PubMed1983
In 20 dogs with a corrugated stenosis of the pulmonary trunk, the state of the intramural neural system has been studied by means of some histological techniques. For correction a by-pass cardio-pulmonary shunt has been used. Fifteen dogs have been used as controls, in 5 of them stenosis of the pulmonary trunk without correction has been induced, in 5--the right ventricular wall has been dissected and the heart wound has been saturated ; in 5--thoracotomy has been performed. Various parts of the cardiac wall have been investigated during the interval 2 hours--360 days. Changes in the cardiac intramural apparatuses at the time up to the 7th day can be considered as nonspecific in response to the surgical trauma. They are similarly manifested in all parts of the cardiac wall in the animals of all the groups studied. Subsequently, destructive changes of neurocytes are the most pronounced. The cells decrease in their size, the nuclei are not detected, RNA content is sharply decreased. When stained after Nissl, "ghost-cells" are seen. Thick neural fibers undergo fragmentation and granular decay. The receptors are subjected to the most sharp changes. These processes are most pronounced up to the 30th day. Further (when stenosis of the pulmonary trunk is corrected with the conduit), restorative processes prevail. In the bodies of neurocytes pironinophilia increases, RNA content rises, young receptors with soft weakly argerophile fibrillae are often detected. Thus, up to 4-6 months the state of the intramural neural apparatuses approaches the normal state. The results of the investigation performed make it possible to conclude that the correction method for the pulmonary trunk stenosis is effective. Owing to this method it is possible to avoid destructive changes that progressively develop in animals with a noncorregated stenosis of the pulmonary trunk.