Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 8, 2026

Using a Laminating Technique to Perform Confocal Microscopy of the Human Sclera
Published on: May 6, 2016
[Multicentric hyaline vascular Castleman's disease. A POEMS type variant]
Abraham Edgar Gracia-Ramos1, María del Pilar Cruz-Domínguez, Olga Lidia Vera-Lastra
1Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, Distrito Federal, Mexico. ken_monsters@hotmail.com
Background:
Castleman's disease is an atypical lymphoproliferative disorder which may be compatible with paraneoplastic manifestations of POEMS syndrome.
Clinical Case:
a 53 year old man with a history of type 2 diabetes, hypothyroidism and Addison's disease presented with numbness and weakness in limbs, dyspnea, skin hardening, Raynaud's phenomenon, weight loss and fatigue. A physical exam showed tachypnea, generalized cutaneous hyperpigmentation and skin hardening of extremities, muscle weakness, hypoesthesia and hyporeflexia. Laboratory showed hyperprolactinemia, low testosterone, hypothyroidism and Addison's disease. Electrophoresis of proteins showed polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. Somatosensory evoked potentials reported peripheral neuropathy and severe axonal polyneuropathy by electromyography. Chest X-rays showed bilateral reticular infiltrates and mediastinal widening. An echocardiogram displayed moderate pulmonary hypertension. Skin biopsy had no evidence of scleroderma. CT reported axillar, mediastinal and retroperitoneal nodes. The mediastinal lesion biopsy reported hyaline vascular Castleman's disease, multicentric variety. He was treated with rituximab.
Conclusions:
the case meet criteria for multicentric hyaline vascular Castleman's disease, POEMS variant, treated with rituximab.
Related Concept Videos
Cardiomyopathy III: Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy
Portal Hypertension
Graves Disease II: Pathophysiology
Huntington Disease l: Introduction
Cardiomyopathy I: Introduction and Classification
Cardiomyopathy IV: Restrictive Cardiomyopathy
