Morphometric distinction of granulomas in tuberculosis and sarcoidosis. Difference in nuclear profiles.
Morphometric measurements were carried out on epithelioid-cell nuclei of noncaseating granulomas in paraffin-embedded sections of lymph node biopsy specimens originating from 15 patients with sarcoidosis and from 18 patients with tuberculosis. The results, which were obtained with the help of a computer-assisted tracing device, established highly significant differences in shape and size of epithelioid-cell nuclear profiles in these two diseases. Direct measurements and computations on these results showed that epithelioid-cell nuclear profiles in sarcoidosis have a smaller mean and median perimeter (boundary length), area and long diameter (maximum length of the nuclear profile) and exhibit a more plump, elliptical-like shape than do those in tuberculous granulomas. Epithelioid-cell nuclear profiles of the latter, as a whole, show more irregular contours, resembling those, e.g., of the sole of a shoe or other elongated patterns. Differences in shape of nuclear profiles were best demonstrated by a size-independent form factor (4 pi *area/perimeter2).
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006099:Granuloma / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012507:Sarcoidosis / Q000473:pathology*; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000473:pathology*