Reflected light microscopy, inverse (negative) pigment network

Author: Prof. Dr. med. Peter Altmeyer

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Last updated on: 29.10.2020

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Synonym(s)

inverse pigment network

Definition
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Reflected light microscopic phenomenon in which pigment is more strongly enriched in the papillary body (mesh centres) than in the low-pigmented or no pigment retention bars. The retete bars then appear brighter, so to speak as a "negative" of the network.

General information
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Reflected light microscopy: In the mesh centres corresponding to the papillary bodies, pigmented corpuscular elements stain the dermal papillae grey-blue, black-brown, brown or reddish. The low-pigmented reticules then appear light.

Occurrence
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Within the group of pigment cell tumors, malignant melanoma shows a high specificity (sensitivity 21%) for inverse pigment networks with over 90%. Other examples with this phenomenon are epithelial cell nevi and rarely congenital nevi. Outside the group of pigment cell lesions inverse patterns are common, e.g. haemangiomas, lymphangiomas, T-cell lymphomas, bleeding into the papillary body.

Histology
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Naevocytes, atypical melanocytes, melanophages, erythrocytes or other pigmented components pile up in the papillary dermis.

Literature
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  1. Schulz H (2002) Reflected light microscopic vital histology. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York
  2. Proud W, Braun-Falco O, Bilek P, Landthaler M, Burgdorf WHC, Cognetta AB (2002) Color atlas of dermatoscopy. Blackwell, Berlin Vienna

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Last updated on: 29.10.2020