3-DIMENSIONAL RECONSTRUCTION OF BENIGN LYMPHOID AGGREGATES IN BONE-MARROW TREPHINES

Distinguishing between deposits of low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma an d benign lymphoid aggregates in bone marrow trephine sections is a rec ognized problem in haematopathology. To test the hypothesis that benig n lymphoid aggregates do not make contact with a trabecular surface, t hree-dimensional models were constructed of five serially sectioned bo ne marrow trephines, containing a total of 19 lymphoid aggregates know n to be benign. The computer-generated images showed that benign lymph oid aggregates were located in the central marrow space and did not be come paratrabecular. This suggests that a paratrabecular location may help in some cases to distinguish deposits of low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma from benign lymphoid aggregates.