[1]Chinese University of Hong Kong, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Shatin, Hong Kong.
Background and Aims: Vasa vasorum (VV), which constitutes a network of microvasculature, plays a nutritive and drainable role in vessel walls of arteries. There have been conflicting data about the existence of vasa vasorum within brain vasculature. Based on a series of cerebral artery specimens, we aimed to describe the distribution features of vasa vasorum among intracranial arteries, including middle cerebral arteries (MCAs), basilar arteries (BAs) and vertebral arteries (VAs) and potential effects of vasa vasorum on atherosclerosis morphology. Method: MCA, BA, VA samples were obtained from consecutively recruited 32 autopsy cases aged 45 years or above. Routine and immunostaining were performed to identify the existence of vasa vasorum and to describe the morphology and components of intracranial atherosclerotic lesions. Results: Among 96 intracranial cerebral arteries, vasa vasorum was detected most prevalently at vertebral arteries (96.875%), followed by basilar arteries (43.75%) and middle cerebral arteries (25%). Compared those without vasa vasorum, cerebral arteries had higher thickness of tunica adventitia (0.096 vs. 0.050, p<0.001) and higher rate of concentric plaques (66.04% vs. 41.86%, p<0.05) (Figur presented) (Table presented). Conclusion: Histology evidence from human cerebral artery specimens indicates that vasa vasorum occurs more frequently in posterior cerebral arteries, especially vertebral arteries. The existence of vaso vasorum may benefit the formation of concentric atherosclerotic lesions.
(8.0+极速模式)