01858nas a2200301   4500000000100000008004100001260001300042653001100055653001400066653001100080653001200091653001600103653001600119653002200135653001800157653000900175100001500184700001400199700001700213700001400230700001400244245004300258856004100301300001100342490000700353520118200360022001401542       1993                            d  c1993 Sep10aBiopsy10aGranuloma10aHumans10aleprosy10aLymphocytes10aMacrophages10aPeripheral nerves10aSchwann Cells10aSkin1 aPorichha D1 aMisra A K1 aDhariwal A C1 aSamal R C1 aReddy B N00aAmbiguities in leprosy histopathology.  uhttp://ila.ilsl.br/pdfs/v61n3a08.pdf  a428-320 v613 a<p>This paper presents the percentage of definite or suggestive evidence present in 482 biopsies from different types of leprosy. The presence of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) and nerve involvement were taken as definite features for a diagnosis of leprosy, and infiltration of the dermal appendages, neurovascular bundles and dermis by granuloma cells and lymphocytes were regarded as suggestive signs of leprosy. Using these criteria, all cases were categorized into three groups having definite, suggestive, or no signs of leprosy. The results showed definite and suggestive features in 72.2% and 14.1% of the cases, respectively. The remaining 13.7% had none of these signs. These cases were mostly healed lesions. Large, epithelioid cell granulomas without any nerve element present and healed cases proved difficult for a definite diagnosis. Emphasis is placed on searching for residual nerve elements in AFB-negative sections because this increases the certainty level of the diagnosis. Also, it is suggested that for uniformity of understanding and reporting, terminologies need to be narrowed down and restricted to only definite, suggestive, or no diagnosis of leprosy.</p>  a0148-916X