[Cytological verification of histological variants of lymphogranulomatosis]

Punch biopsies of the affected lymph nodes from 60 patients with lymphogranulomatosis were examined in order to verify cytologically the histological variants of the disease. It was established by a correlation between the cytological picture and histological diagnosis that the morphological structure of Berezovsky--Sternberg cells is the basis for the cytological verification of the lymphogranulomatosis histological type. Cells with polymorphic nuclei containing large nucleoli are characteristic of a mixed-cell variant of the tumour, So-called lacunar cells with a clear cytoplasm and multiple small monomorphic nuclei with small nucleoli are specific for a nodular variant. Pronounced cell polymorphism is characteristic of the so-called reticular type with suppression of lymphoid tissue; this type of lymphogranulomatosis is verified tentatively if an essential number of lymphoid cells are present in smears.