Orphan annie eye nuclei versus psamomma bodies as a diagnostic microscopical feature for the papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland

Abstract EN

450 specimen of thyroid gland were examined histopatholoically in the Labrotaries of the college of Medicine and Diwannia Teaching Hospital for the period from Feb.2004 to Feb.2008 prospectively.

All the spicemen were formalin embedded and paraffin fixed and all were sectioned randomly and serially.32 of the spicemen were proved to be papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland depending on the presence of branching papillae as a general microscopical feature for all and the presence of the Orphan Annie eye nuclei(ground glass optically clear nuclei with heterochromatin all pushed to the edge)in 28 of the cases(87.5%) as the most diagnostic microscopical feature compared to 13(40.6%) specimen showed Psamomma bodies while randomized and serial section examination of the specimen showed 6(18.7%) and 26(81.2%) multifocal growth respec