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At least 1,099 records · Page 61Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

An analysis of the impact of pathology review in gynecologic cancer.

PURPOSE: To analyze the impact of pathology review in gynecologic malignancies. METHODS AND MATERIALS: For all new gynecologic patients seen between December 2, 1993 and January 4, 1996, we conducted a retrospective chart review to determine if a pathology review by the institute's consultant pathologist changed the diagnosis, and if so whether the change altered patient management. A total of 514 patients were seen, of whom 120 had cervical cancer, 226 had endometrial cancer, 122 had a primary ovarian or peritoneal malignancy, 9 had a vaginal malignancy, 28 had vulvar cancer, and 9 had a miscellaneous gynecologic malignancy. RESULTS: On pathology review the diagnosis changed for 200 of 599 specimens (33%). This altered management for 63 of 514 patients (12%). For patients with cervical cancer, the grade of tumor was the main change in pathologic diagnosis, with occasional change in the presence of lymph vascular invasion. These did not translate into patient management alterations. Eight patients (1.5%) had management alterations. The changes in depth of invasion and vascular invasion altered management for 3 patients. Changes in pap smears resulted in two management alterations, and changes in histologic diagnoses altered management for 3 cases. For endometrial primaries the changes in pathologic diagnosis included grade, depth of invasion, and the presence of cervical involvement. This did alter management in 40 cases (8%). For the ovarian malignancies, the main changes were grade, extent of disease, or histologic classification, some of which (10 patients, 2%) resulted in altered management. One patient with a vaginal lesion had the diagnosis changed, which did alter management. Of the patients diagnosed with vulvar cancer, the pathologic diagnosis changed for 11 patients. This included changes in grade and depth of invasion. This altered management of 2 patients. The remaining miscellaneous gynecologic malignancies had only two diagnosis changes that altered management. CONCLUSIONS: Pathologic review of gynecologic malignancies is justified as it can alter patient management. In addition, the process facilitates cooperation of the multidisciplinary team and provides a valuable educational forum to enhance patient care.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed2002

Pathologic tumor size and lymph node status predict for different rates of locoregional recurrence after mastectomy for breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant versus adjuvant chemotherapy.

PURPOSE: To compare the pathologic factors associated with postmastectomy locoregional recurrence (LRR) in breast cancer patients not receiving radiation who were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NEO) vs. adjuvant chemotherapy (ADJ). METHODS AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively analyzed the rates of LRR of subsets of women treated in prospective trials who underwent mastectomy and received chemotherapy but not radiation. These trials were designed to answer chemotherapy questions. There were 150 patients in the NEO group and 1031 patients in the ADJ group. In the NEO group, 55% had clinical Stage IIIA or higher vs. 9% in the ADJ group (p <0.001, chi-square test). RESULTS: Despite the more advanced clinical stage in the NEO group, the pathologic size of the primary tumor and the number of positive lymph nodes (+LNs) were significantly less in the NEO group than in the ADJ group (p <0.001 for both comparisons). However, the 5-year actuarial LRR rate was 27% for the NEO group vs. 15% for the ADJ group (p = 0.001, log-rank). The 5-year risk for LRR was higher in the NEO patients for all pathologic tumor sizes: 0-2 cm (18% vs. 8%, p = 0.011), 2.1-5 cm (36% vs. 15%, p <0.001), and >5 cm (46% vs. 28%, p = 0.028). The risk of LRR by the number of +LNs was similar in the NEO and ADJ groups, except for the subset of patients with > or =4 +LNs (53% vs. 23%, p <0.001). The rates of LRR in the patients with primary tumors measuring < or =2.0 cm and 1-3 +LNs were similar in both groups. However, for the patients with a pathologic tumor size of 2.1-5.0 cm and 1-3 +LNs, the LRR was higher in the NEO group than in the ADJ group (30% vs. 15%, p = 0.016). Most failures in this NEO subgroup had clinical Stage III disease. In a subset of NEO and ADJ patients matched for clinical stage, no significant differences were found in the rates of LRR according to primary tumor size and number of +LNs when these variables were analyzed independently. Again, however, differences were found in the subgroup of patients with tumors pathologically measuring 2.1-5.0 cm with 1-3 +LNs (32% NEO vs. 8% ADJ, p = 0.030). CONCLUSION: The rates of postmastectomy LRR for any pathologic tumor size are higher for patients treated with initial chemotherapy than for patients treated with initial surgery. Radiotherapy should be offered to all patients with > or =4 +LNs, tumor size >5 cm, or clinical Stage IIIA or greater disease, regardless of whether they receive neoadjuvant or postoperative chemotherapy. The information assessing LRR rates in patients with clinical Stage II disease who receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy, particularly if 1-3 lymph nodes remain pathologically involved, is insufficient to determine whether these patients should receive radiotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Determining the necessity for routine pathologic examinations in uncomplicated total hip and total knee arthroplasties.

