[Vital microscopic investigation of terminal blood vessels in patients with diabetes mellitus].
It is reported on findings of vital-microscopic investigations at the terminal vascular system of the conjunctiva bulbi and the mucous membrane of the lips carried out on 50 juvenile diabetics and 50 test persons of the same age. By quantitative establishment of the morphological and functional changes of the vessels and the aggregation of the erythrocytes in the different regions of the terminal vascular system we succeeded in delimitating all 50 diabetes as individuum or as collective (x equals 10.7 +/- 1.5) from the test persons (x equals 3.4 +/- 0.9) by means of a point system (p less than 0.001). In 4 figures typical vascular findings are demonstrated. No pathognomonic significance was ascribed to the individual vascular findings. The morphological and functional changes of the vascular wall are regarded as an expression of fundamental reactive possibilities of the vessels of the terminal vascular system after influence of different factors of risk. As criteria of the findings were used: venular sacculations, meander-like forms, convolutions, haemorrhages, aneurysms, reticular structures, varieties of calibres, changed arteriolarvenular relations of the inner diameter of the vessels, constant proof of aggregates of erythrocytes with temporary standstill of the flow in the different parts of the terminal vascular system. The author is of the opinion that with simultanuous establishment of the morphological and functional changes of wall of the vessel and content of the vessel degenerative changes in diabetes mellitus are provable earlier than at the eye-ground by means of ophthalmocoscopy when only morphological findings are established. The reciprocities between the vascular changes and the rheological properties of the blood are described.