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Unusual intestinal talcosis.
Journal article

Unusual intestinal talcosis.

  • 1987-11-01
Published in:
  • The American journal of surgical pathology. - 1987
Cecum
Colon
Crystallization
Fibrosis
Humans
Intestinal Diseases
Intestinal Mucosa
Male
Middle Aged
Spectrum Analysis
Talc
English A case of intestinal talcosis in a 46-year-old man is reported. At the age of 27, the patient was treated for pulmonary tuberculosis with tablets containing talc (183 g talc per 2,670 g total drug intake) over a period of 28 months. Eighteen years later, the patient was hospitalized for abdominal pain that remained refractory to antacids; he subsequently underwent a right hemicolectomy. Light-microscopic examination revealed a prominent fibrosis of the intestinal wall in which birefringent particles were demonstrated by polarized light. Using energy-dispersive spectroscopy, an analysis of these particles showed that they were predominantly composed of silicon and magnesium as well as small amounts of phosphorus, sulphur, calcium, and iron--the spectrum typically associated with talc. We believe that the source of this talc is the tablets ingested by the patient during prior antituberculosis therapy.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://sonar.ch/global/documents/124144
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