THE EXCRETORY GLAND IN THE MUCOUS MEMBRANE OF THE MAXILLARY SINUS AND ITS MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGE CAUSED BY CHRONIC MAXILLARY SINUSITIS, A STUDY FROM THE PNEUMATISATION VIEW-POINT

The structure and morphological change of the excretory gland in the mucous membrane of the maxillary sinus was studied and discussed on the structural principles of these pneumatic csvity fou- nd by Goto and his co-workers. 1. The excretory gland of the maxillary sinus is a tubulo-cellular gland consisted of the tubar and cavitary part, and the latter is further divided into the tubular and cellular parts. This structure is in accordance with the structural principles of the pneumatic cavities including the middle ear, pranasal sinus, and lung. 2. The developmental grade of the gland in the maxillary sinus corresponds to the grade of pneumatisation in the majority. 3. There exists a gross correlation between the pathological change of the mucous membrane of the maxillary sinus and the developmental grade of the gland. For instance, the fibrous type mu- cous membrane has many atrophic glands and the edematous or mild type mucous membrane contains many well-developed glands. 4. The excretory canal is dilated in the gland with atrophic cells and it is narrow in the gland with large cells. 5. The distal cells are atrophic in those cases in which the excretory canal shows cystic dilatation. In these cases blind closure of the glandular orfice was confirmed on the serial section specimens. This change is often found in the mucous memb- rane with fibrous type change. 6. Activity of the gland measured by its dye sensitivity of the mucous membrane to muticarmine dye correlated to the size of the glandular canal. 7. Activity of the gland was lowered as the pathlogical change of the mucous membrane prog- ressed. 8. Stenosis of the excretory canal of a gland causes active proliferation of the epithelial cells in the walls of the proximal part of the excretory canal and cystic dilataion covered with one layer of the epithelial cells in the distal part. The above study revealed that the excretory glands in the mucous membrane of the maxillary sinus follow the principles of the pneumatic cavity both in its structure and the morphological change.