Just curious - how did you manage
to "rule out carbon"? Since there isn't a histology special stain or a IHC
antibody for carbon (that I'm aware of) - how was the possibility that it might
be carbon "ruled out"?
Peggy A. Wenk,
HTL(ASCP)SLS William Beaumont Hospital
Subject: [Histonet] Black pigment on
Bronch Lavages
One of our pathologists and
myself have been trying to identify some black intracellular pigmentation
in a bronch lavage. We have ruled out carbon, and bleaching the section
did not work, therefore is not melanin. It is a very fine dark black
pigment and appears quite uniform in shape and size. Our pathologist is
thinking that it is lead (the patient is a long time professional painter),
but lead stains are negative. My other thought is aluminum deposits but
have not yet stained for this.
I am hoping someone on the
"Net" may have some idea of what this may be, and if there is a method
for demonstrating it.