[The perinatal neuroglia in hypoxia. An electron- and light microscopical study with addition Golgi's impregnation...

The light microscopical morphology of perinatal neuroglia caused by hypoxia was examined in 60 cases, in 5 of them corresponding structures were investigated electron microscopically. The astroglia was studied additional by using the silver impregnation technique Bubenaite in 20 cases of the group. The glial lipid accumulation is a perinatal pathological process and is not related to myelination. It was found in 71,5% of the cases in astroblasts and astrocytes but seldom in oligodendrocytes. At the ultrastructural level, the lipid-loaded neuroglial cells cannot be confused with macrophages. One third of the cases showed a proliferation of the macroglial. In 20% of the cases, a focal leukodystrophy was found. A hypoxical degeneration was revealed of astrocytes by the Golgi modification of Bubenaite. The study demonstrates pathological changes of myelin formation in connection with degeneration and immature myelination. These perinatal neuroglial reactions seem to be connected with diffuse leukodystrophies. The examination gives the impression that the oligodendroglial differentiation might be disturbed. In contrast to myelin degeneration, the glial cells lesions and myelination defects play a decisive role in postnatal CNS formation.