Morphometric analysis of blood vessels in synovial membranes obtained from clinically affected and unaffected knee joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Synovial tissues from inflamed and noninflamed knee joints of 13 patients with untreated rheumatoid arthritis were examined for vascular proliferation and morphological alteration of endothelial cells. Perivascular mononuclear cell infiltration and increased thickness of the synovial liing layer were noted in tissues from inflsmed and noninflamed joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis; vascular proliferation and morphological alteration of endothelial cells to resemble high endothelial venules were seen only in tissues from inflamed joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. These observations suggest that the mition ofmononuclear cells from the peripheral blood to the perivascular areas and lning layer occurs before vascular proliferation and morphological alteration of endothelial cells.