Table 2.

Microscopic features of different staining patterns produced by antineutrophil antibodies with respect to the neutrophil fixation

Staining pattern	Staining pattern on ethanol-fixed neutrophils	Staining pattern on formaldehyde-fixed neutrophils
c-ANCA	Diffuse fine granular cytoplasmic staining,frequently accentuated between the nuclear lobes	Diffuse fine granular cytoplasmicstaining, rarely accentuated betweenthe nuclear lobes
p-ANCA	Fine homogeneous rim-like staining ofthe perinuclear cytoplasm	Diffuse fine granular cytoplasmic staining, rarely accentuated between the nuclear lobes
Atypical p-ANCA ‘type A’	Broad inhomogeneous rim-like stainingof the nuclear periphery along with multiple fluorescent foci	Fine inhomogeneous rim-like staining of the nuclear periphery intranuclear and scattered intranuclear fluorescent foci
Atypical p-ANCA ‘type B’	Broad inhomogeneous rim-like staining of thenuclear periphery, multiple intranuclearfluorescent foci and a diffuse coarse granularcytoplasmic staining, rarely accentuated betweenthe nuclear lobes	Fine inhomogeneous rim-like staining of the nuclear periphery, multiple intranuclear fluorescent foci and diffuse coarse granular cytoplasmicstaining, rarely accentuated between the nuclear lobes