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Biomedical subjects

J Ferrand

Publications and source records attributed to J Ferrand.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The vomeronasal cavity in adult humans.

We observed the surface of the anterior part of the nasal septum of living subjects using an endoscope. In approximately 13% of 1842 patients without pathology of the septum, the vomeronasal pit was clearly observed on each side of the septum, and in 26% it was observed only on one side. The remaining observations indicated either the presence of putative pits or no visible evidence of a pit. However, repetitive observations on 764 subjects depicted changes over time, from nothing visible to well-defined pits and vice versa. Based on 130 subjects observed at least four times, we estimate that approximately 73% of the population exhibits at least one clearly defined pit on some days. By computer tomography, the vomeronasal cavities were located at the base of the most anterior part of the nasal septum. Histological studies indicated that the vomeronasal cavities consisted of a pit generally connected to a duct extending in a posterior direction under the nasal mucosa. Many glands were present around the duct, which contained mucus. There was no sign of the pumping elements found in other mammalian species. Most cells in the vomeronasal epithelium expressed keratin, a protein not expressed by olfactory neurons. Vomeronasal epithelial cells were not stained by an antibody against the olfactory marker protein, a protein expressed in vomeronasal receptor neurons of other mammals. Moreover, an antibody against protein S100, expressed in Schwann cells, failed to reveal the existence of vomeronasal nerve bundles that would indicate a neural connection with the brain. Positive staining was obtained with the same antibodies on specimens of human olfactory epithelium. The lack of neurons and vomeronasal nerve bundles, together with the results of other studies, suggests that the vomeronasal epithelium, unlike in other mammals, is not a sensory organ in adult humans.

Adolescent↗

Quality control in cytodiagnosis of carcinoma of the cervix.

In many European countries the morbidity and mortality due to cancer of the cervix are too high. Even in countries, where smears have been taken at regular intervals for many years, the percentage of new cases does not decrease as much as it was expected. There are several reasons that may explain this situation. At least two of them can be solved by pathologists: quality control (QC) system and organization of a school of gynaecological cytopathology for pathologists and cytotechnicians. Here we focus on the main aspects of External and Internal QC and new approaches to QC, including new methods and stricter control of the professional level of all persons involved in the screening and diagnosis of cervical cancer.

Adult↗

Expert consultation for cervical carcinoma smears. Reliability of selected-field videomicroscopy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of videomicroscopy image selection for expert consultation in cervical cytology. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred diagnostically difficult cervical cytologic smears were selected and rescreened by a general pathologist who chose, from each slide, four or five fields featuring abnormal cells. Video images were digitized and stored on a 512 x 512-pixel matrix using an image acquisition and transmission system. Five experts each reviewed 20 of the 100 cases, and a sixth reviewed all 100 cases. Diagnoses based on selected digitized images were compared to those based on conventional examination of whole slides. RESULTS: Intraobserver agreement was fair to excellent for all six experts (kappa value: 0.47-0.81); it was complete or acceptable in 68.4-85% of cases. Compared to the reference diagnosis, interobserver agreement was not significantly different whether cases were examined by screening the entire slide or by videomicroscopy of selected fields. The marked discordance in four cases concerned very small cells the significance of which was misinterpreted on videomicroscopy because of poor image quality due to lack of focus setting. CONCLUSION: This exploratory study showed that selection of videomicroscopy images seems as reliable as conventional examination of slides for expert consultation on diagnostically difficult cervical cytologic smear cases.

Adult↗

[Recourse to particular arterial embolization in the treatment of some uterine leiomyoma].

