Medycyna Wet. 62 (9), 1028-1032, 2006
Sołtysiak Z., Barcikowska M., Gajda M., Pawlas M. |
Arteriosclerosis of the brain and cerebral arteritis as the cause of strokes and hemorrhages in elderly animals |
The article presents atherosclerotic and inflammatory changes in brain vessels and perivascular tissue leading to ischemic and hypoxic changes which, in consequence, produce strokes and brain hemorrhages. The aim of the study was to examine the morphology of the brain vessels of seven elderly animals from 7-21 years of age (three monkeys, a likaon, wolf and two pigs). The brain vessels of the investigated animals demonstrated atherosclerotic changes such as: fibroid changes and amyloidal angiopathy (CAA) in the cortical and leptomeningeal vessels of the three monkeys, likaon and wolf brain. Fibroid arteritis was present in the meningeal arteries of the two sows. These atherosclerotic and inflammatory processes in the CNS vessels led to strokes and hemorrhages. Subarachnoid (Cebus apella) and intraventricular (Lemur mongoz) hemorrhages were noted in two of the monkeys brains and fibrinotic arteritis produced massive mesencephalon hemorrhaging in the two 7-year old sows. The advanced stages of infarct necrosis were characterized by a predominance of vacuolated macrophages with proliferating mesodermal and glial components. Small post infarct and post hemorrhages lesions in nervous tissue produced scarring, with astrocytes, whereas large foci liquefied and formed cysts, marked by the presence of macrophages with hemosyderin in their margins. No atheromatosis changes were observed in the brain vessels. |
Keywords: elderly animals, sclerotic changes, cerebral infarct, hemorrhage |