Importance of morpho-clinical correlations in the diagnosis of congestive cardiomyopathies

A morphologic score was performed in 17 myocardial biopsy specimens proceeding from patients with congestive cardiomyopathies. The electron microscopic changes were estimated according to their frequency and severity. According to this score, the morphological findings were compared with the clinical data and some echographic indexes of the myocardial contractility. These correlations turned out to be of great value in estimating the prognosis of these patients and allowed to set up three different stages of evolution in the congestive cardiomyopathies.     

Clinical and pathological questions concerning the tumor-like giant cell granulomas of the peritoneal cavity

Seven patients with tumor-like granulomatous lesions of the peritoneal cavity were cured, except one, by correct surgical intervention removing the inflammatory hyperplastic tissues and restoring the permeability of the alimentary tract. The exact diagnosis was suggested by the existence in the personal history of the patients of one or several interventions on the peritoneal cavity (6 of 7), and was confirmed by intraoperative, sometimes repeated, microscopic examination, rendering evident a fibrogenous giant cell granulomatous process; the presence of foreign bodies, especially suture threads or crystals (the latter characterized in polarized light) is very helpful for the diagnosis of these tumor-like inflammations.     

Trichomonas vaginalis--identification by rapid BPT-Dr?gan staining

The blue-polychrome-tannin rapid staining (BPT-Dr?gan, 1968) applied on fresh and dried vaginal smears makes possible the identification of different forms of Trichomonas vaginalis (TV) parasite. The nucleus is coloured in blue-violet and the cytoplasm in various degrees of blue-green, violet or bichromatical, with blue and violet zones at the cell periphery. In the cytoplasm, the staining allows the identification of many granules and vacuoles. All the stainable substrates have an acid character and represent morphohistochemical aspects which reflect the parasite metabolism in different functional and evolutive stages. Our results allow the recommendation of the method in the screening actions of the TV identifications.