Serum Cytokines in Young Pediatric Patients with Congenital Cardiac Shunts and Altered Pulmonary Hemodynamics

Figure 3

Lung biopsy findings and serum interleukin 16 (IL-16). (a) Advanced pulmonary vasculopathy (grade IV) in a young group II patient (11 months old). Preacinar arteries are shown, with focal intraluminal proliferation of endothelial cells (arrow) characterizing the early stage of a plexiform lesion. (b) Histological section of the same arteries, stained for elastic fibers. At the site where the endothelial proliferation takes place, there is absence of the internal elastic lamina, indicating local elastolysis (between the arrow heads). (a) and (b), respectively, hematoxylin-eosin and Miller’s elastic stain; objective magnification 20x. (c) Serum levels of IL-16 (geometric mean with 95% CI) in patients at different degrees of pulmonary vascular abnormalities. –Whitney test.

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