Prostatic calculi are rare in children, infrequent below age 40, and common in males over 50. They may be solitary but usually occur in clusters and are associated with some other disease process (nodular hyperplasia, prostatic carcinoma, metabolic abnormalities). They are most often asymptomatic; however, symptoms that may be attributable to prostatic calculi include reduction of the urinary stream, prostatism, and intense lower back and leg pain. Treatment may be accomplished by transurethral resection, but prostatectomy is the best means to insure complete removal. Prostatic calculi may form by two related mechanisms with obstruction and stasis of prostatic fluid as central entities in both. These mechanisms are calcification of corpora amylacea and simple precipitation of prostatic secretion. They may arise spontaneously, initiating an inflammatory reaction that contributes to their growth, or they may arise as the consequence of another pathologic situation producing acinar obstruction. It appears that infection probably occurs secondary to stone formation.

The milestones provide a national standard for evaluation that will be used for the assessment of all residents in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited pathology training programs.

An 18-year-old man with a history of Cushing's disease was treated with a total right and a near total left adrenalectomy in 1956. Pathologic examination of the operative specimen revealed bilateral adrenal hyperplasia. After 13 years, recurrence of symptoms of cortisol excess necessitated cobalt irradiation to the pituitary, which was without clinical effect. After an initial response to the adrenolytic agent, o,p'-DDD, partial relapse occurred. At this time, the recognition of an abdominal mass prompted abdominal exploration revealing a huge adrenal myelolipoma containing adrenal cortical cells distributed diffusely throughout the tumor. Symptoms of adrenal insufficiency developed, and adrenal steroid secretion did not respond to exogenous adrenocorticotropic hormone postoperatively. The case illustrates that adrenal myelolipomas may become very large with continued stimulation by adrenocorticotropic hormone, may contain significant amounts of adrenal cortical tissue, and may be associated with clinical hypercortisolism.

The Resident In-Service Examination (RISE) addresses 1 area of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Outcome Project; RISE results demonstrate progressive attainment of pathology knowledge during training. We compared RISE scores with primary pathology board certification success for residents graduating in 2008 and 2009. Overall RISE and nearly all sectional scores in anatomic and clinical pathology were significantly higher for residents passing all certifying examinations at the first attempt vs residents who failed any examination. The risk of failing increased with each lower quartile of overall RISE score, such that 34% (2009) and 54% (2008) of residents in the lowest quartile failed at least 1 certifying examination. Two thirds of graduating residents with lowest quartile scores had a similar quartile ranking in the previous RISE, identifying them as at risk. Residents passing the American Board of Pathology certifying examinations have a higher level of medical knowledge in general and specific pathology disciplines as assessed by senior RISE scores.

No abstract