[Relapsing polychondritis. Histochemical, histoenzymological, immunoflourescent and ultrastructural studies of ear cartilage in three cases (author's transl)].

Ear cartilage has been studied by histochemistry, histoenzymology, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy in three cases of relapsing polychondritis. The most significant lesions have been observed at the cellular level, both by enzymology and electron microscopy : chondrocytes of peripheral zones seem to be first hypertrophic and then necrotic ; at the opposite, there is no correlation between histochemical and electron microscopic studies about the chondroid intercellular substance whose lesions are probably secondary to the cellular ones. A few chondrocytes are positive with antiimmunoglobulins sera (IgM and IgA) ; this fact could be a proof of the dysimmune nature of this disease.