Sex Chromatin Body Size and its Relation to X Chromosome Structure

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Abstract
Sex-chromatin body size was estimated in seven normal women and in four patients with known X chromosome abnormalities by multiplying the length and breadth of 50 bodies in a buccal smear, as measured by a micrometer ocular. The area of the sex-chromatin body proved to be directly proportional to the size of the X chromosome as noted in the karyotype; in cases with an iso-X chromosome the sex-chromatin bodies were significantly larger than in the pooled normal controls; in cases of presumptive deletions they were significantly smaller. Measurements obtained by this simple technique agree closely with those obtained planimetrically. They are more trustworthy than visual impressions by observers lacking wide experience in cytologic interpretation and, in borderline cases, may have value in pointing to a need for determination of the karyotype.