Role of "fibrin" cuffs in chronic nonspecific oral ulceration.

We report the novel finding of matrix-rich "fibrin" cuffs in chronic nonspecific oral ulceration and propose a possible role for these lesions. Pericapillary cuffs are typically found in chronic venous ulceration. Vascular cuffs, which form in the base and margins of leg ulcers, have been reported to contain fibrin, laminin, fibronectin, tenascin, and types I and III collagen. Histologically identical vascular cuffs are present in oral ulcers of unusually prolonged chronicity and their occurrence in the oral cavity suggests that chronic venous insufficiency and back pressure are not essential to their formation. It is proposed that the matrix-rich pericapillary cuffs may act as a scaffold for angiogenesis in ulceration of prolonged duration.