Low-Grade Injury following Testicular Torsion: A Multicenter Study Confirming a Disturbing Possibility

INTRODUCTION

There is an ongoing debate whether to perform orchiectomy or orchidopexy following testicular torsion (TT) in cases where the testis seems non-viable. The main problem is lack of objective criteria defining testicular viability. The aim of this study was to investigate the grade of injury in orchiectomy specimens obtained from cases of TT and its association with clinical findings.

METHODS

This multicenter retrospective study involved double-blinded reassessment of the patient files and the pathological specimens using Mikuz classification to analyze the relation between clinical and pathological findings.

RESULTS

A total of 289 patient charts from 14 centers were reviewed and 228 were included in this study. Twenty (8.8%) patients had grade 1 injury which refers to reversible injury. The clinical findings of these 20 patients were compared to 208 patients with higher grades of injury. As expected, there was statistically significant difference regarding duration of symptoms (p < 0.001); however, range was wide in both groups (as long as 96 h for grade 1 and as short as 7 h for higher grades). There was no statistically significant difference in any other variable including age (median 14 for both, p = 0.531), symptoms (pain: 19/20 vs. 189/202, p = 0.801; swelling: 13/19 vs. 168/197, p = 0.094), absence of blood flow in Doppler US (15/19 vs. 164/197, p = 0.635), or degree of torsion (median 720° for both, p = 0.172).

CONCLUSION

Our study revealed necessity for better criteria to define viability of testis following TT. Histopathological injury appeared to be reversible even in some patients with more severe perioperative findings, late admission, or high degree of twisting. Our findings support the tendency for testicular fixation instead of orchiectomy as none of the clinical or perioperative findings could be attributed to high-grade injury.

The importance of molecular classification of endometrial carcinomas in clinical practice: how to apply it and difficulties in application

Classification of endometrial carcinomas (EC) based solely on histological features is not sufficient for the prognostic and therapeutic guidance of patients. Furthermore, the existence of EC in which the histological type cannot be determined clearly and the poor reproducibility of histological typing have led to difficulties in clinical management. However, molecular classification of EC is very promising because of the high reproducibility and good correlation with clinical outcome. Within the scope of “the Cancer Genome Atlas Project”, EC were divided into four different genomic subtypes, and molecular classification models for EC were developed based on these molecular subcategories. The prognostic differences between these molecular subgroups and the benefit for guidance for adjuvant therapy have been clearly demonstrated in studies. In this article, the importance of molecular classification for EC is discussed and its use in clinical practice is reviewed.

The Many Faces of Urothelial Carcinomas: An Update From Pathology to Clinical Approach and Challenges in Practice

Urothelial carcinoma is a heterogeneous disease with histomorphological and genomic variations throughout the same tumor or between tumors from different patients. It has been shown that most of these histologic and genetic differences have prognostic significance and may have a guiding role in determining the appropriate treatment choice for the patient. Therefore, it is crucial for both the pathologist and the clinician to be conscious of these variations and to consider them in patient management. Recently, a consensus molecular classification has been developed and categorized urothelial carcinomas into 6 subclasses. These molecular subclasses seem to be associated with prognosis and/or response to certain therapeutic approaches like chemotherapy or immune checkpoint inhibitory therapy; however, it has not yet been sufficiently validated and has some limitations for routine application. As is well known, there are therapeutic limitations in locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinomas, especially those inappropriate for standard therapy with platinum-based chemotherapy regimens. Emerging new therapeutic approaches and testing for appropriate patient selection for those are discussed in this article.

Primary epithelioid angiosarcoma of endometrium

Angiosarcoma is a poor prognostic tumor observed less than 1% in soft tissue, while it is rarely detected in the endometrium and has been described in few case reports. In this report, we present a case of primary epithelioid angiosarcoma of endometrium to raise awareness and emphasize for pathologists and clinicians.

Primary adenosquamous carcinoma of the endometrium with glassy cell features. A diagnostic pitfall as a very rare tumour type in the endometrium

Primary adenosquamous carcinoma of the endometrium with glassy cell features (ASCGCF) is an extremely rare entity and to date, 16 cases of this entity have been reported in the literature. ASC-GCF is an aggressive histological subtype of cervical carcinoma with rapid growth and early metastases; however, very little is known about those originating from the endometrium as they are limited to only a few case reports. Herein, we report a case of primary adenosquamous carcinoma of the endometrium with extensive glassy cell features which posed a major diagnostic challenge by mimicking many entities with its histological diversity.

Multiple hydatid cystectomy of the heart necessitating LIMA to LAD anastomosis in a young patient

Cardiac hydatid disease is very rare, even in endemic regions. Clinical manifestations included chest pain, anaphylactic shock, constrictive pericarditis, congestive heart failure, and arterial embolism. Surgery is the exclusive therapy, where the cysts are excised during open-heart surgery. The surgical approach therefore must be performed carefully, given the potential complications that surgery may bring. Because of the risk of potentially lethal complications, early diagnosis and definitive treatment are important. A 32-year-old male patient was admitted with chest pain, weight loss, lethargy, and dizziness. On the transesophageal echocardiography study, a cystic mass (2.5 x 3 x 4.5 cm in dimension adjacent to the left ventricular posterior wall) that was divided into two by a septum was noted. Diagnosis of hydatidosis was confirmed with serologic tests (ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence). Echinococcosis, also known as hydatid disease, is common in several regions of the world, for example, the Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, South America, and East Africa. While performing pericystectomy in the anterior left ventricular wall, we noticed that there were three cysts, contrary to the preoperative diagnosis pointing a single one, and it was impossible to effectively complete the procedure without compromising anterosuperiorly displaced left anterior descending artery (LAD). We decided to go on bypass, arrest the heart, and complete the pericystectomy at the cost of injuring LAD and grafting the left internal mammary artery to LAD. Microscopic examination of the cyst showed a germinal layer and an avascular, eosinophilic, chitinous layer that confirmed the diagnosis of hydatid cyst. The patient was discharged on the fifth postoperative day on albendazole medication.