Heath D, Khan Q, Smith P
Department of Pathology, University of Liverpool, UK.
Histopathology. 1990 Dec;17(6):511-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2559.1990.tb00790.x.
A histological study was made of the carotid bodies obtained at necropsy in 40 fetuses, neonates, infants and young children, ranging in age from 23 weeks of gestation to 11 years of age. Prominence of the dark variant of chief cells was found in diseases such as bronchiolitis which are associated with sustained hypoxaemia. Such cells have copious cytoplasm known to be rich in peptides such as enkephalins. The same histological features were found in two cases clinically diagnosed as sudden infant death syndrome but in which there was associated bronchiolitis and tracheo-bronchitis respectively, thought to have given rise to hypoxaemia. In a case of sudden infant death syndrome without infection there was overgrowth of sustentacular cells with predominant progenitor cells in the absence of dark cells. We associate this appearance with inability of the carotid bodies to respond adequately to changes in arterial oxygen tension.
对40例胎儿、新生儿、婴儿及幼儿（年龄范围从妊娠23周至11岁）尸检时获取的颈动脉体进行了组织学研究。在诸如细支气管炎等与持续性低氧血症相关的疾病中，发现主细胞的暗变体突出。这类细胞有丰富的细胞质，已知富含脑啡肽等肽类物质。在两例临床诊断为婴儿猝死综合征但分别伴有细支气管炎和气管支气管炎的病例中也发现了相同的组织学特征，认为这引发了低氧血症。在一例无感染的婴儿猝死综合征病例中，支持细胞过度生长，以祖细胞为主，且无暗细胞。我们将这种表现与颈动脉体无法对动脉血氧张力变化做出充分反应联系起来。
