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Structural and morphometrical study in glandular parenchyma from alcoholic sialosis.

Carranza M, Ferraris ME, Galizzi M

Department of Animal Morphology, School of Biology, National University of Córdoba, Argentina.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this work was to determine morphometrical changes in lingual, labial and submaxillar salivary glands from alcoholic chronics. METHODS: Five samples of each type of gland were obtained from autopsies of chronic alcoholics and equal number of samples from individuals whose death cause was accidental (controls). Serous acini in von Ebner and submaxillar glands and mucous acini in labial and Blandin-Nühn glands were analysed. In the ductal system, intra and interlobular striated ducts were studied. A digital-image analyser was used to measure different parameters in the acini and ducts. RESULTS: Statistical analysis revealed that lingual and submaxillar salivary glands presented a significant acinar hypertrophy and hyperplasy. These changes were not observed in labial salivary glands. All studied glands showed significant structural modifications in the striated ducts. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the significant variations together with the histological qualitative pattern could be useful as confident indicators for the differential histopathological diagnosis with other sialosis from different aetiology.

Published 10 June 2005 in J Oral Pathol Med, 34(6): 374-9.
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