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The ovarian tumors' diagnosis is based on biological and radiologic tests but only the histological examination associated to an immunohistochemical study allow best diagnosis.The purposes of this study is to examine inhibin and other markers immunoreactivity to ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors and their histological mimics and to discuss its value in the differential diagnosis.We report a retrospective study of 31 cases of ovarian sex cord-stromal tumors and review the clinical, pathologic and immunohistochimical features of these tumors.The average age of our patients was 51,3 years with an average size of 8,4cm. Immunostaining for inhibin was positive in 66% of granulosa cell tumor, in 50% of Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor and in 54% of thecoma-fibroma group. Inhibin immunoreactivity was more important than with cytokeratin and epithelial membrane antigen, but less marked than with CD99, vimentin, smooth muscle actin, desmin and S-100 protein.The results of this study show that although it is not complete specificity, inhibin, contrarily to the other markers, can be used to help in the distinction between ovarian sex cord-stromal neoplasms and the other primary and metastatic tumors.

Odontogenic myxoma is an uncommon tumor that represent less than 0,5% of all bone tumors and only 3 to 6% of odontogenic tumors. The aim of this article was to catalogue the clinical cases diagnosed microscopically as odontogenic myxoma and to describe their clinical and radiographic characteristics, comparing these to the data found in the current literature.Histological and immunocytochemical examinations were performed on odontogenic myxomas from four Tunisian patients in a period of 23 years.In the present series, two were male and two female. The age at diagnosis ranged from 19 to 38 years. Three tumors involved the mandible and one occurred in the maxilla. In all cases with radiographic records, lesions presented with a multilocular and osteolytic appearance. Histologically, odontogenic myxomas were mainly composed of spindled or stellate-shaped cells in a mucoid-rich intercellular and alcian blue positive matrix. All cases were treated by tumor-enucleation. There was no evidence of recurrence after 2 to 8 years.Clinical and radiological aspects of odontogenic myxomas are not conclusive; a histopathological examination of the lesion is mandatory in order to make the right diagnosis. Because of its high rate of recurrence, surgical treatment through bone resection is the most indicated treatment modality, and the patient must be followed-up closely for years.

The purpose of this study was to assess the value of intraoperative frozen section diagnosis in thyroid surgery and determine its limitations.This retrospective study examined the results of 409 frozen sections of thyroid specimens analyzed over the 4-year period and their correlations with the final histological examination.In our series, frozen section diagnosis was concordant with subsequent histopathological examination in 96.6% of cases, discordant in 3.4%. All discordances were due to false-negative diagnoses. Non-false-positive result was found. The global specificity of frozen section analysis for all histological subtypes was 100% and its sensitivity was 68.2%.The frozen section evaluation of thyroid neoplasm is highly accurate and specific. A high degree of specificity with an acceptable sensitivity is requested. However, the frozen section examination has still some limits in the diagnosis of microfollicular lesions.

In a retrospective study of the specimens of gastric polypectomy, carried out between January 1992 and December 2002, we analysed the demographic and histological aspects of 65 polyps. This study revealed hyperplastic polyps in 66%, adenomatous lesions in 9.2%, Peutz-Jeghers polyps in 7.7%, inflammatory fibroid polyps in 6.15%, two cases of focal foveolar hyperplasia (3%), two cases of Brunner's gland heterotopia (3%), 1 pancreatic heterotopia (1.5%), 1 fundic gland polyp (1.5%) and 1 carcinoid tumor (1.5%). All adenomas and two Peutz-Jeghers polyps include intraepithelial neoplasia. Moreover, we identified a case of Brunner's gland heterotopia, which contain a focus of plane tubular adenoma with high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia. Other lesions were found within the polyps or into the surrounding gastric mucosa, such as intestinal metaplasia and Helicobacter Pylori gastritis. This work allowed us to recommend complete removal of gastric polyps and the realization of biopsies of the nonpolypoid gastric mucosa in the search of intraepithelial neoplasia or other lesions with malignant potential.