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Figure 2 Cartoon of Young and Old Human Aorta

Schematic diagram of the aorta section in a young (left) and old (right) human, with inset (below each) the components of the aortic wall. The wall of the older human is disorganized as a consequence of fraying and fracture of the elastic lamellae (yellow) and loss of muscle attachments (red), together with increase in collagen fibers (black) and mucoid material (green), and with foci of "medionecrosis." Drawn by O’Rourke CM, after Glagov S. Personal communication, 1994.