[Immunohistological studies of immune dermatoses on reconstituted paraffin sections. Value and comparison of...

In a study on 26 patients with autoimmune diseases the immunostaining for immunoglobulins and complement in frozen sections was compared with that in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections. The formalin-fixed material of pemphigus vulgaris, lupus erythematosus, bullous pemphigoid, and dermatitis herpetiformis (Duhring's disease) was reconstituted and stained by means of the standard two-step technique (TST), the peroxidase-antiperoxidase technique (PAP), and the streptavidin-biotin method (SAB). In comparison with frozen sections, immunoglobulins and complement could also be demonstrated in formalin-fixed sections in all cases of pemphigus vulgaris and in 85% of cases of discoid lupus erythematosus, but in only 60% of cases of bullous pemphigoid or Duhring's disease. PAP and SAB proved to be about equally reliable, but TST was significantly less dependable.