Images in Pathology
Nebulous Corpora Amylacea Keith J. Kaplan, MD
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orpora amylacea are laminated luminal secretions that are commonly present in prostatic glands and increase in prevalence with advancing age (Figure). They are present in 25% of men as early as the third to fifth decades of life and are thought to be related to epithelial cell desquamation and degeneration.1,2
Accepted for publication September 23, 2004. From the Department of Pathology, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC. The author has no relevant financial interest in the products or companies described in this article. Reprints: Keith J. Kaplan, MD, Department of Pathology, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, 6900 Georgia Ave NW, Ward 47, Office 4705, Washington, DC 20307-5001 (e-mail:
[email protected]. mil).
Arch Pathol Lab Med—Vol 129, April 2005
Originally, the word nebula referred to almost any extended astronomical object (other than planets and comets). The etymological root of nebula is cloud. As is usual in astronomy, the old term survives in modern usage in sometimes confusing ways. We sometimes use the word nebula to refer to galaxies, various types of star clusters, and various kinds of interstellar dust or gas clouds. More strictly speaking, the word nebula should be reserved for gas and dust clouds and not for groups of stars. References 1. Marx AJ, Gueft B, Moskal JF. Prostatic corpora amylacea: a study with the electron microscope and electron probe. Arch Pathol. 1965;80:487–494. 2. Drachenberg CB, Papadimitriou JC. Prostatic corpora amylacea and crystalloids: similarities and differences on ultrastructural and histochemical studies. J Submicrosc Cytol Pathol. 1996;28:141–50.
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