Structure and Ultrastructure of the Coronary Artery Intima in Children and Young Adults Up to Age 29

Abstract

This paper describes the intima of the coronary arteries of young human subjects as it develops and changes during maturation. The work represents a preliminary report of one part of a continuing study of the coronary arteries and aortas of the population of New Orleans in the first 29 years of life. Investigators who studied human coronary intima in the past found that it was thickened and that there was regional variation in thickness and structure. A thick intima was also reported for other arteries. Thoma (1) who studied human aortic intima with the light microscope, a century ago described and illustrated areas in which the intima was consistently thicker. He stated that the thick segments were a universal feature in human aortic development. Awareness of the fact that human arterial intima is far more than a thin and nondescript space between the basement membrane of the endothelial cells and the internal elastic lamina has, however, not been general.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, Grant HL — 22739