title: The ultrastructure of the fascia lata in hernia patients and healthy controls.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Current research data indicate that a hernia is a manifestation of a generalized polyethiological connective tissue pathology. The goal of this study was to demonstrate ultrastructural differences in tissues distant from the hernial defect.
  
  
  METHODS
  Biopsy specimens harvested upon thigh surgery from 12 males aged 25-65 y were compared. Seven of these men had an inguinal hernia or a history thereof. Scanning electron microphotograms taken at a magnification of 50× were analyzed with the use of Image J software. For every patient, 100 thickness measurements were performed of the fibrous elements (cross-sections) visible in five consecutive photograms. The person performing the measurements had no means of identifying the patient from whom the specimen had been harvested.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The authors have found the thickness of the fibers to fall in the range from 23.441 u (ImageJ intrinsic units) to 94.878 u in the hernia group and 22.067 u to 303.681 u for the control group. A statistically significant difference was found between the mean values of thickness measurements of the fibrous elements in the study and control groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study has shown that in patients with an inguinal hernia, the mean diameter of fibers within the fascia lata is significantly smaller. This appears to indicate that the process is generalized and that one can expect the structural alterations to occur within the connective tissue of the entire organism. The authors speculate that they may result from a combination of external and internal factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrine and General Surgery, Ludwik Rydygier College of Medicine, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Torun, Poland. wojszcz@interia.pl
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Szczesny
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Glowacka
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marszalek
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gumanski
authors.forename: Jakub
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Szmytkowski
authors.forename: Stanislaw
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dabrowiecki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005206:Fascia Lata / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D006552:Hernia, Inguinal / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008875:Middle Aged