Related Experiment Videos
Granular cells in oral lichen planus
E H van der Meij1, I van der Waal
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Oral Pathology, Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA)/Academic Hospital Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Objective And Design:
Three cases of granular cells associated with oral lichen planus (OLP) have been reported to date, which prompted us to look for the presence of granular cells in a consecutive series of 250 cases of OLP in the period 1996-1998.
Results:
Only one case with granular cell changes was encountered in that series. H&E stained slides as well as direct immunofluorescence examination showed characteristics compatible with OLP. Part of the subepithelial connective tissue was replaced by a granular cell proliferation; S-100 protein was diffusely expressed in all granular cells, whereas no expression of smooth muscle actin was observed.
Conclusion:
Based on these findings it seems unlikely that the granular cells in the present case represent a so-called 'oral ceroid granuloma'. The presence of granular cells might rather have been a reactive phenomenon triggered by the inflammatory infiltrate or a granular cell tumour (GCT). Whether the simultaneous presence of a GCT and OLP in this particular case was based on a causal relationship or on coincidence still remains unknown.