[A clinicopathological study of the cranial "histiocytosis X" (AUTHOR'S TRANSL)]

A clinicopathological study of 13 cases of cranial histiocytosis X was discussed. The patients were mostly infants, and those under 15 years of age numbered eight. Hematological, blood chemistrical, and other laboratorical prodedures have produced no direct diagnostic value. Radiographically, this lesion in skull appeared to be a lytic defect in all cases. Histologically, they were unified by a localized or generalized histiocytic proliferation. Eosinophilic cells were also found throughout the lesional tissue. There were some slight histological variations from case to case, for instance, in the degree of infiltration by eosinophilic cells, and the number of the histiocytic cells. However, the basic histological pattern remained the same in all cases. The lesion may already have extended into the neighboring osseous tissues. Sections of the neighboring osseous tissues showed the intertrabecular spaces to be infiltrated by the same type of lesion. The patient related trauma to the onset of symptoms in 6 cases, but it is true that we know nothing of the etiology of this lesion. The treatment of choice is the adequate surgical extirpation. It seems fair to conclude that wide surgical excision with postoperative irradiation or with chemotherapy may be expected to affect a clinical cure.