S. Demolomberague et al., INTRAVASCULAR MALIGNANT-LYMPHOMA (EX MALI GNANT ANGIOENDOTHELIOMATOSIS) - 3 CASE-REPORTS, La Presse medicale, 24(36), 1995, pp. 1689-1693
Malignant angioendotheliomatosis is an intravascular proliferation of
tumour cells in the small arteries, veins and capillaries, Its lymphom
atous origin has been proved recently by immunohistochemistry. It is a
rare, generally rapidly fatal condition, Less than 150 cases have bee
n reported in the literature. We report three cases, Long course fever
with delayed neurologic disturbances were observed in the first case
and long course fever, hyponatraemia, corticotropic and gonadotropic i
nsufficiency in the second, The third case began with febrile meningo-
encephalitis. Diagnosis was made at autopsy in the two first cases and
on evidence from kidney needle-biopsy in the third. Clinical manifest
ations are polymorphic and frequently simulate vasculitis, Neurologic
signs are the most common, Histologically, kidneys, skin, endocrine gl
ands, lungs, muscles and most of the organs may be involved, Surprisin
gly lymph nodes, bone marrow and spleen are often free from disease, C
urrent treatment is based on polychemotherapy, Earlier diagnosis of th
e disease should improve the prognosis as observed in our third patien
t.