Kozo Furukawa

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the trachea; A case report.

Tumor of the trachea can cause dyspnea requiring prompt surgery. A 67 year old man had tumor of the trachea which was difficult to pathologically diagnose. It was finally diagnosed as mucoepidermoid carcinoma by electron microscopy.This patient had been treated for 2 months for dyspnea believed to be due to asthma. He was introduced to the internal medicine department of our hospital and came to us for otolaryngological examination.We could easily see the tumor with an indirect laryngoscope. It was located 2-3cm below the glottis, was round, pedicled, smooth and occupied almost the entire tracheal lumen. The tumor was removed after tracheotomy under a local anesthesia. The pathological dianosis was clear cell carcinoma with surgical positive margins. A more extensive operation combined with laryngectomy and dissection of the paratracheal lymph nodes was performed.Mucoepidermoid carcinoma was suspected pathologically by special stainings. The electron microscopic examination revealed mucoepidermoid carcinoma, because epidermoid cells and adenomatous cells were observed from the specimen.We considered that this tumor was an atypical mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

A case of primary tuberculosis of the tonsil.

A 27-year-old woman developed a sore throat on April 27, 1980.This became progressively worse and she sought medical attention. She was seen by a physician who diagnosed acute tonsillitis. She was referred to the Departments of Otolaryngology, Kitasato University Hospital on May 25, 1980. Physical examination revealed a healthy young woman in no distress except for swelling of both tonsils. Submaxillary lymph nodes 2x2 cm were palpable bilaterally. Microscopic study of the biopsied specimen revealed tuberculosis of the tonsil.The local pathological findings disappeared within a month after the start of treatment against Tbc.