title: Cytomorphometric analysis of exfoliated cells in oral lichen planus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tumors are distinguished from normal tissues partly by their pronounced variability of cellular and nuclear dimensions. Therefore, such factors may be an indicator to assess whether the cells are malignant or not. Exfoliative cytology is a reliable tool in assessing such changes in the uterine cervix and has been used in the oral cavity also with success. The aims and objectives of the following study were to evaluate the malignant changes by assessing the quantitative parameters such as cytoplasmic diameter, cytoplasmic perimeter and cytoplasmic area (CD, CP, CA) and nuclear diameter, nuclear perimeter and nuclear area (ND, NP, NA) and cytoplasmic to nuclear ratio in the exfoliated cells of various subtypes of oral lichen planus (OLP) using cytomorphometry.
  
  
  METHODS
  Oral exfoliated cells from nineteen cases of histologically proven OLP (1 atrophic, 13 reticular, 4 erosive and 1 plaque) and ten controls with healthy mucosa were taken and stained by Feulgen-Rossenback reaction and cytomorphometric analysis was performed using an image analysis software. The parameters taken into account were CD, CP, CA and ND, NP, NA. Furthermore CA/NA was calculated. The parameters were statistically analyzed using the t-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cytomorphometric analysis of all the parameters showed no significant difference between the control group and the reticular/plaque subtypes, whereas statistically significant (P < 0.05) differences was obtained between the control group and the atrophic/erosive subtypes group when compared using t-test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cytomorphometric analysis of OLP shows that erosive/atrophic subtypes of OLP are at more risk and exfoliative cytology and cytomorphometry can be used as a tool to assess the malignant changes.
authors.affiliation: Address: Department of Oral Pathology, SIBAR Institute of Dental Sciences, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Chitturi Suryaprakash Ravi
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Teja
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences, Puducherry, India.
authors.forename: A Santha
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Devy
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Rajah Muthiah Dental College and Hospital, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: R Madhavan
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Nirmal
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Sree Anjaneya Institute of Dental Sciences, Calicut, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Sunil
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Pathology, Rajah Muthiah Dental College and Hospital, Annamalai Nagar, Tamil Nadu, India.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deepasree
keywords: Cytomorphometry; exfoliative cytology; oral lichen planus
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