Diffuse sclerosing variant of thyroid carcinoma presenting as Hashimoto thyroiditis: a case report [Difuzno sklerozirajući oblik papilarnog karcinoma štitnjače nalik Hashimoto tireoiditisu: prikaz slučaja]

The aim of report is to present a case of a rare diffuse sclerosing variant of a papillary thyroid carcinoma. A 15-year old girl referred for ultrasound examination because of painless thyroid swelling lasting 10 days before. An ultrasound of the neck showed diffusely changed thyroid parenchyma, without nodes, looking as lymphocytic thyroiditis Hashimoto at first, but with snow-storm appearance, predominantly in the right lobe. Positive thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO-AT) also suggested Hashimoto thyroiditis. Repeated US-FNAB (fine needle-aspiration biopsy) of the right lobe revealed diffuse sclerosing variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma and patient underwent total thyreoidectomy. Patohistologic finding confirmed diffuse sclerosing variant of a papillary thyroid carcinoma in the both thyroid lobes and several metastatic lymph nodes. Two months later patient recived radioablative therapy with 3700 MBq (100 mCi) of 1-131 followed by levothyroxine replacement. At the moment, patient is without evidence of local or distant metastases and next regular control is scheduled in 6 months. In conclusion, a diffuse sclerosing variant is rare form of papillary thyroid carcinoma that echographically looks similar to Hashimoto thyroiditis and sometimes could be easily overlooked

The Importance of Urgent Cytological Examination of Synovial Fluids in Differentiation Inflammatory and Non-inflammatory Joint Diseases

The aim of this study was to imply the possibilities of the urgent cytological examination of synovial fluids in differential diagnosis of arthropathies and to motivate the clinicians to use this method. It gave valuable information particularly with respect to differentiate the inflammatory and non-inflammatory joint diseases. This study included 115 synovial fluids obtained by fine needle aspiration (FNA) of the swollen knee from the patients in the period between 2003 and 2008. At our department the urgent cytological examination of the synovial fluids consisted of macroscopic analysis that includes volume, colour, clarity, viscosity and mucin clot test, native microscopic analysis for crystals and tissue fragments, counting the total nucleated cell count and semiquantitative microscopic analysis for neutrophil granulocyte percentage on the slides stained with Hemacolor rapid staining. All cytological analyses were done within one hour since FNA. According to our results the clarity, viscosity, mucin clot test, the total nucleated cell count and the neutrophil granulocyte percentage enabled distinction between inflammatory and non-inflammatory diseases with statistically significant difference at the 0.01 level but we could not differentiate these two groups of illnesses according to volume and colour. In inflammation the total nucleated cell count and the neutrophil granulocyte percentage was greater than in non-inflammation, the clarity was only translucent and opaque, the viscosity was low and the mucin clot test was negative. In non-inflammatory diseases the clarity varied from transparent to opaque, the total nucleated cell count and the neutrophil granulocyte percentage was smaller than in inflammatory diseases, the viscosity was high and consequently the mucin test was highly positive in all samples. Crystals were detected in only 12 samples of synovial fluids, mostly in inflammation and they were all monosodium urate (MUS) so we could diagnose gout. We could conclude that the urgent cytological analysis of the synovial fluid is a very useful, simple and reliable basic diagnostic screening test in differentiation inflammatory and non-inflammatory joint diseases and we recommended using it as the initial test in the diagnostic procedure of these illnesses using our protocol

Biliary brush cytology for the diagnosis of malignancy: a single center experience [Citološki razmazi brisa četkicom u dijagnostici malignih promjena bilijarnog stabla: naše iskustvo]

Differentiation between benign and malignant biliary strictures is critical to the provision of adequate treatment. Brush cytology during the endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the most commonly used method for obtaining tissue confirmation of the nature of biliary strictures. It’s specificity is remarkably high but reported sensitivities for the diagnosis of malignancy are low. Aim of our study was to assess sensitivity and specificity of biliary brush cytology in our institution, to find out main causes of false negative diagnoses and to confirm impression that the team approach has impact on sensitivity. Gold standard for diagnosis was definitive surgical histology or adequate clinical follow up for minimum of six month. Direct smears made by cytotechnician at the endoscopy room, and stained according to Papanicolaou and May-Grünwald Giemsa (MGG) were examined for well-recognized features of malignancy on conventional smears as a part of diagnostic routine. Cytologic diagnoses were benign, atypical/reactive, suspicious for malignancy and malignant. Of 143 brushings with available definitive diagnosis 36 (25%) had malignant cytologic diagnosis and 91(63.6%) were classified as benign, 3 were atypical/reactive and 13 suspicious for malignancy with 20 »false-negative« cases. When specimens with atypical and suspicious cytology were excluded from data analysis sensitivity was 64% and specificity was 100% and when suspicious findings were taken into account as true positives sensitivity rose to 71%. We find that biliary brush cytology, although mainly depending on the skill of endoscopist, as well as the experience of the cytologist, is a valuable method for obtaining accurate tissue diagnosis of biliary strictures, thus solving eternal diagnostic dilemma: benign or malignant

