American journal of clinical pathology
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Am. J. Clin. Pathol. · Jun 2005
ReviewCurrent concepts in the classification of interstitial lung disease.
The diagnosis and classification of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias continue to be problematic areas for pathologists. The recently proposed American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society International Multidisciplinary Consensus Classification of the Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias defines specific clinical, radiologic, and pathologic criteria for each of the pulmonary disorders that encompass the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias. In this review, the highlights of this classification are presented, along with recommended guidelines for handling lung biopsy specimens and diagnosing interstitial lung diseases.
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Child abuse is a problem that is frequently underdiagnosed. Recognition that underdiagnosis of abuse exists has produced a high zeal for identifying cases of child abuse, which has inevitably produced cases of overdiagnosis. Overdiagnosis of child abuse is as catastrophic as underdiagnosis. ⋯ Many children and adults have coagulation or vascular disorders that predispose them to bruise or bleed excessively with minor trauma. It is very easy for a health care worker to presume that bruising and bleeding is associated with trauma, because the coagulopathies that may explain the findings are often poorly understood. The clinical cases reviewed in this article show the need for an extremely thorough analysis for an underlying bleeding disorder in the bruised or bleeding child being evaluated as a possible victim of child abuse.