Abstract

Introduction

Materials & Methods

Results

Discussion & Conclusion

References

Discussion
Board

Fifteen patients with renovascular hypertension (RVH), 8 with primary aldosteronisms PA), 13 with essential hypertension (EH) and 9 normotensive subjects (NT) were included in the study. A biopsy of subcutaneous fat from the gluteal or the anterior abdominal region was taken from each subject. Subcutaneous small arteries (diameter 160-280 mm) were dissected free from the subcutaneous fat of the biopsies and mounted as a ring preparations on an isometric myograph (410 A, JP Trading, Aarhus, Denmark) (4,6). The media to lumen ratio and media cross-sectional area were measured using a light microscope with immersion lens.

After glutaraldehyde fixation at an extension corresponding to a transmural pressure of 100 mmHg (4,6), the vessels were demounted, washed, pre-embedded in Agar to maintain orientation, and finally embedded in historesin. In each artery, from a point approximately half-way between where the mounting wires had been, a series of three to five 3 mm serial-sections parallel to the vessel axis were made on a precision microtome. Unbiased estimates of smooth muscle cell number within the arteries were determined using the disector principle (2,3,5). The following parameters were measured: cell volume, cell length, number of cell per segment length and number of cell layers.

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