Which term describes variation in endothelial cell shape?

• A. Pleomorphism
• B. Polymegathism
• C. Endotheliopathy
• D. Morphometry

Answer: (A)

Variation in endothelial cell shape is pleomorphism. Normally the corneal endothelium forms a uniform mosaic of hexagonal cells; when their shapes become irregular, that variability in shape is described as pleomorphism. Polymegathism, on the other hand, refers to variation in cell size, not shape. Endotheliopathy means a disease of the endothelium, and morphometry is the quantitative measurement of form, including size and shape. So for shape variation, pleomorphism is the best fit.