillary sinus mucosa or both associated with a nondisplaced fracture or in some cases no fracture of the orbital floor. This occasionally causes an erroneous radiographic diagnosis indicating a blowout fracture with prolapse of orbital tissues, resulting in unnecessary surgery.

Adolescent↗

[Bernard-Soulier thrombopathy: a diagnostic pitfall].

First described in 1948, Bernard-Soulier syndrome is an uncommon hereditary thrombopathy characterized by abnormal expression of the GPIb-IX-V complex which inhibits platelet migration to the site of endothelial trauma. Our case illustrates the pathophysiological mechanisms involved and points out the similarity with idiopathic thrombopenic purpura.

Bernard-Soulier Syndrome↗

[Diagnostic pitfalls in childhood acute obstructive dyspnea].

Diagnosis of an acute obstructive dyspnea is very difficult because there are many possible causes. The authors reported the case of a 3.5-year-old boy with an atopic status who presented iterative asthma attacks which evolute to severity in spite of an appropriate therapy. Then suffocation occurred with a serious infectious context. The cause of the disease was diagnosed by respiratory tract endoscopic exam which allowed to detect a laryngeal papillomatis. The surgical extraction of this tumour cured the patient. Physiopathology of acute obstructive dyspnea in child was discussed. Upper airway obstructions are separated from lower pulmonary diseases. Two syndromes are very difficult to separate among upper airway obstructions: spasmodic laryngitis and subglottal laryngitis. They are considered in fact as different outward signs of the same disease: subglottal laryngitis is the infectious evolutive form of a spasmodic laryngitis in which atopic status exists. Laryngeal papillomatosis would be a favourising factor of infection. The authors conclude that respiratory tract endoscopic exam is very important to diagnose childhood acute obstructive dyspnea.

Acute Disease↗

Streptococcus suis infection: clinical features and diagnostic pitfalls.

Eight cases of Streptococcus suis (S. suis) infection between 1993-1999 were retrospectively studied. There were 6 cases of meningitis and 2 cases of endocarditis. Acute meningitis with early sensorineural hearing loss was the characteristic feature and the most common presentation of S. suis infection. S. suis endocarditis is a rare presentation in Thailand. This organism was often mistaken for Streptococcus pneumoniae or Streptococcus viridans. In this study, this was true in five cases in whom S. suis was identified later. However, the rapid diagnosis of S. suis meningitis may rely on Gram stain of the CSF in the setting of acute meningitis with hearing loss. These cases were treated with intravenous penicillin or ampicillin with a mean duration of 4 weeks. This treatment was very effective and there was no relapse among these patients.

Adult↗

Fine needle aspiration cytology of phyllodes tumor. Potential diagnostic pitfalls.

We reviewed the fine needle aspiration cytologic findings in six cases of phyllodes tumor (PT). The average age of the patients at the time of the diagnosis was 47 years. Two cases were correctly diagnosed cytologically; both were malignant histologically. Of the histologically benign tumors, two were misdiagnosed as carcinoma, and a third was considered suspicious for carcinoma. The remaining case was diagnosed descriptively as "benign duct epithelium." Possible reasons for overdiagnosis include high cellularity of the smears, the presence of atypical ductal hyperplasia, paucity of the stromal component in the aspirates and occasional dissociation of epithelial cells. Recommendations are offered to prevent misdiagnosis. The cytologic differential diagnosis between fibroadenoma and PT is discussed briefly, and the considerable cytologic overlap that can occur is emphasized. The specific cytologic diagnosis of PT is not possible in many cases, but the presence of certain cytologic features in the correct clinical setting allows the diagnosis to be suggested.

Adult↗