Usha Patel, Nanda Jagrit, Shubham Panchal, Ankita Kacha, Rujuta Ravat,
Volume 16, Issue 4 (Jul-Aug 2022)
Abstract
Background and objectives: Lesions of the head and neck region are routinely encountered by clinicians, in patients across all age groups. Diagnoses range from reactive inflammatory conditions to malignancies. Cancer is among the leading causes of death in India. Head and neck cancers account for 23% of all cancer incidents in males and 6% of all incidents in females in India,. Fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of cervical masses is an easy, effective, and relatively inexpensive technique. The aim of this study was to determine occurrence of various head and neck swellings and classify them under various categories.
Methods: The present study included 100 cases of palpable cervical swellings who had been referred to the AMC MET Medical College, Ahmedabad (India) from June 2018 to October 2020.
Results: The majority of cases were lymph node swellings (57%), followed by thyroid swellings (23%), salivary gland swellings (12%), and soft tissue swellings (8%). Among all cervical region swellings, tuberculous lymphadenitis and thyroid lesions were the most prevalent.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that lymph node swellings are most commonly observed in the cervical area, and that the majority of them are inflammatory, requiring medical treatment rather than surgery. Moreover, FNAC is a straightforward, quick, and cost-effective way to distinguish between non-neoplastic and metastatic malignant lesions, which could help timely surgical interventions.
Usha Patel, Nanda Jagrit, Toral Bhavsar, Shubham Panchal, Krutina Parikh, Himanshu Nayak,
Volume 17, Issue 3 (May-Jun 2023)
Abstract
Background and objectives: Mucormycosis is a complication in post-coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients in India. This study was done to evaluate the prognostic value of clinical, histopathologic findings, microbiological features, and biochemical parameters such as D-dimer, lactate dehydrogenase, and serum ferritin in post- COVID-19-patients with rhino-orbital mucormycosis.
Methods: This retrospective observational study was carried out on biopsies taken from 50 post-COVID-19 patients suspected of mucormycosis. The biopsy specimens were processed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, periodic acid–schiff, and Wright-Giemsa. In addition, 10–20% potassium hydroxide wet mount and culture on sabouraud dextrose agar were performed to detect Mucor. The biochemical parameters were measured using ARCHITECT ci8200 chemistry analyzer.
Results: Overall, 30 cases (60%) were positive for fungal elements, and growth of Mucor spp. was found in 28 cases (56%). In histopathology, 70% of cases (n=35) showed broad, aseptate, ribbon-like hyphae with wide-angled branching diagnostic of mucormycosis. There seemed to be a site-wise overlap between the nasal/maxillary sinus and rhino-orbital/rhino-cerebral variety. There was no difference between the patients in terms of gender. The most common risk factor was diabetes mellitus (observed in 80% of cases). In patients with invasive mucormycosis, inflammatory biomarkers such as serum ferritin, serum lactate dehydrogenase, C-reactive protein, and D-dimer were greater than the normal range, whereas procalcitonin was within the reference range.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that raised metabolic markers, direct 10% KOH examination and histological features including angioinvasion as well as rhino-orbital and cerebral extension might assist doctors in diagnosis, progression, and survival rate.
