Electron microscopy: application and progress in diagnostic methods on skin disease.

Electron microscopy is now widely used in the evaluation of disease tissue. Indeed, these relatively new diagnostic methods have become essential to the fields of dermatology. Their value in the pathology of skin is no less great: Definitive diagnosis of most connective tissue disorders (amyloidosis, hyalinosis, etc.) is not possible without ultrastructural and histochemical analysis. Cellular inclusions are helpful in the diagnosis of a number of skin disorders: filamentous and granular inclusions in recurrent digital fibroma of childhood and tubuloreticular inclusions in collagen vascular diseases. Hair abnormalities are best analyzed by scanning electron microscopy.