Mapping the Back-Door Routes into the Vascular Wall: 3D Microscopic Reconstruction of Microvasculature in the Normal Temporal Artery and in Giant Cell Arteritis

Daniel Drayton¹, Aruna Chakrabarty², Ann Morgan³, Darren Treanor⁴ and Sarah Mackie⁵, ¹School of Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, ²Department of Cellular Pathology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, United Kingdom, ³Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine and NIHR-Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom, ⁴Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, United Kingdom, ⁵NIHR-Leeds Musculoskeletal Biomedical Research Unit and Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom

Meeting: 2015 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Date of first publication: September 29, 2015

Keywords: 3D model, Angiogenesis, histopathologic and temporal arteritis

Session Information

Date: Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Title: Vasculitis III

Session Type: ACR Concurrent Abstract Session

Session Time: 2:30PM-4:00PM

Background/Purpose: The
arterial wall is nourished by microvessels (vasa vasorum), which are a potential route of entry for
inflammatory cells in vasculitis. Little is known
about the anatomy of temporal artery vasa vasorum or their relationship to the inflammatory
neovessels in giant cell arteritis.

Methods: Temporal
arteries from consenting patients were serially sectioned (5µm) and stained with haematoxylin and
eosin (H&E). Slides were scanned at 0.5µm/pixel generating ‘virtual copies’. Virtual slides were
registered (aligned) and segmented (annotated). Area and circularity
(isoperimetric quotient) were calculated for microvessels
(vasa vasorum and neovessels).
2D segmentations were connected throughout the virtual case using Medical Image
Manager (Heterogenius Ltd, Leeds), creating 3D
iso-surfaced images.

Results: Vasa
vasorum (red) formed a dense plexus within the adventitia of the normal
temporal artery (lumen in yellow), becoming smaller and more numerous towards
the internal elastic lamina. In a completely-occluded
temporal artery with panarteritis, microvessels penetrated all layers of the vascular wall.
Leukocyte aggregates surrounded some of the adventitial vasa vasorum. In a
temporal artery with partial luminal occlusion, the segment with greater
occlusion had a greater number of neovessels (innermost neovessels shown in
green). In GCA, median microvessel area (834 (IQR
421-1881)um² and 150 (90-289)um²
in the first and second GCA specimens respectively)was smaller than that of the normal
vasa vasorum (1177 (555-2822)um²);
p<0.001. Median microvessel circularity (0.62 (IQR
0.37-0.84) and 0.45 (0.46-0.87)) was also reduced in each GCA specimen compared
to normal vasa vasorum (0.69 (0.46-0.87));
p<0.001.

Conclusion: The vasa
vasorum of the temporal artery form a dense plexus. Inflammatory neovessels are
smaller and have reduced circularity compared to vasa vasorum.
This method could be used to visualise 3D relationships of microvessels
and skip lesions in vasculitis.

Disclosure: D. Drayton, None; A. Chakrabarty, None; A. Morgan, None; D. Treanor, None; S. Mackie, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Drayton D, Chakrabarty A, Morgan A, Treanor D, Mackie S. Mapping the Back-Door Routes into the Vascular Wall: 3D Microscopic Reconstruction of Microvasculature in the Normal Temporal Artery and in Giant Cell Arteritis [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015; 67 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/mapping-the-back-door-routes-into-the-vascular-wall-3d-microscopic-reconstruction-of-microvasculature-in-the-normal-temporal-artery-and-in-giant-cell-arteritis/. Accessed .

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