A patient undergoing chest x-ray following an automobile accident is found to have an enlarged mediastinum with bilateral hilar and right paratracheal adenopathy. The patient has been asymptomatic, but careful examination demonstrates an enlarged cervical lymph node. This node is biopsied and demonstrates involvement by small, non-caseating granulomas. Occasional giant cells with stellate inclusions are seen within the granulomas. These are most likely which of the following?
The cells described are asteroid bodies, and are classically associated with sarcoidosis, although they are not completely specific for this disease. Anitschkow cells are a form of activated histiocyte with an unusual wavy chromatin. They are found within inflammatory lesions called Aschoff bodies in the heas of patients with acute rheumatic hea disease. Paget's cells are individual adenocarcinoma cells found within the squamous epithelium of the skin.
Anitschkow cells
Aschoff bodies
Asteroid bodies
Paget's cells