A new type of cytoplasmic inclusion in human choroid plexus. A histochemical, ultrastructural and frequency study

We described a new type of cytoplasmic inclusion in the choroidal epithelial cells of humans. The inclusions usually appeared as brown, round or elongated bodies with or without an inner core, ranging in size from 1.3 to 7.0 micron. Histochemically, they contained polysaccharides, proteins and compound lipids. Ultrastructurally, they were composed of finely granular and filamentous materials, which are densely packed in the inner core and less dense in the outer zone. The frequency study of the inclusions in 197 autopsied patients revealed that their occurrence had no correlation with the age or the disease category. It is concluded that the inclusions are a nonspecific, but peculiar, change of the choroidal epithelial cells, probably representing the morphological expression of a physiological or pathological alteration of the cellular metabolism at the single-cell level.