Total hip and total knee arthroplasties (n = 951) were retrospectively reviewed to determine the cost-effectiveness of routine pathologic examination of surgical specimens in primary total hip and total knee replacements. Discrepancies between the postoperative diagnosis and the final pathologic diagnoses were recorded. Of the 951 cases reviewed, 27 (2.8%) noted conflicting postoperative and pathologic diagnosis. In all cases, the discrepancy was between a postoperative diagnosis of osteoarthritis and pathologic diagnosis of avascular necrosis. No new cases of neoplasia or inflammatory arthropathy were noted based on the pathologic interpretation. Sixteen of these discrepancies (5.1%) and were noted in total hip arthroplasties, and 11 (1.7%) were noted in total knee arthroplasties. In no case was postoperative medical or surgical treatment altered. Based on this review, strong consideration should be given to the elimination of routine pathologic evaluation of surgical specimens during primary joint arthroplasty, leaving this pathologic evaluation optional, at the discretion of the orthopaedic surgeon, rather than mandatory.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

The Empirical Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease (E-BEHAVE-AD) Rating Scale.

A clinician should not rely entirely upon a caregiver's report regarding behavioral pathology when planning a treatment strategy. Direct observational evaluation instruments as well as caregiver-based assessments are necessary. A new scale for the empirical (observational) evaluation of behavioral symptoms in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias, the Empirical Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (E-BEHAVE-AD) was developed. Interrater reliability of this new assessment instrument was examined. Additionally, the relationship between the observed occurrence of behavioral symptomatology on this new rating instrument was compared with the occurrence using a similarly designed, caregiver-based instrument. The interrater reliability study consisted of two raters who simultaneously evaluated 20 dementia patients. The comparative study employed a cross-sectional design (N = 49). Individuals were evaluated in an outpatient clinic setting. The study population consisted of cognitively normal individuals and dementia patients. Evaluations included the new, observationally based behavioral assessment (the E-BEHAVE-AD), a caregiver-based behavioral assessment (the Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale; BEHAVE-AD), a clinical global measure (the Global Deterioration Scale), and a mental status assessment (the Mini-Mental State Examination). The interrater reliability study revealed an intraclass correlation coefficient of .97 (p < .01) for total scores on the new E-BEHAVE-AD rating scale. The correlation coefficient for the amount of agreement on the presence of symptoms in six symptomatic categories between caregiver-based information about the patient's behavioral pathology assessed on the BEHAVE-AD and the clinician's observations assessed with the new E-BEHAVE-AD rating instrument was .51 (p < .01). The new E-BEHAVE-AD rating instrument showed excellent interrater reliability. Furthermore, there was a statistically significant relationship between clinician observation of the occurrence of behavioral pathology assessed using the E-BEHAVE-AD and caregiver-reported pathology assessed with the BEHAVE-AD. However, the magnitude of the correlation between these measures indicated that the majority of variance was independent and nonoverlapping. Consequently, these data support theoretical models suggesting that the assessment of behavioral pathology in dementia might ideally encompass both direct observational and caregiver-report approaches, using measures such as the E-BEHAVE-AD as well as measures such as the BEHAVE-AD.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2000

Prevalence estimates of pathological gambling in Switzerland.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of pathological gambling in the Swiss adult population before the introduction of new forms of gambling, and the link between pathological gambling and alcohol abuse. METHOD: 2526 telephone interviews were completed using standardized assessment instruments for identifying potential and probable pathological gamblers (SOGS) and alcohol abuse (CAGE). RESULTS: The current prevalence of probable and potential pathological gamblers were estimated to be 0.8% and 2.2%, respectively. The results also show a clear correlation between alcohol abuse and gambling behaviours. CONCLUSION: For the first time estimations are available of the Swiss prevalence rates of pathological gambling. Considering the link between gambling availability and increases in the prevalence of pathological gambling and the correlation between alcohol abuse and pathological gambling, the implications of these results for the prevention and treatment of this debilitating disorder are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Gastric pathology and feeding deficits induced by hypothalamic damage in rats: effects of lesion type, size, and placement.

