With a scanning electronmicroscopic study on the lining epithelial cells of the human endometrium in various pathologic conditions, the following results were obtained.
ENDOMETRIAL HYPERPLASIA: The findings of the endometrial surface in the case of endometrial hyperplasia are similar to those in the mid-proliferative phase in the aspects of the protrusion of the surface cells, the openings of endometrial glands and rather slender and densely-packed microvilli. However, semispherical protrusion of the cell surface and hypertrophied microvilli, which are characteristic in early and mid-proliferative phases were never observed. The sizes of the cells faced to the uterine cavity are not uniform through their surface area and the grade of protrusion is 1.4 times as much as those in a proliferative phase.
ENDOMETRIAL POLYPS: No characteristic surface ultrastructure for endometrial polyps were obtained. However, in a few cases, free surface of the endometrial cells are quite flat and wide, being formed into the polygonal shape by the swollen intercellular parts which are supposed to be the terminal-bar. Microvilli on the surface of these cells are around 0.1μ in their length and width, and similar to pin-heads. These findings may suggest the over-distention of the cell surface.
SUBMUCOUS MYOMATA: The findings of the endometrium which lied over submucous myoma-knots are varied depending on the grade of extrusion of these knots into the uterine cavity.
1) In case of slightly protruded myoma-knots; Protrusion on the free cellular surface is slightly smaller than those of the normal endometrium, and it is surrounded by flat free cellular surface with various sizes. The cellular arrangement is irregular.
2) In case of semispherically protruded myoma-knots;The endometuium which covered these knots showed severe atrophic changes similar to those in the senile endometrium, and the cellular arrangement is much more irregular.
3) In case of polyp-like myoma-knots; The endometrium covering the myoma-knots showed the most atrophic findings. The free cellular surface slightly protruded in the shape of triangular or hexangular prisms. Microvilli on that surface looked like pin-heads. The surface of ciliated cells, which ordinally located lower than that of unciliated cells, were at the same level of the latter. Those cilia figured like needles and their number was reduced to the half of that found in the normal cells.
ENDOMETRIAL CANCER: In most cases of endometrial cancer, the rough and irregular surface of cancer cells can be observed among necrotized tissue, since the covering endometrium were almost fallen out. The cell surface are quite large in comparison with those found in other desease and they protruded in the spindle or semioval or cylinder shapes. The cellular arrangement was quite irregular. These findings seem to reflect the atypia of the cancer cells on the surface structure. The sparsely distributed spot-like microvilli on the free surface may be interpreted as the signs of undifferentiation or anaplasia of cancer cells. The findings of the glandular openings are characteristic for each type of cancers and can be used to differentiate one from each other.
1) Tubular adenocarcinoma; The glandular openings show the infundibular recess which transformed into the deep pit and their surroundings are flat. These opening places rather closely.
2) Adenomatous adenocarcinoma; The openings are surrounded by 6-10 cells and elevatted like the bank. Their distribution is quite in high density.
3) Papillary adenocarcinoma; The arbor-like mass of cells which are 40-80μ in diameter protruded into uterine cavity and the glandular openings could never be observed.
THE ENDOMETRIUM WITH IUD: The endometrial surface contacted directly to the IUD showed the recess and the endometrium very close to the IUD showed the slight elevation in comparison with the normal endometrium. In this recess, the covering epithelium
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