Paraganglia of the urinary bladder. An autopsy study.

This is the first full-scale analysis on the paraganglia of the urinary bladder (PUB) by means of histological examination of a large number of autopsy cases. PUB were demonstrated by routine histology in 51.8% of the cases examined. PUB were present in any portion of the urinary bladder as well as in any layer of its mural structure. Immunohistochemistry revealed strong to moderate positivity for chromogranin A and neuron-specific enolase, respectively. A moderate immunoreactivity for S 100 protein was demonstrated in the sustentacular cells of PUB. There has been a statistically significant male preponderance in the incidence of PUB. Contrary to the general consensus, PUB degenerate very slowly throughout the entire lifetime. Middle-aged and elderly subjects suffering from chronic lung diseases exhibit a statistically significant increase in the incidence of PUB, suggesting chronic hypoxemia as a stimulant for the persistence of PUB.