STEREOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SYNOVIAL-MEMBRANE IN RHEUMATIC DISORDERS - DIAGNOSTIC-VALUE OF VOLUME-WEIGHTED MEAN NUCLEAR VOLUME ESTIMATION

Quantitative evaluation of nuclear size of synoviocytes was performed on 48 synovial biopsies in various rheumatic disorders: osteoarthritis (n = 10), rheumatoid arthritis (11), and chronic non-specific synovit is (14). Thirteen tissue specimens from non-inflammatory synovial memb rane were included as a control group. Using the point-sampled interce pts method, unbiased stereological estimates of volume-weighted mean n uclear volume (nuclear <(nu)over bar>(v)) were obtained. A slight incr ease in nuclear volume was observed in osteoarthritis in comparision w ith the control group with an overlap in 90% of cases. However, in rhe umatoid arthritis there was a significant increase of nuclear <(nu)ove r bar>(v). Significant differences were found between rheumatoid arthr itis and the control and osteoarthritis groups (P less than or equal t o 0.001). In biopsies from patients diagnosed as chronic non-specific synovitis the averaged nuclear <(nu)over bar>(v) values were between t hose in osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis with a wide range of d ata. Similar, but less significant differences were demonstrated betwe en rheumatic disorders when using mean nuclear area. Further analysis of chronic non-specific synovitis patients in combination with nuclear <(nu)over bar>(v) estimates as a simple, unbiased, complementary tool are required to better establish the diagnostic value of nuclear ster eology in the diagnosis of rheumatic disorders.