Juvenile aponeurotic fibroma: an ultrastructural study

The light and electron microscopic findings in a case of juvenile aponeurotic fibroma are described. The tumor was composed of fibromatosislike areas and cartilagelike islands with characteristic calcification. The ultrastructural study verified the cartilaginous nature of this tumor. The cartilagelike islands were made up of chondrocytic cells embedded in an abundant intercellular matrix containing fine fibrils, spherical granules, and pleomorphic membrane-bound vesicles. The chondrocytic cells had many microvilli, a well-developed granular endoplasmic reticulum, and a prominent Golgi complex. In the periphery of each cartilagelike island was a perichondriumlike structure exhibiting transitional features from fibroblastic cells to chondrocytic cells. The fibromatosislike areas consisted of spindle-shaped fibroblastic cells and occasional myofibroblasts. The morphologic pattern of the tumor somewhat mimics embryonal chondrogenesis, and the fibromatosislike areas may represent an overgrowth of the fibrous layer of the perichondrium. It is possible to regard this tumor as an organoid tumor having a capacity for bidirectional differentiation into cartilage and fibrous tissue.