The use of elemental microanalysis in verification of the composition of presumptive amalgam tattoo.

Routine histochemistry, special stains, and energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis (EDX) were used to analyze 15 cases of presumptive amalgam tattoo. Histologically, the fine, spherical, golden brown granules of amalgam were remarkably similar to hemosiderin and melanin granules, and routine and special stains were not always reliable in differentiating one from the others. EDX provided a simple, fast, inexpensive, and reliable method for identifying the precise elemental composition of the pigmented material.