Fractal Dimension of lymphocytic nuclear membrane in Mycosis Fungoides and chronic dermatitic

The nuclear outline of lymphoid cells was evaluated by using fractal analysis in cases of Early Mycosis Fungoides (EMF) and in cases of Chronic Dermatitis (CD). Ultrastructural images of approximately 30 nuclei for each case were processed by image analysis to obtain the nuclear contour. Fractal Dimension (FD) was determined by the Box Counting method. The results show that nuclei of lymphoid cells have an irregular outline that may be described by fractal dimension. Moreover, mean nuclear FD value was higher in EMF than in CD (p<0.0001) without any overlapping between the two diagnostic categories. Our results indicate that the evaluation of the FD of nuclear outline of lymphoid cell could be an useful tool to distinguish between benign and malignant cases.