Related Experiment Videos
Distinguishing lipid pseudomembranes from larval cestodes by morphologic and histochemical means
1Pathology Department, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC 20306-6000, USA.
Background:
Contributors regularly submit specimens to our institute and suggest a diagnosis of cestode infection, but the structures in question are actually lipomembranous changes that produce lipid pseudomembranes. This required a reproducible method to distinguish lipid pseudomembranes from body walls of cestodes.
Methods:
We describe and compare the morphologic and histochemical features of specimens from 20 patients. Nine specimens represented lipid pseudomembranes, and 11 represented one of the following five entities: cysticercus, coenurus, sparganum, hydatid of Echinococcus granulosus, or metastatic solid-bodied cyclophyllidean (possibly cysticercoid) larval cestodes. Specimens were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Gomori's methenamine-silver, and 72-hour oil red O. Nine patients with cestodes, and all with lipid pseudomembranes, presented with subcutaneous lesions.
Results:
In all specimens, oil red O provided marked contrast between lipid pseudomembranes and surrounding tissue, but focal or minimal contrast between larval cestodes and surrounding tissue. Unlike hematoxylin-eosin, Gomori's methenamine-silver stain produced distinctly different staining patterns in larval cestodes and lipid pseudomembranes.
Conclusions:
This technique readily permitted a simple, reproducible, and accurate distinction between lipid pseudomembranes and cestode body walls and distinguished between body walls of different cestodes.
Insights
Histochemical stains, specifically oil red O and Gomori's methenamine-silver, effectively differentiate lipid pseudomembranes from cestode larval body walls in subcutaneous lesions.
Area of Science:
- Histopathology
- Parasitology
- Diagnostic techniques
Background:
- Distinguishing lipid pseudomembranes from cestode infections is crucial for accurate diagnosis.
- Lipid pseudomembranes are often misidentified as cestode body walls by contributors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a reproducible method for differentiating lipid pseudomembranes from cestode larval body walls.
- To compare the efficacy of different histochemical stains in this differentiation.
Main Methods:
- Morphologic and histochemical analysis of 20 patient specimens (9 lipid pseudomembranes, 11 cestodes).
- Staining techniques included hematoxylin-eosin, Gomori's methenamine-silver, and 72-hour oil red O.
- Clinical presentation of subcutaneous lesions was noted for all patients.
Main Results:
- Oil red O provided marked contrast for lipid pseudomembranes but minimal contrast for cestodes.
- Gomori's methenamine-silver stain showed distinctly different patterns for larval cestodes versus lipid pseudomembranes.
- Hematoxylin-eosin showed less distinct differentiation.
Conclusions:
- Histochemical staining offers a simple, reproducible, and accurate method to distinguish lipid pseudomembranes from cestode body walls.
- The technique aids in differentiating between various cestode larval forms.