Research Article

The Natural History of Uterine Leiomyomas: Light and Electron Microscopic Studies of Fibroid Phases, Interstitial Ischemia, Inanosis, and Reclamation

Figure 8

(a) Wispy atrophy of tumor myocytes. As collagen production and deposition continues, the tumor myocytes become further encased in matrix, progressively more atrophic, and often reduced to slender, wispy structures. Note that not only the cytoplasm but also the nuclei of some cells appear to be reduced in size (arrows). (b) Lateral buds versus pinnate atrophy. Sometimes the atrophic cells exhibit lateral projections (arrows), which are similar to the previously described lateral buds associated with phenotypic transformation (Figure 7), but are occurring late in the atrophic process. Whether these lateral projections are the residua of lateral buds, or whether they might represent a form of decapitation budding associated with the atrophic process (pinnate atrophy) is uncertain. Original magnification of (a) and (b): 132x.
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