Staining to show muscle loss in abdominal aortic aneurysm

Hematoxylin and eosin staining of aortic specimens. Panels (A), (B), and (C) are magnified 100x; panels (D), (E), and (F) are magnified 200x. Control segments of the aorta (A,D) exhibit an abundance of vascular smooth muscle cells with dark nuclei apparent and thick, well-ordered layers of elastin. By contrast, the segment of aortic aneurysm (B,D) shows depletion of smooth muscle cells, as shown by marked decrease in nuclei and vacuolization (prominent in B). The elastin fibrils are also thinned and disordered (C,F).