The Natural History of Uterine Leiomyomas: Light and Electron Microscopic Studies of Fibroid Phases, Interstitial Ischemia, Inanosis, and Reclamation
Figure 14
Vascular changes within fibroids mirror those of the fibroid tumor cells. Atrophy of the tumor myocytes occurs as a result of both vascular and interstitial changes. The vascular smooth muscle cells within fibroid tumors often exhibit changes similar to those occurring in the tumor myocytes, including hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the medial myocytes (a), medial hyperplasia and intimal fibrosis (b), vacuolization (c), and hyalinization (d). Arrows mark the outer perimeters of the thickened vessels. Note that each of these vessels also shows marked stenosis of the lumen, which contributes to the ischemic, atrophic process. Original magnification of (a): 33x, (b): 33x, (c): 66x, and (d): 132x.
