[Cholesterol crystal embolism].

Cholesterol crystal emboli are a serious complication of atheroma. The incidence of this syndrome appears to be much more common in patients in their sixties with severe atheromatous disease of the aorta (20 to 30% vs less than 5%). 80% of crystal embolism result from medical interventions (aortic or cardiac surgery, arterial invasive procedure of aorta, thrombolytic therapy).

[Behçet disease. 162 cases].

We report 162 cases of Behçet's disease, seen at the Internal Medicine Unit of Ibn Sina Hospital at Rabat, between January 1983 and June 1996. This series concerned 124 men et 38 women, Moroccans, whose mean age at first hospitalization was 32 years, and mean age at disease onset was 26 years. Diagnosis of Behçet's disease was established on Mason and Barnes and/or International Study Group for Behçet's Disease criteria.

[Association of pulmonary artery aneurysm, right heart thromboses and antiphospholipid antibodies in Behcet's disease].

Introduction: Cardiac thromboses are unusual in the course of Behçet's disease and are frequently associated with endomyocardial fibrosis of the right heart. Vascular pulmonary involvement with either pulmonary aneurysm or parenchyma alterations is also often observed. However, pathogenesis of thromboses occurring in the course of Behçet's disease is still unclear.

[New biological factors of thromboses].

Hypercoagulability states are caused by a disturbance of blood rheology due to the presence or pathological absence of a clotting factor. These abnormalities of haemostasis are essentially studied in the context of venous thrombosis. Over the years, in parallel with the progress in therapeutics, new laboratory abnormalities have been discovered and other, previously described, factors have been recently correlated with thrombotic phenomena.

[Marrow involvement in malignant histiocytosis. Apropos of the first 2 Moroccan cases].

The clinical records and bone marrow cytology from two cases of malignant histiocytosis (MH) have been reviewed. Bone marrow films provide the diagnosis in the two patients. The infiltration of the marrow by neoplastic cell could only be identified in 50% of cases reported in the literature.

[Ankylosing spondylitis and amyloidosis. Apropos of 2 cases].

The authors report 2 cases of ankylosing spondylitis complicated by amyloidosis. In the first case, the development of a nephrotic syndrome in a long-standing case of spondylitis (16 years) led to discovery of the amyloid. In the second case, a nephrotic syndrome appeared in a 38 year old man with a three year history of ankylosing spondylitis.