Chronic tonsillitis: histological and immunohistochemical aspects

Objectives: Chronic tonsillitis represents the most common inflammatory lesions of the pharynx determining numerous local or distant evolutive complications. We decided to study the histological and especially immunohistochemical expression of this pathology. Material and methods: We have studied 112 surgical samples representing tonsils resected from 56 patients with chronic tonsillitis. The tonsillectomies were performed in the ENT Clinic of the Emergency County Hospital of Craiova, between 01.01.2007-31.12.2007. The processed histological samples were stained using Hematoxylin-Eosin, light green trichromic and argental impregnation. For the immunohistochemical study, we used LSAB method with CD20, CD45 RO, CD68 antibodies in order to reveal and differentiate T- and B-lymphocytes and also the macrophages. Results: In all samples, we found hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the lymphoid follicle with excessive developing of the clear germinal center as a normal reaction to antigens presence. In some cases, we remarked micro hemorrhages and hematic extravasations inside the follicles, probably due to the excessive virulence of the pathogens causing endothelial lesions. The conjunctive stroma was enriched in collagen fibbers, in some cases organized in strong fascicles with an obvious tendency to divide the tonsils in lobules. The young fibroblastic type cells were numerous. The specific reticulin fibbers had a low representation being disorganized. The immunohistochemical study proved that the clear center of the lymphoid follicles was occupied by B-lymphocytes, but the T-lymphocytes were present in the cortical region of the follicles, perifollicles and in the surface epithelium. Conclusions: In some pathological cases, the predominant cellular population of the clear center was formed by T-lymphocytes.