Giant cells
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Giant cells are "big" cells with multiple nuclei. They come in different flavours, which are suggestive of causality.
This article deals with the classic types of giant cells. A more general differential diagnosis of giant cells is in giant cell lesions.
Giant cell types
List:
- Touton giant cell.
- Osteoclast-like giant cell.
- Foreign body type giant cell.
Table
| Type | Histology | DDx | Other | Image |
| Touton giant cell | Nuclei form a ring around the cell periphery with eosinophilic cytoplasm centrally and foamy cytoplasm at the periphery. | Juvenile xanthogranuloma, xanthoma, Erdheim-Chester disease, fat necrosis, dermatofibroma | High lipid content lesions[1], Named after Karl Touton | |
| Epithelioid type | scattered nuclei[2] | drug reaction, neoplasm, foreign body, infection, idiopathic, autoimmune, allergic | granulomatous inflammation | |
| Langhans giant cell | peripheral eccentric nuclei[2] | tuberculosis, sarcoidosis. | not to be confused with Langerhans cells | |
| Osteoclast-like giant cells | round nuclei | osteoclasts, others | AKA osteoclast-type giant cells |
See also
- Basics.
- Giant cell lesions - includes a DDx of lesions with giant cells.
- Histiocytoses.
References
- ↑ URL: http://granuloma.homestead.com/giant_cells.html. Accessed on: 7 February 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Borley, Neil R.; Warren, Bryan F. (2007). Instant Pathology (1st ed.). Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 7. ISBN 978-1405132909.