Extracardiac vascular and neural lesions in the toxic oil syndrome

Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Departamento de Anatomia Patologica, Madrid, Spain.

The toxic oil syndrome is a multisystemic disease caused by the ingestion of adulterated rapeseed oil. The basic lesion is a peculiar vasculitis that affects mainly the intima, showing the features of an endovasculitis. Vessels of every type and size are involved, affecting practically every organ. The vascular lesions begins with endothelial damage that varies from cellular swelling to cellular necrosis. It then progresses by mixed cellular inflammatory infiltration of the intima and, in some cases, of the media and adventitia. In some cases the infiltrate is rich in eosinophils and a few show foamy histiocytes. Proliferation of myointimal cells and in advanced stages fibroblastic proliferation causes narrowing or obliteration of the vascular lumen. Thromboembolic complications perpetuate the vascular lesion and compound the ischemia and parenchymal atrophy of several organs. The peripheral nerve lesions begin with an inflammatory neuropathy with lymphocytic perineuritis and progress to perineural fibrosis with secondary axonal degeneration. Skeletal muscle lesions exhibit an interstitial inflammatory myopathy at first, followed by a neurogenic muscular atrophy. A direct effect of unidentified toxic substances, possibly free radicals, may cause the endothelial lesion. Other factors, such as immunopathologic mechanisms of delayed hypersensitivity, may contribute to the progression of the vascular lesions.