The gelatinous plaque: its relation to coronary atherosclerosis.

The relations between the gelatinous plaque and the atherosclerotic plaque were investigated on more than 500 subjects aged 1--40 years. The appearance of the light microscopic aspect of the gelatinous plaque was related to a particular: a) evolution of the process of histolysis involving branch pads and thickened intimas; b) insudation, occurring in nodular proliferations of intimal smooth muscle cells; c) stage of atheroma formation. The results showed that the term gelatinous plaque did not refer to an independent, early atherosclerotic lesion, or a true precursor of advanced lesions,but to an intermediate, transitional stage in the complex histogenesis of the atherosclerotic plaque.