A light microscopic study on coronary atherosclerosis in an unselected population sample of Bucharest aged 41-50 years.

A light microscopic study was carried out in the coronary arteries of 112 apparently healthy subjects aged 41-50 years who died of accidents, in an attempt to reveal some particular aspects of atherosclerotic involvement occurring in the preclinical stage of coronary heart disease. Three of these particular aspects were stressed in the present study: 1. The important occurrence during the fifth decade of life of microthrombi and their encrustation within preexisting and newly formed atherosclerotic plaques, followed by a significant augmentation in the obstructive character of these plaques. 2. The dramatic increase in the number of subjects with a three-vessel involvement by atherosclerotic plaques. 3. The appearance of many obstructive atherosclerotic plaques in some branch vessels usually unopened and/or not removed during ordinary gross inspection.