Histologic examination of a biopsy from the head and neck of a patient, together with knowledge of organ involvement, can be used to make the diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis.
Affected areas in the head and neck:
(1) nose
(2) sinuses
(3) oropharynx
(4) larynx
(5) ear
(6) eye
(7) salivary glands
Clinical organ involvement in addition to head and neck:
(1) lung
(2) kidneys
Histologic findings in biopsy from head and neck which are characteristic of Wegener's granulomatosis:
(1) granulomatous inflammation
(2) necrosis
(3) vasculitis
Histologic Findings
Organ Involvement (in addition to head and neck)
Diagnosis of Wegener's Granulomatosis
all 3 histologic findings
lung and/or kidneys
diagnostic
2 of 3 findings
both lung and kidney
diagnostic
2 of 3 findings
lung or kidney
probable
1 of 3 findings
both lung and kidney
suggestive
1 of 3 findings
lung or kidney
suspicious
0 of 3 findings
lung and/or kidney
nonspecific
0 of 3 findings
neither lung nor kidney
unlikely
after Mills (1994), page 854, and Colby (1991), Table 2, page 103
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