Late-infantile neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis. An ultrastructural study of lymphocyte inclusions.

Ultrastructural study of peripheral blood from two patients with late-infantile neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis with curvilinear bodies, demonstrated in brain biopsies revealed curvilinear bodies in lymphocytes. These findings indicate that ultrastructural investigation of circulating lymphocytes may be useful in the diagnosis of late-infantile neuronal ceroid-lipofuscinosis and may circumvent the need for brain biopsy. Curvilinear bodies were also present in the lymphocytes of a neurologically normal younger female sibling of patient 1, who has had a single seizure, leading to speculation that she may be in the early stages of the same disease. This case suggests the possibility of early detection of this disorder and indicates the importance of screening lymphocytes of siblings of affected patients. Tubular cytoplasm inclusions were present in a high percentage of lymphocytes of the asymptomatic parents and a younger sibling of these patients.