L. C. Mattosinho França

Needle biopsy of the pelvic peritoneum: preliminary report.

THE TRANSVAGINAL needle biopsy, by which peritoneal tissue from the cul-de-sac of Douglas can be obtained for histological examination, is a new approach to the diagnosis of obscure pelvic affections. The needle for peritoneal biopsy,* devised by one of us,2 consists of the following parts: (1) a cannula, measuring 2.5 mm. in diameter and 130 mm. in length, with a sharp cutting edge and at its proximal end a disc which facilitates the handling of the instrument; (2) a pointed stylet; (3) a biopsy mandrin fitting into the cannula, surpassing it for 8 mm., and having at the end part a lateral groove with a sharp cutting edge. After the usual aseptic precautions and infiltration of the vaginal septum with a local anesthetic, a No. 20 gauge needle is inserted into the cul-de-sac of Douglas. If there. is no fluid in the pelvic cavity, about 300 ml. of normal

Sindrome radicular por granuloma tuberculoso epidural: registro de caso

A case of tuberculous granuloma producing a radicular syndrome in a 58 year-old white male is reported. Excision of the granuloma and the administration of antituberculous therapy was followed by complete recovery.E relatado um caso de granuloma tuberculoso epidural lombar determinando uma sindrome radicular semelhante a observada em hernias discais. O diagnnostico so pode ser firmado durante e apos a cirurgia. A descompressao cirurgica com excisao do granuloma, associada ao tratamento especifico, mostrou-se eficaz.

Neurolues congênita associada a hidrocefalia

A case of meningovascular and parenchymatous neurosyphilis associated with a non-communicating hydrocephalus is reported. The syphilitic nature of the disease was confirmed by laboratory and histopathological findings. The authors were unable to find in the medical literature other reports of histologically documented cases of hydrocephalus secondary to a block of the ventricular system determined by neurosyphilis.

Forma central da moléstia nervosa de Recklinghausen

The authors present a systematization of the lesions seen in Recklinghausens disease. Four cases of the nervous central type of the disease were studied. In all the cases there were bilateral pontine-cerebellar tumors, one of the most important findings for diagnostic purposes, which was the only manifestation of the disease in one of them (pure central form). In the others, with mixed types, besides various central lesions (neurofibromas, meningeomas) there were mild peripheral lesions. Intravertebral tumors orinating from radicular sheaths were the cause of the initial symptoms in three patients. In the two cases where the cerebral cortex was histologically studied, groups of atypical glia cells characteristic of the central type of neurofibromatosis were found. Two relatively rare lesions were found in the second case : cortical angioma and hypertrophic intersticial neuritis of the brachial plexus. In patients with peripheral or intravertebral neurofibromatosis, as well as in their relatives, central lesions must be sought for, especially tumors of the acoustic nerve. The neurological diagnostic procedure of choice in such tumors is the contrasted ventriculography with Lipiodol.