UNLABELLED: In 88 women between the ages of 34 and 51 years with one or several symptomatic uterine leiomyomata (menometrorrhagia, mass syndrome) after failure of medical treatment, particulate arterial embolization was proposed as an alternative to the scheduled surgical operation. Free-flow embolization with Ivalon particles (150 to 600 microns) was performed under local anaesthesia after femoral artery puncture and catheterization of the hypogastric then uterine arteries (5 F catheter) including occlusion Pelvic pain was frequently observed immediately after embolization, lasting 12 to 18 hours, and required analgesia. Necrobiosis syndromes can be observed in the case of very large leiomyomata. No immediate complications directly related to vascular catheterization were observed in this series, but complete necrosis of a very large leiomyomatous uterus required hysterectomy. Five embolization failures were observed. The following results were observed in the 80 interpretable cases with a follow-up of 6 to 60 months: the menstrual periods returned to normal in 60 (89%) of the 67 menorrhagic patients, after six months a volume reduction of myomata equal to 69% of initial volume was observed. CONCLUSION: in of 80 interpretable cases, embolization constituted an alternative to surgical treatment, which was avoided in 71 cases, 9 failures were observed. The results of this preliminary series must be valited by further studies.

Adult↗

[Umbilical metastasis of an endometrial adenocarcinoma: "Sister (Mary) Joseph's nodule". Review of the literature].

In the beginning of the XXth century, Sir Hamilton Bailey proposed the name "Sister Joseph's nodule" for the umbilical metastasis of an abdominal cancer. This unusual pathology has multiple primitive etiologies. We report here the 27th case of an umbilical metastasis of an endometrial adenocarcinoma. In case of a malignant umbilical tumor, 75% correspond to a "Sister Joseph's nodule". Their clinical manifestations are quite similar. This secondary localisation could appear before, during or after the diagnosis of the primitive tumor. Adenocarcinoma is the frequently diagnosed histological type. The endometrial origin represents only 1.4% of the cases. Multiple routes of spread exist. Prognosis remains poor. Medico-surgical treatment, in a curative target, will be aggressive and should be adapted at every case. Our case-report recalls a new patho-physiological approach. The extended follow-up of this patient, without further medical treatment, is an additional argument.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Granulomatous angiitis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy presenting as a mass lesion.

A woman, who presented with clinical and radiological signs of a right temporal mass suggestive of a brain tumour, was found to have granulomatous angiitis associated with cerebral amyloid angiopathy; the diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy. She is still well 13 years after excision of the lesion. The association of granulomatous angiitis and cerebral amyloid angiopathy constitutes a peculiar variety of central nervous system micro-angiopathy. Only a few similar cases have been described.

Amyloidosis↗

[Abdominal and retroperitoneal masses. Diagnostic value of fine needle cytopunctures. 121 consecutive controlled cases].

A series of 121 consecutive patients with abdominal (96 cases) and retroperitoneal (25 cases) masses was studied in order to evaluate the contribution of cytology in establishing a definite diagnosis of the tumors. The cytologic results on aspirates were obtained with 22 or 23 gauge Chiba needles. At the same time, percutaneous fine needle aspiration biopsy was performed with 19 or 21 gauge fine needles having circumferentially bevelled tips that produced tiny tissue cores suitable for histologic study in 88 cases. These diagnoses were controlled with larger pathological specimens in 78 cases and appeared to be consistent with the clinical and biological course in 43 cases. The sensitivity of the cytologic diagnosis was 83 per cent, and its overall accuracy 87.6 per cent. There were no false-positive results. Furthermore, the method proved to be safe and well-tolerated, with low morbidity (0.8 per cent) and no mortality.

Abdominal Neoplasms↗

Retroperitoneal lymph node aspiration biopsy in staging of pelvic cancer: a cytological study of 228 consecutive cases.

Knowledge of the status of the pelvic lymph nodes is important for accurate staging and adequate treatment of patients with genitourinary tract cancer (bladder and prostatic carcinoma, testicular tumors, and uterine carcinoma). A total of 228 consecutive patients underwent preoperative evaluation of the lymph node status by lymphangiography combined with fine-needle aspiration biopsy. A lymphadenectomy was performed in 94 patients. The overall diagnostic accuracy was 93%. There were 5% false-negative results and no false-positive diagnoses. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy is an inexpensive method with which to detect the presence of metastatic lymph nodes visualized by bipedal lymphangiography. It is also a safe and well-tolerated method, with a low morbidity and no mortality. The various cytological features are described as are some possible pitfalls.

Adenocarcinoma↗