家兎リンパ管壁の構造

抄録

The thoracic ducts and other lymph vessels of 19 adult rabbits were investigated.
1. The wall of the rabbit lymph vessel is very thin in comparison with its rather large lumen. Regional differences in its sturcture seem to be rather quantitative. Namely, the wall of thoracic ducts is well developed, but towards the periphery all the constituents grow weaker and weaker.
2. The elastic tissue is generally well developed, and elastica interna is conspicuous in rabbit lymph vessels.
3. In the media the elastic tissue is always found as remarkable longitudinal networks that cover the outer side of the muscle bundles as the sheath and are connected with elastica interna in may points. Therefore, the part of the wall devoid of muscle bundles lacks in the elastic element.
4. The muscles are found exclusively in the media. In the thoracic ducts, large and small band-like muscle bundles in the form of a layer of single muscle fibers run circularlyobliquely, ever branching out in the course and anastomosing each other. However, in parts of a section such bundles are found in double layers, while in others they are comletely missing.
In other lymph vessels only a few single muscle fibers are scattered, forming a single layer. Some of them run obliquely-circularly, mixed with others running obliquely-longitudinally. There is no definte pattern in their course but it seems oblique circular fibers are rather predominant.
5. The lumbar trunks possess more muscle than the subclavian and jugular trunks.
6. The connective tissue is most developed in the adventitia and this constitutes the principal part of the wall. This laryer in larger vessels is not of uniform thickness around the circumference, but it has cord-like thickenings running longitudinally. In addition, longitudinal elastic fibers are scattered in the adventitia.