Roundness of epithelial nuclei in bronchial mucosa

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the shape of epithelial nuclei in bronchial mucosa. STUDY DESIGN: Bronchoscopic mucosal samples from 12 patients with chronic b ronchitis and 14 patients with squamous cell bronchial carcinoma were routi nely processed and stained with the hematoxylin and eosin method. Fields wi th stratification and squamous metaplasia were selected. The roundness of e pithelial nuclei was estimated using Lucia, version 3.51 ab, with an object ive of 40:1 (NA = 0.65) and final magnification of 1,900:1. The images were manually edited. Roundness was calculated from area and perimeter. RESULTS: The mean roundness in stratification and squamous metaplasia in br onchial mucosa from carcinoma patients (0.90 +/- 0.04) was significantly gr eater than in bronchial mucosa from chronic bronchitis patients (0.80 +/- 0 .006) (P <.05). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that cell nuclei in stratification and squ amous metaplasia in patients without bronchial cancer are more elongated th an nuclei found under the same conditions in patients with squamous cell ca rcinoma.