Plasmacytic conjunctivitis with crystalline inclusions. Immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies
N. A. Rao and R. L. Font
A 17-year-old girl had bilateral papillary conjunctivitis. Histologically,
the lesion showed mature plasmacytes, plasmacytoid cells, and large
mononuclear cells that exhibited myriad intracytoplasmic crystals. Electron
microscopic studies disclosed that the large mononuclear cells, which
showed plasmacytic differentiation, contained numerous crystalline
inclusions. The crystals were formed within the rough-surfaced endoplasmic
reticulum and exhibited a regular periodicity (8 nm). Histochemical methods
disclosed that the composition of the crystals was mainly protein
(immunoglobulin crystals). Immunoperoxidase techniques for demonstration of
immunoglobulins showed that the crystalline inclusions contained IgG. The
results of immunohistochemical findings correlated with the results of
immunoelectrophoresis of the patient's serum.
