Morphology of the human and dog spleen with special reference to intrasplenic microcirculation.
The terminal structure of splenic arterial capillaries, studied by scanning transmission electron microscopy, provided a three-dimensional view of the microarchitecture of human and dog spleens. There are reports that the terminal arterial capillaries end "openly" in the cord, however, our microphotographs indicate the possibility of a closed circulation in humans and dogs. In the human spleen, we found two types of arterial capillaries, one with a flat and continuous endothelium, and the other with discontinuous rod-shaped endothelial cells and a sheath-like structure. The microarchitecture and the termination of these arterial capillaries differ markedly among species.
D000818:Animals; D002196:Capillaries / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004285:Dogs; D004727:Endothelium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D013154:Spleen / Q000098:blood supply*