Search

A tumor like case of Cryptococcosis with a rare location in the abdomen of a young healthy woman is commented. It gave the opportunity to refer to the pathogeny of the disease, making in that way a brief review of the cases known in Venezuela and some not still published from which we got information. That review showed that generally doctors found more frequently organic lesions within the fields they are specially working for. It is obvious that mycosis must be considered in the diagnosis of nearly every patient in many countries and that laboratories must get appropriate equipment and personnel to help in that diagnosis.

Several esophageal cytologic tecniques (sponge biopsy, sponge smear, and espohageal washings) were assessed and compared with endoscopy and biopsy of esophageal tumors. Esophageal cytology rendered better results than esophagoscopy or biopsy, with a 97% positivity in cases of esophageal carcinoma, when using sponge biopsy and sponge smear techniques, and of 91.4% for esophageal and gastric carcinoma of the fundus invading gastroesophageal junction, when considered together. The combination of sponge techniques was better for diagnosisng esophageal carcinoma than the application of esophageal washings, a more difficult, time consuming, and sometimes unfeasible method. However, the utilization of three mehtods enhanced the overall diagnostic possibilities in all cases of esophageal tumors when considered together.

Fifty-one (51) patients with carcinoma of the esophagus, 27 with cancer of the gastric fundus invading gastroesophageal junction, and 28 controls with non-tumoral esophageal problems were studied by the sponge biopsy technique, an effective procedure for cytologyc diagnosis of esophageal tumors. Various advantages of this technique over esophageal washings are described and results with the sponge biopsy technique are favorably compared with them.