Study of nuclear diameters in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas

The mean maximum nuclear diameter (D(max)) in 21 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has been determined, using the Reichert-Jung (Kontron) MOP-AMO(3) user-controlled image analyser. Nuclear diameters of high-grade malignancy NHL were found to be considerably greater than those of low-grade malignancy lymphomas, although there was some overlap of their ranges. These findings confirm objectively subjective estimates of nuclear size in NHL. The relative usefulness of the user-controlled (interactive) image analyser for the measurement of nuclei in tissue sections is compared with that of a fully automatic machine.