[The pathology investigation of femoral artery atherosclerosis in the elder patients].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the pathology characteristic of femoral atherosclerosis through the comparision among femoral, carotid and coronary atherosclerosis.


METHODS
15 elder autopsy cases were selected. Serial sections of femoral artery, carotid artery and coronary artery of all the cases were taken. Part of the tissue sections were selected for immunohistochemistry staining. Three markers against alpha-smooth muscle actin, CD68, and bax were performed respectively.


RESULTS
On the whole, both femoral and coronary atherosclerosis had a similar pathology characteristic in the lesion style and the distribution of smooth muscle cells and macrophages in the plaques. In comparing with the coronary atheroma, there were more smooth muscle cells and less macrophages in the femoral atherosclerotic plaques, expression of bax in macrophages stronger, and the expression of bax in smooth muscle cell was weaker. The pathology characteristic of femoral and carotid atherosclerosis was somewhat similar.


CONCLUSIONS
The pathology characteristic of atherosclerotic lesion in femoral artery was principally consistent with that of the coronary atherosclerosis except some differences presented in certain indexes.
Du
Rui-xue
RX
Department of Cardiovascular, The Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China.
Fan
Li
L
Li
Xiao-ying
XY
Wei
Li-xin
LX
D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic / Q000378:metabolism; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002339:Carotid Arteries / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005263:Femoral Artery / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D000097382:CD68 Molecule
D000199:Actins; D015703:Antigens, CD; D015214:Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C067980:CD68 antigen, human; D000097382:CD68 Molecule; C498862:Acta2 protein, rat