Curschmann's spirals

Curschmann's spiral

Curschmann's spirals refers to a microscopic finding in the sputum of asthmatics which are spiral shaped mucus plugs from subepithelial mucous gland ducts or bronchioles. These may occur in several different lung diseases.^[1]

The term can refer to parts of the desquamated epithelium seen in biopsies from asthmatic patients.^[2] These microscopic casts are named after German physician Heinrich Curschmann (1846-1910). They are often seen in association with creola bodies and Charcot-Leyden crystals. They are elongated microscopic mucous casts from small bronchi and are often found in sputum samples from patients with bronchial asthma. They can be stretched out to a length of around 2cm, and can sometimes be longer. They have a central core that may be ensheathed in cell debris and mucus.^[3]

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