Sloughing esophagitis: a spectacular histologic and endoscopic disease without a uniform clinical correlation.

Sloughing esophagitis, also currently known as esophagitis dissecans superficialis, is a degenerative disease of the squamous epithelium characterized by superficial epithelial necrosis with parakeratosis, but without inflammation, and detachment of the superficial necrotic zone from the deep viable zone. This leads to a spectacular endoscopic appearance of sloughed mucosa in streaks and patches. The cause is unknown, and the clinical characteristics are variable, ranging from incidentally findings to esophageal symptoms.

Failure of hepatic adenomas (HCA) to regress after discontinuance of oral contraceptives. An association with focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) and uterine leiomyoma.

Oral contraceptives have been implicated in the development of hepatic cellular adenomas (HCA) and associated in at least one report with focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH). Recurrence of lesions or progression while the patient is no longer receiving exogenous steroids is less well documented. Three cases are reported in which progression or recurrence of HCA after the discontinuance of steroids was documented.

Polypropylene suture in esophageal and gastrointestinal operations.

A comparison was made of the gross and microscopic wound healing and tissue reactivity between stainless steel wire, polypropylene and silk in anastomoses in the u-prepared colon of the dog. While all anastomoses healed irrespective of the suture material used, wire was associated with the least inflammatory response, silk the most and polypropylene intermediate, its low reactivity approaching that of wire. A clinical trial of Prolene for 71 varied anastomoses between pharynx, esophagus, stomach and colon in 47 patients undergoing esophageal resection and reconstruction or bypass was done.

Gastric epithelioid leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma (leiomyoblastoma).

A series of 127 surgical specimens of epithelioid leiomyomatous tumors (leiomyoblastomas) of the gastric wall from the files of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) were studied as to biologic behavior, morphogenesis, and histologic features of value in distinguishing benign and malignant variants. These tumors affect middle-aged men primarily and usually present with upper gastrointestinal bleeding or peptic ulcer-like symptoms. They are composed of a mixture of round epithelioid and spindle cells, many of which have clear cytoplasm.