Congenital enlargement of one or several digits of the hands or feet (macrodactyly) is a rare disorder. A considerable proportion of the patients with this condition are referred to dermatology departments. The majority of the cases reported in the literature represent hamartomas with combined hypertrophy of several, predominantly lipomatous, soft tissue components and overgrowth of bone. The differential diagnosis includes Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber syndrome, neurofibromatosis, Milroy disease, and Proteus syndrome. We describe eight cases of congenital macrodactyly, discuss the findings, and propose a simple clinicopathologic terminology.

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Aspergillosis is one of the commonest diseases seen in avian practice. It is caused by fungi of the genus Aspergillus, mainly by A. fumigatus. Despite this being a well-known disorder, diagnosis and treatment of clinical cases is challenging. Birds will develop disease in two different scenarios: either when exposed to an overwhelming spore challenge or when the bird has a compromised immune system, often due to an underlying immunosuppressive status linked to poor husbandry or concurrent diseases. A presumptive diagnosis is often obtained by a combination of different techniques, including imaging techniques, haematology, biochemistry and serum protein analysis among others. Definitive diagnosis in the live bird is only achieved by endoscopy with cytology or fungal culture of biopsies and identification of samples of affected organs. Antifungal therapy, often based on an azole, is the core of the medical therapy, used in combination with other drugs and supportive care. Treatment is often required for a minimum of 8 weeks and the patient should be monitored long term. Management of aspergillosis should address any potential underlying causes.

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