Epithelia of endodermal derivation in teratomas.

This work is concerned with the histological features of endoderma-derived epithelia in a series of 48 benign teratomas. The intestine-type epithelium had the histochemical characteristics of that of the large intestine. It occasionally showed argentaffin cells, Paneth cells and accessory structures, such as a basement membrane, bundles of smooth muscle fibers and lymphoid aggregates including IgA-secreting plasma cells. In a teratoma, there was transitional-type epithelium. The respiratory-type epithelium included the basic cell types of the normotopic. It often rested on a basement membrane, and was occasionally surrounded by seromucous glands, cartilage plaques, muscle fibers and lymphoid aggregates.