Skin Biopsy Specimen

Point and click for more information on a feature.

Features which can be seen in this image include:

• Connective tissue of dermis, with fibers and ground substance.
• Blood vessels.
  • The thin endothelial lining of blood vessels contrasts with the cuboidal lining of sweat glands.
  • The individual identities of these vessels as venule, arteriole, or capillary are difficult to determine from this image.  Arterioles may often be identified by a thin band of smooth muscle encircling the vessel.
• The blood vessels are associated with mild perivascular inflammatory infiltrate.
  • "Perivascular" simply means "around the blood vessels".  "Inflammatory infiltrate" consists of white blood cells which enter the tissue as part of the inflammatory response.
  • Although it is not practical to identify reliably most individual cells in this region, the numerous small, roundish, intensely basophilic nuclei seen in this region are characteristic of lymphocytes.
  • The inflammatory infiltrate is characterized as "mild" based on the relatively low numbers of white blood cells which appear here.  This appearance should be contrasted with a more severe inflammatory infiltrate observable in other slides of inflamed tissue.
• A few small nerves (or a few sections or branches of one nerve).
  • Nerves near the surface of the skin are generally small and inconspicuous, although deeper -- where more axons are bundled together -- they can be more noticable and easier to recognize.
  • A somewhat larger nerve may be seen by clicking here.  But you'll need to click on "Back" to return to this page.
• Many small features (such as individual fibroblasts and collagen fibers) are not individually labelled.

Comments and questions: dgking@siu.edu

SIUC / School of Medicine / Anatomy / David King

http://www.siumed.edu/~dking2/intro/skinbiop/du1SD3c2.htm
Last updated:  11 December 2007  / dgk