Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to B Gallet.
Three cases of light chain deposition disease are reported. The condition was associated with monoclonal dysglobulinaemia in two cases and with amyloidosis in one case. This, and the different course of the disease in these three patients, illustrates the need for an early histological diagnosis, using immunofluorescence with monospecific anti-light chain sera.
Systemic embolism is an unusual complication of endoscopic obturation of gastroesophageal varices with glue. This report describes a case of cerebral embolism after this procedure. Intracardiac glue within the left atrium was demonstrated by echocardiography. Cardiac fluoroscopy demonstrated an abnormal vessel connecting periesophageal veins with the right upper pulmonary vein. Cardiac surgery was performed. Intracardiac glue was removed and the entering orifice of the abnormal vessel in the right upper pulmonary vein was sutured. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of intracardiac glue after variceal obturation. Echocardiography is useful in the diagnosis of this rare complication.
We present two cases of primary malignant lymphoma of the liver, a very unusual localization of primary malignant lymphoma since only 31 similar cases were reported in the literature. The main symptoms included: hepatomegaly, fever, slight cholestasis and non specific alteration of the liver appearance on ultrasonography or computed tomodensitometry examination. Diagnosis was established in both cases by histopathological demonstration of infiltration by large lymphoid cells. Immunophenotyping in one case confirmed a B cell phenotype. Primary malignant lymphomas of the liver are high-grade malignant large-cell tumours and the immunophenotype, when known, is of the B type. The prognosis of these tumours is not well known due to their extreme rarity. They appear to be highly chemosensitive and cure may be obtained in the long-term in some cases. These data justify careful histological assessment in all cases of hepatomegaly of a tumoral nature.