Monocytes in Metabolic Disorders – Opportunities for Flow Cytometry Contributions

Chronic inflammation has arised as a major underlying cause of atherosclerosis, obesity and diabetes. It is mediated by cells of innate immune system like macrophages but also by their antecedents, circulating monocytes. Roles of monocyte subsets and different markers of monocyte activation in the context of metabolic disorders have been reviewed. Applying cell based approach through flow cytometry in this field has resulted with new understanding of pathophysiologic mechanisms. Possible implications of these insights in diagnosis, prognosis and revealing of therapeutic targets in metabolic disorders remain a challenge for future

The Importance of Team Work of Cytologist and Surgeon in Preoperative Diagnosis of Intraoral Minor Salivary Gland Tumours

Tumours arising from oral minor salivary glands may exhibit an overlap of clinical and morphological features that may produce diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. The aim of this study is to asses the value of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in differentiation of benign and malignant tumours and to render a specific diagnosis.We evaluated the team work of surgeon and cytologist to improve diagnostic accuracy. Two steps are important for accuracy: sampling aspirate that should be done together by surgeon and cytologist and cytological microscopic analysis of the smears that should be performed by an experienced cytologist. The study included 132 patients with intraoral minor salivary gland tumours between 2002 and 2011. Adequate material was obtained from 121 (91.7%) patients. FNAC was usually performed by cytologist in a team with maxillofacial surgeon at cytology department that is more convenient for preparing the samples and especially for ROSE procedure (rapid-on site evaluation) of smears. In such a way the cytologist checked the adequacy of samples and decided whether some ancillary techniques should be used and therefore repeat FNAC. A total of 82 patients underwent surgery, 40 with malignant and 42 with benign tumours. Preoperative cytological diagnoses were compared with histopathological ones using histopathology as a gold standard. The most common benign tumour was pleomorphic adenoma and among malignant tumours adenoid cystic carcinoma. The most commonly affected site was the palate. The team work of surgeon and cytologist achieved specificity of 95.1%, sensitivity of 97.6% and diagnostic accuracy of 96.3%. We can conclude that although subclassification of some tumour types of salivary glands remains poor, FNAC is invaluable in patient triage and therefore should be considered in the first line investigations of these lesions by the cytologist and surgeon

INITIAL RESULTS OF DIAGNOSTIC APPLICATION OF ENDOBRONCHIAL ULTRASOUND IN CLINICAL HOSPITAL DUBRAVA

Endobronhalni ultrazvuk (engl. Endobronchial ultrasound – EBUS) omogućuje vizualizaciju medijastinalnih i hilusnih limfnih čvorova, a prema potrebi i njihovu punkciju (engl. Transbronchial Needle Aspiration – TBNA). Metodom doplera moguće je istodobno pregledati i krvne žile. Najčešće indikacije za ovu pretragu jesu povećanje medijastinalnih i/ili hilusnih limfnih čvorova nejasna uzroka te procjena proširenosti plućnoga nemikrocelularnog karcinoma (engl. Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer – NSCLC). U radu su prikazani prvi rezultati primjene ove dijagnostičke metode u Zavodu za pulmologiju Interne klinike Kliničke bolnice Dubrava. S obzirom na visoku osjetljivost i specifičnost te dobru podnošljivost, EBUS-TBNA pokazala se temeljnom pretragom u dijagnostici medijastinalne limfadenopatije.Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) enables visualization of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes as well as, in case of clinical indication, its transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA). Simultaneous application of color doppler gives the ­additional prospects to investigate the blood vessels. The primary indication for EBUS is radiographic finding of mediastinal and/or hilar lymph nodes enlargement as well as the staging of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this article we present the initial results of application of this valuable diagnostic procedure performed at the Department for pulmonary diseases in Clinical hospital Dubrava in Zagreb. According to its high sensitivity and specificity, and being safe and well tolerated, EBUS-TBNA was positioned as basic diagnostic procedure in patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy

Prvi rezultati dijagnostičke primjene endobronhalnog ultrazvuka u Kliničkoj bolnici Dubrava [Initial results of diagnostic application of endobronchial ultrasound in Clinical hospital Dubrava]

