Pleomorphic intra-neuronal polyglucosan bodies mainly restricted to the pallidium. A case report

Abstract

rare case with pleomorphic intra-neuronal polyglucosan bodies is reported. A 45-year-old man died of gastric carcinoma with extensive visceral involvement. The autopsy showed numerous intra-neural pleomorphic PAS-positive deposits reminiscent of Bielschowsky bodies in the lateral segments of the pallidum, substantia nigra, and brain stem on both sides. Their histochemical properties were consistent with polyglucosan. The bodies were ultrastructurally composed of filamentous structures and seen in perikarya, axons, and dendrites. Occasionally, spotty electron-dense material was seen in the center of the bodies. The filaments were selectively stained with thiocarbohydrazide method after Thiéry, indicating their chief component as glucose polymers. The bodies are compared with Bielschowsky bodies, Lafora bodies, corpora amylacea, and related bodies, and their nature and significance are briefly discussed.