[Stereological studies of aging changes in epiglottal cartilage cells]

The topic of these investigations were the aging changes of stereological parameters of the cells in human epiglottal cartilage. 42 sagittally cut epiglottides of all ages were available. By means of a drawing mirror in total 8937 cells had been drawn from the slide on paper and then measured. In detail we determined the volume fraction of cartilagous cells in the total cartilage volume, the complete cell surface area of the cartilage, the surface-to-volume ratio of the cartilagous cells, the numerical density of the cells and their volumes. The results are as follows: 1. The volume fraction of cartilagous cells in the total cartilage volume decreases from birth to senium continuously and, with the exception of a more rapid decline during the first decade, linear too. 2. The collective cell surface area per constant test volume of cartilage shows an exponential decline during life. 3. The surface-to-volume ratio of the cartilagous cells decreases very intensively during the first decades, from the 5th decade it little ranges again. 4. In the same way the numerical density of cells intensively decreases up to the 5th decade, but later on it ranges again. 5. The several volumes of cells show from the age of the newborn up to the 40th year a linear steep rise and afterwards, up to senium, an unequivocal decline. 6. The sizes of the cartilagous cells are not normally distributed, on the contrary, in young slides more than in older ones, one size class very predominates.