Distribution of calcitonin‐containing cells in the human thyroid

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Abstract
Human thyroid glands obtained within 2.5 hours of death were examined for the presence and distribution of calcitonin‐containing cells using horseradish peroxidase as an indicator in an indirect immunohistochemical procedure. The glands were cut into 10 to 20 transverse slices per lobe and fixed in glutaraldehyde. A representative section of each paraffin‐embedded slice was processed and systematically scanned for calcitonin‐containing cells. Of 13 glands examined, ten contained calcitonin cells. The cells were found mostly in the follicular epithelium both singly and in groups. They were most numerous in the central region of each lobe of the gland. The isthmus and poles were devoid of calcitonin cells and only occasionally were these cells found at the surface. Parathyroid glands were examined by the same procedure for the presence of calcitonin cells but none were observed. These results demonstrate that calcitonin‐containing cells are found regularly in human thyroid glands and that the distribution of these cells is centered in the central region of each lobe of the gland.