[Cervical chordoma. Apropos of a case].

The chordomas are malignant tumors arising from the remnants of the posterior spinal chord. The chordomas of the cervical spine are rare (5% of the spinal chordomas). A new case of spine chordoma at C5 level in a 76 years old woman is reported.

[Spinocellular epithelioma of the hand. Apropos of a diffuse and extensive commissural form].

The authors report a case of squamous cell carcinoma of the hand unusual because of its very rapid extension: A 64 year old man was referred to us for treatment of a keratoacanthoma located in the thumb web (histological diagnosis on two occasions). In fact, the histological frozen-section examination at the time of surgery revealed a well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. A wide excision of the tumor was carried out together with amputation of the index finger according to Chase's technique.

Degenerative spondylolisthesis, synovial cyst of the zygapophyseal joints, and sciatic syndrome: report of two cases and review of the literature.

Two cases of sciatica secondary to nerve root compression by a "synovial cyst" of a zygapophyseal joint are described. In light of these 2 cases and on reviewing the literature, it appears that zygapophyseal joint osteoarthritis with degenerative (or articular) spondylolisthesis can be a predisposing factor to the formation of such synovial expansions and, consequently, the cause of nerve root compression. The coexistence of a lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis with a radicular syndrome should therefore encourage early investigation by computed tomography scan, so that conservative treatment would not be unnecessarily prolonged.

[Primary cerebral lymphoma. Diagnostic and therapeutic values. Apropos of 4 cases].

The authors report four recent cases, of primary cerebral Lymphoma discovered since the use of the C.T. scan.

[Recurrence of hyperparathyroidism following a parathyroid autograft. Hyperplasia or carcinoma?].

The authors report a case in which hyperparathyroidism recurred after total parathyroidectomy and autogenous parathyroid graft into the fore-arm musculature, in a patient with chronic renal failure. Light and electron microscopic studies of the grafted tissue show a severe, nodular hyperplasia. This case report illustrates the rapid "tumour-like" growth of the hyperplastic parathyroid grafted tissue; according to some authors, the hyperplastic parathyroid tissue displays an increased propensity to become malignant.

[Subungual glomus tumor. A case of unusual form].

The authors report a case of glomus tumour developing beneath the nail of the ring finger in a 95 year old woman. In contrast with other similar cases, the pain was moderate and had been present for 20 years. The bony phalanx was deformed.

Lipoma in the cerebellopontine angle.

A case of lipoma in the cerebellopontine angle is reported. Intracranial lipomas are very rare, especially in the cerebellopontine angle. To our knowledge, only four cases, including our own, have been operated upon.

[Daily rectal bleeding caused by venous angiodysplasia of the rectum].

The authors report a case of venous angiodysplasia of the rectum in a child. This 5 years old boy presented rectal bleeding about each day. The treatment was abdomino-anal pull through resection of the rectum.

[Latent pituitary adenoma. Autopsy study].

The incidence of latent pituitary microadenoma is poorly known as few studies have as yet been carried out. To address this problem, microadenoma was systematically looked for during 100 random routine post-mortem examinations in subjects with no endocrine disorders. Microadenoma was found in ten cases.

[Deposits of unusual structure in lupus glomerulonephritis].

The authors report a case of Lupus nephritis shown by ultrastructural analysis of subendothelial, mesangial and especially subepithelial deposits formed by aggregates of electron-dense straight tubular structures 20 to 30 nm in diameter. These unusual structural deposits, always identical, are observed in 4 biopsies performed over 8 years during the management of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in a young woman. They are compared to the usual "Fingerprint" deposits of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and to the geometric type deposits of cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis.

[Subclinical glomerulonephritis with dense deposits in the course of partial lipodystrophy (author's transl)].

In a young woman with partial lipodystrophy accompanied by hypocomplementemia related to circulating C3NF activity, renal biopsy revealed dense deposits in the basement membranes of the glomerular capillaries without any evidence of urinary syndrome. This early form was not revealed by light microscopy and was confirmed only by ultrastructural examination. The morphological characteristics are similar to those occurring in renal grafts.

[Cystic lymphangioma of the spleen (author's transl)].

A rare form of true non-parasitic cysts of the spleen, cystic lymphangiomas are seen as round calcified images in the left hypochondrium. Bidimensional ultrasonography has considerably simplified the diagnosis of splenic cysts, but modern investigations, which can usually eliminate the presence of hydatid cysts in the spleen, cannot differentiate the various types of non-parasitic cysts. Diagnosis of cystic lymphangiomas, currently made after pathological examinations, can be assisted by needle-puncture aspiration guided by ultrasonography, and the role of this investigatory method in diagnosis and therapy is discussed.

Suprasellar choristoma.

A case of choristoma of the posterior lobe of the pituitary is presented. The clinical presentation suggested chromophobe pituitary adenoma and the true diagnosis was only established on histological esamination. Despite the patient's advanced age her-operative course was satisfactory, but the disturbances of endocrine and visual function remained virtually unchanged.

[Parathyroid adenoma induced by cervical radiotherapy].

The authors report one case of parathyroid adenoma in a 59 years old woman having received a cervical radiation therapy 38 years previously for suspected Basedow's disease. The cause and effect relationship between the cervical radiation and the appearance of the parathyroid adenoma seems to be established in the light of animal experimentation on one hand, and identical results found in the medical litterature on the other hand.

[Achondrogenesis. Apropos of a case].

The authors report a new case of achondrogenesis, the study of which is principally directed towards the histopathological examination of the conjugal cartilage. A brief review of the literature recalls the main clinical, radiological and histopathological characteristics of this fatal chondrodysplasia transmitted by an autosomal recessive means. In addition to other features, it reveals the difficulty which may be experienced in differentiating between the two types (I and II).

[Rectoscopy: a useful tool to diagnose pseudomembranous colitis (author's transl)].

The authors have performed nine rectoscopies in 14 cases of pseudomembranous colitis. A rectoscopic appearance enables eight times out of nine to diagnose the disease, which asserts itself in all cases by biopsies. Out of the nine cases, two had previously undergone an unnecessary laparotomy, and for three cases the diagnosis of rectal tumour established on rectal digital examination is twice set right by rectoscopic appearance and three times by biopsies.