Monosodium urate - Gout
Deposition of monosodium urate crystals in and around joints, and sometimes skin and soft tissues, underlies the clinical condition known as gout. The presence of these crystals in tissue results in a severe inflammatory reaction dominated by foreign body giant cells and histiocytes forming a type of foreign body granuloma surrounding the aggregates of crystals.
The uric acid crystals require water-free processing because the crystals are water soluble and disappear with formalin fixation. In properly fixed tissue the crystals are needle-shaped. In formalin fixed tissue the needle shaped crystals are often washed away.
Image contributed by Dr. Yale Rosen - @yro854
Monosodium urate - Gout
Deposition of monosodium urate crystals in and around joints, and sometimes skin and soft tissues, underlies the clinical condition known as gout. The presence of these crystals in tissue results in a severe inflammatory reaction dominated by foreign body giant cells and histiocytes forming a type of foreign body granuloma surrounding the aggregates of crystals.
The uric acid crystals require water-free processing because the crystals are water soluble and disappear with formalin fixation. In properly fixed tissue the crystals are needle-shaped. In formalin fixed tissue the needle shaped crystals are often washed away.
Image contributed by Dr. Yale Rosen - @yro854