[Tumor of the carotid body (paraganglioma)]

Carotid body tumours (paragangliomas) are uncommon but rather an interesting pathology, due to the controversy that still remains regarding their histopathologic behaviour (malignancy?), as well as their diagnosis and management. Because of its nature being composed of chemoreceptor paraganglionic tissue, the carotid body responds to lower partial pressure of oxygen and can cause severe cardiovascular disturbances. Based upon a series of 12 cases, the authors reviewed this pathology in detail, and discussed the methods of diagnosis and treatment, which they considered more appropriate.

[The extra-peritoneal approach in the surgical treatment of atherosclerosis in the aorto-iliac region]

Based upon a series of 27 cases the results obtained with the extraperitoneal approach for the surgical management of atherosclerosis of the aorto-iliac segment, are presented and discussed. The patients, ranging in age from 55 to 87 years (mean 70.9 years) were considered as high risk patients because of associated respiratory, cardiac and renal diseases. The technique of extraperitoneal approach was applied in 8 cases (29.7%) of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), and 19 cases (70.3%) of aorto-iliac occlusive disease (DOAI), with an operative mortality of 3.7%. It has been concluded that the extraperitoneal approach is an attractive alternative to the conventional transabdominal approach, particularly in those patients with significant risk factors, requiring aorto-iliac surgical reconstruction.

Experimental Trypanosoma cruzi cardiomyopathy in BALB/c mice. The potential role of intravascular platelet aggregation in its genesis

In male BALB/c mice aged 5-6 weeks inoculated three times at intervals of 15 days with 1 X 10(7) epimastigote forms of the PF strain of Trypanosoma cruzi and challenged 30 days after the last inoculation with 2 X 10(4) trypomastigote forms of the Colombia strain of T cruzi (the mice were sacrificed 80-100 days after the challenge) a cardiomyopathy very similar to that observed in the chronic phase of Chagas' disease in man develops. The cardiac syndrome is characterized grossly by cardiomegaly with hypertrophy, dilatation of ventricular chambers, and thinning of the apex of the left ventricle (apical aneurysm) and microscopically by focal areas of myocytolytic necrosis and myocardial degeneration with an inflammatory response composed of mononuclear cells (predominantly macrophages and a few lymphocytes) with concurrent interstitial fibrosis and occasional myofibers containing pseudocysts. In addition, aggregated platelets and occlusive thrombi were found in small epicardial and intramyocardial vessels of infected mice as compared with controls. The potential role of intravascular platelet aggregation in the causation of focal myocardial necrosis and degeneration and apical aneurysm in experimental T cruzi cardiomyopathy in BALB/c mice is discussed.