A patient was a seven-year-old girl and had been in good health until the present illness. She was admitted to the Osaka University Hospital because of fever and systemic lymphadenopathy which was not suppressed by INAH, PAS and any other antibiotics. She was anemic and had a temperature of 38°C.
Physical and laboratory findings showed no sign of bacterial and viral infections. Lymph nodes were palpable at the right neck, submandibular, left axillar and bilateral inguinal region. Hepatosplenomegaly was also noticed. Immunological studies revealed deficiency of cellular immunity. Lymph node biopsy of the left neck was performed and histological diagnosis was non-specific, chronic lymphadenitis. No chemotherapeutic agents were administrated. She fell into downhill course and died on December 5, 1976.
Pathological examination of autopsied material revealed generalized, invasive proliferation of morphologically atypical histiocytes and a diagnosis of malignant histiocytosis (Rappaport) was made.
In this paper we tried to study retrospectively on biopsied materials and discuss the comparison of the findings of biopsied and autopsied lymph nodes. Pertinent literature was reviewed and relationship of malignant histiocytosis and histiocytic medullary reticulosis was discussed.
