Splenic lymphangioma: luminal surface ultrastructure; a scanning electron microscopic study.

A splenic lymphangioma removed from the abdominal cavity during an exploratory laparotomy in a 16 year old girl was studied by light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The tumor was composed of numerous vascular channels some of which were filled with clotted lymph. SEM revealed these channels to be lined with an uniform endothelial lining composed of two morphologic cell types: one with a smooth surface; the other with numerous microvilli. The literature on the SEM of lymphatic vessels and lymphangiomas is reviewed and compared to the splenic lymphangioma.