title: Histological differences between the mucosa on the medial and lateral sides of the normal uncinate process.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether histological differences exist between the medial and lateral sides of the normal mucosa of the uncinate process (UP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective histological analysis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty UPs from the nasal cavities of 17 patients with no evidence of sinus disease were harvested during endoscopic sinus surgery. The dissected mucosa was stained with hematoxylin and eosin, chromotrope 2R, alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff, and toluidine blue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  : The thickness of the nasal mucosa was significantly greater on the medial side of the UPs than on the lateral side (173 +/- 72 microm vs. 157 +/- 14 microm). The thickness of the basement membrane of the lamina propria of the mucosa was significantly greater on the medial side of the UPs than on the lateral side (2.8 +/- 2.5 microm vs. 0.8 +/- 1.0 microm). The thickness of the epithelium was greater on the lateral side than on the medial side (14 +/- 3 microm vs. 12 +/- 3 microm). The area of mucous glands was larger on the medial side than on the lateral side (43 +/- 13 x 10(-2) mm(2) vs. 33 +/- 12 x 10(-2) mm(2)). Meanwhile, the number of mast cells (4.0 +/- 1.2 vs. 1.8 +/- 0.2) and goblet cells (23.1 +/- 12.3 vs. 10.5 +/- 10.2) were both found to be higher on the lateral side than on the medial side.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are histological differences between the mucosa on the medial and lateral sides of the normal UP.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ministry of Education, Beijing Institute of Otolaryngology, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Wenyu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: She
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Demin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Luo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000166:cytology; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009297:Nasal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies