Immunopathology and microvascular lesions in human sympathetic ganglia

Lumbar sympathetic ganglia surgically removed from adult patients affected by obstructive peripheral arteriopathies are investigated with traditional histology and fluorescent antibody technique. The presence of various pictures of microangiopathy is confirmed, mainly haemodynamic (hyaline-oedematous perivascular thickening) phenomena. Since specific fluorescence is absent from any lesion, the autoimmune pathogenic hypothesis may be discarded.