COMPARATIVE STUDY OF HISTOLOGY AND CYTOLOGY IN VESICULATING ERUPTIONS

Abstract

DIAGNOSTIC aids are continually being sought in dermatology for making differential diagnoses of vesicular diseases. These aids are especially necessary in the differential diagnosis of chronic pemphigus from bullous erythema multiforme and dermatitis herpetiformis, variola from varicella, varicella from herpes zoster disseminata, herpes zoster from herpes simplex, and erythema multiforme bullosum from various forms of vesiculating dermatitis. The cytologic-smear examination, which at present is popular in the field of diagnostic medicine, was used by us in the study of various vesiculating diseases. In the diagnosis of lymphoblastomata, infectious diseases, such as leprosy and granuloma inguinale, and various neoplastic conditions, such as epitheliomas, tissue smears or imprint studies have frequently been used and reported. These preparations have also been used for the differential diagnosis of vesiculating diseases, with questionable value. We have employed this technique, together with the regular histologic preparations, as a comparative study in some of