[Cytomorphology of the basic histological forms of thymus tumors (cytohistological parallels)]

Cytomorphology of various histological types of thymic tumours was studied on transthoracic punctures and scrapes from the operatively removed thymomas. Cytological material was stained by Pappenheim with hematoxylin and eosin, by modified Papanicolau' method as well as by means of luminescent and phase-contrast microscopy. Histological slides were stained with hematoxylin and eosin. Cytological diagnostics of thymomas is based on the detection of the two main types of cells--lymphoid and epithelial. Hassals' bodies are detectable very rarely in the material of lymphoid thymomas punctures. The cytological features characteristic of lymphoid, lymphoepithelial, epithelial, and spindle-cell thymoma are described. The identity of cell types in both cytological smears and histological slides is stated, taking into account their changes in these two research methods.