1999 Volume 38 Issue 6 Pages 528-534
Background:“Pseudocilia” was first reported by Ebner as a cilia-like structure of ovarian carcinoma cells in peritoneal effusion. The present paper describs the details of adenocarcinoma cells with “pseudocilia” which had been demonstrated in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) obtained from a patient with meningeal carcinomatosis that resulted from an extension of carcinoma from the lung.
Case: Cytological examination of CSF performed on a 58-year-old female patient revealed adenocarcinoma cells with “pseudocilia”. Following this, the primary focus was found in the lung and the patient died in the third month after the onset.
At the autopsy, none of adenocarcinoma cells with “pseudocilia” were observed in cytological specimens from both touch smear of the lung and CSF. A surface coat was clearly demonstrated on the surface of these cells which were positive for CEA and surfactant apoprotein. The electron microscopic observation revealed lamellar bodies, nuclear inclusions and intracytoplasmic lumina. Further, there were microvilli aligned in a radial pattern on the surface of some carcinoma cells.
Conclusion: “Pseudocilia” observed in the adenocarcinoma cell in CSF may correspond to microvilli of cells that originate from the lung.
