THE IMPORTANCE OF ELECTRON DIFFRACTION CRYSTAL-ANALYSIS IN RHEUMATOLOGY AND PATHOLOGY

摘要

Crystals and crystalline deposits present in diseased tissues are attributed to play a fundamental role in the pathophysiology of certain inflammatory and metabolic diseases. Deposits of foreign material are capable of maintaining chronic inflammation in tissues. Analytical methods capable of identifying the crystalline material present in the pathological sample substantially aid the diagnosis. In the rheumatological practice polarisation microscopy is routinely applied for screening samples for the presence of crystalline deposits. Electron-optical methods, such as electron diffraction, are employed as a quality control tool tocomplement the polarisation method. We demonstrate that electron diffraction can also beutilized for the detection and identification of crystalline deposits in pathological samples.