In Reply.—In the December 1982 Archives, we reported our findings from a histopathologic study of a Plastipore TORP implanted 13 months before death of our patient.
The text stated: "The Plastipore TORP was enveloped by, and fitted with, an interlacing network of fibrous tissue without inflammatory cell infiltration or foreign-body giant cells."1 (p802)
After this article was printed, I received a request from Dr Palva for the actual slides from that specimen, because he doubted the specimen was really free of giant cells.
Accordingly I wrote to him that I had, once again, reviewed the slides and found "no typical foreign body giant cells in any of the sections, but, in a few, there are clumps of cells with nuclei in each that resemble foreignbody giant cells."
I did agree to send the sections to Dr Palva for his inspection, and so instructed my Japanese laboratory associate, who misunderstood my