Background. The aim of the study was the estimation of histological parameters in association with the clinical manifestation of aortic aneurysm, mainly the intensity of angiogenesis and inflammatory infiltration.
Material and metods. Material was obtained from patients operated on in the Department of General and Vascular Surgery at the Medical University of Łódź in 1998–2000. The samples of aortic wall were fixed in formalin. 98 cases were selected for the study and divided into 5 groups: 1. Patients with aneurysms undergoing elective surgery (n = 50); 2. Patients with aneurysms symptomatic and ruptured (n = 18); 3. Patients with aneurysms coexisting with aorto-iliac occlusion (n = 9); 4. Patients with aorto-iliac occlusion without aneurysm (n = 14); 5. Control group with normal aorta obtained from organ donors (n = 7). Slides were stained with h + e, the presence of inflammatory reaction was estimated according to conditions described in Histologic Inflammatory Scale Aneurysm. The numbers of T-cells, B-cells and macrophages were calculated after immunohistochemistry. The number of blood vessels was described semiquantitatively, using the 3-degree scale.
Results. The intensity of angiogenesis in the second group was significantly higher than in the other groups. In this group we found the highest number of macrophages in adventitia (M = 47 vs. M = 37 in the first group; p < 0.01), T-cells in media (M = 447 vs. 292; p < 0.01), B-cells in adventitia (M = 633 vs. M = 431; p < 0.01) and neutrophiles (M = 26 vs. M = 7; p < 0.01). The symptomatic group also had the biggest intensity of inflammatory reaction estimated in HISA.
Conclusions. We show the correlation between angiogenesis and inflammatory intensity and clinical manifestation of aneurysm.