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Reflected light microscopy, inverse (negative) pigment network
Synonym(s)
inverse pigment network
DefinitionThis section has been translated automatically.
Reflected light microscopic phenomenon in which pigment is more strongly enriched in the papillary body (mesh centres) than in the low-pigmented or no pigment retention bars. The retete bars then appear brighter, so to speak as a "negative" of the network.
General informationThis section has been translated automatically.
Reflected light microscopy: In the mesh centres corresponding to the papillary bodies, pigmented corpuscular elements stain the dermal papillae grey-blue, black-brown, brown or reddish. The low-pigmented reticules then appear light.
OccurrenceThis section has been translated automatically.
Within the group of pigment cell tumors, malignant melanoma shows a high specificity (sensitivity 21%) for inverse pigment networks with over 90%. Other examples with this phenomenon are epithelial cell nevi and rarely congenital nevi. Outside the group of pigment cell lesions inverse patterns are common, e.g. haemangiomas, lymphangiomas, T-cell lymphomas, bleeding into the papillary body.
HistologyThis section has been translated automatically.
Naevocytes, atypical melanocytes, melanophages, erythrocytes or other pigmented components pile up in the papillary dermis.
LiteratureThis section has been translated automatically.
- Schulz H (2002) Reflected light microscopic vital histology. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
- Proud W, Braun-Falco O, Bilek P, Landthaler M, Burgdorf WHC, Cognetta AB (2002) Color atlas of dermatoscopy. Blackwell, Berlin Vienna