Three doses each of cathodal or anodal direct current were delivered to coagulate lateral hypothalamic tissue bilaterally in rats. Increases in hypothalamic tissue damage were associated with more instances of aphagia, greater amounts of glandular, but not rumenal, gastric pathology, and greater weight loss. Both anodal and cathodal lesions produced aphagia and similar amounts of gastric pathology, but anodal lesions also appeared to facilitate weight loss independently of the tissue damage. Extensive chromatolysis surrounding anodal lesion cavities may be importantly related to the postoperative effects. In additional experiments, anodal electrolytic lesions or cortical suction ablations were used to vary the location of neural damage. Fedding deficits and gastric pathology resulted from the destruction of several brain areas. In particular, eating of dry food in the presence of high gastric pathology was observed in rats with lesions ventral and medial to an area in the dorsolateral hypothalamus that was associated with aphagia. When aphagia was accompained by severe gastric pathology, the brain lesions typically encroached extensively on more ventromedial areas. Moreover, aphagia sometimes was observed with only negligible gastric pathology. It is suggested that gastric pathology is not primary to the expression of the aphagia that follows lateral hypothalamic damage.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

The S/Z ratio as an indicator of laryngeal pathology.

The use of the s/z ratio as a clinical indicator of laryngeal pathology was investigated with 28 dysphonic subjects with laryngeal pathology (nodules or polyps), 36 dysphonic subjects without laryngeal pathology, and 86 normal-speaking subjects. While no statistical difference was found between the three groups in their ability to sustain /s/, the subjects with laryngeal pathology had significantly lower duration times for /z/ than subjects in the other two groups. The computed s/z ratios were significantly higher for the dysphonic subjects with laryngeal pathology; subjects with functional dysphonia free of laryngeal pathology demonstrated the same s/z ratios (approximately 1.0) as the normal-speaking control subjects. The dysphonic subjects with laryngeal pathology produced s/z ratios in excess of 1.4 ninety-five percent of the time. It appeared from these data that when an additive mass developed along the glottal margin, vocal fold approximation was less efficient. This decrement in efficiency appears to result in a decrease in glottal resistance, increasing air flow, and a shortened phonatory duration time. The clinical usefulness of the s/z ratio as a duration measure for identifying voice clients who may have laryngeal lesions is considered.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

The free-to-total serum prostatic specific antigen ratio as a predictor of the pathological features of prostate cancer.

