title: Severe carotid barochemoreceptor involvement in stroke.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Physiopathology of barochemoreception is hindered by the scarce information on its morphology in disease. The baroreflex is of major importance for the maintenance of arterial pressure during orthostatic stress. The purpose of this paper was to characterize the morphological alterations of carotid glomus in old patients who died from stroke and suffering obstructive carotid atheromatosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bilateral carotid segments were obtained at autopsy from 17 patients (51-89 years old). Specimens were stained with hematoxylin and eosin; Azan trichrome, Grimelius silver stain for catecholamine detection, and were immunophenotyped for CD34 and S-100. Similar segments of both carotid arteries of six patients (62-77 years old) who died by accidents were used as controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The carotid glomus of patients who died from stroke presented atrophy and fibrosis (2.59+/-0.5 vs. 1.17+/-0.39 in the control group; p<0.0001). There was a loss of chief cells and of the argyrophilic staining granules. A focal diminution of glomus vascularization was observed in the areas of atrophy and fibrosis (2.73+/-0.45 vs. 1.5+/-0.52 in the control group; p<0.0001). The arterioles to glomus showed severe fibrointimal proliferation, disruption of internal elastic lamina and luminal narrowing, and luminal thrombi.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A severe carotid glomic damage does exist in old patients who died from stroke and suffering from carotid atheromatosis, independent from aging, of note, a "culprit" marked narrowing of the corresponding arterioles was observed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Matturri
authors.forename: Anna Maria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Lavezzi
authors.forename: Furio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Silvestri
authors.forename: Daniel R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Grana
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bussari
authors.forename: Lino
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Milei
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001160:Arterioles / Q000473:pathology; D017704:Baroreflex / Q000502:physiology*; D002342:Carotid Artery, External / Q000473:pathology; D002343:Carotid Artery, Internal / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020521:Stroke / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*