Discrepancies between autopsy and clinical findings among patients requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenator support.

Discrepancy between clinical and autopsy diagnosis in children supported on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has not been previously described. To assess the utility of autopsy examination in children supported on ECMO and assess discrepancies between premortem and postmortem diagnosis in these patients. Retrospective chart review.

Pathologic examination of the placenta: recommended versus observed practice in a university hospital.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of appropriate placental examinations in a university hospital.

Methods: A retrospective review of all deliveries and all placentas submitted for pathologic examination from live births. Placentas were reviewed by a perinatal pathologist to determine whether they met the College of American Pathologists (CAP)-recommended guidelines for examination.

A fatal case of acute chest syndrome in a patient with undiagnosed sickle cell trait.

We report a fatal case of acute chest syndrome in an African-American male. The patient was hospitalized for respiratory distress, fevers, and pulmonary infiltrates after working in an attic space on a summer day. An extensive work-up failed to reveal an etiology for his respiratory failure.

The HPV DNA virus hybrid capture assay: what is it--and where do we go from here?

The biotechnology that has made HPV DNA testing possible has the capacity to reduce the incidence of cervical carcinoma substantially, especially in the patients diagnosed with ambiguous low-grade lesions, such as ASC-US, on Pap smears. Reflex HPV DNA testing of thin layer preparations diagnosed as ASC-US, and in other certain instances as outlined by ASCCP, will play a major role in the management of abnormal cervical cytology. Other applications, such as possible primary screening, may in the future play a substantial role in cervical screening.