OBJECTIVES: To analyse the role of the ratio of serum free (f) to total (t) prostatic specific antigen (f/tPSA) as a predictor of the pathological features in patients with clinical stage T1c disease submitted for radical prostatectomy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Total and fPSA were determined before surgery in 76 consecutive patients with clinical stage T1cN0M0 disease and a serum tPSA level of 4-20 ng/mL. The pathological stage was defined as organ-confined in 47 (62%), with capsular penetration in 27 (35%) and seminal vesicle infiltration in two (3%). In 18 of the specimens (24%) the surgical margins were positive. The pathology was favourable in 41 patients (55%). Total and fPSA were determined using the Tandem and Tandem-free PSA immunoassays (Hybritech Inc, Belgium) RESULTS: The mean tPSA was: 8.7 ng/mL when the tumour was organ-confined and 8.6 ng/mL when the disease was extraprostatic (P>0.05); 8.4 ng/mL when the tumour was specimen-confined and 9.3 ng/mL when positive margins or seminal vesicle involvement were detected (P>0.05); and 8.3 ng/mL when the pathology was favourable and 9.0 ng/mL when unfavourable (P>0.05). The f/tPSA was 11.8% when the tumour was organ-confined and 9.1% when it was not (P<0.03), 11.9% when the tumour was specimen-confined and 7.6% when not (P<0.002) and 12.1% when the pathology was favourable and 9.1% when unfavourable (P<0.008). A threshold of 11% f/tPSA provided an odds ratio for organ-confined disease of 2.7, for specimen-confined disease of 7.6 and for a favourable pathology of 3.9. CONCLUSION: The f/tPSA seems to provide useful information in the prediction of the pathological features of patients with clinical T1c prostate cancer and a tPSA of 4.1-20 ng/mL.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Gleason score on biopsy: is it reliable for predicting the final grade on pathology?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the correlation of the Gleason score on biopsy and the final pathology after radical prostatectomy (RP) for prostate adenocarcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a retrospective analysis within a tertiary-care centre, the charts of 537 patients who had undergone radical prostatectomy from April 1989 to November 2000 were reviewed. The RPs were undertaken in one institution; 167 biopsies were taken and interpreted in the referring centres, and 355 were taken and interpreted in the authors' institution by up to 15 pathologists. All the final pathology specimens were interpreted by the same group of pathologists. The main outcome measures were: the pathological report of the biopsy including the primary and secondary Gleason grade; the final pathological grade (primary and secondary); the margin status; and the identification of the pathologist for the biopsy and final pathology. RESULTS: In all, 390 patients had inclusion criteria (the Gleason grade before and after RP) available. For the individual scores 38.2% of tumours were undergraded, 32.6% overgraded and only 29.2% had identical grading in preoperative biopsies and final specimens. When grouped into more meaningful categories (Gleason 2-4, 5-6, 7 and 8-10) the correlation improved, with 48.5% of patients remaining in the same group after RP. For 39 patients the same pathologist assessed the biopsy and final specimen; in these cases individual scores were identical in 49% and group scores were identical in 64%. CONCLUSION: Gleason grading of the prostate biopsy remains a poor predictor of pathological outcome. Assessment by the same pathologist reduces the discrepancy but over half the patients are under- or overgraded on final pathology. Clinicians should be aware of these limitations when using the biopsy Gleason grade in decision making.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Long-term follow-up of infants with pathological gastroesophageal reflux].

Between 1981 and 1984 330 infants with suspected gastroesophageal reflux (GER) were investigated by combined esophageal manometry and pH-monitoring. GER of 283 patients with a manometric reflux time more than 1% was classified as pathologic. After one year of conservative therapy a follow-up-study mainly by 24-hour-pH-monitoring could be performed in 108 patients. Two thirds (76 out of 108) still showed a pathological GER. In the age of about two years follow-up-investigation in 41 patients showed in one third of them (13 out of 41) a pathological GER. 5.4% of all investigated children (18 out of 330) hat to be operated because of complicated GER. Follow-up has been performed in 24 children over five years with manometry and/or pH-monitoring and/or barium swallow and/or endoscopy with biopsy. After one year of conservative therapy more than two thirds of them (19 out of 24), after two years one third (eight out of 24) showed a pathological GER. In a few cases (four out of 24) the pathological GER disappeared spontaneously in the age of four to five years. In the age of 1.5 to three years six children had to be operated because of complicated GER. We conclude from this study that a spontaneous healing of pathological GER occurs in about two thirds of the patients older than one year. In about 8% (two out of 24) a pathological GER persists over the fifth year of life representing a permanent risk of GER complications.

Esophagitis, Peptic↗
PubMed2000

Mistakes on EUS staging of colorectal carcinoma: error in interpretation or deception from innate pathologic features?

