[The site and extent of arteriosclerosis. Comparative planimetric studies of the left descending coronary artery, internal carotid artery, superficial femoral artery and abdominal aorta in 104 cadavers].

BACKGROUND

Arteriosclerosis is generally considered to be a generalized disease, involving different vascular regions to approximately the same extent.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

In order to assess the extent of ateriosclerosis quantitatively, all arteriosclerotic lesions and additionally the complicated (calcified, ulcerated, thrombosed) arteriosclerotic lesions of the abdominal aorta, the superficial femoral arteries, the left descending coronary artery and the internal carotid arteries were measured by planimetry in 102 autopsies (64 male, 38 female; mean age: 62 +/- 16 years).

RESULTS

Arteriosclerosis increased with age. The overall extent of arteriosclerotic lesions of each artery was classified to one of the following 4 degrees of intimal involvement (0-25, 26-50, 51-75%, 76-100%). When comparing the 4 different vascular regions of each patient we found maximal deviations by 1 degree in 34%, by 2 degrees in 41% and by 3 degrees in 20%. In only 5% of the patients studied were all arteriosclerotic lesions of the same degree. In order to analyze the complicated plaques 7 degrees were used (intimal involvement: 0, 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50% and > 50%). In 14 patients we found no complicated plaques. The remaining 88 showed complicated lesions in at least 1 vascular region. Deviations by 1 degree were found in 22%, by 2 degrees in 32%, and by 3 or more degrees in 46%. In the paired arteries (carotid, femoral) there were no significant differences comparing the mean values of the extent of arteriosclerotic lesions on the right and left side. In many cases, however, remarkable intraindividual differences occurred. Patients with main risk factors usually had more pronounced arteriosclerotic lesions than those without. In patients who died from coronary artery disease the extent of arteriosclerotic lesions was also usually larger in the other vascular regions as compared to those patients who died from other reasons. Comparing postmortem and intravital extent of arteriosclerotic lesions some peculiarities of postmortem specimens should be considered.

CONCLUSIONS

A uniform involvement of all vascular regions by arteriosclerosis occurs only rarely. Considerable intraindividual differences are the rule and a severe, generalized uniform affection is an exception. This, however, does not exclude in patients with severe arteriosclerosis of one region that a larger involvement of other vascular regions may also occur, as this was found for patients with severe arteriosclerosis in coronary arteries. Regarding the extent of arteriosclerosis there are artery- and additional localization-specific features.