Background: Evaluation of thrombocytopenia requires thorough clinical history, examination, complete hemogram, including platelet indices and bone marrow study whenever indicated. The etiopathogenetic mechanism decides patient management. The aim was to study relationship between thrombocytopenia and platelet indices with respect to underlying mechanisms. Methods: Totally 100 thrombocytopenic patients with sufficient clinico-hematological workup were included in our study. Results were confirmed by peripheral smear examination and manual platelet count wherever necessary. Similar data during the year 2012 were collected from 100 controls and compared. Results: Patients were grouped based on mechanism-hypoproduction 15 (megaloblastic anemia 8, myelodysplastic syndrome 1, leukemia 6), hyperdestruction 4 (immune thrombocytopenic purpura), hyperspleenism 19 (chronic dengue 10, chronic malaria 6, chronic liver disease 3) and mixed 62 (chronic dengue 29, chronic malaria 24, thalassemia on regular transfusion 3, sepsis 4, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy 2). Conclusion: (1) Platelet indices showed inverse relationship-increase (mean platelet volume [MPV] r = −0.805, platelet distribution width [PDW] r =-0.996) with decreasing platelet count in most increased destruction cases, (2) linear relationship (MPV r = 0.84, PDW r = 0.37) was seen in most hypoproduction cases. p values were also calculated, (3) variable results were obtained in hyperspleenism, mixed and few of above two groups, (4) platelet indices provide important information about platelet kinetics. However, relationship with platelet count is helpful but not always confirmative of mechanism of thrombocytopenias.

IntRoductIonL ymphatic filariasis is a major public health problem in tropical and subtropical countries like India, China, Indonesia, Africa, and the Far East. It is endemic all over India. Filariasis can exist without microfilaremia or remain extremely transient and overlooked. Despite high incidence, it is infrequent to find microfilariae in fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) smears and body fluids. They have been observed coincidentally with inflammatory conditions and neoplasms, but the coexistence with metastatic deposits is rare. [1] We present one such case. A B S T R A C TFilariasis is one of the parasitic diseases endemic in India, manifesting as acute, chronic or asymptomatic disease. Wuchereria bancrofti accounts for 90% of cases. Microfilaria in fine-needle aspiration cytology is not a common finding. It has been occasionally detected in association with neoplasms. Coexistence with metastatic deposits is even rarer on cytology. We found it incidentally in metastasis to cervical lymph node from squamous cell carcinoma growing in the middle third of the esophagus on fine-needle aspiration (FNA). This patient presented with left-sided neck swelling for 2 months and complete hemogram and peripheral blood smear were normal. We report this case for the rarity of pathology.

RESULTSDuring the period under review, a total of 267 breast A B S T R A C TBackground and Objectives: Tuberculosis of the breast, surprisingly, is not an infrequent malady as presumed in this highly overcrowded country, India, and therefore, curiosity arose to investigate these cases in further detail. Materials and Methods: The patients' records were obtained from the Surgical Pathology Section of the Department of Pathology, Santhiram Medical College, Nandyal, Dist., Kurnool (AP), India, from 2005 to 2010. The pathological material and clinical history from all histopathologically diagnosed cases of breast tuberculosis were then re-examined independently by us. Ziehl Neelson staining was done to demonstrate mycobacterium tuberculous bacilli. Results: Eleven cases of tuberculosis of the breast encountered over a fi ve-year period, accounted for 4.1% of all breast lesions. All patients were females. Most of the patients (63.6%) were in the 26 to 35 years age group. Five cases (45.4%) were lactating at the time of presentation. Only two cases were diagnosed as tuberculous mastitis on the basis of a breast lump, with chronic discharging sinuses. In two cases, the breast lump simulated carcinoma. Conclusion: Tuberculous mastitis occurs more frequently than is supposed. The predisposing factors for its development are reproductive age group and lactation. As this lesion can mimic carcinoma breast, all breast lumps must be diagnosed histopathologically before radical treatment is undertaken, to avoid needless mastectomies.

Extraovarian primary peritoneal carcinoma (EOPPC) is a rare disease entity, arising from extraovarian peritoneum with abdominal carcinomatosis, uninvolved or minimally involved ovaries and no identifiable primary. Since an overlap of clinical manifestations and histologic appearances of EOPPC and papillary serous ovarian carcinoma exists, various diagnostic modalities like cytology, tumor markers, gross and histomorphological features, collectively help in arriving at a definitive diagnosis. As very few cases have been reported in literature, we hereby document one such interesting case.

Schwannomas arise from neural crest derived Schwann cells. They are rare neoplasms intra-orally and account to 1% of the tumors of head and neck region. Involvement of posterior one third of tongue is even rarer, in incidence.