[Morphology of the capillaries and muscle fibers in endarteritis obliterans].

The ultrastructure of blood capillaries and muscle fibers was examined in the I, II, III, and IV stages of obliterating endarteritis (OE) of the lower extremities. A number of morphological parameters were analysed quantitatively. The pathogenetic importance of changes in the fine structure of capillaries and muscle fibers for each stage of the disease was demonstrated. Each stage of OE is characterized by definite morphological features of the structure of blood capillaries and muscle fibers which permit to use these data clinically for biopsy diagnosis of different OE stages.