RELAPSING POLYCHONDRITIS – REPORT OF A CASE WITH ULTRASTRUCTURAL FINDINGS OF THE EAR CARTILAGE –

A case of relapsing polychondritis in a 48‐year‐old female is reported. In a biopsy specimen of the auricular cartilage, inflammatory cell infiltration with plasma cells, lymphocytes and neutrophils, wandering of macrophages, fibroblasts and invasion of capillaries were found. The matrix showed loss of basophilia and markedly decreased reactivity with alcian blue staining. This decreased reactivity corresponds with decrease of small granules containing acid mucopolysaccharide ultrastructurally. The main pathologic change of relapsing polychondritis is the decrease of small granules in cartilage matrix, followed by inflammatory reaction, and degeneration of chondrocytes. The reason for the decrease in number of the small granules is still not clear, but an immune mechanism might be contributable.

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