BACKGROUND: Because endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) accuracy for staging gastrointestinal tract tumors is limited by many factors, this study was designed to analyze potential sources of error in the EUS staging of colorectal carcinoma. METHODS: All patients referred for EUS evaluation of colorectal carcinoma were staged prospectively by one ultrasonographer and retrospectively by two others with EUS videotape recordings. Pathologic staging was done independently in a blinded fashion. Deceptive pathologic features were defined for T staging by presence of inflammation extending beyond tumor or microscopic spread without inflammation extending to a level consistent with the next stage, and for N staging by large (> or = 10 mm) benign lymph nodes or small (< 10 mm) malignant lymph nodes. RESULTS: Of 22 patients entered into the study, an inflammatory reaction around microscopic tumor spread thought to actually enhance detection by EUS was present in 57.1% of cases. Nine deceptive pathologic lesions were present in 36.4% (8 of 22) of patients (5 T stage, 4 N stage lesions). Of 40 T and N stage mistakes made by the three physicians, 45% were made in the presence and 55% in the absence of deceptive pathologic lesions. Accuracy increased significantly from the presence to absence of deceptive pathologic lesions, from 53.3% to 83.7% (p = 0.029) for T stage, and 8.3% to 73. 1% for N stage (p = 0.0001). Confidence of T staging correlated significantly with accuracy, increasing from 63.3% when unsure to 88. 2% with staging certainty (p = 0.017), an effect not seen for N staging. CONCLUSIONS: Inflammation and desmoplasia around colorectal carcinoma are often present, but may actually enhance EUS detection of microscopic tumor spread. Deceptive pathologic lesions are present in only one third of patients, but account for almost half (45%) of the errors in T and N staging by EUS. Diagnostic accuracy for EUS was increased with confidence in T stage assessment (but not N stage) and in the absence of deceptive pathologic lesions. Errors in interpretation still accounted for the majority of mistakes (55%) made in EUS staging of colorectal carcinoma.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Factors associated with pathological dissociation in the general population.

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the prevalence of pathological dissociation in the general population, and the relationship between pathological dissociation and sociodemographic and several psychiatric variables. METHOD: The stratified population sample consisted of 2001 subjects. The study questionnaires included the Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Dissociative Experiences Scale-Taxon, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and sociodemographic background. RESULTS: The prevalence of pathological dissociation (DES-T >/= 20) was 3.4% in the general population and did not differ significantly between genders. Men scored higher than women in the amnesia subscale, and women in the absorption and imaginative involvement subscale. The relationship between pathological dissociation, alexithymia, depression and suicidality was strong. The likelihood of pathological dissociation was nearly nine-fold higher among depressive subjects, more than seven-fold higher among alexithymic subjects, and more than four-fold higher among suicidal subjects than among the others. Frequent alcohol consumption also associated significantly with pathological dissociation. CONCLUSIONS: A significant relationship between pathological dissociation, depression, alexithymia, and suicidality was found in the general population. The importance of these factors should be examined in a prospective study design to determine causality.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

Pathological uterine perfusion in the second trimester is not associated with neutrophil activation.

OBJECTIVE: Preeclampsia and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) are associated with elevated concentrations of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and polymorphonuclear (PMN) elastase, which indicate maternal neutrophil activation. The aim of the study was to measure maternal MPO and PMN elastase plasma concentrations in second trimester pregnancies with pathological uterine perfusion that are a high risk group for preeclampsia and IUGR, and compare them to normal controls. METHODS: The study includes 25 pregnancies with normal and 25 pregnancies with pathological uterine perfusion. In both groups, doppler-sonographic measurement of uterine perfusion was performed in the twenty-first week of gestation. Maternal plasma concentrations of MPO and PMN elastase were measured using a specific ELISA for both enzymes. RESULTS: The plasma MPO concentration of pregnant women with normal perfusion did not differ significantly from that of the group with pathological perfusion (27.4 +/- 3.3 vs. 23.7 +/- 2.0 ng/mL). Likewise, the plasma PMN elastase-concentration also did not show a significant difference between the groups (5.7 +/- 0.5 ng/mL normal vs. 8.0 +/- 1.0 ng/mL pathological). Patients with pathological perfusion that later developed preeclampsia or IUGR (9/25) showed unchanged MPO and PMN elastase values in the second trimenon compared to those with pathological perfusion and normal outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Pathological uterine perfusion in the second trimester was not associated with maternal neutrophil activation. The measurement of the MPO and PMN elastase concentration suggested that neutrophil activation in preeclampsia or IUGR is a secondary effect of the disease rather than a primary pathophysiological factor.

Female↗
PubMed2002

Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma: morbidity compared with adrenalectomy for tumors of other pathology.

