Scoring system for intraoperative diagnosis of intracranial schwannoma by squash cytology.

Objective: To assess the utility of a newly developed squash cytology (SC)-based scoring system for accurate intraoperative diagnosis of schwannoma.

Methods: We first compared SC-based and frozen section (FS) diagnoses with final pathological diagnoses of schwannoma (16 cases), meningioma (39 cases) and low-grade astrocytoma (16 cases). Then, by logistic regression modeling, we identified features of SC preparations that were independently predictive of schwannoma.

Intraoperative squash cytology provides a qualitative intraoperative diagnosis for cases in which frozen section yields a diagnosis of equivocal brain tumour.

Objective: We assessed whether intraoperative squash cytology could provide surgeons with a qualitative diagnosis of brain lesions when frozen section diagnosis is equivocal.

Methods: The study included 51 lesions that were diagnosed intraoperatively as equivocal brain tumour on the basis of frozen section. We retrospectively classified the lesions into five groups according to the final histopathological diagnoses (I: malignant lymphomas; II: diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglia tumours; III: pituitary adenomas, IV: metastatic carcinomas; V: others).

The approach of scratch-imprint cytology: Is it an alternative to frozen section for intraoperative assessment of pulmonary lesions?

To address the diagnostic performance of scratch-imprint cytology (SIC), in this study we compared intraoperative diagnoses of pulmonary lesions between SIC and frozen section histology (FSH) for accuracy with respect to the final pathological diagnosis. We histologically divided 206 pulmonary lesions (resected surgically) into two groups (benign and malignant) and compared each intraoperative diagnosis by SIC and FSH with the final pathological diagnoses. We also examined the radiological existence of pure ground-glass opacity (GGO) nodules in each group.

A biosafety algorithm for the protection of pathology staff during intraoperative examinations of pulmonary lesions.

We aimed to propose a biosafety algorithm for the protection of pathology staff during intraoperative examinations of pulmonary lesions when working with cytological imprints and/or frozen sections for the intraoperative diagnosis of pulmonary lesions. We examined 148 pulmonary surgical tissues obtained intraoperatively for imprint cytology (IC) and for frozen sectioning and compared the diagnoses against the final pathological diagnoses. We analyzed concordance and non-concordance rates and then used the data to produce a biosafety algorithm.

Diagnostic utility and pitfalls of intraoperative pulmonary imprint cytology based on final pathological diagnoses.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the reliability of imprint cytology (IC) for intraoperative diagnosis of pulmonary lesions.

Methods: We reviewed 113 cases of pulmonary lesion resection for which a scratch imprint was made intraoperatively. We divided the specimens into two groups (benign and malignant) and compared the scratch IC-based diagnoses against the final histopathological diagnoses in each group for concordance.

Noninvasive estimation of pulmonary capillary wedge pressure in patients with mitral regurgitation: A speckle tracking echocardiography study.

Background: Echocardiographic parameters to predict pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP) in mitral regurgitation (MR) are not yet elucidated. We reported that PCWP could be accurately estimated by novel KT index which is defined as log10[left atrial (LA) emptying function (EF)/LA volume]. We examined the usefulness of the KT index as a predictor of PCWP in primary and secondary MR with sinus rhythm and also MR with atrial fibrillation.

Local recurrence and occult neoplastic cells in the extranodal fat of dissected lymph nodes in patients with curatively resected primary colorectal cancer.

This study was designed to examine the relationship between occult neoplastic cells (ONCs) inside and outside harvested lymph nodes (intranodal/extranodal ONCs) and local recurrence in 30 patients who underwent curative resection of primary colorectal cancer. Among 10 patients with colon cancer (Dukes' A=1, Dukes' B=6 and Dukes' C=3), intranodal ONCs were positive in 1 patient (10.0%) and negative in 9 patients (90.