[Atherosclerotic aneurysms of the abdominal aorta]

Aneurysm of abdominal aorta was found in 58 cases (0.87 per cent) of a group of 6646 postmortems. The group comprised persons over 15, 45 males and 13 females. The highest frequency of aneurysms (36) was at the age 71 to 80. Rupture of the aneurysm occurred in 15 cases and vascular diseases represented a half part of other causes of death. All the aneurysms were atherosclerotic, in one case a combination with mucold dystrophy was found. Evidence of arterial hypertension was in 43 per cent of the analyzed cases. Histology was performed in 24 cases and proved a destruction of elastic structures in tunica media, fibrosis, loss of smooth muscle cells followed by substantial thinning of the vessel wall. Widening of adventicia was caused by increase of collagen fibres. Discussion concerned formal pathogenesis of the lesion.