DETERMINATION OF RELIABLE HISTOLOGICAL FEATURES ASSOCIATED WITH EARLYTRIPLOIDY USING DNA IMAGE CYTOMETRY

In order to determine reliable histological features characterizing tr iploidy, the following features were examined and graded by three path ologists on 46 early abortion specimens : hydropic swelling of the vil li, cisterns, villous scalloping trophoblastic hyperplasia with syncyt ial vacuolization, single cytotrophoblastic cells in villous stroma, t rophoblastic inclusions, microcalcifications and fibrosis. At the same time, the DNA content of the 46 specimens was quantified cytophotomet rically using the CAS 200 image analyzer, in order to confirm or not t he diagnosis of triploidy. Triploidy was confirmed in 45.7%, and in th e triploid group, the grading of three features differed significantly from the non triploid group i.e. cisterns (p < 0.001), trophoblastic hyperplasia (p < 0.05) and trophoblastic inclusions (p < 0.05). Using these three features we were able to give a triploid score per slide w hich represents the sum of the grades of each of these three features. The minimum score obtained was 0, the maximum was 6. The average of t hese scores in the triploid group was 3.095, and 1.45 in the non tripl oid group (p < 0.001). This scoring method on the three significant fe atures (cisterns, trophoblastic hyperplasia and trophoblastic inclusio ns) appears to be useful to classify an abortion specimen as triploid or not, and to select the specimens for which a DNA quantification may be necessary.