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) enables visualization of mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes as well as, in case of clinical indication, its transbronchial needle aspiration (TBNA). Simultaneous application of color doppler gives the additional prospects to investigate the blood vessels. The primary indication for EBUS is radiographic finding of mediastinal and/or hilar lymph nodes enlargement as well as the staging of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In this article we present the initial results of application of this valuable diagnostic procedure performed at the Department for pulmonary diseases in Clinical hospital Dubrava in Zagreb. According to its high sensitivity and specificity, and being safe and well tolerated, EBUS-TBNA was positioned as basic diagnostic procedure in patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy

The Importance of Team Work of Cytologist and Surgeon in Preoperative Diagnosis of Intraoral Minor Salivary Gland Tumours

Tumours arising from oral minor salivary glands may exhibit an overlap of clinical and morphological features that may produce diagnostic and therapeutic dilemmas. The aim of this study is to asses the value of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in differentiation of benign and malignant tumours and to render a specific diagnosis.We evaluated the team work of surgeon and cytologist to improve diagnostic accuracy. Two steps are important for accuracy: sampling aspirate that should be done together by surgeon and cytologist and cytological microscopic analysis of the smears that should be performed by an experienced cytologist. The study included 132 patients with intraoral minor salivary gland tumours between 2002 and 2011. Adequate material was obtained from 121 (91.7%) patients. FNAC was usually performed by cytologist in a team with maxillofacial surgeon at cytology department that is more convenient for preparing the samples and especially for ROSE procedure (rapid-on site evaluation) of smears. In such a way the cytologist checked the adequacy of samples and decided whether some ancillary techniques should be used and therefore repeat FNAC. A total of 82 patients underwent surgery, 40 with malignant and 42 with benign tumours. Preoperative cytological diagnoses were compared with histopathological ones using histopathology as a gold standard. The most common benign tumour was pleomorphic adenoma and among malignant tumours adenoid cystic carcinoma. The most commonly affected site was the palate. The team work of surgeon and cytologist achieved specificity of 95.1%, sensitivity of 97.6% and diagnostic accuracy of 96.3%. We can conclude that although subclassification of some tumour types of salivary glands remains poor, FNAC is invaluable in patient triage and therefore should be considered in the first line investigations of these lesions by the cytologist and surgeon

Biliary Brush Cytology for the Diagnosis of Malignancy: A Single Center Experience

Differentiation between benign and malignant biliary strictures is critical to the provision of adequate treatment. Brush cytology during the endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is the most commonly used method for obtaining tissue confirmation of the nature of biliary strictures. It’s specificity is remarkably high but reported sensitivities for the diagnosis of malignancy are low. Aim of our study was to assess sensitivity and specificity of biliary brush cytology in our institution, to find out main causes of false negative diagnoses and to confirm impression that the team approach has impact on sensitivity. Gold standard for diagnosis was definitive surgical histology or adequate clinical follow up for minimum of six month. Direct smears made by cytotechnician at the endoscopy room, and stained according to Papanicolaou and May-Grünwald Giemsa (MGG) were examined for well-recognized features of malignancy on conventional smears as a part of diagnostic routine. Cytologic diagnoses were benign, atypical/reactive, suspicious for malignancy and malignant. Of 143 brushings with available definitive diagnosis 36 (25%) had malignant cytologic diagnosis and 91(63.6%) were classified as benign, 3 were atypical/reactive and 13 suspicious for malignancy with 20 »false-negative« cases. When specimens with atypical and suspicious cytology were excluded from data analysis sensitivity was 64% and specificity was 100% and when suspicious findings were taken into account as true positives sensitivity rose to 71%. We find that biliary brush cytology, although mainly depending on the skill of endoscopist, as well as the experience of the cytologist, is a valuable method for obtaining accurate tissue diagnosis of biliary strictures, thus solving eternal diagnostic dilemma: benign or malignant

Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of Chondroid Syringoma

Chondroid syringoma (CS) is a rare, benign, appendageal tumor with diagnostic feature of myxochondroid stroma supporting eccrine and apocrine epithelial structures. The usual presentation is a painless, slowly growing mass, typically located in the head and neck region. It usually affects middle-aged and older male patients. Because of its unremarkable clinical presentation it is often overlooked. It should be included in the differential diagnosis of cutaneous head and neck tumors, especially in middle-aged men. Optimal treatment of CS is total surgical excision. We present a 63 year-old man with a small nodule on the neck with 5 years of duration. The diagnosis was made initially on fine needle aspiration cytology that was performed by ultrasound guidance and confirmed subsequently by histology. FNA cytology may be very useful to determine diagnosis before excision