Abstract
Observation was made on the change of enterochromaffin cells in 9 types of appendicitis which were classified histopathologically with dissected appendices from 201 patients. In the normal appendix, the average number of enterochromaffin cells per crypt was less than one in a thickness of 8 µ when stained with Argentaffin Reaction, Ferric Ferricyanide Reduction Test or Diazosafranine Staining. It was observed that the value of the ratio of the number of enterochromaffin cells to the number of crypts became smaller in the order; normal type > lymphoid hyperplasia type > catarrhal inflammation type > phlegmonous inflammation and gangrenous inflammation type. However, no significant difference was obtained among inflammatory edema type, chronic inflammation type and scarring type. A relationship was found between the changes of the enterochromaffin cells and the severity of inflammation. From these results, the significance of the enterochromaffin cells in appendicitis was discussed.