PURPOSE: We report our experience with laparoscopic adrenalectomy in nine patients with pheochromocytoma and compare the morbidity with that of laparoscopic adrenalectomy for tumors of other pathology. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1997 and November 1999, nine patients underwent laparoscopic surgery for pheochromocytoma via a transperitoneal approach. Of the patients, eight had solitary tumors, and one presented with bilateral pheochromocytomas. The mean size of the tumors was 5.4 cm. The surgical outcomes of the 9 patients were compared with those of 28 patients with adrenal tumors of other pathology (primary aldosteronism in 15 patients, Cushing syndrome in 6, and nonfunctioning adenoma in 7) who underwent transperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy during the same period. The mean size of the adrenal tumors of other pathology was 2.4 cm. RESULTS: In eight of the nine patients with pheochromocytoma, laparoscopic adrenalectomy was successful. The procedure was converted to open surgery in the patient with bilateral tumors because of uncontrollable hemorrhage. A hypertensive crisis with the systolic blood pressure >200 mm Hg occurred in 6 patients (67%), but the episode could be controlled by temporary discontinuation of tumor manipulation, administration of drugs, or both. In adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma, the mean operative time was longer (199 v 177 minutes) and the mean estimated blood loss was greater (360 v 54 mL) than for tumors of other pathology. Blood transfusion was given to two patients with pheochromocytoma but to no patient with tumors of other pathology. The patients with adrenal tumors of other pathology could resume normal activity earlier (mean 18 v 26 days) than those with pheochromocytoma. CONCLUSION: The operation is more difficult and the morbidity is higher in laparoscopic adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma than that for tumors of other pathology. An experienced team of surgeons with advanced laparoscopic skills and anesthesiologists is mandatory. In large tumors, great caution should be taken for intraoperative complications. Nevertheless, laparoscopic adrenalectomy is not contraindicated for pheochromocytoma and can be performed safely.

Adrenal Gland Neoplasms↗
PubMed1997

Use of telepathology for routine surgical pathology review in a test bed in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

BACKGROUND: Routine surgical pathology review by telepathology could be an important service component of multi-institutional pathology laboratory systems. Such service networks would increase access for rural hospitals without on-site pathologists to a broader range of pathology services on a daily basis. METHODS: In this clinical trial, we analyzed the diagnostic accuracy, deferral rates, and viewing times of two generalist pathologists using a hybrid dynamic/store-and-forward (HDSF) telepathology (TP) system to render diagnoses in real time on 200 consecutive surgical cases. The objective was to assess the efficacy of TP in providing diagnostic surgical pathology services to a remote hospital without an onsite pathologist. Surgical pathology specimens underwent gross preparation by specially trained personnel. When appropriate, this was done under the video supervision of a telepathologist. For TP, glass slides were placed on the stage of a robotic microscope at the Iron Mountain (MI) Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) (remote site); control of the motorized microscope was then transferred to a pathologist located 220 miles away at the Milwaukee VAMC (host site). For each case, the telepathologist had the option of rendering a diagnosis or deferring the case for later analysis by conventional light microscopy (LM). After the slides were read by TP and a surgical pathology report had been generated, the slides were transported to Milwaukee, where they were reexamined by the telepathologist using LM and then by the pathology group practice or, when there was no consensus, by an outside consultant to establish a "truth" diagnosis. RESULTS: Compared with the consensus ("truth") diagnosis, clinically important and overall concordance were 99.0% and 97.4%, respectively, by TP, and clinically important and overall concordance were 100.0% and 98.5%, respectively, by LM. The deferral rate was 2.5%. Examining glass slides by HDSF telepathology took an average of 4.43 minutes per slide and 12.09 minutes per case. CONCLUSION: The high diagnostic accuracy and low rate of case deferral support the proposal that an offsite pathologist using HDSF telepathology can substitute effectively for an onsite pathologist as a service provider.

Biopsy↗
PubMed1995

Spinal cord morphology and pathology in ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament.

