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A quantitative investigation of microvascular changes in
the thyroid gland after infrared (IR) laser radiation
C. Parrado1, F. Carrillo de Albornoz2, L. Vidal1
and I. Pérez de Vargas1.
1Department of Normal and Pathological Morphology,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Málaga, Málaga
and
2Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Cádiz,
Cádiz, Spain
Offprint requests to: Prof.
L. Vidal, Department of Normal and Pathological Morphology, Faculty
of Medicine, University of Málaga, 29080 Málaga,
Spain
Summary. We present
an ultrastructural study of thyroid capillaries in which 50-day-old
rats Wistar rats, were irradiated with an infrared (IR) laser,
(total dose, 46.80 J/cm2), the tissue quantified 1 day after ending
treatment and a quantitative capillary analysis carried out by
light and electron microscopy. Light microscopy was used to calculate
capillary volume density revealing a significant increase in the
irradiated rats. The quantitative measurement of parameters by
electron microscopy required a two stage analysis: Level I, Electron
Microscopy (Magnification x5,000); and Level II, Electron Microscopy
(Magnification x26,000). At Level I, the following parameters
were measured in each capillary: capillary area, capillary diameter,
luminal area, luminal diameter, endothelial area, nuclear area
and mean endothelial thickness. At Level II, pinocytotic vesicle
diameter and their numerical density in endothelial cells were
evaluated. Electron microscopic analysis revealed an increased
luminal area in the capillaries of the irradiated rats. They also
presented a decrease in endothelial cell thickness and vesicular
diameter and an increase in vesicle numerical density. This latter
increase is indicative of presumptive changes in capillary permeability,
but the possible functional significance of these morphological
changes in the endothelial cells requires further investigation.
Histol. Histopathol. 14, 1067-1071 (1999)
Key words: Thyroid
capillaries, Light microscopy, Electron microscopy, Morphometry,
Stereology
DOI: 10.14670/HH-14.1067
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