Monilethrix: An Ultrastructural Study

The study conducted an ultrastructural examination of monilethrix, a condition characterized by moniliform hairs. Using scanning electron microscopy, researchers observed that affected hairs displayed alternating nodes and internodes, with nodes appearing normal and internodes being thin with ridges and flutes. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that internodes had wrinkled cuticular cells and fewer cortical cells, although the size and keratin pattern of cortical cells were normal in both nodes and internodes compared to control hairs. These findings suggested that the internodes were the pathological parts of the hair, likely due to periodic dysfunction in the hair matrix, particularly in the hair cortex.