Intimal Cushion Formation and Diffuse Intimal Thickening in Human Lower Limb Arteries

Abstract

The intima is defined as the region of the arterial wall extending from the luminal endothelial surface to the luminal margin of the media.¹ The internal elastic lamina (IEL) denotes the border between the intima and the media. At birth the endothelial cells are lying directly on the IEL, and the intima is composed of endothelial cells (EC). After birth this intima widens due to the presence of cells and fibers.² In human coronary arteries eccentric intimai thickenings (intimal cushions) have been observed from the first week of life and thereafter.³ Eccentric intimal thickening is an elevated lesion characterized by a relatively abrupt and focal increase in the thickness of the intima associated with branches and orifices. Some authors assume that these are the predilection sites for the development of atherosclerosis.¹ Diffuse intimai thickening is a flat often circumferential lesion, not clearly related to a specific geometric configuration of the arteries. Data on the range of eccentric and diffuse intimal thickening in human arteries¹ are incomplete. In the present study the temporal evolution of the development of the eccentric and diffuse intimal thickenings in human lower limb arteries was investigated from the early prenatal period until the young adult age.