Anitschkow nuclear changes in postmortem pericardial scrapings.
OBJECTIVE
To document the presence of Anitschkow nuclear changes (ANC) in pericardial mesothelium at autopsy after the incidental finding of ANC in pericardial scrapings from a fatal case of overwhelming sepsis.


METHODS
Fourteen, nonconsecutive autopsy cases were studied. Using the edge of a scalpel, the visceral pericardium from the left ventricle was scraped, and the sample was smeared onto glass slides, fixed in 95% ethanol, Papanicolaou stained and evaluated for the presence of ANC. Histologic correlation was also performed.


RESULTS
ANC were observed in pericardial mesothelial cells in 6 of 14 cases. Sepsis was the cause of death in three. Fatal cardiac arrhythmia, T-cell lymphoma and fulminant hepatic necrosis were found in the remaining cases. While readily seen in cytologic preparations, ANC were found focally in only one case examined histologically.


CONCLUSIONS
Postmortem cytologic evaluation provides information relevant to the autopsy. In this study, ANC were very clearly seen in six pericardial scrapings. Clinical correlation supports the current theory that ANC represent a nonspecific reactive cell change.
Division of Cytopathology, Department of Pathology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-0548, USA.
C P
CP
Molina
V J
VJ
Schnadig
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001344:Autopsy; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003581:Cytodiagnosis; D004848:Epithelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010496:Pericardium / Q000648:ultrastructure*