A 38-year-old teacher was first seen on January 7, 1972, for the evaluation of splenomegaly. He had been admitted to the Kanto Chuo Hospital in October 1971, when a diagnosis of myelofibrosis had been made by a biopsy material of the iliac marrow.
On physical examination he was anemic and the spleen was felt 2 cm. below the navel. Blood examination revealed hemoglobin 9.9 Gm. per 100 m
l., RBC 3,800,000 per cu. mm., hematocrit 31%, reticulocytes 1.2%, WBC 13,900 per cu. mm. with 13% myeloblasts, 12.5% basophils and 7 nucleated red cells per 200 white cells. Neutrophil alkaline phosphatase score was low and Ph
1 chromosome negative. Platelet count was 645,000 per cu. mm.
The first admission was on January 28, 1972, for the ferrokinetic study. PID T/2 was 30.4 minutes and highest RCIU 41%. A body surface counting study revealed a highest radioactivity over the spleen region.
A diagnosis of primary myelofibrosis with myeloid metaplasia of the spleen was made and he was placed on a daily dose of 20 mgm. of 6-mercaptopurine. On September 16, 1972, he was readmitted with sudden symptoms of ileus, which was relieved by a high pressure enema.
At the beginning of February 1973 his conditions deteriorated with high fever, anemia and tenderness of the enlarged spleen and he was admitted for the third time on March 2, 1973.
On the third admission 60% of the peripheral leukocytes were identified as atypical myeloblasts. He expired on April 11, 1973, after high fever and recurrent ileus.
Autopsy revealed hypercellular marrow with atypical myeloblasts and myelofibrosis. Spleen weighed 4,070 Gm. with myeloid metaplasia and an infiltration of immature blastoid cells. Direct cause of death was ileus attributed to adhesion and distortion of the jejunum.
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