VEROCAY BODY Meaning and
Definition
-
A verocay body, also known as a Verocay sheath or Verocay granule, is a distinctive histopathological feature often found in schwannomas. Schwannomas are benign, slow-growing tumors derived from Schwann cells, which are responsible for producing the myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers in the peripheral nervous system.
The verocay body is a structure observed within the Antoni A pattern of schwannomas. It consists of elongated, palisading rows of tumor cells arranged in parallel columns, separated by eosinophilic acellular bands. These acellular bands represent an excessive deposition of extracellular matrix material, primarily consisting of type IV collagen. The characteristic appearance of the verocay body is due to the compression of adjacent tumor cells against each other, causing their elongation and alignment.
Histologically, the verocay body displays a wavy, saw-toothed appearance. It can be visualized with the use of hematoxylin and eosin staining in microscopic examinations of biopsy or surgical specimens. The verocay body is considered one of the defining features of schwannomas and helps differentiate them from other peripheral nerve sheath tumors or malignancies.
Verocay bodies are not pathognomonic for schwannomas, as they can also rarely be seen in neurofibromas, another type of benign nerve sheath tumor. However, the presence of verocay bodies, along with other characteristic features, is highly suggestive of schwannoma diagnosis in a clinical context.
Etymology of VEROCAY BODY
The word "Verocay body" is derived from the name of its discoverer, Julio Verocay, an Uruguayan pathologist. Julio Verocay first described these structures in 1910 while studying nerve sheath tumors known as schwannomas. Consequently, the term "Verocay body" was coined to honor him for his contribution to the understanding of these cellular formations within schwannomas.
