IMAGE CYTOMETRY CHARACTERIZATION OF PLOIDY LEVEL, PROLIFERATIVE ACTIVITY AND CHROMATIN PATTERN IN 50 NASAL POLYPS

A computer-assisted microscope analysis of Feulgen-stained nuclei was carried out on a series of 50 nasal polyps in order to try to identify specific biological subgroups. The present series of 50 nasal polyps includes single polyps both associated (n=9) and unassociated (n=9) wi th allergy and diffuse polyposis both associated (n=7) and unassociate d (n=9) with allergy, cystic fibrosis (n=9) and ASA (aspirin-sinusitis -asthma) related polyposis (n=7). The computer-assisted microscope ana lysis provides 36 quantitative variables which include 1 variable desc ribing proliferative activity, 9 describing the nuclear desoxyribonucl eic acid distribution (DNA ploidy level) and 26 describing nucleus mor phology, i.e. its size and chromatin pattern. The results show that th e methodology proposed here enabled four major groups of nasal polyps to be identified, i.e. diffuse polyposis associated with allergy, cyst ic fibrosis-related polyposis, single polyps both associated and unass ociated either with allergy and a fourth group including diffuse polyp osis not associated with allergy and ASA-related polyposis. These four groups of nasal polyps differed markedly in their morphonuclear chara cteristics, but not in the proliferative activity- and DNA ploidy-rela ted variables.