Nuclear volume in type I gastric intestinal metaplasia.
OBJECTIVE
To retrospectively compare nuclear size of epithelial cells in type I intestinal metaplasia (IM) from various pathologic lesions of gastric mucosa.


METHODS
Endoscopic mucosal biopsies with type I IM from intestinal type gastric carcinoma (n = 25), chronic gastritis (n = 40) and benign ulcer (n = 32) cases were analyzed. After standard fixation, embedding, sectioning, routine hematoxylin and eosin and alcian blue--periodic acid--Schiff reaction (pH 1.0 and 2.5) staining were used for identification of IM. The mean point sampled nuclear intercept was estimated by the original test system and 100x objective at a total magnification of 1,200x. To obtain the mean nuclear volume, the cubed nuclear intercept was multiplied by pi/3. In each case 100 epithelial cell nuclei were analyzed.


RESULTS
In type I IM in gastric carcinoma cases there was significantly greater nuclear volume (118.34 +/- 10.32 micron 3) than in type I IM in other pathologic states of gastric mucosa (77.72 +/- 8.58 micron 3).


CONCLUSIONS
The karyometric findings of the present study suggest a difference between type I IM found in benign pathologic states and type I IM found in gastric mucosa surrounding carcinoma, despite morphologic and histochemical similarities. Nuclear volume may be used in early detection of precancerous states of gastric mucosa.
Mihailović
D
D
Institute of Pathology, Medical Faculty, University of Nis, Serbia, Yugoslavia. mihapat@kalca.junis.ni.ac.yu
Dordević
B
B
Mihailović
V
V
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001706:Biopsy; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*; D005756:Gastritis / Q000473:pathology; D005773:Gastroscopy; D006801:Humans; D019044:Image Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D007620:Karyometry; D008297:Male; D008679:Metaplasia / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000473:pathology*; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000473:pathology