Oligodendrogliomas often show the classic “fried egg” appearance, in which each cell contains a small round monomorphic nucleus with a perinuclear region of clearing, as well as small delicate blood vessels, or “chicken-wire vasculature”. The fried egg morphology is an artifact of formalin fixation and will not be observed in frozen tissue sections. In addition, although the fried egg appearance is commonly associated with oligodendrogliomas it is also be observed in other less common CNS neoplasms, such as central neurocytoma.
For further study on this topic and others related to neuropathology and neuroanatomy, the following books come highly recommended, and a small portion of the proceeds (or any Amazon purchase through these links) help with expenses of hosting this site:
Adventures in Neuropathology 
Leave a Reply