[Morphological characteristics of carcinoid angio- and cardiopathies]. / Morfologicheskaia kharakteristika kartsinoidnykh angio- i kardiopatii.

ABSTRACT

Cardiovascular affections due to carcinoids can be divided into two groups related to impaired vascular tonicity, and resultant from proliferative structural response of the heart and vascular walls. The former changes can be evident from arteriolar spasms and microcirculatory ectasia in the tumor, adjacent and distal tissues (myocardium, kidneys, skin). Proliferation, typical for EC-cell tumors, involved active multiplication of smooth muscle cells as well as of subendothelial and perithelial myofibroblasts with formation of specific mixed connective tissue responsible for vascular stenosis and giving rise to valvular disease.