AUTHOR=Grillo Federica , Campora Michela , Cornara Laura , Cascini Alberta , Pigozzi Simona , Migliora Paola , Sarocchi Francesca , Mastracci Luca 

TITLE=The Seeds of Doubt: Finding Seeds in Intriguing Places

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Medicine

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/medicine/articles/10.3389/fmed.2021.655113

DOI=10.3389/fmed.2021.655113

ISSN=2296-858X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Introduction:</bold> Seeds may be found in gastrointestinal tissue samples, and their multifaceted appearance may be challenging. The aim is to report a rough incidence of pathology samples which show seeds, specify the most frequent sample types and show an iconography of the most commonly identified seeds.</p><p><bold>Materials and Methods:</bold> Between 2017 and 2020, all gastrointestinal pathology cases in which seeds/seed parts were found, were collected and seed type described by referencing a seed image library.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Fifty cases with complete seeds/seed parts were collected: 16 colonic resections for colorectal cancer and diverticulosis, 13 appendiceal resections for appendicitis, 1 gastric resection. Fifteen cases were found in polypectomy specimens and 5 cases in colorectal endoscopic biopsies. Most frequent seed types were tomato, kiwi, blueberry, and blackberry seeds.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> Seeds may be found in up to 4% of specimens; their recognition may be useful to exclude parasitic infections as well as in forensic sciences.</p>