CAPILLAROSCOPIC AND HISTOLOGIC EXAMINATION OF THE HUMAN LABIAL MUCOSA: A NEW NON-INVASIVE METHODOLOGY COMPARED WITH THE HISTOLOGICAL EXAM

The aim of our study is to compare the capillaroscopic examination in vivo with the histological examination in vitro of labial microcirculation in healthy subjects. Methods. Twenty-nine subjects (19 females, 10 males; mean±SD age 55.61±2.55; range 45-65 years) were examined in our laboratory. The characteristics of labial microcirculation were examined using computerised videomicroscopic techniques and histological exam. Results. The results obtained with both methods showed some analogies: in fact, the differences in capillary diameter were in the range of ±0.3 µ; regarding capillary density as well, a variation of ±2 capillaries per mm2 was found. Comparing the results obtained with both methods, it can be said that there are no significant differences. Conclusion. Besides being definitely a non-invasive technique for the study of microcirculation, the capillaroscopic investigation is also extremely accurate and reliable. In fact, it can give parametric information which corresponds exactly to that observed using the histological examination.