March, 2006

Case 175:
An elderly patient underwent a colonoscopy for polyps.  A worm was seen near the appendiceal orifice and a biopsy was taken, fixed in formalin, and sent to histology.  The sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H & E).  Figures A-C show what was observed on the slides at 100×, 400×, and 1000× magnification respectively.  Objects such as the one shown in Figure C measured approximately 50 µm in length.  What is your identification of this incidental finding?  Based on what criteria?

A	B

C

Acknowledgement: This case was kindly contributed by the Oregon Public Health Laboratory.

Click here for the answer to Case 175.

Case 176:
A CDC microbiologist was looking through slide boxes that had been archived to determine whether the slide quality was good enough to continue storing them.  He came across a pathology slide of heart tissue that was dated "1929."  Figures A-C show what was observed on the H & E stained preparation.  What objects do you see in the images?

A	B

C

Click here for the answer to Case 176.

Images presented in the monthly case studies are from specimens submitted for diagnosis or archiving.  On rare occasions, clinical histories given may be partly fictitious.