CONNECTIVE-TISSUE ACCUMULATION IN THE MUSCLE LAYER IN NORMAL AND VARICOSE SAPHENOUS VEINS

Varicose veins alternate areas of phlebosclerosis and hypertrophy of t he vein wall. In this study, samples of long saphenous veins obtained from patients submitted for aortocoronary saphenous vein graft or for surgical resection of varicose saphenous veins were examined. Histolog ic changes in the intima, muscle, and adventitial layers were quantifi ed. Thicknesses of the venous wall layers were obtained by linear meas urements, and the volumetric density of the connective tissue in the m uscle layer was determined by point counting. The muscle layer thickne ss was 300+/-13 and 581+/-25 mu m in normal and varicose veins, respec tively. A more severe connective tissue accumulation within the muscle bundles was found in the varicose condition. The volumetric density o f the connective tissue in the circular muscle layer (CmC/MmC) showed also a marked difference between varicose (0.67+/-0.08) and normal vei ns (0.43+/-0.02), P < 0.05. The authors suggest that the varicose cond ition is associated with a connective tissue uniform accumulation amon g muscle cells in the circular muscle layer.