Cartilage
Revision as of 15:24, 10 December 2012 by Michael (talk | contribs) (→Synovial chondromatosis: +SO)
Cartilage is a type of connective tissue that does not commonly come across the pathologist's desk.
It comes in three flavours:[1][2]
- Hyaline cartilage, e.g. trachea.
- Fibrocartilage, e.g. intervertebral disc.
- Elastic cartilage, e.g. epiglottis.
General
Features of cartilage:[3]
- Avascular.
- Extracellular matrix with bluish tinge.
- Round cells.
Hyaline cartilage
Microscopic
Features:[4]
- Chondrocytes within small pockets (lacunae) of extracellular matrix.
- Chondrocytes:
- Spherical nucleus.
- Prominent nucleolus.
- Clear cytoplasm.
- Extracellular matrix:
- Blue-white appearance on H&E stain -- key feature.
- Chondrocytes:
Image:
Perichondrium
Microscopic
Features:
- Around cartilage.
- Increased cellular density.
- Spindle cells with poorly defined cellular borders in an eosinophilic (fibrous) stroma.
Images:
Tumours
Main article: Chondro-osseous tumours
Tumours of cartilage are dealt with in the article chondro-osseous tumours together with bone tumours.
Specific diagnoses
Synovial chondromatosis
- AKA synovial osteochondromatosis.
General
- Benign.
- Malignant transformation rare <5%.[6]
- Classically location: knee.[6]
- Hip next most common site.
- Usually adults.
- Prevalence: male > female.
Gross/radiology
- Intraarticular calcifications.
- +/-Loose bodies in the joint (AKA joint mice).
Image:
Microscopic
Features:[6]
- Hyaline cartilage +/- lobular surface.
- May have lacunae with binucleate cells.
- +/-Synovial hyperplasia - ribbon like tissue with an epithelium that has eosinophilic cytoplasm.
- Bone.
DDx:
Images:
- Synovial chondromatosis (rsna.org).
- Synovial chondromatosis - low mag. (rsna.org).
- Synovial chondromatosis (webpathology.com).
Sign out
LOOSE BODIES, RIGHT ELBOW, REMOVAL: - SYNOVIAL OSTEOCHONDROMATOSIS.
See also
References
- ↑ Young, Barbara; Lowe, James S.; Stevens, Alan; Heath, John W.; Deakin, Philip J. (2000). Wheaters Functional Histology (4th ed.). Churchill Livingstone. pp. 173-5. ISBN 978-0004881973.
- ↑ URL: http://www.lab.anhb.uwa.edu.au/mb140/CorePages/Cartilage/Cartil.htm. Accessed on: 2 January 2011.
- ↑ Cormack, David H. (2001). Essential Histology (2nd ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 178-9. ISBN 978-0781716680.
- ↑ Cormack, David H. (2001). Essential Histology (2nd ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 178. ISBN 978-0781716680.
- ↑ URL: http://apbrwww5.apsu.edu/thompsonj/Anatomy%20&%20Physiology/2010/2010%20Exam%20Reviews/Exam%201%20Review/Ch04%20Mineralized%20Connective%20Tissues.htm. Accessed on: 19 September 2012.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Murphey, MD.; Vidal, JA.; Fanburg-Smith, JC.; Gajewski, DA.. "Imaging of synovial chondromatosis with radiologic-pathologic correlation.". Radiographics 27 (5): 1465-88. doi:10.1148/rg.275075116. PMID 17848703.