[Morphological study of the genesis and development of gastric intestinal metaplasia]

We stained 77 resected stomachs with Alcianblue and studied the distribution and the morphological features of intestinal metaplasia by macroscopic and stereoscopic observation using a clinical point drying method. And we made complete serial sections of minute metaplastic foci to study the reason why intestinal metaplasia show different features in particular areas of the stomach. The results are: Intestinal metaplasia exists both in pyloric gland area and intermediate zone in 92.2% of all cases (71/77). In intermediate zone, almost all metaplastic foci consist of complete type of intestinal metaplasia and in contrast incomplete type of it is more prevalent in pyloric gland area. The ratio of the 2 histological types in each area is not different in cases which metaplastic foci are sparse and in cases which they are extensive. Metaplastic foci are usually elevated in pyloric gland area and depressed in intermediate zone. By serial sections, many goblet cell metaplasias are observed at the flat portions of the mucosa in pyloric gland area. In intermediate zone, all minute metaplastic foci are observed at the bottoms of the grooves of the mucosa.