Low Power: DQ Stain
Singly dispersed and small clusters of adrenal cells
High power: DQ stain
Small clusters of uniform small adrenal cells
Note foamy background
High power: Pap stain
Small clusters of adrenal cells
Note vacuolated to granular cytoplasm
High power: Pap stain
Singly dispersed adrenal cells
Note vacuolated to granular cytoplasm and foamy background
Medium power: DQ stain
Small clusters of normal adrenal cells. Cells from the zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata are lipid rich and the cytoplasm is typically vacuolated. Naked nuclei are commonly seen as the cytoplasm strips easily.
High power: DQ stain
Small clusters of normal adrenal cells. Cells from the zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata are lipid rich and the cytoplasm is typically vacuolated. Note the foamy vacuolated lipid background as the cytoplasm strips easily.
Medium power: Pap stain
Small clusters of normal adrenal cells.
High power: Pap stain
Small clusters of normal adrenal cells. Cells from the zona glomerulosa and zona fasciculata are lipid rich and the cytoplasm is typically vacuolated.
Cell block: H&E stain
Small clusters of adrenal cells. Note cells with foamy cytoplasm (zona granulosa and fasciculata) and cells with granular cytoplasm (zona reticularis).
Cell block: H&E stain
Small clusters of adrenal cells.
Features
• Single or small aggregates of uniform cells
• Cytologic (endocrine) atypia may be present
• Low N:C ratios
• Small, round and uniform cells
• Indistinct vacuolated cytoplasm, easily stripped
• May have granular cytoplasm
• Round small nuclei
• Fine chromatin
• Inconspicuous nucleoli
• Binucleation may be present
• Numerous naked nuclei
• Foamy background
• Necrosis not present
• Adrenal cortical cells:
- Positive stains: inhibin (cytoplasmic), Melan A (cytoplasmic), calretinin (cytoplasmic and nuclear), synaptophysin (cytoplasmic) and vimentin (cytoplasmic)
- Negative stains: pax-8 (nuclear), AE1/AE3 (cytoplasmic)
• Adrenal medulla:
- Positive stains: synaptophysin (cytoplasmic) and chromogranin (cytoplasmic)
- Negative stains: AE1/AE3 (cytoplasmic)