1996 Volume 35 Issue 2 Pages 105-113
Authors studied the normal neurocytology of the central nervous system, using six non-diseased adult brains and spinal cords. Crushed and touch smears were prepared from eleven areas from each specimen; i. e. cerebral hemisphere (frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital lobes), basal ganglia, thalamus, substantia nigra, cerebellum, choroid plexus, pineal body, and spinal cord (anterior horn).
The average numbers of each neuronal and glial cell type were counted on 30 appropriate fields at 400 x magnification and the numbers were represented graphically by percentage. These data were matched to those obtained by histology, and the cytological patterns accurately reflected the histology. Vascularity was also consistent between the two.
The numbers of glial cells and vessels were compared to those of the benign and malignant astrocytomas (each, 3 cases), being based on our afore mentioned standard numbers. The results disclosed increasing numbers of glial cells in proportion to the grading of the astrocytomas. The vascular components also showed increasing numbers. Furthermore, endothelial cell proliferation was pronounced in the malignant astrocytomas.
We found that it was usuful and applicable to cytopathological diagnosis to ascertain the normal neurocytology of the central nervous system.
