[Characteristics of ventricular capillary blood filling of the human heart in sudden coronary death].

A histometric and histochemical study of myocardial ventricular capillaries was carried out in cases of sudden coronary death (SCD) in the absence of myocardial infarction and postinfarction cardiosclerosis. Heterogenic pattern of capillary blood filling, increased quantity of plasmatic capillaries, their reduced density per unit of area and sparser distribution, as well as greater metabolite ultrafiltration diameter were demonstrated, as evidence of disturbed myocardial transcapillary metabolism. Decreased muscular fiber/capillary rations, "vesicles" emerging in the capillary lumen and sludging in some vessels determine impairment of capillary perfusion. Two groups of cases were identified: those with uniform blood overfilling of capillaries and with uniform compression of the capillary lumen that must be due to the fact that death occurred during the systolic or diastolic phase, respectively.