We analysed nine autopsy cases of ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament (OPLL) to elucidate the relationship between morphology and pathology of the spinal cord. The cross-sectional shape of the spinal cord at the most severely affected segment was classified into two categories: boomerang (convex lateral surfaces and concave anterior surface) and triangular (angular lateral surfaces and flat anterior surface). In the cases with a boomerang shape, even when the compression was severe, major pathological changes were restricted to the grey matter and the white matter was relatively well preserved. No secondary descending degeneration of the lateral columns was seen, and ascending degeneration of the posterior column was restricted to the fasciculus cuneatus whose fibres were derived from the affected segments. In the cases with a triangular shape, pathological changes were more severe, both white matter and grey matter were involved, and only the anterior columns were free of pathological changes. There were severe pathological changes over more than one segment, and both descending degeneration of the lateral pyramidal tracts and ascending degeneration of the posterior column, including the fasciculus gracilis, were observed. The transverse area of the spinal cord was > 60% of normal in most of the cases with a boomerang shape, but it was reduced to < 60% of normal in more than one segment in the cases with a triangular shape. The compression ratio of the spinal cord (sagittal diameter/transverse diameter x 100%) was not related to pathological changes. In conclusion, a triangular-shaped spinal cord with transverse area of < 60% of normal in more than one segment appeared to be associated with severe and irreversible pathological changes in cases of OPLL.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Middle ear pathology in day-care centre children.

BACKGROUND: Middle ear pathology, either otitis media with effusion or tubal dysfunction, is frequently seen in day-care centre children. Recognition and early treatment of this condition is crucial to the prevention of chronic otitis media, which is a major cause of hearing loss in later life. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to reveal the incidence of silent otitis media in day-care centre children and to determine the predisposing factors, risk factors and the awareness of the parents of the middle ear disease of their children. METHOD: Two hundred and thirteen children, aged 3-6 years, were screened in four daycare centres. A questionnaire was prepared that would reveal the predisposing factors. Information was gathered from both the parents and teachers. Children were examined by otoscopy, pneumotoscopy, tympanometry and X-rays for sinus pathology. RESULTS: Forty-three of 213 children had middle ear pathology; 39 of them were confirmed by tympanometry; 56.1 % of children had some degree of sinus pathology. We revealed that, although most of the children do not have the risk factors, they develop middle ear pathology. Among the parents, 81.4% of them were unaware of the condition. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis of middle ear pathologies is necessary for prevention of future complications. In early stages the condition is silent. We emphasize the importance of the primary care physician's role in diagnosing the early stages of middle ear pathologies and recommend that teaching of otoscopic and pneumotoscopic skills should be part of the training for family physicians.

Child↗
PubMed1998

Adjunctive value of cell proliferation but not of apoptosis to interpret pathologic effects on prostatic cancer after neoadjuvant endocrine therapy.

BACKGROUND: The current histological evaluation of the effects of endocrine therapy has difficulty in distinguishing pathologic degeneration caused by androgen ablation from residual poorly differentiated tumor. Therefore, we examined the changes in cell proliferation and apoptosis before and after endocrine therapy and analyzed whether they correlated with pathologic effects and histological differentiation. METHODS: Between January 1986 and December 1995, 52 patients with clinical stage B2 and C prostate cancer underwent radical prostatectomy after neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (median duration 3.8 months). Proliferative and apoptotic activities of pretreatment biopsy specimens and radical prostatectomy specimens were analyzed with MIB-1 monoclonal antibody and in situ end-labeling of fragmented DNA. RESULTS: The mean proliferative index (PI) of radical prostatectomy specimens was significantly lower than that of biopsy specimens (P = 0.000003) and the decrease in PI after endocrine therapy was significantly related to histological differentiation (P = 0.014). There was a weak relationship between the decrease in PI after endocrine therapy and pathologic effects (P = 0.054), while in pathologically effective cases (Grades 2 and 3), three out of 16 (19%) showed a < 50% decrease in PI after endocrine therapy, and may be regarded as having poorly differentiated tumors. The mean apoptotic index (AI) of prostatectomy specimens tended to be higher than that of biopsy specimens (P = 0.054). The increase in AI after endocrine therapy was not related to histological differentiation and pathologic effects. CONCLUSION: Pathologic effects caused by endocrine therapy may be in part misled by routine histopathologic staining and the change in PI may help in recognizing the pathologic effects of endocrine therapy and have adjunctive value for the interpretation of the effects of endocrine therapy.

Aged↗