[Comparative study on normal tongue manifestation in patients with primary liver cancer and healthy adults].
OBJECTIVE
To find out some microscopically visible morphological differences in normal tongue manifestation between patients with primary liver cancer and healthy adults, and provide some beneficial evidences for microcosmic syndrome differentiation of tongue inspection.


METHODS
Microcirculations of the tongue tip, which represented the macroscopical normal tongue manifestation, were observed under an optical microscope in patients with primary liver cancer and healthy adults. Exfoliated cells from tongue coating were examined by hematoxylin-eosin staining.


RESULTS
The proportion of normal tongue manifestation was larger in healthy adults (38.89%) than that in patients with primary liver cancer (2.32%). The total score of microcirculation of tongue tip and the maturation index of exfoliated cells from tongue coating were both higher in patients with primary liver cancer than those in healthy adults with normal tongue manifestation (P<0.01, P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Normal tongue manifestation, which is macroscopically visible, can be observed in both patients with primary liver cancer and healthy adults, but there exists obvious difference in microcosmic view.
Deng
Wei-Zhe
WZ
Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China.
Yue
Xiao-Qiang
XQ
Liu
Qing
Q
Gao
Jing-Dong
JD
Ren
Rong-Zheng
RZ
Ling
Chang-Quan
CQ
D000328:Adult; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D008875:Middle Aged; D014059:Tongue / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology*