The ultrastructure of human intracardiac neuroganglia
Pavlovich, E.R.; Shvalev, V.N.
Morfologiia 102(6): 59-67
1992
ISSN/ISBN: 1026-3543 PMID: 1343256 Document Number: 401555
Light and electron microscopic studies of nervous ganglia of the sinoauricular area of the heart were performed in 7 people dead at the age from 23 to 58 years (44 +/- 6) from not cardiac causes. The ganglia were disposed under the epicardium and had from 1 to 17 neurons as well as bundles of myelinated (MNF) and nonmyelinated nerve fibers (NNF). The ganglia most often had light neurons with a rounded nucleus and a compact nucleolus, with invariable cisterns of the granular endoplasmic reticulum microfilaments, electron-dense bodies, lipofuscin granules and edematous mitochondria. More rare were dark neurons with osmiophilic cytoplasm and nucleus of an irregular shape. Most NNF and MNF in the ganglia had normal ultrastructure. In part of NNF and MNF there were edemas of axis cylinders, fragmentation of neurofilaments and microtubules, sometimes MNF with transverse and longitudinal cleavage of myelin were seen. The significance of influences of the age, intravital pathology and postmortem alterations on the ultrastructure of intracardiac nervous ganglia of man is discussed.