Sobrinho-Simões M, Nesland J M, Johannessen J V
Diagn Histopathol. 1981 Jul-Sep;4(3):223-36.
The high resolving power of the electron microscopy gives ultrastructural pathology many of the features of a 'sensitive, multipurpose stain'. But the high resolution gives rise to problems of evaluation since most pathological features of disease are specific in a quantitative rather than in a qualitative way. Thus, pathological changes may be of diagnostic importance when they are severe enough to be seen by light microscopy, but less so when only revealed by electron microscopy. Problems of evaluation and interpretation should not lead to paralysing nihilism but should make us realize that electron microscopy does not represent the ignorant pathologist's key to a diagnostic heaven, no more than do special stains, histochemistry and immunocytochemistry. At present it may be necessary to organize ultrastructural pathology as a kind of sub-speciality of pathology. In the long run, we feel that sub-specialities should be related to the object studied rather than to the instrument used. Thus, the neuropathologist should do ultrastructural neuropathology, the cytologist ultrastructural cytopathology, etc. in the same way as most kidney pathologists already do their own ultrastructural work.
电子显微镜的高分辨力赋予超微结构病理学许多“灵敏、多用途染色”的特征。但高分辨率也带来了评估问题，因为疾病的大多数病理特征在定量方面而非定性方面具有特异性。因此，当病理变化严重到足以通过光学显微镜观察到时，可能具有诊断意义，但仅通过电子显微镜显示时，其诊断意义则较小。评估和解释问题不应导致令人瘫痪的虚无主义，而应使我们认识到，电子显微镜并不像特殊染色、组织化学和免疫细胞化学那样，是无知病理学家通往诊断天堂的钥匙。目前，可能有必要将超微结构病理学组织成病理学的一种亚专业。从长远来看，我们认为亚专业应与所研究的对象相关，而不是与所使用的仪器相关。因此，神经病理学家应进行超微结构神经病理学研究，细胞学家应进行超微结构细胞病理学研究等，就像大多数肾脏病理学家已经在做他们自己的超微结构工作一样。
