title: Morphometric discrimination between syndromic (Gorlin) and nonsyndromic keratocysts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To search for morphologic nuclear features in the epithelial lining of odontogenic keratocysts to differentiate simple from Gorlin syndrome cysts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five cases of syndrome-associated keratocysts and five of simple ones were studied. Thirty nuclei from the epithelial basal layer for each case were analyzed by the shape analytical morphometry (SAM) software system to quantitatively evaluate nuclear dimensions (area, perimeter, diameter), contour irregularities and nuclear shape asymmetries. Results were subjected to Student's t test and cluster analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Values of nuclear dimensions were very close in both groups of keratocysts, without any significant statistical differences. The variables related to nuclear profile irregularities, as well as those describing nuclear asymmetry, showed significantly higher values (P < .001) in syndromic cysts. Cluster analysis produced two different clusters by using variables related to nuclear contour irregularities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preliminary results indicate the existence of nuclear morphologic differences between simple and syndromic cysts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathological Anatomy and Genetics, University of Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giardina
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Caniglia
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lettini
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Valente
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Poliseno
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tantimonaco
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Favia
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001478:Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D009807:Odontogenic Cysts / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure