Table 1.

Comparison of morphological features of apoptosis and necrosis.

Apoptosis	Necrosis
Single cells or small clusters of cells	Often contiguous cells
Cell shrinkage and convolution	Cell swelling
Pyknosis and karyorrhexis	Karyolysis, pyknosis, and karyorrhexis
Intact cell membrane	Disrupted cell membrane
Cytoplasm retained in apoptotic bodies	Cytoplasm released
No inflammation	Inflammation usually present