Nuclear size classes in the follicular epithelium of lymphoid thyroiditis

Nuclear size classes of the type originally described by Jacobj were studied in the follicular epithelium of biopsy smears from lymphoid thyroiditis. Thus, a great number of large nuclei in size classes distinct from the bulk of fairly identically sized nuclei could be clearly distinguished. By cytophotometric measurement of Feulgen-DNA, these large nuclei were found to correspond closely to nuclei in separate DNA-content-classes and they were therefore called HDC-nuclei (High DNA-quantity Class nuclei). Such nuclei proved to be more common in lymphoid thyroiditis than in normal thyroids and non-toxic goitres without lymphoid thyroiditis. Among lymphoid goitres, the percentage of HDC-nuclei was positively correlated with the age of the patients. In the present paper, the relationship between Askanazy cells and HDC-nuclei is also discussed.