Biomedical subjects

C W Watson

Publications and source records attributed to C W Watson.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

EEG surveillance as a means of extending operability in high risk carotid endarterectomy.

Some patients who have transient ischemic attacks are denied operation because severe occlusive lesions in other extra-cranial arteries may be inappropriately interpreted as constituting an unacceptable surgical risk, or because the lesion is so distal as to make its removal hazardous. Failure of endarterectomy is usually due to incomplete removal of the lesion or to thrombosis upon the frayed intima. Such lesions require excellent visualization and meticulous surgical technique -- not always possible with a shunt. Among 130 consecutive carotid endarterectomies performed under general anesthesia, EEG changes consistent with cerebral ischemia appeared in only nine (7%). These patients required a shunt. In 11 patients normal EEG tracings were obtained during endarterectomy despite contralateral carotid occlusion. None of these patients had a neurological deficit. Continuous EEG monitoring is a reliable method of detecting changes in cerebral perfusion, permits a more meticulous endarterectomy in high-lying lesions without a shunt, and extends operability in high risk patients. Angiographical findings may be an unreliable predictor concerning risk of endarterectomy.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Leukemic hypopyon.

A seven-year-old girl was successfully treated for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Despite clinical remission she developed a monocular hypopyon which was treated successfully with topical and subtenons steroids. When the hypopyon reappeared, a diagnostic paracentesis revealed leukemic cells and a normal aqueous lactate dehydrogenase. Leukemic ocular infiltration may clinically mimic both neoplastic and inflammatory ocular conditions. The combination of paracentesis and lactate dehydrogenase assay greatly aid in the correct diagnosis.

Anterior Chamber↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Distinguishing benign from malignant pleural effusions by lectin immunocytochemistry.

Since distinguishing malignant from benign cells in pleural effusions can be difficult, with reactive mesothelial cells simulating adenocarcinoma cells, the binding patterns of a battery of lectins on cells in eight benign and eight malignant effusions were studied using the avidin-biotin peroxidase complex method. The following lectins were used: concanavalin A, Dolichos biflorus agglutinin, peanut agglutinin, Phaseolus vulgaris agglutinin, Ricinus communis germ agglutinin, soybean agglutinin, Ulex europeaus agglutinin (UEA) and wheat germ agglutinin. Several patterns of staining were seen with the lectins, but only UEA was helpful in distinguishing between benign and malignant effusions. Sixty percent of the adenocarcinomas stained with UEA, whereas none of the cells in the benign effusions did. These results imply that UEA positivity is indicative of carcinoma and can be useful in separating reactive or atypical mesothelial cells from adenocarcinoma cells.

Adenocarcinoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cytology of primary neoplasms of the central nervous system.

The case histories of 273 patients with primary neoplasms of the central nervous system seen in The New York Hospital and Memorial Hospital during the years 1968 through 1973 were reviewed. Neoplastic cells were identified in cytologic preparations obtained from 76 patients. These include patients with meningioma, astrocytoma, glioblastoma multiforme, oligodendroglioma, ependymoma, medulloblastoma, neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, pineoblastoma, and pituitary adenoma. It is concluded that there are certain suggestive cellular features of these neoplasms in cytologic preparations, but additional studies are needed to establish the cytomorphologic characteristics which may aid in the differential diagnosis of primary intracranial neoplasms from extracranial neoplasms which are metastatic to the central nervous system.

Astrocytoma↗

PubMedDate not supplied

An unusual pulmonary and renal presentation of echinococcosis. Report of a case.

Echinococcosis, although relatively rare in North America, is becoming more prevalent. The rapid diagnosis of hydatid disease, using a noninvasive approach, is highly desirable. This paper describes a rare case of simultaneous pulmonary and renal echinococcosis, without demonstrable liver involvement, diagnosed by cytologic examination of a bronchial aspirate and sputum. This case emphasizes the importance of cytologic evaluation of a variety of body fluids to diagnose multiorgan infection by Echinococcus granulosus.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cytology of metastatic neuroendocrine (Merkel-cell) carcinoma in pleural fluid. A case report.

A case of Merkel-cell (neuroendocrine) carcinoma of the skin with extensive metastases, including pleural effusion, occurring over 20 years after primary resection and treatment, is reported. The histologic appearance of the primary neoplasm was identical to that seen in the biopsy specimens of the metastatic carcinoma involving the great toe and inguinal lymph nodes and to that of the residual neoplasm tissue found at necropsy. Electron microscopic examination of a lymph node metastasis demonstrated cytoplasmic microfilaments and numerous dense-core, peripheral, neurosecretory granules, as previously described in Merkel-cell carcinoma. Cytologic examination of a pleural fluid specimen demonstrated numerous small malignant cells closely resembling the cells seen in the histopathologic sections from the surgical and necropsy tissues involved by metastatic carcinoma. This is the first report of the cytologic findings in a patient with Merkel-cell carcinoma metastatic to the pleural cavity.

Carcinoma, Small Cell↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Disseminated cryptococcosis presenting as thyroiditis. Fine needle aspiration and autopsy findings.

A 47-year-old diabetic ethanol and intravenous drug abuser presented with symptoms and signs indistinguishable from subacute thyroiditis. After cultures of cerebrospinal fluid grew Cryptococcus neoformans, the organism was recognized in a review of a fine needle aspirate of the thyroid. Postmortem examination documented extensive thyroid inflammation and fibrosis secondary to involvement by widely disseminated C. neoformans. Fungal infection is an uncommon cause of thyroiditis, and the need for a clinical awareness of fungal thyroiditis is emphasized, as is the need to utilize special stains to detect opportunistic infections when examining cytologic preparations from immunocompromised patients.

Biopsy, Needle↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cytology of ganglioglioma of the brain: a morphometric study.

This study describes and illustrates the application of the morphometric method in the classification of different types of cells in mixed populations. The nuclei of neoplastic cell and astrocytes, nonneoplastic monocytoid cells and lymphocytes in touch preparations of two gangliogliomas were measured. Two preoperative cerebrospinal fluid specimens from one of these cases were similarly evaluated. The mean nuclear area of some cell populations was statistically distinct and consistent in each preparation. Other cell populations showed considerable overlap in nuclear size and could not be separated on the basis of this parameter alone.

Astrocytes↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Cytologic monitoring of cerebrospinal fluid in the treatment of histiocytic lymphoma involving the central nervous system.

This is a report of an unusual case in which cytologic monitoring played a key role in the six-and-one-half-year survival of a 21-year-old woman with disseminated histiocytic lymphoma involving the central nervous system. At this writing the patient showed no further evidence of malignant disease. After primary diagnosis, remissions and exacerbations of the tumor were accurately detected by periodic cytologic examinations of 78 spinal fluid specimens. Therapeutic measures included total brain irradiation, implantation of an Ommaya reservoir and combination chemotherapy. This case study demonstrates that cytologic examination of cerebrospinal fluid is an important method of monitoring the responses of tumors to therapeutic measures.

Adult↗