[The morphological changes in the myocardium associated with the craniocerebral injury]

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the structural changes in the capillaries, arterioles, venules, and cardiomyocytes in the myocardium of the rats following the craniocerebral injury (CCI). Eighteen non-pedigree white female rats with the craniocerebral injury were used as the CCI model. All the animals were given an intraperitoneal injection of sodium thiopental (100 mg/kg b.w.) within 3, 7, and 12 days after the injury. The heart was removed after thoracotomy and the myocardial tissue was examined with the light and electron microscopes. It was shown that the rats with the craniocerebral injury developed well apparent changes in the myocardial tissue during the early post-traumatic period that affected not only the blood vessels themselves (capillaries, arterioles, venules) but also the intra- and extravascular structures. Changes in the microcirculatory system included damages to the mitochondria, myofibrils, cell nuclei, sarcoplasmic reticulum, and cardiomyocytes. It is concluded that the morphological changes in the myocardium of the animals associated with the craniocerebral injury can induce the development of functional disorders in the cardiovascular system during the early post-traumatic period.