RESUMEN
The data from the clinical course and epidemiology of primary varicose veins of lower limb suggest that sex hormones can directly influence the development of the disease through their intracellular receptor localised in cells of venous wall. The purpose of this study was to determine the stereometric differences in the structure of healthy and varicose veins of lower limb and to determine the presence and localisation of oestrogen and progesterone receptors in the cells of vein. The segments of greater saphenous vein obtained from the 8 women operated for varicose vein were used for the study. The segments of the greater saphenous vein obtained from 8 women that underwent femoro-popliteal venous bypass procedure were used as control group. The vein samples for stereometric analysis were preserved in Buin's solution, embedded in paraffin and then evaluated with automatic analyser MagiCal. To determine the presence of oestrogen and progesterone receptors the immunohistochemic analysis LAB with monoclonal antibodies produced by DAKO was used. The decreased smooth muscle fraction in venous wall, thickening of adventitia, the change of the smooth muscle cells to stroma cells ratio in the muscular layer of venous wall and change of muscular layer to adventitia ratio were observed in varicose veins in comparison with control group. The oestrogen receptors were found in the nuclei of the smooth muscle cells and endothelium. The progesterone receptors were localised in nuclei of smooth muscle cells and cells of subendothelial layer. It seems that quantitative analysis of sex hormones receptor in the venous wall could be useful in the determination of patients with increased risk of the development of primary varicose veins.