Document 6B6OnXRrqORqGQQr7KY6DGRxm
FILE NAME Talc TALC
DATE 1994 DOC TALC040
DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION Autopsy Record
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McGuinness Thomas Eugene
Age 74
September 2 1994
PREAMBLE:
Autopsy is performed by me Hugh F. Frame M.D. in the preparation room of the French Funeral Home in Gouverneur New York at 9:30 A.M. on September 2 1994 The autopsy is authorized by Dorothy C. McGuinness the wife of the deceased and this authorization limits the examination to the lung or chest area only I am assisted at the autopsy by two assistants of Mr. French who identify the body to me as that of Mr.Thomas McGuinness
EXTERNAL : APPEARANCES
The body is that of an elderly white male who appears well developed and well nourished No evidence of great loss of weight is seen Numbers of ecchymoses are seen within both antecubital fossae and within the skin of both forearms
some in conjunction with needle puncture marks The body has been embalmed via the right carotid vessels
INTERNAL APPEARANCES
Widespread dense adhesions are present between the pleural layers throughout the left thoracic cavity The visceral and parietal pleural layers on this
side are firmly adherent throughout with obliteration of the pleural cavity
No pockets of fluid or pus are dense that sharp dissection is lung from the cavity In many
found between the layers The adhesions are so required in many places for removal of the left places therefore where sharp dissection is
required thin layers of lung tissue or visceral pleura are left firmly adherent to the chest wall and dome of the diaphragm so that it is not possible
to inspect the inner layer of the thoracic wall for pleural plaques In areas
where the two pleural layers can be separated the pleurae are seen to be
thickened and opaque and white in appearance and are thickened up to 1 or 2 mm
in thickness
Pleural adhesions are less widespread within the right thoracic cavity and occur only over the posterior aspect of the right upper lobe and throughout apex of the right upper lobe In these regions the adhesions are dense and difficult to separate but they are separated without sharp dissection At other levels the pleurae on this side are smooth and glistening No acute
pleural reaction is seen in the right thoracic cavity
the
The trachea and bronchi are of normal dimensions and are lined by smooth
glistening mucosae No tumors can be demonstrated arising from these structures or from the primary bronchi and bronchi within the hila of the lungs Both lungs are expanded and no areas of collapse of lung tissue can be seen Both lungs show diffuse emphysematous changes in that throughout the lung tissues are seen numerous tiny dilated air sacs which measure between 1 and 3 mm in diameter No large emphysematous bullae are found No fibrosis
of the lungs is apparent
fibrous bands and no old within the lung tissues
either in the form of fibrous nodules or longer
granulomata or calcified nodules are demonstrated
No tumors are discovered Within the apex of the
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McGuinness Thomas Eugene
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left lower lobe however an irregular nodule of solidification of the lung tissues is found This irregular nodule measures up to 2.8 cm in greatest dimension and is firm or hard to palpation In the solidified area the lung
tissues are gray or black in appearance and a central area of cavitation is
seen on sectioning the nodule The irregular cavity measures up to 1.5 cm in diameter and contains a small quantity of gray or black fluid No other such lesions are found within the lungs and no areas of bronchopneumonic consolidation are palpable The lung tissues are grayish red in color and show a moderate anthracotic mottling in most areas Pulmonary congestion and pulmonary edema are not noticeable but this is an embalmed body
A prominent feature in the examination of the lungs and bronchi is the presence of numbers of enlarged calcified lymph nodes within the bronchial groups The largest of these nodes measures 3 x 2 x 1.5 cm in diameter and
the smallest which are seen enclosed within the hila of the lungs on both sides
measure up to 8 mm in diameter Most of these enlarged lymph nodes are completely calcified and hard or rock to palpation The larger nodes will not yield to sectioning by any instrument Numbers of the smaller lymph nodes can be sectioned and show partial or complete replacement by crumbly yellowish calcified material No caseation or suppuration is discovered within the nodes which can be sectioned and no tumor is apparent
The heart is not examined in detail The pericardial sac contains
approximately 15 ml of clear pale yellow fluid and the pericardial layers appear free from disease Myocardial hypertrophy is not prominent within
either ventricle
MICROSCOPIC APPEARANCES
Both lungs show diffuse vesicular emphysematous changes
At some levels
little fibrosis can be seen but at other points irregular islands of scarring
or fibrosis can be seen The dilated air sacs vary in size and some
particularly in association with the fibrosed areas are quite large with
attenuated walls
In some instances the walls of the distended alveoli have
ruptured The solid nodule found within the apex of the left lower lobe is
made up of dense fibrous connective tissue which alternates with islands and
layers of closely packed macrophages The fibrous tissue seems to vary in age from place to place and at some points the fibrous tissue stains brightly
eosinophilic and is relatively acellular The closely packed macrophages are dusted with grayish or pale brown pigment which under polarized light is seen
to be doubly refractile and made up of tiny spots or small shaped
bodies The fibrous nodule also shows irregular foci of black or gray pigment
which is not doubly refractile Rare small collections of lymphocytes are
scattered throughout the fibrous nodule
The smaller fibrous scars seen
elsewhere in the lung sections show similar collections of macrophages
containing doubly refractile material and small deposits of blackish pigment
No areas of caseation are seen in the fibrosed areas and multinucleated giant
cells are not prominent No tumor is made out in these lung sections called ferruginous or asbestos bodies are easily found within the lung sections and can be seen singly or in clusters within alveoli in many places and also within the interstitial framework of the lungs at some points The
visceral pleural layers where seen show well marked fibrous thickening
Sections are taken from lymph nodes and also the large calcified lymph nodes
are sectioned and decalcified
The nodes show replacement or partial
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McGuinness Thomas Eugene
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replacement by rounded masses of acellular eosinophilic material throughout
which in some sections can be seen numbers of multinucleated giant cells
Pigmentation of these nodes is not prominent and no doubly refractile material
can be demonstrated within the nodes
Within the large calcified nodes the
nodes are completely replaced by acellular eosinophilic material which has a whorled appearance at some levels and which resembles old partially calcified
caseation
No active granulomata are demonstrated within the sections
The fibrous nodule within the apex of left lower lobe does not appear to be
granulomatous in origin
AUTOPSY FINDINGS
1. Pleural adhesions marked left thoracic cavity 2. Diffuse pleural fibrosis mainly left thoracic cavity 3. Emphysema with pulmonary fibrosis
4. Mixed dust fibrosis with asbestosis
Frame
Hugh F. Frame M.D. Pathologist
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