Mucin histochemistry and lectin binding sites in intestinal metaplasia of the urinary bladder.

We report a case of intestinal metaplasia of the bladder urothelium associated with dysplastic foci and a transitional cell carcinoma. A mixture of sialomucins, O-acetylated sialomucins and sulphomucins was found in the goblet cells. Neuraminidase resistant binding of the lectin peanut agglutinin was demonstrated in the brush border of columnar cells in intestinal metaplasia and diffusely in columnar cells in dysplastic foci. The histochemical findings are compared with those described in normal, dysplastic and neoplastic colonic mucosa.