MORPHOLOGICAL-CHANGES OF THE VENOUS SYSTEM IN UREMIC PATIENTS - A HISTOPATHOLOGIC STUDY

Because of the decreased venous compliance in hypertensive dialysis pa tients, it was investigated whether their venous system exhibited stru ctural abnormalities. Venous samples were taken during transplantation from the common and external iliac vein in 12 hypertensive and 6 norm otensive uremic patients and from the distal inferior caval vein and t he common iliac vein in 7 kidney donors and 5 autopsy patients without history of cardiovascular disease. The thickness of the venous media was significantly increased in hypertensive uremic patients as compare d to controls, but did not differ between normotensive patients and co ntrols. The quantity of medial collagen did not differ among the vario us groups. The smooth muscle content of the media was increased in 5 u remic patients (2 normotensive and 3 hypertensive patients), whereas a lmost no smooth muscle was observed in the media of controls. Intimal thickening was observed neither in uremic patients nor in controls. In conclusion: increased medial thickness in hypertensive dialysis patie nts could be an explanation for the decreased venous compliance previo usly found in these patients.