THE CAROTID-BODIES IN CYANOTIC HEART-DISEASE

The morphological findings of the carotid bodies of two cases with cya notic heart disease are presented. The first case, a 14-year-old girl with atrial and ventricular septal defect accompanied with atresia of the tricuspidal valve showed a life-long history of pulmonary hyperten sion and hypoxaemia. The carotid bodies were not enlarged, but the dia meters of the glomic lobules were increased and its margins were somet imes blurred. There was a marked increase of glomic tissue within the carotid bodies. The ratio of chief to sustentacular cells remained unc hanged. The second case, a 59-year-old man with a double inlet left ve ntricle, had a history of pulmonary hypertension and hypoxaemia of mor e than 23 years. The carotid bodies as well as the diameters of the gl omic lobules were much more enlarged than in case one. There was an in crease of glomic tissue within the carotid bodies, too. The histologic al examination showed a marked increase of sustentacular and Schwann c ells. These results show that the findings of carotid bodies in cyanot ic heart diseases may be different depending on the duration of hypoxa emia.