[Diagnostic possibilities of conjunctival biopsy]

Conjunctival biopsy was found to play a major role in neuropathological and ophthalmopathological diagnosis. Quite a number of general and systemic diseases have proved to be reflected in the conjunctiva, although the latter was not necessarily conspicuous in clinical examination or slit-lamp microscopy. No review papers have so far become available to give a summarising account of the most important findings from ultrastructural and immunohistochemical investigations or optical light microscopy. A brief description of both conjunctival anatomy and the technique of conjunctival biopsy, including impression cytology is followed, in this paper, by an account of 40 pathological patterns. Particular attention is given to the most common indications, juvenile thesaurismosis, sarcoidosis, oculocutaneous diseases, and Sicca syndrome.