Pia arachnoid mesothelial cell Information and Courses from MediaLab, Inc.
These are the MediaLab courses that cover Pia arachnoid mesothelial cell and links to relevant pages within the course.
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| What types of cells are present in this field? | View Page |
| Pia Arachnoid Mesothelial Cells (continued) Seven mesothelial cells are seen in this slide. Notice that all of the nuclei have a distinct shape with no evidence of irregular division. Chromatin pattern is typical of cells that originate in the tissues. Cytoplasm is irregular and some pseudopods are evident, especially in the lower portion of the field.
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| Pia Arachnoid Mesothelial Cells (continued) A reactive pia arachnoid mesothelial cell as noted by the darker cytoplasm is present in this field. Reactive cells are a common finding in cytospin smears from spinal fluid samples and are sometimes difficult to distinguish from tumor cells. Mesothelial cells are usually interspersed among the other cells, rather than appearing in clumps. They have a single distinct nuclei that may be eccentric.
The macrophages (histiocytes) are seen next to the mesothelial cell. Macrophages are distinguished from circulating monocytes by the irregular appearing cytoplasm. Bacteria, red cells or other debris can often be seen in the cytoplasm of macrophages.
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| What type are the cells in this field? | View Page |
| Malignant Cells Malignant cells that have broken away from a tumor within the brain or meninges may also be present in spinal fluid. Tumor cells may be difficult to distinguish from macrophages or pia arachnoid mesothelial cells. While blasts in the CSF also indicate malignancy, in particular leukemia, for the purposes of this discussion, they are considered separately. | View Page |
| Pia Arachnoid Mesothelial Cells Pia arachnoid mesothelial (PAM) cells are often found in spinal fluid because they line the arachnoid space between the skull and the cerebrum. Ependymal cells which line the ventricles may also be present. Since ependymal and mesothelial cells are normal findings, the term mesothelial is sometimes used as a general term for both. It is essential to differentiate these tissue cells from blast cells or tumor cells which have diagnostic significance. An example of a pia arachnoid mesothelial cell, as indicated by the arrow, is present in this slide. Differentiating characteristics of this type of cell include an off-center, single, round nucleus and irregular cytoplasm that exhibits pseudopods.
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