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Synovitis Pathology

Plasma Cell Inflammation

Feature:

Percentage of lymphocytic infiltration, regardless of distribution, that consists of morphologically recognizable plasma cells (Average the percent of all plasma cells over all the inflammation in all fields.)

Magnification: 10x and then 20x to confirm morphology

Grading:

  • 0: None (69%) Plasma cells < 10% of inflammatory infiltrate
  • 1: Mild (15%): Plasma cells >10% and <50% of inflammatory infiltrate
  • 2: Moderate (16%): Plasma cells >50% of inflammatory infiltrate

Grade 0 | Grade 1a | Grade 1b | Grade 2

Grade 0: The cells are mostly small lymphocytes with a few plasma cells at the periphery, seen best at the top right edge.
Grade 1: Example A: Plasma cells at the upper and upper right edges of this collection of lymphocytes represent just barely more than approximately 10% of the lymphoid cells.
Grade 1: Example B: Plasma cells, especially in the lower left of this image, make up nearly half of the lymphoid cells in this collection.
Grade 2: Plasma cells constitute the majority (>50%) of the lymphoid cells in this image. Lymphocytes can be seen in the upper left of the image.

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