| asteroid | Resembling a star. Origin: G. Aster, star, + eidos, resemblance (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| asteroid body | An eosinophilic inclusion resembling a star with delicate radiating lines, occurring in a vacuolated area of cytoplasm of a multinucleated giant cell; especially frequent in sarcoidosis, but occurs also in other granulomas, a structure that is characteristic of sporotrichosis when found in the skin or secondary lesions of this mycosis; in tissue, it surrounds the 3-to 5-um in diameter ovoid yeast of Sporothrix schenkii. (05 Mar 2000) |
| asteroid hyalosis | Numerous small spherical bodies ("snowball" opacities) in the corpus vitreum, visible ophthalmoscopically; an age change, usually unilateral, and not affecting vision. (05 Mar 2000) |