Computerized three-dimensional reconstruction of the crypt system of the palatine tonsil

The purpose of the present study is to note the three-dimensional structure of the tonsillar crypt using computer graphics methods. The tonsils used herein were human tonsils obtained from the surgical operation, and were cut in serial sections according to ordinary procedures. The crypt contours obtained from the serial sections were used as inputs to the computer (PC-9801 VM) through the image-scanner (PC-IN 502). The three-dimensional structure of the human tonsillar crypt revealed by computer graphics, showed that the crypts had not only branches but also anastomosis, and that they could divide into two types, a simple unbranched crypt and a complicated branched one. Generally, the simple type of crypt was located in the peripheral zone of the tonsils and the complicated type in the central zone. These findings are discussed briefly and with reference to previous reports.