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Epidermal vacuolation: An artifact due to injection of local anesthetics

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Summary

To elucidate the mechanism of vacuolation frequently encountered in the normal epidermal cells surrounding skin tumors, 0.5 and 1.0% procaine hydrochloride, and 1.0% lidocaine hydrochloride with and without epinephrine were injected either i.d. or s.c. into mature white male rabbits, and the sites of injection were biopsied either immediately or after 15 min. The epidermis of the site of intradermal injection showed a significant increase in the number of vacuolated cells in contrast to the site of s.c. injection (P<0.001) irrespective of the kinds of local anesthetics and the time lapse from injection to biopsy. Electron microscopy revealed vacuole-formations without limiting membrane in the cytoplasm of the kerationocytes. It is suggested that the local edema in the upper dermis caused by injection of anesthetics gives rise to edema and vacuolation of overlying epidermal cells, and that i.d. injection of local anesthetics may be regarded as a cause of epidermal vacuolation.

Zusammenfassung

Um den Mechanismus der Vacuolisierung zu erklären, die man häufig in den normalen Epidermiszellen in der Umgebung der Hauttumoren beobachtet, wurden 0.5 und 1.0% Procainhydrochlorid mit und ohne Epinephrine injiziert — entweder i.d. oder s.c. — und zwar bei reifen weißen männlichen Kaninchen. Die Injektionsstellen entweder sofort oder nach 15 min excidiert. Die Epidermis zeigte an der Stelle der i.d. Injektion eine signifikantere Zunahme der Zahl der vacuolisierteten Zellen als die der s.c. Injektionen (P<0.001) ohne Rücksicht auf die Art der Lokalanaesthetica und die Zeitdauer zwischen Injektion und Excision. Die Elektronenmikroskopie stellte die intracytoplasmischen Vacuolen ohne abgrenzende Membran im Cytoplasma der Keratinocyten dar. Das im oberem Corium lokalisierte Ödem infolge der Injektion des Betäubungsmittels verursacht das Ödem und die Vacuolisierung in den bedeckenden Epidermiszellen. Die i.d. Injektion des Lokalanaestheticums möchten wir als eine Ursache der epidermalen Vacuolisierung auffassen.

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Kimura, S., Hirai, A. & Shimizu, H. Epidermal vacuolation: An artifact due to injection of local anesthetics. Arch Dermatol Res 270, 413–419 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00403785

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00403785

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