Ultrastructural Studies of Vitiligo, Vogt-Koyanagi Syndrome, and Incontinentia Pigmenti Achromians

Studies of early progressive vitiligo, Vogt-Koyanagi syndrome, and incontinentia pigmenti achromians were made by electron microscopy. At the periphery of the depigmented lesions, the melanocytes had several subcellular abnormalities, ie, vacuolization of the cytoplasm, aggregation of melanosomes, autophagic vacuoles, fatty degeneration, pyknosis or homogeneous cytoplasmic degeneration, and others. Numerous nerve endings were seen in close contact with the basal lamina of the epidermis or even within the epidermis. Direct continuities between Schwann cell basal lamina of nerve endings and the basal lamina of the melanocytes were observed. Nerve endings could be associated with either normal or abnormal melanocytes.